ideas are like sparrows [izotz]

july 2001

One benefit to being different, even by magical standards, was the ease of navigation through crowds. Either Luna Lovegood's mess of salted, blonde hair with a bit of seaweed tangled in, patched and cuffed trousers that were wet up to the knee, or her bright yellow rain jacket she was wearing on a sunny day were convincing the rest of the witches and wizards in Diagon Alley to give her a wide berth. Luna had spent the morning at a collection of rock pools, searching for limpets that she could use later that evening to bait gulping plimpies. It had been quite the success, as Luna had filled two large buckets with them before hurrying home to Ottery St. Catchpole, only to be turned around almost immediately to run an errand for her father.

It had been easy enough to pick up a bag full of chizpurfle fangs (one of the main ingredients in the potion used for film development) to replenish their stock at home. But now that her errand was finished, Luna wasn't in any hurry to return home. It was a lovely afternoon for a walk, even with a bag of fangs dangling by her side. She popped into stores occasionally, only slowing to a stop once she had reached Ollivander's.

Maybe Mr. Ollivander would like to join her on a nice little walk down the alley, or get an ice cream. She could tell him all about her latest trip abroad; even though she came back quite empty handed, her wand had performed beautifully. It had been about three years now since receiving her new one and it was already outshining the last and surely knowing that would please him if the ice cream didn't. She checked that her wand was still tucked safely behind her ear before pushing the door open and stepping inside. It was exceedingly dimmer inside the shop and it took her a few seconds to realize that there was a man standing behind the counter who didn't look a thing like Mr. Ollivander.

But still, she recognized him, even if he didn't know who she was. A year ahead of her in Ravenclaw, a member of Dumbledore's Army, and not directly mean to her, all nice traits for him to have. "Oh, hello, Izotz," she started, taking a step forward and setting her back of fangs down on the counter. "Is Mr. Ollivander in?"

@Izotz Gredel

It was a quiet day, like any other, when Izotz finally made his way down the stairs from his living quarters above the sales floor to unlock the doors of the wand maker’s shop. He had been up a few hours already doing inventory, working on his own wand projects, and having a quick bite of breakfast; but now it was time to open. While it was highly unlikely anyone would need a new wand so early in the summer, Mr. Olivander insisted the shop remain continue their normal business hours in case anyone needed their services. Even though the wand maker was on a trip collecting materials for some future wands, Izotz held true to the master’s instructions and opened the doors promptly at 9 o’clock in the morning and dutifully stood his post at the till, waiting for their first customer of the day.

The morning had passed as slowly as a morning could. Not a soul entered the shop all morning, giving Izotz the time to finish the inventory and care of the wands stocked by the wand maker and his apprentice as well as to put the finishing touches on one of his many wand projects. He would wait to celebrate his accomplishment until he had the opportunity to present it to Mr. Olivander on his return. While he was confident in his abilities at this point in his career, Izotz wanted to ensure that he had created a product on par with the quality of work expected of an Olivander wand.

Around noon, the young man closed up the shop and ventured over to the Leaky Cauldron for a small lunch and a brief visit to Flourish and Blotts to see if the book he had ordered on wandlore had yet arrived. After his trip to the bookshop, Izotz returned to Mr. Olivander’s shop and resumed his position behind the counter, still waiting for the first customer of the day. The afternoon appeared as though it would pass like the morning, slowly and without any excitement of any kind. However, just an hour or so after opening back up, Izotz heard the jingle of the door charm, alerting him to a visitor. Looking up from his book, he noted that the young woman entering the shop not only had a wand, but had it perched precariously behind her ear. Noting the wand behind her ear, the peculiar dressing, and the rather wide eyes, he recognized her as Luna Lovegood, a former student at Hogwarts with him.

She took a moment to address him, but after a brief pause, she spoke in the rather airy, singsong voice Izotz remembered from hearing her in the common room and at the occasional DA meeting from his time in school. Izotz was used to the question she posed. It was the first thing out of most every visitor’s mouth when they saw him behind the counter. It was not hard for the boy to understand why, but it was rather frustrating. He wanted them to understand that Mr. Olivander had chosen him to be his apprentice, so he could be trusted with matters of the shop, but no one ever seemed to think so.

Taking a moment to note his place in the book and close it, he looked up at Luna and said with an attempt at a smile, “No Luna, unfortunately he is not here at the moment. Mr. Olivander is currently out collecting elements for our next batch of wands. Is there something I can help you with?” He said it rather matter of factly, but in a way that did not come off as rude. Izotz was learning more about interpersonal communication and social skills in this job than his time in school and at home had ever given him. Izotz waited, rather patiently for Luna’s response to determine whether this would be a short visit or one that helped him to pass the incredibly slow and tedious day.

Luna smiled, though she was disappointed that Mr. Ollivader was out for the day. Or perhaps more than one day. That’s what she would do, anyway. Prolong a trip into as many days as possible. Looking for things was one of her favorite things and she couldn’t blame him for doing exactly what she loved. Still, she hadn’t the slightest clue that Izotz was working at the shop, and if he was offering to help, then he was more than just an employee. An apprentice of sorts? How lovely.

“Oh,” she replied, not looking at anything in particular. “No,” she continued slowly, following a stray piece of lint floating through the air with her eyes. “It was more of a personal visit,” she paused as she finally looked at Izotz again, “We’re friends, you see.” She didn’t need to get into the details, not finding it strange at all that a twenty-year-old woman should be friends with an eighty-two-year-old wandmaker. Still, she and Izotz had been at Hogwarts together, and she considered everyone who had been in DA with her a friend.

“Are you Mr. Ollivander’s apprentice?” Luna tilted her head, not taking her eyes off of him. “That must be nice.” She nodded before tilting her head to the other side. “I’ve been traveling a lot, seeing a lot of new trees I hadn’t known about,” she stated matter-of-factly. She was talking, of course, about how the trees would be useful as wand wood, perhaps, though she had no way of knowing which trees worked at all. She didn’t bother to make the connection in her thoughts aloud.

Luna nodded again, taking another step forward so she could rest her forearms on the counter. “I don’t suppose that I could borrow quill and parchment to leave Mr. Ollivander a note?” She smiled, already running through what she would write. The idea of having ice cream, had been nice, however. She would have to come back and do that another time.

Izotz waited, rather more patiently than he would have during his days as a student, for Luna’s response. His forced social interaction with Mr. Olivander, with the customers, and with the occasional other passersby from Diagon Alley had helped Izotz overcome some of his social awkwardness. In fact, he had visited a club just a few months before, albeit not because he had really wanted to. After what seemed like an eternity, Luna spoke up in her rather singsongy, mystical voice.

Something else that Izotz noticed about Luna was that she seemed rather distractible. This was something he vaguely remembered from his time in school. The other students looked at her rather strangely, mocked her behind her back, and sometimes even were downright mean to the girl. While the young man could see how her presence could be off putting, he was rather used to what it was like to be the smartest person in the room, and how that oftentimes garnered a dislike from many of the others around. Izotz didn’t fully understand why Luna would be paying a personal visit to Mr. Olivander, but what did it matter to Izotz? What did it matter who Mr. Olivander was friends with? As long as he was able to teach Izotz a few things about wand making, Mr. Olivander’s life was none of Izotz’s concern.

In response to Luna’s question, Izotz nodded, a smile creeping across his face, “I have worked for Mr. Olivander for the last year or so. He has been teaching me much of what he knows regarding the ancient secrets of wand lore.” Izotz felt safe talking to Luna, knowing that her friendship with the older man would surely keep his decisions away from the public eye. “It has been quite pleasant. I have learned much from Mr. Olivander and hope one day to have a shop of my own to sell from.” Izotz had considered opening a shop of his own before, in reality however, it was more likely he would return home and work with the family in their shop. As he thought about his family, feeling the pangs of homesickness, Luna continued recounting her journey.

Luna had barely taken a breath when she continued on, posing another question before the young man could ask about the trees she had seen. “A quill? Certainly, I believe there must be one around her somewhere. And I would be glad to ensure he gets your note, he will certainly be glad to hear from a friend, especially one has not visited of late.” Izotz did not mean this last part to seem harsh, he just knew Mr. Olivander rarely had visitors and appreciated greatly when those coming made social calls rather than strictly business.

As he handed Luna the parchment scrap and quill, Izotz took the opportunity to circle back to when Luna had brought up the trees she had seen on her travels, Izotz perked up. Always looking for new woods to experiment with, Izotz took the opportunity to pose a question of the former Ravenclaw, “While you were traveling, did you by chance notice any bowtruckles near any of the trees you saw? Bowtruckles are, in fact, something of a tell that a tree’s wood is acceptable for wand making. I would love to find some new woods with which to work.” While the boy still had much to learn with regards to wand making, he still was constantly considering his future masterwork. To complete his apprenticeship, he would need to prepare a wand of such quality that Mr. Olivander saw him as an equal rather than as a student. This would be hard enough with exceptional materials that were rarely used, let alone with the materials he could get his hands on easily. Waiting for her response, Izotz fished his black book from the counter shelf and prepared to take notes regarding the trees, their locations, and the type of wood they were, just in case there was a chance they could be used for his work.

Luna nodded along as she listened to Izotz, paying full attention to him even though she was looking around the shop as if she had never been there before. “Well maybe someday you can make my next wand,” she looked at him out of the corner of her eye as she smiled. She had only been in possession of her first wand for a handful of years, and her current wand went through a lot of turmoil during her travels. It was only a matter of time before she needed another one.

Her face fell the slightest bit as he mentioned how little she had been visiting lately. It hadn’t been on purpose, but that didn’t change the fact of the matter. But she smiled again as he handed over her requested supplies for her note.

“Oh,” she sighed, looking up wistfully from her nearly started note to Mr. Ollivander. “I’m afraid not.” She hadn’t seen any bowtruckles, but that didn’t necessarily mean there weren’t any to be spotted at all. “The flarffpuddles I was looking for off the coast of Spain, however, feast on bowtruckles and I’m afraid they’ve overtaken the island.” She was always genuinely sad about this, both that she couldn’t be of more help about finding the wand trees, but also because she hadn’t managed to find any flarffpuddles during the two weeks there.

She shrugged as she looked back to the parchment, her hand still hovering with the quill over it. “Of course,” she looked up again, her head tilted to the side, “I suppose that if the bowtruckles are gone, the trees would be unguarded, no?” And that should make the wood easier to obtain, right? “I’m going to go back to the island in autumn, hopefully to catch the flarffpuddles before they head into hibernation.” She scratched a few words out, at last, on the parchment, simply telling Mr. Ollivander that she hoped he was well and she would call on him again soon.

“You’re more than welcome to go with me on an expedition, if you’d like.” She had been inviting whoever she could think of to go with her. As much as she loved looking for magical creatures, it was always more enjoyable when she had someone there with her, whether or not they were helping her look or not. “You never know what you might find.”

After taking the parchment and quill from Izotz, Luna made what Izotz would consider a somewhat fatalist comment regarding her wand. ‘Her next wand?’ Certainly she had no intention of needing another wand anytime soon. Wands were to last many years, some would say a lifetime. He had even had clients who had brought in family wands for repair or cleaning that had been in the same family for generations. There was certainly not going to be a need for a new wand, especially so soon after having this last one made. Izotz could tell just from the look of it that it was still relatively new and had been in her possession for, at most, five years.

When the girl standing opposite the counter came around to his question about Bowtruckles, Izotz’s momentary excitement abated. It had been a long shot at best to see whether or not there had been any, but he had still held on to a little hope. There was no telling what she might have seen in her travels. Luna had quite the reputation for adventures and strange beliefs. Her mention of flarffpuddles only reinforcing the idea of her strange reputation for the fringes of the magical world.

As she continued discussing these imaginary flarffpuddles, Ed actually had to work to suppress a laugh. It was uncommon for Ed to find something as funny as he did now, especially when Luna was quite as serious and founded in her believes as she was in this case. Her mention of their hibernation practices and heading back to Spain showed her dedication to the belief that they were, in fact, real creatures that she would hope to find one day. Even assuming something so strange could be real, what kind of magizoologist makes their living on this kind of fringe? Who had the time, money, or other means necessary to make such a living?

As she continued scratching her note across the borrowed parchment, Izotz nodded along with the young woman as she spoke, hardly noticing the further information she shared on the flarffpuddles until she offered him a chance to go with her on the next expedition. While he had no interest in flarffpuddles at all, the chance to inspect some of the trees of Spain would be nice. The majority of his experience with the wand woods of Europe were specific to England and while travelling with Luna may not be the best of times, it would be nice to have someone to help him should the need arise while inspecting and collecting wood.

Smiling genuinely, Izotz nodded at Luna, “Why yes, it might be nice to get away from the wand shop from time to time. I will have to speak with Mr. Olivander when he returns. Spain in the fall would give me the opportunity to look at several different trees that may be of wand quality during the tail end of their harvest period.” Izotz knew he could get some usable wood from a trip like this, now all that needed to be done would be to convince Mr. Olivander that it would be a worthwhile use of his time to travel then. If that were accomplished, Izotz could certainly due with a break.

Taking a moment to consider the possibilities, Izotz began subconsciously planning a trip through the wooded area of Spain and France, thinking through his mental map of which particular forests would most likely have the best wood. Decisions decisions…

Luna set down her quill and blew lightly on the parchment, speeding along the drying ink. She folding the parchment gently in half then half again, making careful creases with the pad of her thumb. Pulling her wand from behind her ear, she touched its tip to the fold and magically sealed it, then picked up the quill one more time to write Mr Ollivander’s name across the front. The woman pushed the note across the counter and smiled, tilting her head to the side and offering a half smile.

“Do let me know what Mr Ollivader says.” She hoped that Izotz would be able to get away from the shop; she probably wouldn’t invite him for a full expedition, but surely he would be able to determine if there were any viable trees in a few days spent on the island. “I’d like to see what makes a good wand tree.” She had discuss wandlore at length with Mr Ollivader during their cohabitation during the war, but she had yet to see any of the process. It promised to be fascinating, she was sure.

She lightly drummed her fingers on the countertop, her gaze flicking around the room. “I’ll send you a note if I don’t hear from you before too long,” she assured him. “And I hope your afternoon continues to go well.” She nodded before tilting her head to the other side, her earrings bobbing along happily. “I have to be getting home, though. Dad is expecting me.” She offered a small wave, her fingers wiggling through the air. “Glad to see you again.”

Luna turned and stepped lightly to the door, pushing her way through before skipping her way back down the Alley.

Luna’s out <33

Izotz watched as Luna finished her letter to Mr. Olivander. He would be sure to hand it off to the man as soon as he returned from his business later that evening. Taking a moment to note the care she took as she folded the parchment and sealed it magically, Izotz placed the note beneath the counter on top of his little black book that held his notes and observations about each and every customer he had ever helped in the process of buying or crafting a wand. Izotz returned the young woman’s smile and nodded in response to her request. “I am sure that he will return your post with haste. He has so few people that come to call these days for personal matters.”

Her other comment brought back thoughts of travelling the countryside looking for wand wood. “It is quite simple actually, if I am able to get away from the shop for a few weeks, I will certainly show you what it is that qualifies the trees we use.” Wandwood was, of course, as important to his work as was the core. One without the other was useless and had no use to a wizard or witch. The many qualities of the wood made it even more important as each individual quality and each individual type of wood was particularly choosy when it came to certain types of masters.

Izotz looked forward to hearing from Luna. It would be a nice break from his time in the shop, continuously rearranging boxes, taking inventory, and polishing the displays. His day to day tasks drew on the young man’s patience. Smiling back at Luna once more as she mentioned having to get home, Izotz responded politely, “I shall look forward to your note. It was very good to see you too.”

As the young woman exited the shop, Izotz flicked his wand at the door and heard the mechanical click from across the room. Waving it once more at the sign on the door and again at the blinds, Izotz completed his work of closing up the shop. He had had enough of waiting around for no one to show up and browse the wares. He would spend the rest of the afternoon working on his own project. That, at least in Izotz’s opinion, was a much more valuable use of his time. Moving back to the work room, Izotz pulled out his wand in progress and set to finishing it up before Mr. Olivander made it back for the evening.