dexstarr: (narcissa ftw)
[personal profile] dexstarr
Title: Ebony and Phoenix
Author: [livejournal.com profile] dexstarr
Word Count: 300
Rating: G
Challenge: [livejournal.com profile] deathly_contest Week #4: Life of a Wand
Characters: Narcissa Black, Ollivander
Warnings: None
Author's Note: I may rewrite this at one point, as I had a lot of ideas that I couldn't fit into the 300 word limit length. Because I cut so much it may be a bit disjointed. Lastly, I was highly inspired by promo pictures of Narcissa's wand, which I love.
Disclaimer: HP and all assorted belong to JKR, and are not mine.
Summary: Narcissa Black visits Ollivander's to buy her wand.

***

Ding.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Black, Miss Black,” Ollivander said.

Druella Black merely nodded, but her little girl replied politely.

“Which is your wand arm?”

“I’m left-handed,” Narcissa said.

As his magic tape measure flitted over the girl, calculations fed directly into his mind. Ollivander was momentarily overwhelmed by the complexity of the equations, and he realized, with relish, that Narcissa Black would be a challenge.

“Try this. Beechwood and unicorn hair, ten inches.” As soon as Narcissa touched the wand, he knew it was wrong, and snatched it out of her hand.

“Elm and dragon heartstring, eleven inches.” Ollivander felt a small jolt when the girl reached for this one, but it wasn’t right either.

He continued pulling wands from the shelves, searching for the perfect combination of wood type and magic core.

“I want to try that wand,” Narcissa said, and Ollivander followed her gaze to the window display.

That particular wand had been designed as a luxury item. The handle was wrapped in black dragonskin, studded with sea-serpent pearls, and tipped with silver. It was a noble’s wand.

Ollivander considered the youngest Black and the Arithmancy calculations.

Perhaps….

“Ebony and phoenix feather. Thirteen inches. Very supple.”

The second Narcissa’s fingers touched the wand, a torrent of purple and silver flower petals poured out of the tip.

Ollivander stared at the petals, transfixed.

He saw a serpent in a shadowy forest, and the weight of a decision that would change their entire world.

Such visions do not occur often, but when they do….

“I shall expect extraordinary things from you, Miss Black,” he said. He gave this speech to all of his customers – he expected greatness from all of them with one of his wands in their hands – but from her, he would expect the extraordinary.


***



***

Date: 2010-10-02 02:50 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] reg-flint.livejournal.com
Ah, yes, you deserved your shiny. I knew that before I'd gone six lines. Ollivander + Narcissa = win. And excellent writing.

Date: 2010-10-02 03:03 am (UTC)

Date: 2010-10-02 10:30 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dexstarr.livejournal.com
Aw thanks!
(deleted comment)

Date: 2010-10-02 10:29 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dexstarr.livejournal.com
Thanks babe!

Date: 2010-10-03 09:23 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] diabolica.livejournal.com
Congrats on your well-deserved win! This is a fascinating little snippet of life for both Narcissa and Ollivander. The tape measure, in particular, was a crafty detail.

I would second the idea of a re-write, only so I can get more of this! (Selfish me. *g*) I think there's a lot happening here that bears further exploration, not least the relationship Ollivander and Narcissa will one day have when he's a prisoner in her home. The bunnies are endless. Great work.

Date: 2010-10-03 11:47 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dexstarr.livejournal.com
Thank you!

I think I had about twelve hundred discarded words/false starts for this three hundred word drabble, so I have a lot of material to go back and use when I re-write.

I hadn't considered the future relationship between Ollivander and Narcissa...hmmm. That will require some thinking about *makes note*

Date: 2010-10-04 04:07 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] diabolica.livejournal.com
Discarded words and false starts ... I hear you. *nodnod* Drabbling is far more difficult than it looks.

As for Ollivander and Narcissa, I gave it exactly ... one moment's thought when I was writing Scylla, Charybdis but I ultimately decided the focus of the story was elsewhere and so didn't include more than two lines about him. Then I beta'ed a truly amazing Ollivander fic in which the author touched on Ollivander's thoughts about the Malfoy family--but again, the focus of that story was elsewhere. But when I think about it, Ollivander disappeared at the beginning of HBP, and we don't find out for sure where he is until well into DH. Assuming he was brought to Malfoy manor right after he was kidnapped, which was at a time when Lucius was in prison, he would have been at the house well over a year, and for the first several months at least, Narcissa (and possibly Bellatrix) would have been the only other person permanently living there. So they may very well have interacted. This drabble makes me wonder what they might have said to each other if they did interact.

Date: 2010-10-05 02:49 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dexstarr.livejournal.com
Wow. I just finished reading the fic you linked - it's amazing. Thanks for linking.

I didn't think about Ollivander being a prisoner in Malfoy Manor at all when I wrote this drabble, and now that you mention it, I can't believe how I overlooked it.

The more I think about this, it would be interesting, maybe, to do a bit for each time Narcissa encountered Ollivander. Especially when they went to buy Draco's wand; in the first book, Draco tells Harry his mother is up the street looking at wands. Then of course when Ollivander is a prisoner at Malfoy Manor...that would be intriguing to figure out if, and how, they interacted.

This definitely will require further thought....

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