Challenge 93: The New Wand
Title: The Secret Lives of Messrs Snape and Ollivander
Rating: G
Pairings (if any): None; for protagonists, check title.
Author's Notes: See below lest you want to be spoiled.
"It would probably be a good idea to get yourself a new wand. Alas, Mr Ollivander has vanished off the face of this earth."
The sentence wouldn't leave his thoughts for a second, and what irked him most was the fact that it wasn't his. The thought of getting a different wand wasn't his. And this wasn't about pride, this was about his life. A new wand would save his life, because both Aurors and Death Eaters would be tracking his old, faithful wand's tracks.
The problem was that Ollivander had disappeared quite abruptly, hadn't even equipped most of last term's first years with wands. There were other wand-makers, of course, but Mr Ollivander was the only one he trusted to make good, powerful wands.
Just like any other person in hiding, the Wizarding world's most famous wand-maker was nowhere to be found; some even said that he hadn't left his premises on Diagon Alley out of his own free will. But in Severus's opinion this was pure speculation. The Dark Lord had never hinted at using Ollivander's skill and knowledge for his own dark purposes.
On top of that, it wasn't as if he could move around freely. Ever since that fateful night he had been forced into hiding himself. Not so much into hiding from the Dark Lord - Severus had a feeling that some people - those with scars on their foreheads - wouldn't rest until they had hunted him down for killing Dumbledore.
Severus sighed.
That night had been one of the darkest in his life. He found some solace in thought that he had done Dumbledore good. The old wizard had been dying ever since the beginning of the term, and when he killed him the sand had almost left the top half of his hourglass. And yet-
No, there was no point in agonising over this. Not now. Not when he needed to find Mr Ollivander, when his life depended on that dratted stick of wood. There was only so much you could do with the help of potions and Legilimency.
And in the form of your Animagus.
In the body of his animal self he would be able to overhear people in Diagon Alley. Sometimes, hiding in the open, under everyone's nose, was most effective. And it took courage. Even if no one knew you were an Animagus. That was a secret Severus had kept all to himself. No one knew about it.
Maybe Dumbledore had had an idea, but he had never raised the issue, bless him.
And Voldemort? He was too full of himself, underestimating everybody, as though he could even have had the inspiration for such an idea.
He didn't expect to find out much from the folk in Diagon Alley. If you wanted to hide, really wanted to vanish off the face of this earth, then you vanished. Just like he had. And Ollivander was a wise man. But it was better than doing nothing, sitting around in this place that didn't even deserve its name.
~*~
It had been a long day. Again. Aching, Severus invoked the charm that helped transform into his human body. He stretched his limbs. The small, light-boned form of his animal self wasn't exactly comfortable for his tall frame.
Then he noticed the letter.
It was from Minerva. He owed the woman so much already. Yet he gratefully ripped open the envelope. Some friendly words would certainly do him good after yet another uneventful day.
"Rumour has it that Mr Ollivander has retired to a relative of his. He lives abroad, in the Wizarding community of Reval. I took the liberty of writing to him, and my efforts weren't in vain.
Severus, I have enclosed the address, and a phial in which you'll find the strand of my memory that will tell him the truth."
--
A/N: The city mentioned in the story exists under a modern name nowadays. I went there this summer, and I could imagine a Wizarding community for it quite well. The place is now called Tallinn.
Rating: G
Pairings (if any): None; for protagonists, check title.
Author's Notes: See below lest you want to be spoiled.
"It would probably be a good idea to get yourself a new wand. Alas, Mr Ollivander has vanished off the face of this earth."
The sentence wouldn't leave his thoughts for a second, and what irked him most was the fact that it wasn't his. The thought of getting a different wand wasn't his. And this wasn't about pride, this was about his life. A new wand would save his life, because both Aurors and Death Eaters would be tracking his old, faithful wand's tracks.
The problem was that Ollivander had disappeared quite abruptly, hadn't even equipped most of last term's first years with wands. There were other wand-makers, of course, but Mr Ollivander was the only one he trusted to make good, powerful wands.
Just like any other person in hiding, the Wizarding world's most famous wand-maker was nowhere to be found; some even said that he hadn't left his premises on Diagon Alley out of his own free will. But in Severus's opinion this was pure speculation. The Dark Lord had never hinted at using Ollivander's skill and knowledge for his own dark purposes.
On top of that, it wasn't as if he could move around freely. Ever since that fateful night he had been forced into hiding himself. Not so much into hiding from the Dark Lord - Severus had a feeling that some people - those with scars on their foreheads - wouldn't rest until they had hunted him down for killing Dumbledore.
Severus sighed.
That night had been one of the darkest in his life. He found some solace in thought that he had done Dumbledore good. The old wizard had been dying ever since the beginning of the term, and when he killed him the sand had almost left the top half of his hourglass. And yet-
No, there was no point in agonising over this. Not now. Not when he needed to find Mr Ollivander, when his life depended on that dratted stick of wood. There was only so much you could do with the help of potions and Legilimency.
And in the form of your Animagus.
In the body of his animal self he would be able to overhear people in Diagon Alley. Sometimes, hiding in the open, under everyone's nose, was most effective. And it took courage. Even if no one knew you were an Animagus. That was a secret Severus had kept all to himself. No one knew about it.
Maybe Dumbledore had had an idea, but he had never raised the issue, bless him.
And Voldemort? He was too full of himself, underestimating everybody, as though he could even have had the inspiration for such an idea.
He didn't expect to find out much from the folk in Diagon Alley. If you wanted to hide, really wanted to vanish off the face of this earth, then you vanished. Just like he had. And Ollivander was a wise man. But it was better than doing nothing, sitting around in this place that didn't even deserve its name.
~*~
It had been a long day. Again. Aching, Severus invoked the charm that helped transform into his human body. He stretched his limbs. The small, light-boned form of his animal self wasn't exactly comfortable for his tall frame.
Then he noticed the letter.
It was from Minerva. He owed the woman so much already. Yet he gratefully ripped open the envelope. Some friendly words would certainly do him good after yet another uneventful day.
"Rumour has it that Mr Ollivander has retired to a relative of his. He lives abroad, in the Wizarding community of Reval. I took the liberty of writing to him, and my efforts weren't in vain.
Severus, I have enclosed the address, and a phial in which you'll find the strand of my memory that will tell him the truth."
--
A/N: The city mentioned in the story exists under a modern name nowadays. I went there this summer, and I could imagine a Wizarding community for it quite well. The place is now called Tallinn.