After the commotion at Flourish and Blotts, Mum decided to get away with the shopping as quickly as possible. We proceeded towards the next stop which happened to be Garrick Ollivander's Wand Shop. I was fascinated, obviously. 

A wand is one of the most essential tools of the Wizards. And I was doubly excited to step inside that marvelous shop. There were cases of wands aligned everywhere on numerous shelves. A magical halo surrounded the place.

I saw an old crooked man bent over one of his books. Seeing us, he straightened, "Ah the Weasleys, an honor it is." 

His hair was very white and a pair of golden spectacles was seated on the bridge of his nose. He had curious blue eyes with an electric look about them. He was very old as if he had been alive since centuries. 

"Mr Ollivander, we are here to purchase a wand for Katerina," Mom explained. 

He looked closely at me, "of course, of course. The wand you are looking for is absolutely here hidden among some of the cases. Let me see." He pulled out a stack of different colored cases. He gave me the wands one by one to try.

"The wand chooses the wizard. That much has always been clear to those of us who have studied wandlore... These connections are complex. An initial attraction, and then a mutual quest for experience, the wand learning from the wizard, the wizard from the wand," he explained when I asked that why couldn't I just buy any one which I liked. 

He made me try a lot of wands. He told me to give the wand a swish and a flick but so far it had been no use. I wonder when I'll get the one that's made for me.

"Yew, 8 1/2 inches, dragon heartstring," he kept handing me wand after wand, "cherry, unicorn tail hair, 14 inches. No, definitely not for you. Elm, phoenix feather, 10 inches. No, no absolutely not. A tricky customer, aren't you?" 

Ah yes very tricky. However I was afraid that I won't get what I was looking for. I was afraid that I would have to go home without a wand. 

Finally he took out an emerald green case, " well let's try this one. Maybe this is the wand for you." It was slender and straight. The handle was slightly silver while the rest of the wand was of a lightish brown color.

I took it and gave it a gentle flick as I was told. Soon enough beautiful flames burst from the tip of the wand. Ollivander clapped his hands in delight, "yes, here it is. Vine wood with aspen handle, 10 1/3 inches, unicorn tail hair core. Quite unyielding. Interesting, very interesting." Oh thank God, I found a wand.

Ollivander however wanted me to know what was so interesting about my wand, "the wand can work great power, child and is to be used with caution. Unyielding indeed. It will obey you but since its unstable at times due to the mix of aspen and vine, you will have to work on it. But don't worry, it's a marvelous wand. Aspen is used for wands of great warrior like abilities. Excellent for combat. Whereas vine wood indicates a sensitive personality and hidden depth. Such a wand is made for those who seek a greater purpose. Marvelous indeed." 

I looked at it closely. It was something that had immediately become special to me. "That would be eight galleons," he stated the cost and Mom paid him in round golden coins. Galleons of course. 

I had learnt a bit about wizarding currency by now. The golden coins were galleons, the silver coins were sickles while the bronze ones were knuts. Well then we went to Madam Malkin's to buy my robes and then to the pet shop from where I got my beautiful white pet cat and after that we headed towards home.

***

I had a lot of fun today. School was about to get started and I couldn't wait for the big day to arrive. Everything was happening so quickly that it all seemed like a dream. But of course this is not a dream. 

After the whole shopping spree we had a delicious feast and Fred and George also set off wizard fireworks in the backyard. Then Mom had given us a cup of hot cocoa each so we would get a good deep sleep. But still I was not able to sleep. 

I was tossing and turning in my bed due to excitement. I always got excited easily even at the smallest of things. Every event is an adventure to me and I've been like this since I was quite small.

Finally I decided to go out since I was getting bored lying awake all by myself. Perhaps Fred and George would be up as well. They are always up to something and of course it wouldn't bother them if I joined in their little mischief no matter what it is. Making up my mind I slipped on my bunny slippers and went outside. 

I decided to check the living room first since I could see a dim light coming from there. As far as I know, no one comes to the living room this late as you know its about midnight here. Oh well, I'll just go and check who's there I suppose. 

Overwhelmed with curiosity I stepped in the living room as silently as possible. Someone was sitting on the couch with messy red hair. 

Oh. 

Percy. He was quite absorbed with his nose buried deep in the book.

I silently went towards the couch and here goes, "boo!" 

He jumped up startled out of his wits, "what? Oh, you." 

He sat down again, arranged his specs on the bridge of his nose and went back to reading as if not wishing to acknowledge my presence. Percy has quite a funny nose. It is as if his nose was made to bear the large horn rimmed specs for absolutely long periods of time. Now when I think about it, I never saw him without his spectacles.

"Scoot over," I spoke. 

He looked up as if surprised, "what?" 

Oh dear Lord. "Scoot over means to make some place for the person who's standing. Act of courtesy, you know," I elaborated. 

He raised an eyebrow skeptically, "you can sit anywhere else if you like." 

I folded my arms defiantly, "okay, but I don't wanna sit anywhere else." 

He groaned as if annoyed and scooted over to make some room for me.

I plopped down beside him, "what are you reading?" 

He was still staring at me as if I was some UFO, "nothing that would interest you." 

Damn he's so shut out, I guess I'll have to do something about it, "suppose you tell me anyway." 

He replied, "Unfogging the Future. Now please leave me alone." 

I pretended to look hurt, "Percy I was just trying to be friendly with you." 

He narrowed his eyes at me suspiciously, "if you want to make fun of me, annoy me or irritate me then you are not welcome here." 

I shook my head, "I never said I wanted to do any of these things. You just assumed I'd do that." 

He shrugged, "okay. But it's not my fault that I assumed it since you're so exactly like the twins." Well yes this one time he's right. 

"Why are you up so late?" I asked. 

He mumbled still completely focused on the pages of that book, "I could have asked you the same question." 

I replied, "I couldn't sleep." 

He muttered again, "you have a terrible case of insomnia then. Very interesting." 

Oooh, he's trying to be sarcastic. Great improvement though. Thumbs up Katerina.

"I'm excited about school you know," I continued my rant because apparently he's listening, "I can't wait to get to Hogwarts. And that's why I couldn't sleep. I get excited about even the most ordinary things very easily and then it ends up in taking my sleep away." 

He nodded but not once did he lift his eyes off the book, "so you decided to come outside because you couldn't sleep and was bored, right? Well if you do that at Hogwarts and come out of the common room after curfew, I'll have to deduct some points. Maybe even punish you, for instance. A detention with Professor Sprout seems most appropriate." 

Oh well there goes Prefect Percy, "yeah you're a prefect. I forgot." 

He corrected me, "I was a Prefect. Now I'm Head Boy." I noticed as a slight smile tugged up on his face for the shortest of seconds, "I got excited about that though. Couldn't sleep either. But you're not supposed to make fun of that." 

I shook my head, "assuming again, are you? I said I'm not making fun of anything." 

He mumbled, "good."

A while passed in silence since he almost never starts a conversation. As always I had to speak first, "so what is this book about?" 

He glanced at me as if I was an idiot, "unfogging the future, what else? We have a subject at school called Divination in which we study about future seeing. Crystal balls, stars, tea leaves you get the point. We study how our dreams can relate our future, how predictions are made and then there's a much vast field of prophecy making. But I think it will be a lot for you to take in." 

Yeah sure... Like honestly, I only half understood all he just said. "Fred told me that Divination is a boring subject," I stated. 

He spoke, "and you believed him? You're such a genius, Katerina." 

I could feel my cheeks burning from embarrassment. His ironic attitude was getting too much to handle, "well thanks for the compliment." 

I saw a tiny flash of another of his rare smiles, "my pleasure."

He showed me a page, "look here." It had pictures of constellations. "Even Muggles study them. The horoscopes you find in the magazines are made by studying these," he resumed, "but you know we wizards take Astronomy to a whole new level. There are Centaurs in the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts and they make useful predictions by observing these constellations. This one here is Ursa Minor in the scientific language." 

He pointed to the picture and I nodded, "cool."

He spoke as if lecturing me, "Divination is not boring. Who knows perhaps you'll find out that you have a specific talent in it and become a Seer? It helps to be aware of the future at times. It helps being warned of things that are about to happen." 

I remarked, "you're very passionate about studies." 

He replied, "yes I am. I want to study all I can and achieve something big in life. I want to be one with a great purpose and a great career." He's quite ambitious. This is a side to Percy which I had never known.

He turned the page, "now look. This is what we call a Prophecy." In the picture was a gleaming silver ball. "These prophecies are made to depict what would happen in future and whatever is said in the Prophecy usually happens," he continued, "the most famous one to date is the Prophecy which states the birth of the Chosen One."

The next page was on dreams. Different symbols which appear in our dreams and their meanings. Much like archetypes. He kept explaining and unknowingly though I was enjoying his lecture. We had never spoken that much and now when we were talking it felt good. He had a lot of knowledge and I think that's absolutely fantastic.

A while later, I felt my eyelids drooping from sleep. Of course it was quite late but I didn't interrupt his lecture since it seemed to work like a lullaby. But he paused, "you're very sleepy now. Go to your room." 

I mumbled, "nope, I'm enjoying the lecture Perce. You carry on." 

He didn't resume though, "Katerina, you have to go and sleep. Come on get up." 

I shook my head in a no, "I'm too tired. I don't wanna walk." 

I rested my head on his shoulder. He spoke in alarm, "hey what are you doing?" I mumbled, "sleeping, what else? Do you know; your arm is much more comfortable than my pillow." 

He was silent for a while. And then I felt him place his arm around me so that I could actually go to sleep more comfortably, "well since you're being so stubborn..." 

How exactly sweet of him. 

I peeled open my eyes and flashed him a genuine smile, "thanks Big B." 

He asked, "what's a Big B?" 

Oh well there you go, "Big B... Big Brother, you know. Goodnight Percy."

***