Fate's Request: A Harry Potter FanFiction

The old wandmaker had spent hours handing David various wands and both had grown disgruntled as time wore on, unable to find the perfect match that Mykew was looking for.

They had found several wands that produced magic that was equivalent to what he could produce with his Acacia wood wand, but the wandmaker was determined to find him a wand that matched his standards.

Eventually, he gave up on giving David a ready-made wand but instead gathered all the wands that had worked with him best and began to work on a custom wand for him.

---

"You may come join us in the back, David," Andrei said suddenly, appearing out of nowhere.

"You sure, Andrei? Your father didn't seem all that keen on my presence in there," David asked, standing up cautiously.

"Quite… this is going to take a while and father will need you there if he wants to complete a custom crafting for you today," Andrei explained, beckoning David to the back of the shop.

Following him, David was guided past multiple shelves all filled with wands until they made it to a thick oaken door that was where Mykew's workroom was situated.

As David and Andrei entered the workshop, Mykew looked up from a table in the corner in the room where he was writing rapidly on a piece of parchment.

He grunted in acknowledgement and continued his work.

Curious, David turned to Andrei to ask what he was doing with the parchment.

"What's he working on? Looks like Arithmatic sums to me…" David asked quietly.

"You study Arithmancy?" Andrei asked, a little surprised but impressed.

Seeing David nod, Andrei answered, "Arthimancy can be used for more than the construction of spells. In this case, he is deciphering the most likely wood and core that would accept you based on those that gave positive results form our earlier testing."

"We rarely use this method of wand making for it is excessively time-consuming to do so. You could even argue it is a sub-par method of wand making, for the wandmaker will try to force unwilling and unmatching cores and woods into a wand for the wielder," Andrei finished.

"I see," was all David said to that, wondering if the wand he was going to receive would be any better than those of that he had tested back in the store.

"Don't worry. If it was any other wandmaker I would tell you to run, but father is a true master of his craft. You'll get your wand David, don't you worry," Andrei reassured him with a hand on his shoulder.

As they silently watched the old man work, Andrei rose an eyebrow in surprise as he saw his father pull out a pile of Elderberry shrub wood.

He knew of the suspicion regarding Elder wood, and how many wand makers refused to work with it due to the suspicion regarding it.

The old saying went, "Wand of Elder, Never Prosper," but Andrei knew that was rubbish, his father had instilled that in him during the early days of his apprenticeship.

The truth was that Elder wood wands were very difficult to find masters for. They were a finicky wand that only gave their loyalty to the rarest of Wizards and even then, was renowned for eventually refusing to work for that very master they had chosen.

They produced very powerful magic, the most powerful in fact of any wand wood and it was rumoured that the owners of said wands always had a touch of destiny to them, going on to leaving their names in the annals of history if they ever managed to tame their unruly wands.

"Come here boy," Mykew ordered as he laid out multiple raw pieces of Elder wood before him on his woodworking table.

David obeyed, already used to the old man's blunt nature and stood before him looking at the pieces of, well, thick branches.

He grabbed David's hand and guided it, making it hover over the various different cuts of woods.

David had no idea what he was doing but noticed how some of the pieces of wood would twitch ever so slightly as David's had was passed over them.

Eventually, they finished their little ritual and Mykew ordered him back to his chair as five individual pieces of Elder wood remained on the table.

From there, Mykew began working each piece with a chisel with great care, listening to how the wood wanted to be worked and doing his utmost to not ruin the pieces of Elder wood.

It took him an hour to complete the b.a.r.e minimum of preparations to the now wand-like pieces of chiselled down Elder Wood.

"You can go now," Mykew ordered as he started placing these beautifully crafted boxes that contained the various wand cores he worked with on the table before the five coreless Elder wood wands.

"Let's go, David. Secrets of the trade and all that," Andrei explained with a smile.

---

It was quite late in the night and David and Andrei had even gone out and eaten together.

But eventually, the wandmaker emerged from his workshop, carrying five rectangular boxes with him.

Mykew placed each box in the table as David and Andrei made their way over.

Looking at David intently, he began to speak, "All of these wands are Elder wood. Elder wood Wands are the rarest of all wands… Ignore the superstition regarding them and make sure you work hard in mastering the wand… it will be… unruly," Mykew explained as he lifted the lid form the very first box.

"Elder Wood with a Dragon Heart String core, twelve inches and rigid," Mykew explained as he handed David the wand with both hands.

David carefully held the wand in his wand arm, finding it very comfortable in his palm.

He gave the wand a flick and it produced a glow and subtle gust of wind around him, but nothing of particular note was produced. The wand would work, but it didn't seem to be any better than the others he'd tested earlier in the morning.

Mykew took the wand back and began with the other wands before him.

The second wand was also Dragon Heart String and produced a similar effect, Mykew explained that the first was of Hungarian Horntail as his current wand, but the second was of Ukrainian Ironbelly, the largest dragon species in the world.

The next two wands were both Phoenix Feather Wands, and David wondered if he should have asked Fitz for a tail feather but remembered that the Phoenix had to give the feather willingly and that was no indication that it would be a match for him. Afterall, Fawkes' tail feathers hadn't become wands for Dumbledore, but rather two other wizards.

"This one is a little special," Mykew explained as he handed David his final creation.

He didn't explain further as David gave this wand a flick and the usual light and gust were accompanied with a musical tune.

David rose his brow at that and looked at Mykew in question, "Did you hear anything?" Mykew asked.

"Yes… a soft tune. Quite surprising. What was it?" David asked with a surprised look on his face as he held the wand that felt very comfortably warm in his hand.

"Horned Serpent Horn core. Very difficult material to get a hold of. Wands with a Horned Serpent core let out a musical tune that only the wilder can here in the presence of danger," Mykew explained.

David liked the sound of that, a wand that would warn him of danger would be a very welcome addition to his arsenal.

"Elder Wood, with a Horned Serpent Core, thirteen inches with a slight flex, but still rather rigid. Exceptionally powerful… I've only made a handful of Elder wood and Horned Serpent wood wands and this is the only one that has ever matched with an owner," Mykew explained with a satisfied smile.

"It certainly feels powerful… but it fights me a little. I can feel it," David explained, feeling the wands very will pushing back against him.

"Yes, however, it is still more powerful than your Acacia wand, yes?" Mykew asked.

David nodded slowly, pulsing his magic through the wand, getting a better feel for it.

"Yes. You will have to train with it and prove yourself for the wand to truly accept with you. The addition of a Horned Serpent Core only makes this effect more pronounced," Mykew explained.

"I see… thank you," David said quietly, looking forward to testing out and mastering his new wand and glad this very long day was now over.

"Now. This is a custom wand. Will cost more than the usual," Mykew explained with a slightly predatory grin.

David smirked at that and asked, "How much?"

"Two hundred Galleons," he explained as he began to stack the other four wands upon one another neatly.

David shook his head at the sum, Ollivander charged seven Galleons for a wand and his wands were excellent. Mykew was asking for two hundred.

"Mel," David called and after a slightly longer than usual wait, she popped into existence inside the shop.

"Master, how may I be of service?" she asked with a polite bow.

"Could you retrieve two hundred Galleons for our friends here, please?" David asked her as Mykew and Andrei were surprised at the House Elf.

But they were no strangers to the magical creature and made no comment, keeping their thoughts to themselves.

Mel nodded and popped away, returning a couple of minutes later with a wooden box in her hand that contained the Galleons.

She could have placed them in a Mokeskin pouch but purchases of this calibre required a little show and transferring ownership of a Mokeskin pouch would be a hassle, the finely crafted wooden box would suffice.

Mykew accepted the wooden box filled with neatly stacked Galleons, opening the lid and after a brief glance at its contents, nodded in affirmation that the correct amount was there and the sale was completed.

He pulled out a piece of parchment from the counter and with a quick flick of his wand, the receipt was filled out and in David's hands.

"Well. Misters Gregorovitch… it has been a p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e," David said as he placed the Elder Wood wand in its box.

"It has been a most unusual day, David. Come by and visit the next time you are in Germany," Andrei said, shaking his hand.

Mykew Gregorovitch just grunted and returned to the back of the shop.

With a final nod, David left the wand store deep into the night with Mel trailing him.

---

Finally, back home, David asked for a cup of tea and a few snacks as he went to deal with the letters he had to respond to.

He hadn't gotten any while camping out in the woods but had as he arrived in Germany. However, he wanted to deal with the wand business, so he pushed them to the side and dealt with that.

Now in the comfort of his home, David broke the seal to the first letter, from the Greengrass'.

They invited him over for dinner on the Sixth of July, so that once the clock struck midnight, they could begin the ritual of curing Astoria's malediction.

David penned a reply quickly, agreeing and left it by the edge of his desk as he opened the second letter from Hermione.

Her's was short, stating that her parent's had planned a little getaway and her plans of coming to stay with David would have to be postponed a couple of weeks.

That was fine for David, as it gave him more time to get used to his wand and also the freedom to flame over to Minsk and check on the Giants, now that Fitz knew its location quite comfortably.

"Master," Mel said as she opened the door to his study, carrying a tray which had a pot of tea, and an assortment of pastries and biscuits.

"Thank you, Mel. Could you mail these for me?" David asked, handing her two unsealed envelopes that he'd already written the destinations for, Mel would deal with the sealing of the envelopes with wax and the basic sigil he been forced into using by Mel.

"Of course, Master. I would also like to remind you that two days from now you will need to pick up our second order of Thieves Downfall," Mel reminded him as she handled the two envelopes carefully.

"Okay," David nodded, but added before Mel could leave, "How is our order of tents coming along?"

"As requested, I've been in contact with tent makers outside of Europe. The first batch from Australia is already here and I expect another from Mexico to arrive in the morning," Mel explained.

David nodded and replied, "We need to purchase a property in London… maybe somewhere in Diagon Alley as well. I plan on casting the Fidelus Charm before school starts. We might as well get used to receiving shipments in locations away from home."

Mel nodded slowly, in agreement with the plan of placing the Cross Manor and grounds under the powerful charm. The Dark Lord had returned and her Master, while the heir of an Ancient and Noble family, was also a muggleborn and a prime target for You Know Who and his ilk.

"I'll begin compiling a list of properties Master. Anything in particular?" Mel asked.

"Nothing extravagant, Mel. Studio Apartments are fine," David replied, pouring himself some tea.

---

David was sweating profusely in the training room under his home.

He'd spent the better part of two hours firing spells of all sort, testing out his new Elder Wood and Horned Serpent Wand.

It certainly had more power behind it that his Acacia Wood wand, but it was also finicky. There were times when it randomly fought against him as he was spell casting.

Several spells would work with improved strength, but randomly a spell would sputter out and ruin his momentum.

During those moments, David had to exert his will to get the wand to do his bidding and that took away his concentration from his task at hand.

It was only a slight disruption, but it could prove to be costly if the wand didn't bend to his will properly.

But he knew practice would allow him to overcome this deficit and with it, give his spells an improvement in power.

His magic was already powerful, so the new wand certainly put him even further beyond his peers in magical strength, he just hoped it would be enough for the trials ahead.

With a sigh of annoyance, David holstered his wand and went to take a quick shower before lunch.

---

Mel handed David a portfolio of various apartments all over London as he dug into the lunch she made for him.

He didn't need anything extravagant, for he or Mel could repair the inside of any apartment quite easily and they had quite a bit of very old and very expensive furniture that was sitting in his vault, so furnishing an apartment would be easy and cost-effective.

He debated whether or not to purchase the two properties via magical real estate companies. It would certainly make things far easier to do so, but the Voldemort controlled Ministry would have access to his properties once they inevitably go after him.

With that in mind, David decided to purchase the small apartment in the depths of Diagon Alley via the usual magical method, which Mel could easily handle and the second studio apartment via muggle means, to keep the magical authorities out of his business.

David planned on also placing both apartments under the Fidelus Charm, for he planned on using them heavily during the war.

The apartment in Diagon Alley would allow him and those he recruited to easily monitor and react to Death Eaters attacking the shop owners as they either worked at their stores or when they slept above them as so many did, potentially saving the likes of Fortescue and more.

The 'muggle' apartment in the heart of London would give him a home away from home, a second safe house only he, Mel and Greenie would know about if everything went to hell. It could also come in handy in ways David couldn't foresee as well, so he didn't feel it was a waste of money, but rather an investment for the future.

Choosing the apartments that he liked best, he circled them with a fountain pen and handed the portfolio over to Mel.

"Mel, I've chosen the apartments. Do your best in reducing the price and purchase the one in Diagon Alley via the normal means. But I want you to purchase the London Apartment via muggle means, make sure to keep it out of the Ministry's purview… the Fidelus will be more than enough, but best to be safe," David said, explaining to her what he wanted.

"Of course, Master, will that be all?" she asked politely.

David nodded, rose from his chair in the dining room and went back to the bas.e.m.e.nt to continue the tedious task of mastering his new and unruly wand.