Beyond Blue And Bronze
Chapter 3
The Pulse
Claudia looked back at her dad, he raised his eyebrows and made a ‘Go on!’ gesture with his hands. She also noticed the seated nun giving a little nod to Ollivander. The boy with the messy dark hair breezed by and wished her luck, then grabbed the other one, who had spent the last ten minutes acting out, and commentating on, his own imaginary quidditch match. She rolled her eyes as the boys scrambled out the door like puppies in pursuit of a ball. A split second later, she considered she'd never seen a nun so nimble; a blur of black and white, then gone. Mr Ollivander gave a little sigh when the door closed and then beckoned Claudia to join him.
She found herself in a tall, dimly lit room. Claudia’s eyes slowly scanned the endless shelves at crazy angles, stacked high with long, thin dusty boxes. Her mind raced, ‘There must be tens of thousands of them. How will my wand ever find me?’ Mr Ollivander was already busying himself on a small set of steps. He stood on tiptoes to peer into the back of a shelving cabinet. Without turning, he spoke with a muffled voice from inside, “Do take a seat, I’m sure I have the very thing back here… If I can just reach…” He raised himself up onto one foot now. Claudia could see that there was only one option for “taking a seat”, a solitary, small wooden chair that looked rather rickety. In fact, the legs were so spindly they reminded her of spiders legs. ‘Ugh, I hate them.’ she thought. Claudia was quite enamoured of animals; indeed she rather preferred them to humans but spiders were quite another matter. She sat on the chair… very tentatively.
The very second she perched herself on the wobbly seat, something most peculiar happened. The light in the room began to pulse. Claudia looked up. Occasional chandeliers hung high up on the ceiling. They comprised of three round spheres of smoked glass and each globe held a flame that danced. She watched the flames rise and ebb in unison, “Errr… Mr Ollivander.” Claudia piped up. “Are they supposed to do that?”
“What’s that you say?” The emerging Ollivander bumped his head on the shelf as he turned around, unaware of what had happened. Looking up he mused, “Perhaps I should check the lamps?” As he made his way towards the narrow door, Claudia noticed that the pulse rate was slowing. “Ah no,” he muttered to himself, “My tall ladder is still down in the repairs section.” He spun on his heel and started walking back towards Claudia, her hands clasping the seat of the spindly chair as if it might run off with her at any minute.
As Ollivander approached, the pulse got quicker. However, once he had passed, Claudia noticed that the frequency of the waves slowed again. Just as the old wizard started to pick up an impossibly tall wooden ladder, Claudia suggested, “Sir, it seems that the pulsing light changes pace with your movements.” He laid the ladder gently back and began stalking around the room, noting the changes in rhythm.
Brow furrowed, he turned to face Claudia. His long legs took a purposeful step towards her: the pulse rose. He took another: faster again. He marched right up beside her and the lights violently flickered, strobing. Claudia felt her heart had aligned with them. He bent down and in no more than a whisper asked, “Could you… err… just stand up a minute, please?” Claudia didn’t want to make any sudden movements, she slowly alighted the chair and stepped aside. Ollivander ran his fingers across the boxes directly behind the chair: the flickering increased. ---WHOOSH!--- Every flame suddenly leapt high above its globe, burning pure and white. The wand maker’s fingers stopped in their tracks and brought a long black box off the shelf. The light around the room stayed constant and brilliant.
“I’ve never seen a wand choose someone in this manner before, but I will eat my crumpled, pointy hat if this one has not already chosen you.” He turned and smiled at Claudia holding out the box. Now flushed with adrenaline, Claudia lifted the lid and held the wand aloft. Heat tingled in her fingers at the touch of the wood. She suddenly felt like she was bathed in light; strong, confident, independent. She felt the pulse course through her body and it became hers to control. This was it, at one with her wand, she was truly a witch now.
Mr Ollivander was laughing and clapping his hands, “So, let’s see… Vine wood, an unyielding 12 and a half inches long and with a dragon heartstring for its core. This is the wand of a caster who will learn quickly… and powerful? Oh yes! A vine wand is quite uncommon, they often choose somebody who seeks a greater purpose in life. However, should you have the need to go into battle; while you and the wand are one it will serve you with undying loyalty, but lose this wand to another champion and it will swiftly change allegiance. This wand will only ever serve its current owner.”
Claudia could not hide her elation, she shook Mr Ollivander’s hand vigorously while thanking him repeatedly in English and Italian then rushed back out to her waiting father, whose face glowed with pride, recognising the spark of ignition in her. Claudia’s father put his arm around her as they turned to leave, “So, Flourish and Blott’s next.” Claudia was smiling, still admiring her wand, and under her breath simply chanted one word, “Booooks.”
***
“So there you have it! The day that Claudi… Miss Corvonero that is, became a witch!”
The children all began to applaud.
Emma hugged Martin, her brother, “I want to be like Miss Corvonero. I want a wand too.”
“Well, it just so happens…” Dr Cappo lifted himself out of his chair and made his way across the porch to a large wooden chest that was decorated on top with a metallic eagle's head, long since bronzed with rust.
“Dr Cappo, Sir,” began Jacob, “Are there more stories about You and Dale and Miss Corvonero at the school for wizards?”
“It’s called Hogwarts, Jacob” Tim replied, in a sarcastic tone.
“Oh shut up, Snail!” the elder brother fired back.
“Really you two? Emma, you should think yourself lucky that you only have one brother” added Sarah, sounding somewhat exasperated.
“Indeed I do have more stories…”
Dr Cappo tapped the head of the eagle with his walking stick.
“…about Hogwarts…”
The heavy wood panel flipped open as easily as if it were made of paper.
“…but those are not for today.”
The old man reached inside the chest and brought out a brightly coloured box, striped in purple and green, and on the top was a huge, orange letter “W” with a starburst on its right-hand side. He lifted the lid and offered it first to Emma. She looked inside, her eyes lit up and she gasped, “But doesn’t the wand have to choose the witch?”
“Hmmm, not for these ones. I’ve made a special exception and chosen these ones for you.”
Each child took a wand from the box.
“But these ones won’t do magic, Emma.” Sarah warned, not wanting the younger girl to be too disappointed.
“Can you be certain?” Said Dr Cappo, “Try giving them a swish, or a flick.”
The children started waving the wands and striking poses and to their delight, each wand gave off different coloured sparks, and they swooshed their dance of tiny lights all over the beach hut’s porch. Dr Cappo sat back down, put his goggles over his eyes and was happy that the toy wands from a wizarding joke shop far away, were able to bring unbridled smiles to five young faces.
And so it came to pass, that the five beach children would visit Dr Cappo’s hut each morning for recounts of a sugar-laden journey on the Hogwarts Express, a night time crossing of the Great Lake that granted glimpses of a huge hall and dizzying spires, and most certainly for the many magical adventures that lay in wait upon arrival at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.