Living In The Light

Chapter 9 The troubles of a Single Father

July 4th had come and gone. Narcissa walked somberly from shop to shop with Draco and the children in Diagon Alley three days before school was to start. While Draco went to Olivander's to procure the girls their first wands, Narcissa walked across the street and purchased the girls each a pet to commemorate their first year of magical education.

Inside Olivander's Draco sat in a state of depression while Marcus Flint rummaged around in the back searching for the perfect wands for the enchanting Malfoy girls. He returned with two of the last wands that his Grandfather Olivander had ever made and placed them onto the counter, unwrapping them carefully. "I'm not certain about this, but my Grandfather made these years ago. He told me that they were meant to go to special girls. Twins to be exact," he said as he placed the wands tenderly in front of the twins and smiled gently.

Delphine and Cassiopeia reached out and placed their hands over the wands to take them. Before they could lower their hands and grasp the wands, the wands started to glow and sparkle as if they had been touched by their true owners. The wands flew off of the counter and into the girls waiting hands. Then there was a blinding light and the wands changed color of their own accord.

Cassiopeia's wand was now Ravanclaw blue with silver spiral design like that of a unicorn's horn, and Delphine's wand was now Gryffindor red with gold spiral design, matching that of her sister's. "Wow! That's never happened before, "said Marcus as he scratched his head in confusion. "Ladies, your wands are made of Hawthorn, 13 inches, with a core of the hair from the rare black unicorn. It would appear that my Grandfather was right in his prediction on exactly who the wands would choose," said Marcus with a smug smile on his face.

Draco attempted to pay his old friend for the wands, but Marcus refused to take his money. "Look Draco, I made a promise to my grandfather that the wands were to be given only to the twins that they chose. He told me that those wands are to be given for the greater good of our future. I can't take your money mate. If you desire to give your galleons to someone who truly needs them, donate them to the Ministry to aid in the rebuilding of Azkaban Prison," said Marcus as he handed Draco the morning copy of the Daily Prophet.

Draco looked down at the paper to see a picture of rubble where death eaters were flying from all directions carrying the escaped prisoners along with them. Floating over the demolished ruins of the prison was a ghostly image of a long stemmed rose surrounded by a slithering snake. He read the headline to himself.

"Death Eaters Demolish Azkaban Prison.

Despite the death and downfall of the dark lord, swarms of death eaters invaded and demolished Azkaban Prison. All prisoners were freed, and all guards and members of prison staff were killed. Though the dark Lord is gone Ministry officials speculate that he has named his only living relative as his heiress. Could this be the beginning of a new wizarding war? This reporter sadly thinks so."

Draco crumpled the paper and shook with chills running down his spine when he saw the familiar mark floating in the sky in the photo. He knew that the mark was the same as the one that had taken over Ellenore's entire left arm. He thanked Marcus and guided the twins out of the wand shop and out into Diagon Alley. Narcissa met them and presented the girls with one Siamese cat for each of them.

"Oh Gran, their beautiful," cooed the girls in unison as they cuddled the cats. Scorpius rolled his eyes and made a gagging noise at the sappiness of his sisters fawning over the cats.

"They're just flea infested bags of bone and muscle," said Scorpius with a frown. The girls stuck out their tongues and blew raspberries at their brother.

"Just because you don't like cats doesn't make you right," they said in unison.

"Scorpius, apologize to your sisters," ordered Draco.