_{﹕backdated to before the first year﹕}

WHEN HIS EYES landed on the exterior of the wand shop at Diagon Alley, Jude knew he was in for a big one.

The boy stood outside, breathing in and out, hoping to control his rapid heartbeat. Mother's presence right beside him didn't do much to calm his nerves, not even when her hand caressed the top of his golden curls, encouraging him walk in. He had to, at one point, even if he felt too pressured at the moment. He wouldn’t become a fully-realized wizard without a wand. How would he be able to learn his spells?

Insecurities lingered in the back of his mind... What if his wand wasn't good enough? What if he turned out like Mum, who wasn't all that skilled with spells, and opted for softer displays of magic? That would go against his entire plan – the plan to become the greatest wizard he could possibly be. Jude wanted to excel. He wanted to walk into rooms and impress all who spotted him, to be recognized like a celebrity for his power and knowledge. Like the famous wizards in the Chocolate Frog cards.

He couldn't achieve it without a wand, though.

Bloody hell, let's do it! Sucking in some air, he puffed his chest. Jude looked up at his mother, forcing a confident look on his freckled face. Arabella's gentle smile was like a mug of hot chocolate in the middle of winter, after playing in the snow for so long, he hardly felt the tip of his nose. She pushed the door open for him, and the two Morgans walked in...

...

"I can't believe it..." That's the first thing he said as soon as they walked out, grumbling under his breath like a displeased toddler. To say Jude was disappointed would be an understatement. "Mum, I can't believe it..."

Arabella huffed in amusement. "Isn't it great, Ju? Ollivanders is just as I remember. Years ago, I came here with your grandmother and uncles — I had been so scared to end up with a wand not as good as theirs."

Although he had directed word to his mother, Jude was lost in his own world. He stared at his wand with nothing short of disappointment. Or maybe a little bit of resentment. 29,1 cm ash wood and snallygaster heartstring... That part did not matter much to him. And appearance-wise, the wand met his standards of what a cool wizard wand should be like.

What had soured his mood were the words of the wandmaker, as soon as a smile made itself present in Jude's bright face. Brittle, attracted to wizards possessing the divination or legilimency gift... Jude had stopped smiling in less than a second.

The more he looked at the wand, the more he wanted to cry.

Mother pulled her wand from behind her ear, playing with it, with a happy little hum, reminiscing on the fond memories she must have shared with her wand over the years. She only realized her son had stopped walking when she was many steps ahead of him.

Looking over her shoulder, the woman tilted her head to the side. "What's wrong, darling?"

Teary eyes darting from his wand to his mother, Jude was flooded with memories. From a very young age, he'd been exposed to his mother's unusual job as a Muggle tarot reader — she liked all things Divination; crystal balls, palm-reading, tea leaves, all of it. Arabella claimed their family came from a long, lost lineage of Seers, and that she'd been blessed with that genetic gift. Even now, he could smell the incense from their place. If he closed his eyes, he could picture the tarot cards one by one, given how many times he'd seen them.

Divination had been the reason Arabella was cut from the rest of their family — the wizard side of the family, the pureblood Morgans. And deep down, Jude feared some of her so-called skills had passed down to him... that, somehow, that genetic gift from his dead relatives had awakened in his veins. He didn't want to be a Seer. He didn't want to look into the future.

And now his wand was a reminder of it.

Without a word leaving his trembling lips, Mother understood what must be going on in his head. She approached, running her fingers through his hair, to brush his curls from his forehead. Arabella leaned in, pressing a kiss on the top of his head.

"How about we buy some ice cream before we continue shopping, hm?" Mother always knew how to cheer him up. Jude rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, right as his mother's smile grew. "Or better yet, we can visit the Quidditch shop and get you your very first broom. Would you like that?"

He nodded. Yes, he'd like that very much...