wandmaker | charlie weasley

prologue

Garrick Ollivander's death in the Battle at Hogwarts had been a devastating one to the wizarding world. Thousands and thousands of wizards had visited him in his little shop in Diagon Alley on their eleventh birthday to be paired with their wand, and many would return as adults, either to replace their wands or with their own children. The man remembered every wand he ever sold, and it was agreed that he was simply the best. That he had gone so suddenly was a tragic thing.

But to Eloise Moreau, it was more personal. Ollivander's apprentice of nearly four years was crippled by the loss of her mentor. The man had taken her in as a quiet, barely-of-age witch who could hardly open her mouth to say that she would like to work for him. The man remembered the new Hogwarts graduate, of course, from when she was a wee little first year, and had an inkling that she would carry on the Ollivander legacy quite well.

Eloise worked with Ollivander six days a week for two full years before she showed up to work one day and her teacher and friend was not there. He did not come to the shop all day, and when Eloise knocked on the apartment door two floors up, she received no response. She unlocked the door with the spare key he had given her and found the home deserted, with obvious signs of struggle. She immediately contacted the ministry, who were practically no help at all, and was left to wait.

For legal reasons, the ministry would not let her keep the wand shop open, but every day Eloise would dutifully show up to work at 9 o'clock sharp and practice her wandmaking. At this point, she knew how to create the wands, it was simply a matter of understanding why and practicing. She did so for about a year and a half, living off of her savings account and being careful to stay out of trouble. She read almost a third of the wandlore books Ollivander possessed, and created over 3,200 wands, judging the majority to be marketable.

One dreary March morning, Eloise was in the middle of crafting a beautiful elm and unicorn hair wand when an owl tapped on the window of the workshop. Recognizing the looped script immediately, she almost fainted from shock, but after collapsing to the floor in a heap of sobs, managed to apparate to an address that was the only thing written on the parchment.

Garrick Ollivander was alive. He was staying with a horrid woman named Muriel for his own safety, as he had previously been kidnapped by You Know Who. He told a wild tale of a house elf and Harry Potter, and a girl named Luna that he seemed to be fond of. He told her of the torture he had underwent and the two cried together. He explained to her the significance of the Elder Wand.

Ollivander stayed at Muriel's, and instead of heading to the shop every day she went to see him, to show him her progress and to check in on the frail man. Amazed at what she had accomplished without him, he realized that she had reached the potential of what the old wandmaker had to teach her.

About two months later, the Battle of Hogwarts had begun. Eloise had just appeared outside of Muriel's home when Ollivander ambushed her, clasping her by the shoulders and shaking her while frantically explaining what was occuring. She nodded, and she allowed the old man to link arms with her so they could apparate to the chaos that was Hogwarts.

Immediately they were swept into battle, and Eloise dueled Death Eaters with a ferocity that she did not know she possessed. With Ollivander at her side, she struggled against the dark forces of Voldemort's followers. It was near the end, just before Harry Potter officially rose from the dead and saved the wizarding world, that the man she had come to love and respect was struck by a dark violet curse that she did not recognize. She fired hex after hex at the masked man before her, until the man was unconscious and crumpled to the ground in a heap. She leapt back to Ollivander, immediately levitating him to where she knew she could seek medical aid, casting shield charms and stunning spells as she navigated her way through the battle.

As Eloise knelt next to the withering man and sobbed, she clutched his hand and begged that he stay awake, that he remain there to help her, to teach her. "You will do great things, Eloise Moreau, and you will be cherished," were his final words to her, as the life left his body with a shuddering breath.

The war was over, yes. But Eloise's hardships were not entirely behind her.