On a damp, yet unusually hot day mid-August, a black Toyota was making its way through the M25 motorway. The journey from East Grinstead to London was well worth it as usual. The road was swirling right on top of luscious green hills, dotted with woods and stand-alone bushes. This was most certainly nothing peculiar in terms of English scenery but Leroy Blodgett had learned to appreciate the smallest of adventures and journeys life threw his way. See, not having any close friends was a lonely job and, apart from devouring wizard history books, the occasional trip outside was considered a rather big deal. So, the young boy took it upon himself to be his own friend on those little adventures, as he would wander around the East Grinstead pine woods or to the library.

However, this trip was quite different and very important.

"Excited about visiting Diagon Alley, Leeree?" April Blodgett's voice chirped from the passenger seat, while Blaze Blodgett was nervously looking around for the next entry to London, trying to remember which road took them straight to the good old Leaky Cauldron. "Yes, mom. We have not visited recently." their son replied from the back seat of the family's Toyota. "Oh, you're going to have a blast! I'm almost as excited as you are!" his father joined in on the joyful conversation while steering right to take the next turn.



Everything was just as he remembered it, only brighter and bigger this time around. Leroy was stood right in front of the Leaky Cauldron. His dark, warm brown eyes looking up at the buildng. This was it. Just a few more steps and he was going to be on Diagon Alley again but this time the shopping was all going to be for him. The Hogwarts' List of Supplies was very precise and specific in terms of what a first-year student was supposed to get before hopping on that express to the castle. His mother was on his right side, his father on his left and between them, Leroy opened the door to the pub and the family entered. There weren't many customers but that was to be expected. After all, pubs were places that were usually fuller during evenings and not early afternoons. The Blodgetts passed through the mostly wooden pub, not paying much attention to the bizarre couple at the bar exchanging a vial full of, what looked like a love potion to Mrs. Blodgett, and exited right on its backside.

And there they found bricks. And some more bricks. And more bricks on top of those too.

"Are you ready for your shopping now, son?" Mr. Blodgett put his heavy right hand on the boy's shoulder proudly. "I'm ready as I'll ever be." Leroy shrugged with a wide smile, though entering Diagon Alley after spending so much time in the muggle world was an experience that could only be described as "a happy shock". His mother reached and knocked on a brick, then knocked on another, and a third, a fourth and a fifth. The bricks started moving, rotating and one by one revealed the familiar magical business of the shopping area.

Leroy was starry-eyed. There were just so many witches and wizards on the street, some of them performing peculiar acts of magic, fondling unknown and shiny objects or enjoying weird-looking foods. As the family was walking through the street, young Leroy was starting to feel a bit nervous. This really was happening, wasn't it? He really did receive a Hogwarts acceptance letter, didn't he? He truly was going to become a wizard, despite his fears that he's a squib from earlier last year!



Leroy took out and unfolded a small piece of notebook paper from his pocket and took one last look at the supply list he had written down. There were neatly-drawn ticks next to nearly all of the items that were on the list. Except for a wand. The Blodgetts had saved the best for last and, though they were already getting a bit tired from running around the Diagon Alley shops all afternoon long, they were all but jumping up and down in excitement about their precious little boy getting his wand. "Ooooh, I bet you're going to get unicorn hair, aren't you Leeree? Isn't he, Blaze?" his mother clapper her hands and shot him a wide smile. "Both mine and your mother's wands were with unicorn hair core! Certainly, yours would be as well." his father confirmed with a slight nod. "I am sure it will, dad! It would be splendid to have the same type of wand you and mom had." the boy agreed, knowing full well that he was expected to be just the way his parents wanted him to be.

As the family was entering Ollivanders, the man behind the counter smiled at them with a polite and cheerful "Ah, young mister Leroy Blodgett! It's time for you to join Hogwarts, eh? But a young wizard like yourself can't go to school without a wand?" "That is true indeed." Leroy nodded while looking all around the rather dusty and narrow store. There were boxes upon boxes of wands all around and one of these wands was his. "Now, Mr. and Mrs. Blodgett, if you do not mind, could you be so kind as to wait for the boy outside?". The Blodgetts were both rather taken aback by Ollivander's request. They had expected to be there when their son got his wand. They were well aware that the wand was supposed to pick the boy and also that they didn't have a say in any of this but they just really, really wanted to be next to little Leroy during this. Just to ensure that the choice was the right one, that the wand was a good fit.

There was a clear discontent written all over April Blodgett's and Blaze Blodgett's faces as they left the store. "We'll be waiting for you right outside, Leeree!" his mother didn't forget to mention as she was closing the heavy door. "Some choices are better made with less brains in a room. Now, for your wand..." Ollivander smiled and winked a mischievous wink at Leroy. The boy wasn't sure what he meant but smiled nonetheless with his brown eyes showing hints of confusion as the wandmaker headed to the store's back and reached for the top of a very high tower, constructed of boxes of wands. The tower shook slightly to the left, then slightly to the right and was threatening to fall and cover the whole place in magical wands, when Ollivander managed to grab the box he was looking for and steady the construction. "There we go! This beauty is a 29.5cm blackthorn with a core of unicorn hair." the man spoke as he made a few steps and reached the counter again. Unicorn hair core. "Here, have a look! Wave it around lightly and see, if there's any magic there."

Unicorn hair core.

This was precisely what was the core of mother and father's wands. It was also what was to be the core of his wand too. Leroy took the wand, holding it carefully in his right hand. As soon as he waved a soft spiral in the air with it he felt... nothing. "Hmmm! Seems like I was wrong." Ollivander stated matter-of-factly while he snagged the wand away from the boy's hand and shuffled back to the other side of his store to return it to its place.

So... that wasn't it, huh. Certainly there are other wands with unicorn hair cores that he could try. One of them was his very own wand, after all. So, what if it wasn't the first one? No need to rush. Leroy could spend his late afternoon and early evening trying every single one of these unicorn hair core wands, until he found his. Ollievander was heading towards the boy holding another wand in his hands.

And just as the boy reached for it, certain of what was inside the wooden wand "31,3 cm chestnut wood and dragon heartstring! A truly fine specimen for a fine young gentleman such as you, Mr. Blodgett." Dragon heartstring was not something Leroy had expected. These cores were meant to handle some powerful magic. Besides, it wasn't like his parents' wands! Catching the uncertainty in the boy's gaze, Ollivander continued softly "Don't be afraid, Mr. Blodgett. Give it a try!" handing the wand over to Leroy.

The young boy took the wand reluctantly, observing it. It truly was quite beautiful to look at, with its warmer almost-red tones, its softly-shaped swirly handle, and a sphere with vertical striped cut all around its entirety sitting at the very bottom of the wand. It felt heavy in his small right hand. Leroy held his breath as he waved a precise circle with it, both him and Ollivander staring into the tip of the wand to see, if it will produce magic. And, surely there was a faint and pulsing yellow glow but it wasn't coming from the wand. As the man and the boy slowly turned their heads, they realized that the light was coming from the antique gas lantern stood at the left side of the shop's counter.

"A-ha!" shouted the wandmaker "I knew it! I'm gonna prepare the wand for purchase right away, Mr. Blodgett!" He took the magical item from the boy's hand and shuffled to the back of the store to place the wand in its box.

As Leroy took the box under his left arm, left 2 Galleons on counter and wished Ollivander a lovely day, there was only one thing running through his mind.

Dragon heartstring. Not unicorn hair.