Chapter 16: The Weasleys and the Wand
Hermione furrowed her brow, trying to make sense of what Viktor had said. She struggled to understand why someone else would feel unhappy just because he put in effort. After thinking it over and still coming up short, she could only shake her head and admit,
"I don't understand, Professor."
"It's alright; it doesn't really concern you," Viktor replied with a small nod. "If you want to read those books, go ahead. Learning more is never a bad thing."
Hermione glanced at her parents for permission. When the Grangers nodded encouragingly, she beamed and eagerly picked out over a dozen books before rushing to the counter. Due to the large purchase, Flourish and Blotts gifted her a small, undetectable extension bag to carry them all.
As she carefully packed her books, a red-haired boy from earlier returned, curiously carrying a few third-year textbooks.
The boy was tall and lanky, with freckles scattered across his face, but not as tall as the young store clerk. He had a mischievous grin that gave off an air of unreliability, making him look like an ordinary third-year student who thrived on trouble.
"Professor? Are you a new professor at Hogwarts?" he asked with eager curiosity.
"Yes, I teach Divination."
"Oh, so you're replacing Professor Trelawney?" The boy's face lit up with sudden understanding.
It seemed the news of Trelawney's accident had already spread through the wizarding community.
Viktor gave a nonchalant nod in response.
The boy grinned and introduced himself, "I'm Fred Weasley, Professor. I might take your class next term, though I haven't decided yet. My brother Percy thinks I should take Arithmancy. Which do you think is more important?"
"Either is fine," Viktor said indifferently. "Arithmancy involves mathematical calculations, while Divination focuses on sensing and intuition. Choose the one that interests you more."
As Viktor spoke, another boy—identical to Fred—appeared, grinning broadly and holding what looked like a novelty item.
Faint calls of "George? George!" echoed from somewhere in the store.
With a playful gleam in his eyes, George raised his hand, preparing to toss a piece of candy toward Fred, who remained blissfully unaware.
"But..." Viktor suddenly raised his hand, holding it steady about a foot to his side.
The candy George tossed veered unexpectedly, bounced off a chandelier on the ceiling, changed direction mid-air, and landed neatly in Viktor's waiting palm.
Without missing a beat, Viktor closed his fingers around the candy, the wrapper clearly marked with Zonko's Joke Shop logo, as if it had been thrown to him intentionally.
Raising an eyebrow, Viktor held the candy toward Fred and remarked, "But if you're planning to use candies like these to skip my class, you'd better stick with Arithmancy. I catch them every time."
In the distance, George's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Cool!!" he exclaimed, running over excitedly. "How did you catch that?"
Viktor handed the candy back to him.
"Divination's intuition."
Both twins' eyes lit up with admiration.
George had clearly seen Viktor move his hand into position before he even threw the candy. Every movement Viktor made seemed perfectly predicted.
This was way cooler than any other subject!
Viktor, however, hadn't caught the candy to show off. If he hadn't, it would've hit him. Acting purely on instinct, he had avoided trouble.
Just as the twins gazed at Viktor with newfound respect, their mother appeared—a stern, red-haired witch Viktor had seen at the store entrance earlier.
She marched over, immediately grabbing George by the ear.
"Causing trouble again, are we? Apologize at once!"
"Mom, no—I didn't mean—wait, I wasn't even—"
"And your brother is still waiting for you! How dare you waste time here?"
Molly scolded them sharply while hurriedly apologizing to Viktor, then bustled the twins out of the store. The two scrambled as their mother muttered about a younger brother still shopping elsewhere.
As they were dragged away, Fred waved dramatically and called out, "Professor Viktor, we'll remember to take your class—!"
Viktor watched their retreating figures with a blank expression.
...Ah, suddenly he wasn't so sure about teaching anymore.
Those two seemed like trouble.
Hermione, now finished packing her books into the magically expanded bag, hurried to Viktor's side. She wore a satisfied smile that would send shivers down the spines of slackers and lazy students.
"Let's go," Viktor said.
As they walked, Mrs. Granger suddenly looked concerned.
"Hermione, do you have enough money left to buy an owl? They're not cheap, especially with the food."
"!" Hermione froze for a moment, then frowned in realization.
"Uh-oh! I might not have enough..."
Recalling how many books she'd purchased, Viktor quickly estimated the cost.
Magical books were as expensive as their Muggle counterparts, often costing several Galleons each. Considering Hermione's hefty haul, she had likely spent most of her money.
After a moment's thought, Viktor suggested, "Hogwarts has a communal owlery. The acceptance letter didn't say pets were mandatory, so skipping the purchase should be fine."
Hermione double-checked her acceptance letter and exclaimed joyfully, "You're right!"
She promptly decided to forgo buying an owl.
Still, they stopped by Eeylops Owl Emporium to browse, as Viktor wanted to buy one for himself. Since he didn't live on the school grounds full-time, having a personal courier was essential.
He chose a barn owl.
Although Hermione thought its name matched Viktor's serious demeanor, the fluffy, round creature hardly lived up to its spooky reputation—apart from its peculiar hooting.
With the owl purchased, they headed to Ollivanders for wands.
As they entered, Hermione couldn't resist poking the owl's soft feathers through the cage.
"Jingle."
The bell above the door chimed as they walked in.
Mr. Ollivander was just finishing up with another young wizard. Piles of opened wand boxes lay scattered across the chairs. When Viktor and Hermione entered, he glanced up from behind the counter.
"Oh, another student heading to Hogwarts this year?" Ollivander asked kindly, adjusting his glasses. "You must be here to get a wand, young lady."
"I need one too," Viktor added.
Ollivander looked surprised, as it was unusual for adult wizards to lack a wand. However, he quickly composed himself and nodded.
"I don't recall seeing you before, sir. Are you new to England?"
"Yes. I'm teaching at Hogwarts now."
"Ah, that explains it. You have a rather distinctive presence. I believe I have just the wand for you."
After rummaging for a moment, Ollivander retrieved a wand box from the counter.
"Thirteen inches, yew wood with a dragon heartstring core, rigid. It's also dusted with powdered unicorn horn, giving it a faint, subtle glow in total darkness."
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