The Scythe of Kronos

Getting Wizard Stuff

I don't own anything owned by others.

Will POV

So far, the Wizard Alley - or whatever it's called - has been awesome. It reminds me of Olympus - if it had blown up and Iris gave it a makeover, that is. Colours are everywhere, and the amount of stores there are is insane. I would say I don't know how they fit everything, but obviously, it's magic. Duh, Will, they're wizards. 

Dumbledore is leading us toward a massive building at the end of the street. It reminds me of a castle. It's the only building that isn't rainbow-ified, and Nico is giving the building looks of appreciation. We walk up the stone steps, and I see two creatures on either side of the door. They don't look hostile, but they certainly don't look friendly either. I inch closer to Nico just in case a fight breaks out.

Inside the building are tall desks lined up in two rows with the creatures behind them. A lot of them seem to be grumbling about money and accounts. Is this a bank? I wasn't really paying attention to any signs on the way in, as I was staring at the creatures. 

I make a mental note to apologize to the ones I stared at on the way out.

"Mr. Di Angelo, may I have the key that is in your pocket? It is for your vault." Dumbledore asks. I realize we are standing in front of the biggest desk in the room. He must be the boss Creature. Nico mutely hands Dumbledore the key and makes eye contact with me. I raise an eyebrow, and he gives me a look of worry. 

"This doesn't feel right," Nico whispers, and I nod. The uneasy feeling has been creeping up my stomach as well, and my body is tensing, as if ready for a fight. That can never be good when you're a demigod. Nico and I look around warily, but other than the hundreds of creatures roaming around, nothing is out of the ordinary. A couple of the creatures are giving wizards death stares, but the wizards don't seem very shaken, so I assume it's ordinary.

"-Angelo, Mr. Solace?" I hear Dumbledore trying to get my attention, and I swivel my head back to the desk and smile.

"Sorry, just looking around. Umm, Mr. Dumbledore, are you sure this place is safe?" I ask. The boss creature looks offended.

"We goblins pride ourselves on keeping the wizarding world's money secure." 

So I was right. This is a bank. We must be getting money, which is probably what the key is for.

"We're sorry. We are just caught off guard by all of this." Nico cuts in, "It's a lot different for... wizards in America."

"Mr. Di Angelo, I knew you two had godly blood the moment you walked in. The Goblins have been trusted with your secret, as many of your gods keep their riches in the vaults beneath your feet. Your father in particular." The goblin says, and Nico and I are silent. I didn't realize that the gods would make themselves known to so many. But I guess the wizard wouldn't be around if it weren't for Hecate blessing a mortal like 700 years ago, so it makes sense.

(For how wizards came about, I believe it's in another chapter, but I will do a summary. Basically, Hecate posed as the Triple Goddess, who blessed Merlin with magic. So all Wizards come from Merlin, and the magic has sort of evolved since then, and they use wands, etc. To explain muggle-borns, I would say that they have magical ancestry and it just skipped generations, or something similar to that)

The goblin beckons to another one of his brethren, and we are lead to a cart. We get in, and a moment later I am screaming at the top of my lungs, holding onto Nico for dear life.

*Time skip of catastrophe*

I stumble out of the wizarding bank with Nico holding me up. Let's just say I will not be visiting the dragon under the bank any time soon. Dumbledore was able to subdue it quickly with the help of the goblins, but I got a face full of dragon breath. If you don't know about the effects of dragon breath, then let me enlighten you. It gives serious vertigo. As in, I am seeing the sky as the ground, the ground as a wall, and Nico as a swirly blob. 

I groan and trip over my own feet for the fifteenth time, and Nico catches me for the fifteenth time.

"Do you know when this wears off Will?" Nico asks as we walk into a shop (at least I think we do).

"Um, I think it wears off in... twenty-four hours? maybe forty-eight? I dunno, I can't think right now. Everything is," I wave my hands in circles in front of me to try and show what I mean. "Swirly."

Nico sighs and sits me down on a chair. I lean to one side and almost fall off the chair, but Nico grabs my shoulders. I hear Dumbledore talking to someone, but I try to focus on not tipping over. Nico drapes an arm across my shoulder and holds me up, which I'm grateful for.

"Are you all right, Nico? Did the dragon get you?" I ask.

"I'm fine. You sort of took all the breath for yourself, you self-sacrificing dork." I smile.

"Hey, you already have a hole in your shoulder, it was my turn to get hurt."

"I could've handled it."

"Sure, Neeks, sure." Nico punched my arm, and I ask after a couple of minutes. "Where are we anyway?"

"Dumbledore is talking to someone about wands. It sounds like they were dropped off by someone specifically for us. My guess is that Hecate made them. I don't think we can actually do their kind of magic."

"Oh."

Ok, that's the end of the chapter, sorry! I really didn't know what to write. This next part is just some information about their wands.

Nico:  Cypress, dragon, and Hecate hair. 

Will:  Willow, unicorn, and Hecate hair 

(So, they can't do wizard magic, but their wands manipulate the mist, thanks to Hecate)

These descriptions are taken straight from Wizarding World:

Willow Wand:

- Willow is an uncommon wand wood with healing power, and I have noted that the ideal owner for a willow wand often has some (usually unwarranted) insecurity, however, well they may try and hide it. While many confident customers insist on trying a willow wand (attracted by their handsome appearance and well-founded reputation for enabling advanced, non-verbal magic) my willow wands have consistently selected those of greatest potential, rather than those who feel they have little to learn. It has always been a proverb in my family that he who has furthest to travel will go fastest with willow.

Unicorn:

- Unicorn hair generally produces the most consistent magic and is least subject to fluctuations and blockages. Wands with unicorn cores are generally the most difficult to turn to the Dark Arts. They are the most faithful of all wands, and usually remain strongly attached to their first owner, irrespective of whether he or she was an accomplished witch or wizard. Minor disadvantages of unicorn hair are that they do not make the most powerful wands (although the wand wood may compensate) and that they are prone to melancholy if seriously mishandled, meaning that the hair may 'die' and need replacing.

Cypress:

- Cypress wands are associated with nobility. The great medieval wandmaker, Geraint Ollivander, wrote that he was always honoured to match a cypress wand, for he knew he was meeting a witch or wizard who would die a heroic death. Fortunately, in these less blood-thirsty times, the possessors of cypress wands are rarely called upon to lay down their lives, though doubtless many of them would do so if required. Wands of cypress find their soul mates among the brave, the bold and the self-sacrificing: those who are unafraid to confront the shadows in their own and others' natures.

Dragon:

- As a rule, dragon heartstrings produce wands with the most power, and which are capable of the most flamboyant spells. Dragon wands tend to learn more quickly than other types. While they can change allegiance if won from their original master, they always bond strongly with the current owner. The dragon wand tends to be easiest to turn to the Dark Arts, though it will not incline that way of its own accord. It is also the most prone of the three cores to accidents, being somewhat temperamental.

Do you like vertigo-ed Will? How long should I keep him like this?