The Darkwood Wand

Tracking

Warning: This chapter contains some rough language regarding female characters.

Hermione stomped over the greenhouses, grumbling to herself. She was in no mood for yet another heart-to-heart chat about parties, plants and prats, but she'd promised Luna an explanation. Too bad, really. All Hermione wanted to do was sit in a Ginny-free bedroom with her "Durmstrang: A Directory." The school's pseudo-military structure was fascinating: Prefects were called Officers and led by Commanders. There were no House Points, since there were no Houses. Instead rule-breakers earned Demerits, and the three students with the most Demerits at the end of the year were Spülened, or expelled, which was frankly ...

All too soon Hermione arrived at Greenhouse Three, where the most dangerous plants were kept. Luna was working with her back to the door, standing near a potted Devil's Snare.

"Luna!" Hermione called. Her friend turned around as a single vine swung out to encircle her neck, missing her skin by inches.

"Naughty, naughty," Luna said, waving the vine away with a flap of her hand. Hermione stared, impressed by her friend's wandless magic.

"I'm glad you're here, Hermione," Luna said. "Come see."

Hermione joined her at a table scattered with thin blocks of wood and a few curled strands of something nasty.

"This," Luna said, handing her a pale grey block, "is Amorantus wood." Hermione accepted the wood, then almost dropped it as it turned pale green.

"Yes, Amorantus wood changes with your mood," Luna said. "You are confused, which is understandable."

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked.

"I'm trying to make a wand out of Amorantus wood and Koowolf tendon." Luna raised her wand. "Neville is helping me shape the wood, and Mr. Ollivander taught me the spells during our visit to Malfoy Manor. He was too weak to make a wand then but thought I might ..."

Hermione frowned. "Wandmaking is delicate work, Luna. And dangerous."

"Yes," Luna said composedly. "But think of having a wand that responds to your every mood. And Koowolves are quite magical and emotionally stable. Very rarely upset. A nice balance."

"Luna, you shouldn't do this without Mr. Ollivander." Hermione put her hand on the wood block. "If your spell is too complex or too aggressively cast, you could shatter the wood you're enchanting. The rebound could affect your magical core, tie you to the spell—"

Her friend gently took the block back. "I've put up a shield charm, don't you worry." She set down the wood and smiled. "You're here to talk about our party, I hope. Did you have a good time? Our preliminary estimates are less than encouraging, but we hope to see those numbers go up. Did you fill out our survey at the door?"

"I was a bit busy near the end there, Luna."

"Of course. Well, no matter." Luna pulled a thick sheaf of parchment from her bag. "Just fill this out and return it to one of the listed Study Committee. I know it's a bit long, but we had more activities this year."

Hermione eyed the cover sheet listing the survey's 27 sections with interest, then firmly put the papers away. Luna sat on a stool, hands folded on her lap, and Hermione pulled another stool to the table and sat facing her.

"That was very interesting, how you Vanished like that last night," Luna said. "Where did you go?"

Hermione swallowed. It was difficult to say it aloud.