Magic Wands (Alek)

When Seren finished her seventh year at Hogwarts, she knew that she needed to figure out what she wanted to do with her life. She had taken such a wide array of classes that she could do almost anything, if she wished. Of course, she had very many ideas, all with just as much potential as the next and all things that Seren was skilled enough to accomplish. Seren could easily work in law, as she found it quite easy to read and memorize things, and to argue her point of view (and usually win). She could have also chosen to become an Auror, as she had achieved O’s in all of her necessary classes aside from Potions where she had to settle for an exceeds expectations. But she’d never had any desire to go into that type of profession. Seren was pretty and somewhat unathletic and was certain she wouldn’t enjoy the training that being an Auror entailed. While she would be good at politics and people would adore her, Seren knew that she wouldn’t adore them, so that was also out of the question. In the end, however, Seren had settled on what seemed to be the perfect option, and had applied for an open position at Saint Mungo’s as a healer in training. It was perfect for Seren! She had always had quite a knack for healing spells, and being a healer was one of the most prestigious jobs she could aim for. It required a lot of intelligence (which Seren obviously had) and it paid very well (which Seren obviously needed.)

But, of course, Seren hadn’t gotten the job yet. She’d had to apply, and then interview, just like all of the lesser applicants. She had no doubt that she would receive the position, but couldn’t help being slightly nervous for her interview anyway. Seren had apparated to London quite early to make it on time. It paid off, and they took her early, and it went brilliantly. Seren was sure that they loved her! But, they also released her early, and Seren was left with nearly an hour to kill (she’d promised Arwen she would visit her in Hogsmeade later). So, to waste a bit of time, Seren strolled through London and headed into Diagon Alley, just to window shop a bit before it was time to go. Seren would rather shop in Diagon Alley than Hogsmeade, because Hogsmeade would be full of annoying children. So, she made her way into the magical street and strolled slowly along it, smiling as she browsed in the windows and glaring at someone who nearly spilled ice cream all over her.

When Seren found herself in front of Ollivanders, she hesitated. She really did love Ollivanders, and truthfully wandmaking had been among her possible professions. But it was a very solitary profession and Seren didn’t like the idea of always being alone. However, she had a very innate appreciation for wands. She treated hers (Unicorn horn, Elm, Nine inches) with great care, unlike some people who had no respect for the instrument through which their magic flowed. So, deciding to stop in for a look, Seren stepped into the shop. She smiled, remembering the first time she’d entered it when she’d received her own wand. She headed toward a display along the windowsill, reaching out to lift an ebony wand from it’s holder, her eyes skimming it’s sleek jet-black finish. She was always jealous of people with ebony wands, because they were so pretty. Her own was quite stunning too, with it’s white, regal-looking wood. Seren wouldn’t trade her wand for anything, but she still enjoyed seeing all of the unique wands that were out there.

There was honestly not that much to do in the shop on Saturdays, especially since it was during the school term, and not many students came to the shop in the middle of September, if any. Alek sat at the dinning table, a cigarette in hand, with a bag of sour gummies in the other which he was sharing with Phineas who sat across from him. "I don't get it." He looked over his shoulder at Miranda. "Why do we have to get the bathroom repainted? It looks fine." He certainly wasn't a fan of the original lime green on the bathroom walls, but why did he have to repaint it navy blue. "I mean, if we paint it dark blue we'll have to put tape all over so we don't get that shit on everything." He wasn't really looking forward to that, but this was the second time Miranda brought it up and he didn't want her to keep bugging them about it. "You could just do it...." Phineas replied to something Alek hadn't asked, and Miranda might have said something but Alek wasn't exactly paying attention anymore. He just knew he didn't really want to spend next weekend painting a bathroom with Phineas fucking up everything around, but he also knew - because it had happened before - that if he didn't do something about it Miranda would take matters into her own hands she would only screw everything up.

"Fine, but Phineas will help." Alek agreed, watching the boy's expression change from mock to horror. Slipping the cigarette between his lips, Alek saw Miranda gave him half of a smile which he returned with a smirk as he blew out smoke. Miranda didn't like him very much, if anything she only tolerated him, but it was nice to see her smile every once in a while. As she retreated to her bedroom, Alek turned to Phineas. "So what about you, have you decided whether or not you'll go back?" Alek had offered Phin the idea of going back to school, he wasn't forcing him, but he was going to put the offer on the table. After all, if Phineas wanted to go back they actually had enough money to send him. Of course, that meant Alek would probably have to cut back on the drinks, but maybe it was worth it. Truthfully, though, Alek didn't think Phin would do it.

The boy didn't have a chance to answer, however, as they both heard the door from the shop open. Taking a few more sour gummies, Alek handed the bag to Phineas as he stood up, putting out his cigarette. Taking his time down the stairs, he wondered why anyone would even come up to Ollivanders at such an unfortunate time. Even though the money was always welcome, the customers sometimes were not. As a figure came into view, Alek stopped for a beat. He'd definitely seen his share of beautiful women, but damn Britain had them all. Resuming his walk, he leaned on the counter for a second, watching the brunette admire the wands. The thing he liked the most in that one second was that she wasn't just looking at them, she was almost enchanted by them.

"Looking for anything specific, love?" He was getting more and more used to British slang, or rather normal British phrases. "If not, maybe I can do something to change that?" His lips curled into a smirk, a playful tone in his voice. He probably should go back upstairs and get Phineas or Miranda to help this girl, because with Vanessa in the picture, this one customer was going to be too much of a temptation. Straightening up, he looked at her again, trying really hard not to say something out of line.

Although the ebony wand was beautiful, it was strange how obviously wrong it felt in Seren's hand. Magic was an unbelievable finicky thing and Seren knew that without the right wand, wizards could have plenty of trouble harnessing it. That was why purchasing your first wand was such a big deal after all, and why most wizards never swapped for a second one. Seren was no exception. Although she was intelligent and beautiful and a MOST of all a brilliant witch, who OBVIOUSLY deserved the most magnificent wand out there, Seren could never even imagine performing magic with any but her own. It felt like family, or a friend, that she would undeniably betray should she ever let it go. So, after a moment, Seren set the gorgeous ebony wand back on it's pedestal, her fingers subconsciously brushing against her own simply to feel the familiar grain of its wood.

Seren was just reaching for the next wand in the display when a voice disrupted her from behind. Although slightly surprised, Seren didn't jump (or even turn to acknowledge the voice) straight away. Her fingers closed around the second wand her eyes were drawn to, made of ash, and she inspected it for a moment while completely ignoring the shopkeeper at first. He was probably some creepy old man trying to sweet talk her by calling her love and for the meantime he could WAIT POLITELY for Seren to decide she felt like acknowledging him. After a moment Seren set the wand back down, not nearly as interested in that one, and turned to inform the creepy old man that she didn't need any help, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. But when she did, Seren's eyes weren't greeted by that of an old man, but rather by a very young... very ATTRACTIVE human being. THAT was a little bit unexpected.

"Um, no," Seren managed, getting her head together. "No, I'm just looking," she said sweetly, offering the guy standing before her a smile. "I didn't mean to bother you." That was a lie, because Seren didn't care if she was bothering anybody. She could go where she pleased. Then, he continued, and Seren bit her lip lightly in response to his smirk, not entirely sure how to take his comment. She wasn't sure if it he'd meant it in an appropriate way, and she wasn't entirely sure if it mattered. "We'll see," was all Seren said in the end, her tone not accepting, but not cautious either. Seren was sure she sounded somewhat distracted because she was examining his face again, but this time for a different reason. "Do I know you from somewhere?" Seren asked, tilting her head in uncertainty. She was sure she'd never talked to this person before, but his accent and his face... just... Seren was certain that she'd seen him before.

His steel blue eyes fixated on the gorgeous brunette in front of him, Alek waited for her to turn around. He could see her profile very well, and that was really all he needed, but it was better -as shopkeeper- to know who he was doing business with. She took her time, which didn't bother him in the least. It was a common thing for older customers to do as they often believed themselves to be better at picking out a wand than Alek was - even though he actually knew how to pick the right wand for them. He wasn't just getting paid to screw around during the day and drink at night. He actually worked the wand shop. Resting his elbows on the counter, Alek glanced down at the wands he still had to sort out. Thinking over it, he would just make either Miranda or Phineas put them up when they could. Either way, they weren't in a hurry to stock them as the school-supply buying season was over. Looking up, he saw her look over at him. He wasn't sure what he was expecting her reaction to be, rather he wasn't expecting a reaction, but Alek had learned from a young age that he always got one, regardless of how mild.

Flashing her a smile, one of those he used on Darcy quite often while they were in school, Alek waited for her to finally speak up. When she did, Alek knew she would be on his list of people that could potentially cause his death. And holy fuck her smile was perfect. Alek rarely got nervous - specially around women - but damn. "Believe me, you're not." Alek chuckled. She could actually bother him all she wanted and he was sure he wouldn't care. He wasn't going to accept it, let alone show it, but for the first time since his Seventh Year, Alek was starstruck. Truly starstruck. "Alright. Let me know." Alek replied before finding the stool next to the counter - which he had forgotten even existed - and sat down, his hands fidgeting with one of the pens he had on the counter. If there one thing Alek hated passionately, it was quills, so he had made it his mission to get rid of every single quill in the shop. With his eyes fixed in the pen, Alek didn't notice the girl examining him, unaware that she wasn't as unfamiliar as he thought. Her voice caught his attention again and he looked up from what he was playing with. He thought about his answer for a second because he was honestly expecting something along the lines of "My wand broke so I need a new one".

"Um, no?" Slightly raising an eyebrow, he looked at her with unbiased eyes - more especially, he looked at her face. He could forget a name, an item of clothing, even the way someone carried themselves, but not the eyes. That was always a striking feature in every single person, the on he could use to recognize them. Except not this time. "I'm sure I would remember you if we met before. After all, not everyone looks like you around here." He was thankful Miranda wasn't around or he would surely see her eyes roll back in annoyance. "Aleksander Krupp." He said, his voice a mixture of pride and a little arrogance. Britain knew nothing of the Krupp family, it seemed, but he knew what he was - where he belonged. "Maybe that rings a bell?" After his eyes settled more on the youthfulness of her features, he added, "If you went to Hogwarts, you might have heard me in the corridors. I was - am - pretty loud." he shrugged. Of course, he didn't mention the time that no-life nerd got on to him for being out of curfew, although Alek had been drunk during school hours and that was pretty much enough to expel him. Luckily for Alek, Darcy had saved the day.

Seren could tell from the moment she turned around that this mysterious not-old person of undetermined creepiness was going to be very charming, even before he opened his mouth to respond. Because just his smile was enough to prove it. It was one of those intentional smiles that people did when they wanted something, or to get out of trouble, or anything of the sort. It was the sort of thing that didn’t work for most people, but he could apparently really pull it off. Seren didn’t react any further, though (because she had DIGNITY for goodness sake), and simply waited for him to respond, withholding judgement for the moment. But his words were just as charming as his grin, and Seren found herself smiling again in response, mostly because he sounded so HONEST, and that was slightly endearing. ”Well, I shouldn’t be long, in any case,” Seren responded, reminding herself that she didn’t know this person and she shouldn’t be TOO friendly to him.

Seren’s question appeared to throw him off slightly, though she wasn’t sure why. After a moment, he said no, but Seren could see him studying her face. She took that moment to allow her ice blue eyes to sweep across his own features, more than ever certain that she’d seen him before, even just in passing. But Seren’s eyes halted when he spoke again, raising unabashedly to meet his, which were a very nice steel color. FINALLY, somebody who could ACTUALLY APPRECIATE Seren’s beauty unlike SOME idiots that she encountered. Some girls may have blushed, or looked away in embarrassment, but Seren did neither because, well… because she was Seren. She felt a smile trace her lips, but she replied simply, ”Likewise,” in a soft yet confident voice. But Seren’s brow furrowed again when he finally recited his name, first because of the pompous tone he took on (SEREN was allowed to talk with that tone of voice because she was basically perfect, but OTHERS shouldn’t), and also because of the fact that it sounded so familiar to her. ”No, sorry,” Seren replied after a moment, finally breaking eye contact and beginning to turn around, already thinking about heading out of the shop. As nice as it would be to stand there and stare at this man’s BEAUTIFUL face all day, Seren did have things she needed to do.

But Seren turned back toward him again when he mentioned Hogwarts, and recognition finally dawned on her face. ”Oh, of course!” she said, putting her palm to her forehead. ”You’re one of the transfer students that showed up in my fifth year,” Seren told him, glad to have the feeling of confusion lifted from her. ”And that explains your accent as well, I suppose. I’ve seen you in the hallways in the past, I’m sure. You graduated quite some time ago, didn’t you?” Seren didn’t associate much with any of the transfers and truthfully had no idea why they’d ended up with so many that year, but you tended to recognize faces from Hogwarts, even if you didn’t know them personally. ”I’m Seren Pierce,” Seren said matter-of-factly, finally deciding to introduce herself because it finally seemed at least the slightest bit worth her while. He was pretty AND he’d gone to Hogwarts. THAT was enough reason to at least tell him her name.

It seemed the brunette enjoyed the compliment, as even if she tried to smile modestly, Alek had seen enough of those to know just a little better than the average guy. Alek didn't reply nor reacted to her response, because he already knew it. Alek was probably the most conceited out of his family - both the Krupps and Miranda and Phineas - but at least he had a reason to be vain. When she broke the eyes contact, Alek returned to his spot on behind the counter. It was best to wait for her to pick whichever wand she wanted. His added explanation from Hogwarts triggered the memory, it seemed, as she suddenly turned around to face him again. Alek had no idea when her Fifth Year at Hogwarts had been, but if he had showed up in Britain when she was fifteen then it meant he had been in his Seventh Year, which was correct. Nodding, Alek decided to let her think he had showed up during her Fifth Year, even if he wasn't entirely sure he had. She couldn't possibly be still in school, so Alek quickly calculated that the ages were more or less correct, therefore her theory was as well.

If these kind of pretty visitors showed up on a regular basis maybe Alek would stop complaining to Miranda about the terrible customers who came in. "Yes." Alek nodded again when she mentioned his accent. "It's not as it used to be. You should have come earlier in the year." The way Alek had thought it was different from the way he had meant it, because this beauty must have definitely showed up earlier in his life when he wasn't as fucked. Thinking back on when he had even graduated, Alek said the first number that popped into his mind. "Yes, three years ago, I believe." He wasn't sure he was right, but who cared? School was over, he didn't need to worry about that stuff. Annnnd her name was just as fascinating as her looks. Seren Pierce. "Are you... still in school, Seren?" He asked, his words trailing off a little. "I mean, do you need a new wand, perhaps?" He was more curious about her than he was about whether or not she needed a new wand, but a single wrong move could turn her off.

He didn't even ask her if he could call her by her name, because he was assuming he could. "You know, I'm not one to forget a face like yours, but I cannot recall seeing you around Hogwarts. You might have been a few years younger than I was." He would be lying, however, if he said he wasn't nervous. Something about Seren was different, but very similar to the way Miranda and Darcy made him feel. For a second Alek assumed it was because those three girls were unattainable, too high up to even look at him, they weren't Agnes or Vanessa. They were on a category all on their own. His eyes traveled along the row of wands she had been looking at, naming them instead of focusing on the brunette. Throwing it all to the wind, Alek smirked a little, a lot more nervous on the inside than he appeared to be. "I'm sure you get this all the time, but your eyes -" he paused, more for dramatic effect than anything else, "They're...spellbinding, if you will." It was ridiculous, how easy Alek lost what he had build in almost 18 years of life.

”Was it very strong when you moved here?” Seren asked, her interest piqued. Seren loved learning about most things, but other cultures were exceptionally fascinating. She took a step forward, leaning her elbows on the counter across from him and leaning her chin on folded hands. ”Where in Russia did you live?” Seren asked him. No, he hadn’t told her that he was FROM Russia, but even though his accent was diluted slightly Seren was certain of it. Aleksander didn’t seem too certain of how long he’d been out of school, so Seren disregarded his answer and responded to his question instead. ”Oh, no,” she replied, shaking her head. ”I’ve just finished, I graduated this past year,” Seren told him, though she tilted her head slightly at the way his words trailed off, as though he weren’t really focusing on the conversation.

Seren shook her head again when the man asked if she was in need of a new wand. ”No, mine’s just fine, thanks,” Seren said, holding hers up to show it’s ABSOLUTELY PRISTINE condition. ”I take care of my wand. I hope to never need a new one.” Just the thought of a new wand in her hand made Seren want to shudder. ”I told you, I’m only looking. I just have a bit of time to waste, I’m supposed to meet my sister in Hogsmeade soon.” Then, not even considering the possibility that he may not care (because who WOULDN’T care about Seren’s achievements), she continued on. ”I just finished up an interview at Saint Mungo’s. For a position as trainee healer, in the Creature Induced Injuries ward,” Seren told him, her voice a tad haughty. ”There were a lot of other applicants, but I’m CERTAIN they’ll choose me.” Because how could Seren not be the best choice?

Seren’s lips twitched in a smile again at the words a face like yours, because they were clearly meant as a compliment, but she only nodded in reply. ”A few years below you, yes,” Seren replied. ”My hair was also much bigger then,” Seren added, her hand lifting to tuck a smooth lock of dark hair behind her ear. ”I mean, it still is, just not today.” Seren LOVED her curls, because not many people had them and they were unique, but of course there were times when she took advantage of magic to straighten them out. Today was one of those days, because she felt a sleek, professional look would help her to get the job she was interviewing for. Not that her BRILLIANT personality wouldn’t do that on its own.

Oh, he was good. The first time, and even the second and third, Seren could simply write it off as forward politeness. But as Aleksander brought up her eyes, it became clear that wasn’t the case. Not that Seren minded the compliments, but BOY did he know what he was doing. His smirk, his eyes, the word SPELLBINDING. Most girls would have melted right there, on the spot. But Seren had more pride than that. ”Yes, actually, I do tend to hear that a lot,” Seren smiled, stepping back from the counter and turning to look at a Mahogany wand to her right. ”But I assure you, there’s no spell involved.” Picking up the mahogany wand, Seren tilted her head, looking at it. ”Do you make wands Aleksander? Or just sell them?” Seren asked, changing the subject, which was really just a polite way of saying NOT TODAY BUDDY. Charming as he was, he’d need to go find himself another girl to seduce. It would MOST DEFINITELY NOT be Seren.