The Wand Chooses The Wizard [Gil/Alice]

[ALICE KEMPTON TURNER]

It was a clear, sunny day in London, the crisp air fluttering in a light breeze. 'I wonder how the animals are feeling today,' Alice wondered as her guide led her through the streets and into the Leaky Cauldron. She kept her head down as she weaves through the people, heading to the back. Normally, the Ministry Officials would not have let her out at all, except to go to St. Mungo's and visit Frank. However, it was summer, and she would be starting school soon, so Alice needed a wand. Her previous one had been either lost or destroyed in the incident that caused both her and Frank to be placed in St. Mungo's, and seeing as how she wasn't in St. Mungo's anymore... Alice's thoughts curled around themselves into a circle, a train of thought with no end.

She sighed as she entered Diagon Alley, trying to simply enjoy the beautiful day. When she tried to stop at the Magical Menagerie, her temporary custodian pulled her away, directing her back to Ollivander's. She scoffed in response, pouting a bit. "If Quinn or Marcus had been here, they would have let me go inside," she said pointedly at the man. He didn't respond to her, which made Alice sigh. Why hadn't her brothers come to see her yet? Shouldn't they be happy that she was alive and well? The bell over the door jangled as the two of them entered the shop, breaking he thoughts. She stepped up to the desk, looking around a bit, frowning when there was no one in sight. "Hello?" she called out quietly into the empty space. "I need a wand."

[GILCHRIST HARRIS OLLIVANDER]

Gilchrist loved working with his grandfather. It's true he didn't actually have a job at the shop, but he liked to pretend that he did. Especially since in less than a year, he really would. The thought had him giddy with excitement. It was strange to think he was so close to the end of his years at school. True he would have to study under his grandfather next, but to Gil that wasn't school. That was simply doing what he had his whole life and the thought excited and thrilled him. He just had to make it through one more year at school and he would be free to pursue what he had wanted to for years.

The bell at the front door went off announcing someone's arrival. "I'll get it!" he assured his grandfather. Slipping to the front of the shop, Gil wore a big smile that didn't even falter as he saw the pretty girl at the front. He had never seen her before but he knew she was too old to be a first year. That made her a mystery and honestly, Gilchrist wasn't sure how he felt about that one. It was something that he could dwell on later.

Moving up to the counter Gil forced himself to compose the scattered bits of his mind. Pretty girls always had that kind of effect on him. "Um, welcome to Ollivanders!" he greeted. He stood there for several seconds before his mind clicked. "A wand?" he asked. "Yes, a wand well then you've come to the right place."

[ALICE KEMPTON TURNER]

"I'll get it!" A voice sounded from the back of the shop; it was a young male, possibly around her age. Alice was extremely glad that Ollivander was still around, since she wasn't sure who else to go to for a wand. If she really was in the future, then everything had changed. Still, this one little memory of her receiving her first wand in the very shop six years ago (well, six years to her) flooded her mind; the shop and its interior was exactly the same.

Alice smiled as someone came through the aisles of wand boxes, wearing a big smile.
Moving up to the counter, the man shook his head a little before speaking. "Um, welcome to Ollivanders!" he greeted. Alice nodded, quietly saying, "Thank you! I'm here for a wand." He stood there for several seconds before he spoke again. "A wand?" he asked. "Yes, a wand well then you've come to the right place." Alice laughed, reaching into her purse. "Yes, well, I realize that," she said, rummaging through the purse, trying to find the small cloth bag that she was looking for. Eventually, she gave up with a sigh, just dumping the contents onto the counter. She sifted past her wallet, makeup, money, and several other seemingly unimportant items (such as a cinnamon stick and a letter from Sirius) before finally finding the purple cloth.

Alice scooped everything back into her bag before handing the man on the other side of the counter the purple drawstring bag. When he opened it, she looked down, taking her hair out of its braid so that she could retie it. "It was my first wand. Ten and a quarter inches of Birch wood with two strands of Unicorn Hair for its core. Good for Charms, Tranfiguration, and Care of Magical Creatures, I've heard. I'm absolutely dreadful at Potions, you see." She finished up with braiding her hair, twisting it up into a bun. "I'm afraid it was...destroyed. And seeing as I'm starting school in the fall, I'll need a new one. Could you possibly help me?"

[GILCHRIST HARRIS OLLIVANDER]

God he felt like an idiot. It was always pretty girls that did this to him, made him feel so strange and awkward. Of course she was probably completely out of his league or already dating someone which meant he really needed to push these thoughts aside. Instead, he managed a smile and forced himself to relax. He was simply a shop keep right now, a junior shop keep of course, but you know it all worked.

He watched quietly as she dumped her purse out onto the counter. A smile quirked his lips as she sorted through everything until she found what she wanted, a purple bag, and pushed it towards him before she started working at her hair. She was a strange one alright, but in a good way from what he had seen so far. It was certain something that he could respect and understand. He had a feeling he would like this girl.

He took the purple drawstring bag and looked into it, his heart aching at the sight that lay in the bag. "Destroyed is putting it lightly," he said in a strained voice as he winced. He closed the bag and tied it tightly. His grandfather was be very saddened to see this. He knew it for a fact. Gilchrist rubbed his neck lightly. "Yes, we will definitely have to get you a new one," he agreed.

There was no saving the old wand. Things like that just...it hurt. It was how he knew following his grandfather was the best thing he could do with his life. Looking up at the girl he held his hand out. "I'm Gilchrist Ollivander," he introduced himself. "My grandfather owns the shop. I'll just warn you now though...I'm no expert like he is. I can grab him for you if you like?"

[ALICE KEMPTON TURNER]

He took the purple drawstring bag and looked into it as Alice watched him intently. Something seemed familiar about this boy; he wasn't a prisoner of the Ministry as she, Sirius, Rhian, and many others were, but she recognized him somehow. "Destroyed is putting it lightly," he said in a strained voice as he winced. Alice nodded sadly when he closed the bag and tied it tightly. She had been very attached to her wand, and had been quite distraught when the Ministry had notified her that it was no longer usable. The man rubbed his neck lightly, and Alice frowned; that was another familiar action. Where did she know him from?! "Yes, we will definitely have to get you a new one," he agreed. Looking up at her, he held his hand out as she wondered who he was.

"I'm Gilchrist Ollivander," he introduced himself. "My grandfather owns the shop. I'll just warn you now though...I'm no expert like he is. I can grab him for you if you like?" Alice smiled, shaking his hand lightly. So that's how she had recognized him! "No, I believe that you will sufficiently be able to help me," she said, titling her head a bit to the side. "You are extraordinarily like your grandfather, do you know that?" Alice motioned towards the bag, shaking her head a bit. "I do apologize for that. I could see the hurt in your eyes; you must care about wandlore and wands in general very much. I'm Alice Turner, by the way."

He nodded affirmatively, asking her what had happened to it. Alice glanced at her temporary guardian who pointedly looked at her, indicating that she was not to reveal too much. She wasn't surprised that he hadn't recognized her by her name; after all, she was no Lily Evans or Sirius Black. Most knew her by her married name, although the marriage had been disregarded due to the current situation. She cleared her throat nervously, looking down and tucking a piece of hair that had fallen out of her hair behind her ear before speaking. "I was...unable to stop it from being destroyed at the time," she said vaguely. Alice couldn't tell him the details, not until her keeper was out of earshot.