An Unexpected Visit [Katrin Edlund & Professor Grimm]

[G]

"Time Lord? No man is Lord over time, Katrin!" Professor Grimm admonished, but the girl was already off, lost in the excitement of seeing her new world for the first time. Grimm smiled, watching her rush to the shop. He remembered that feeling, the thrill of seeing all of this through virgin eyes.

"Oh, don't worry about that!" he said, "think of it as an investment. Your wand will be your companion for the rest of your life, after all. And it's not as though you can just choose a cheap one, after all..."

"That's right." A voice sounded from the shadows, and its' speaker stepped forwards. Those who'd known his father would know that Ollivander jr. was his spitting image - albeit a younger one. "The wand chooses the Wizard... or Witch, in this case." Ollivander smiled at the child, his thin lips stretched wide across his pale face. "So, which wand will choose this Witch? Hmmm."

He approached Katrin, peering at her in a way that suggested he was seeing more than just her physical body. "Hmmm. You might be a tricky one to match. But there is a wand in here for you, yes... but which one?"

He crossed to one of the shelves, his fingers flickering between boxes until they settled on one.

"Let's try this. Oak and Minotaur Heartstring." Opening the box, he offered it to her, inviting her to pick up the slender, dark length of wood inside.

[HaelKatrin]

She only barely heard him protest about her calling him a Time Lord. She just shakes her head, already too far to answer him.

She continues to watch him, as he explained it would be ok. That the wand would be with her for a long time. And then, the newcomer echoed his thoughts. She looks up at this newest person. "You mean, like a TARDIS?!" She asks him with wide eyes, and a grin. "the TARDIS chose the Doctor too! She stole him. She stole her own Time Lord." She watches him, as he looks her over. Her eyes seeming to look into the Wandmaker's very soul. "I'm Katrin Edlund!" She said, puffing out her chest with pride. The name didn't mean anything. Not to her. There was nothing special to it. Still, if you spoke a name with authority, it would get people's attention. They would think you were some important person. They would treat you different. Better. It had worked quite a few times, on quite a few case workers. Little did she know, the Wandmaker would know her name. Know more about her than she did.

She watches him curiously, as he went to retrieve a wand. As he brought it back. She looks up at him, then to Professor Grimm, then back to the wand. She did this a second time, before finally, cautiously, reaching for the wand. She picks it up, staring at it. Then looking at Olivander, as if unsure what to do. She remembers how Professor Grimm used his. And so, her curiosity getting the best of her as usual, she gives it a small flick.

. . . . .And that, that exact moment, was when several lights broke. Burst in a shower of light, sparks, and glass. Her eyes go wide, and she puts the wand back. "I-I'm sorry. . . I didn't mean. . . . " Her voice quivering. Scared. She had broken the lights in this very very expensive shop. This was not good at all. She was about to be in a lot of trouble.

[G]

"Ah, no, no. Not that one, then," Ollivander said as he reached out to hurriedly snatch the wand from Katrin's grasp. "That's quite alright, not to worry! We'll find it."

Returning the box to the shelf, he crossed to the other side of the room and started rifling through boxes there, seemingly unconcerned with the shattered glass that littered the floor. Indeed, as he searched, the tiny shards were already skittering toward each other on the floor, reattaching when they found the piece they belonged beside.

"Don't worry, Katrin." Grimm said, looking amused at her horrified reaction, "it's quite normal. I started a fire, when I was looking for mine."

Ollivander was returning, holding another slender box. He brushed away the dust that layered it's surface, opening it and offering it to Katrin.

"Walnut and Phoenix Feather. Rather bendy, this one."

[HaelKatrin]

She watches Ollivander take back the wand and to to look for another. Not at all concerned. She looks up at Grimm, as if for reassurance, as he says it was all right. "A fire?" She asks curiously, surprised.

She looks at the latest wand. The top of the box dusty. She looks up at Ollivander for a moment. Not at all wanting to try another one. Still, she picks it up. And gives it a flick.

. . . This time, it was as if a small explosion took place. Boxes and boxes of wands being thrown off the shelves. Pieces of the shelving flying around the room. She sucks one particular piece, dropping the wand back in its box. "I-I don't think this is working...." She said, still nervous.

[G]

"Oh my!" Ollivander jumped at the crashing boxes, looking a tad less unconcerned than before. "It's alright child, it will all right itself... eventually." She could see it was true - the glass from the broken lights was starting to form larger, unblemished pieces on the floor, though the process seemed to take some time. Grimm was laughing now.

"Yep!" he said, confirming the fire with a rather proud note in his voice. "I went through thirteen wands, before I found mine." He looked at his own wand fondly, "but I found it! Or, it found me. You'll find the one that's right for you, too. Why don't you pick then next one out, go on," he said encouragingly, smiling.

[HaelKatrin]

She looks at Ollivander, and then to the reforming glass. Feeling slightly better about the whole thing. Though, still worried.

She laughs at Professor Grimm's pride. "Thirteen wands?!" She exclaims in disbelief. "I-i don't think there will be a shop left... If we did that..."

Her eyes grow wide as he suggests she pick one next. She shakes her head adamantly. "I don't think that's a good idea. . . ." Still, at their prodding, she sighs. She rights herself in her chair once more and looks around. She slowly wheels her way towards the back, her eyes wide as she looks around. Clearly not watching exactly where she was going.

CRASH

She had run head first into another set of shelves. Shelves, boxes, and one very confused little girl, go flying. Her chair shoots backwards and flips over.

Lying on her stomach from the fall, she quickly pushes up with her arms. Sitting sideways among the fallen shelves and wands. She looks up sheepishly at Grimm. The whole scene rather comical. ". . Oops?"

Still, they had said to find a wand. What better way than on the floor with a pile of them? And so, she doesn't even think of asking for help back up. Instead, she looks around her.

And that, is precisely, when she saw it.

A bright pink box.

Laying untouched right in front of her. As if someone had carefully placed it there. It was beat up, dusty. Old. As if it had scene a great many years, and little hands. Lonely, forgotten and put out of sight.

Just like me. She thought to herself, looking at it.

She leans forward, and carefully picks up the box. She opens it slowly. As if it were a great thing. Inside, was an equally bright pink wand. Though this was more metallic than the box. Not a childish color. But, one any grown woman would be proud to use. She grins and picks it up.

She gives it a gentle flick. Watching it carefully.

Several things happened all at once. Mysterious and enchanting. Confusing to those who did not quite understand. But she did. Oh, did she.

First, there was a sound. A wheezing, groaning sound. And the sound of wings rustling. Great big wings.

Light, bright light, shown all around her. It pulsed, as if with its own life.

And, suddenly, she was floating through the air. Her eyes never leaving the wand in her hand. She came to a gentle stop, right back in her chair.

She looks up, wide eyed, at the two adults. Her voice barely a whisper as she looks at Grimm. "my Doctor, come to take me away?" Yes. This was her wand. The sound of Angels, and The TARDIS.

[G]

"Thirteen wands?" Katrin said, and Ollivander nodded confirmation, giving Professor Grimm a wry look.

"He certainly did. I remember that day, believe me. The singe marks ruined my best cloak." His voice was admonishing, but not unfriendly; like a mother scolding a child for running their pencil off the paper and marking the floor. His eyes followed Katrin's path across the room as she excitedly made her way across to the shelves. To his credit, he scarcely reacted when she made a further mess of the room, dodging a box that was flung in his direction with the ease of someone who had done so many times before.

"Katrin!" Grimm wasn't quite so unaffected, stepping quickly toward the girl as she tumbled from her chair, his arm outstretched as though attempting to catch her, though he was obviously too far away. "Be careful! Merlins' beard, girl, you..." he stopped, his concerned look quickly giving way to a wide grin as she was lifted back to her chair, the warm glow in the air confirming what the unintentional magic did - she had found it.

"Ha!" he clapped his hands, striding over to see the wand that had chosen his charge, "what did I tell you?! What's this one, Ollivander?"

"Ahh, let me see; what do we have here?" Ollivander was coming over too, and before Katrin could protest he had plucked the wand from her fingers, twirling it between his own as he held it up to the light, his eyes squinting as he studied it. "Interesting, very interesting. I was beginning to wonder if this one would ever find it's Witch. You don't mind the colour?" he asked Katrin, though it seemed the question was rhetorical - he didn't wait for an answer before continuing. "Willow and Phoenix feather - I remember the bird well. I gather all the ingredients for my wands myself, you know," this was directed at the girl, a note of pride in the wandmakers' voice.

"Yes, it was a strange creature. Certainly didn't want to give up it's feathers, though few of them do," he chuckled. "But this one followed me all the way back here. I didn't realise it, of course; Phoenix's are wily creatures, as much as they are beautiful. As I was carving the willow, it came flapping straight through my window! Scared me half to death, and knocked the wand right from my hand - right into my store of powdered pixie dust! It wouldn't have mattered, if I hadn't been halfway through the spell to bind the properties of the feather and the wood. So, it absorbed some of the properties of the dust as well, of course; and the container it was stored in. It's quite safe!" he reassured the Professor, who was looking rather skeptically at the wand, "it didn't affect the wands' magic - just it's colour, see."

He held it up to the light, so that Caelin could see the metallic, pink sheen of the wands' surface.

"You don't mind, do you, child?" Ollivander asked, though it seemed he knew the answer. He was already holding out the wand for the girl to reclaim.

"Well, if they're right for each other, they're right," Grimm acquiesced, reaching into his unnaturally deep briefcase and retrieving a small brown sack whose contents clinked as he rifled through it. "Here you are," he passed the wandmaker some golden coins, unfamiliar to Katrin. When he saw her looking, he smiled again.

"Ah, of course. You haven't seen Wizard money - I'd almost forgotten that silly paper stuff that Muggles use. Come on, I'll teach you how it works on our way to get your books."

And with that, he was striding toward the door, seemingly content to leave Ollivander amongst the half demolished shop.

[HaelKatrin]

She breaks into a grin as Grimm began to not only only​ look concerned, but also scold her. "I'm fine!" She exclaims as she rights herself in the chair.

She doesn't protest when Ollivander took the wand from her, but she didn't look happy about it either. An almost sad expression. She shakes her head rapidly as he asks if she liked the color. "It's perfect! A pixie? What's a pixie?!" She asks curiously. She snatches the wand back excitedly as Ollivander hands it back.

She looks at the strange bag curiously, and the sounds it made. Then, Professor Grimm handed the wand maker a few gold pieces and Katrin's eyes widened. "I-I've never seen that much gold before... Is it real gold?!"

She gives the shop one more curious look, before following after Grimm. The wand's box, she had put in her backpack. As for the wand itself, the very tip of it stuck out from where she'd placed it under her left leg.

[G]

Grimm chuckled at Katrin's obvious excitement.

"A pixie is.. well, you'll learn all about that when you get to Hogwarts. Pesky little blighters, though, I'll tell you that much! And yes, it's real gold," he confirmed, walking at an easy pace beside her chair as they left the shop, continuing along the busy street. "Forged by Goblins! They run the Wizards' bank; Gringotts. You can see it, up there, look." He pointed up the laneway, where between the haphazard array of shops a large, white building could be seen at the end.

"This," he withdrew a large round gold coin from the sack, handing it to Katrin for inspection, "is a Galleon. This..." he rummaged through the sack a little, pulling out two coins; he handed her the first, a silver disc, slightly smaller than the gold. "Is a Sickle, and this one," he handed her the last piece, a small, bronze coin with five corners. "Is a Knut. Twenty-nine Knuts make a Sickle, and seventeen Sickle's make a Galleon. Keep them," he said, waving away the girls hand when she tried to give back the coins. "You can memorise the currency - we don't use Muggle money in the Wizarding world."

The Professor turned abruptly, pointing to a shop with a large sign that pronounced it 'Flourish and Blotts.'

"Here we are - we can get all your schoolbooks here."

[HaelKatrin]

She grins when he says she'd learn about them at Hogwarts. There was so many interesting things to learn about. She couldn't wait. "Do I get to keep them?!" She asked about the school books. She had every intention of practically memorizing them. Something she'd learned to do at a young age. After all, books could be taken away, ripped up. But, if you remembered them, you'd always have the stories.

She takes the offered coins, stopping and looking at them curiously. "I've never had real gold before. . ." She said, her eyes wide in amazement at them. Growing even bigger when he said she could keep them. These, too, joined the wand box and letter in her backpack, before continuing on their way to the book store. "What are goblins?" She asks curiously.

She grins when they get to the newest shop, though this time deciding to let him open the door for her. These doors were quite heavy, compared to the muggle doors. But then, considering how old the buildings were, she wasn't surprised.