Mischief Managed | 𝘚𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘶𝘴 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬

Chapter 06

While James was still standing on the stool as the witch tried to pin his robe and get his measures, he saw another young boy enter the shop right after Jenna had left, walking inside along with his mother.

     The boy had black hair and grey eyes, and he was considered rather handsome, despite his young age. James wouldn't admit this out loud, but he wasn't comfortable when he felt like someone was better than him at something, even when it came to looks.

      "You stay here while I go get your books," said his mother sternly and the boy nodded, but said nothing in response. She then threw James a cold look before turning on her heels and leaving the shop.

      James looked away, thinking to himself that if that scary woman had been his mother, he would've already run away from home rather than to live under the same roof as her.

     Madam Malkin's assistant then led the new boy on a stool next to James, starting to measure him after throwing a robe over his head.

   "Going to Hogwarts?" James asked the boy, trying not to move anymore so he wouldn't ruin the pinning again.

     The boy nodded his head. "First year."

    "Me too," said James. "I'm James Potter, by the way."

    "Sirius Black," the boy introduced himself shortly.

     James gave out a little snort. "That's an unusual name."

      But unlike James's expectations, the boy didn't look offended at all. Instead, he only grinned and shrugged, saying smugly, "Well, I'm an unusual boy."

     James grinned to himself at the witty response, finding it cool how the boy had stood up for himself like that, turning the offense in his own favor. That was exactly what James himself would've done in such situation.

      "So which House do you think you'll be in?" James asked the boy.

     With Fleamont Potter as his father, they had been raised to become rather prejudice toward Hogwarts Houses. James even called himself a Gryffindor before he had even gotten his Hogwarts letter.

      So before the boy could speak and answer, James beat him into it, saying jokingly, "I better be in anything but Slytherin, that's for sure."

      But just then, a look of hurt flashed over Sirius Black's face, which went unnoticed by James, as the feelings of anxiety and worry started to surge from within him.

      So the next moment, out of his control and because of his surfaced emotions, Sirius accidentally caused the needles in the witch's hands to suddenly start flying around, attacking the costumers.

      "AAARGH!" Everyone started screaming, trying to dodge the needles and looking for an escape.

     "Amanda! What did you do!?" Madam Malkin yelled after her assistant, taking out her wand to try and stop the flying needles.

      "It wasn't me!" Her assistant shouted back, dropping herself to the floor to dodge the needles.

      As Madam Malkin ran forward to stop the needles while the costumers shrieked and ran out of the shop, James and Sirius glanced sideways at each other, bursting into laughter.

***

After James was finally done, he bid Sirius Black goodbye and left the shop to look for his family, and he found them in a shop which sold cauldrons. Jenna was trying to convince her parents to buy the fancy one, but Mrs. Potter had put her foot down.

     After they bought all their other equipments and Jenna nearly sneaked out a dark curse book — but was caught by her mother — they finally made their way toward the shop they were looking forward to the most.

     Ollivanders wand shop.

     The last shop was narrow and shabby. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382b.c.

      "Oh, the good old days..." Mr. Potter sighed to himself before opening the door to the shop and walking inside with the others, a bell ringing at their entrance.

      The shop was a tiny place, yet filled with thousands of narrow boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling, all full of different wands in all shapes and sizes.

      "Good afternoon," said a soft voice, making the twins jump. But their parents only smiled politely when an old man walked forward. "Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Potter... so good to see you again." He then shook hands with both of them. "I remember the wands I sold to you. I was young back then, very young indeed."

     "Oh, come now, don't make it sound like it was too long ago," said Mr. Potter with his usual charming grin.

      "Yours was ten inches. Pheonix feather. Powerful for extraordinary spells, Mr. Potter," said Mr. Ollivander before turning to face Euphemia. "And yours was nine inches, quite flexible, and perfect for Charms. But let's see what wand will favor your children."

     With that, Mr. Ollivander asked James to step forward first and started measuring his wand arm before giving him a wand to try. At the first try, James broke a vase nearby and at the second he nearly cracked the shop's window, but the wand maker fixed them in a heartbeat.

      "Here, try this one," said Mr. Ollivander, handing him the third wand. "This is a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. Excellent for transfiguration."

     The moment James held the wand in his hands, Mr. Ollivander clapped his hands together. "Excellent! Now why don't you step forward, Miss Potter?"

     James grinned down at his new wand admirably as Jenna gulped, moving closer toward Mr. Ollivander, and raised her right arm so he could measure it.

      Although with Jenna it took way more than three wands to find the right wand. But Mr. Ollivander didn't look disappointed in the slightest. In fact, he looked rather amused to find a challenge.

     "A tricky one, aren't you?" He chuckled. "No matter, no matter. Let's try this one," he said, taking the sixth box and taking out the wand inside it. "Beech wood, Phoenix feather core, also eleven inches, and reasonably flexibly."

     Jenna then took the wand from him, but the moment she touched it ans held it in her grasp, she felt a feeling of warmth spread through her fingers and then travel through her whole body.

    "Splendid!" Mr. Ollivander cried out happily, knowing that the wand had chosen her.

    After paying for their new wands, James and Jenna left the shop along with their parents, tired after the long yet amazing day.

    "You know what will complete the day?" Mr. Potter started with a smile as they walked down the alley.

    "What?" Mrs. Potter questioned, though she already knew the answer to that.

     Mr. Potter's smile widened. "Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream."