A Warm Welcome

James' heart skipped a beat when he found his pocket to be empty. Not again, he thought, desperately searching through his school robe. After a few moments of scare, he found it at last, hidden at the very bottom of his backpack. Relieved that he didn't have to journey all the way back to the Castle, he took out the old golden key and swiftly unlocked the door of the small store, impatient to get away from the torrential rain that reigned on the streets of Hogsmeade.

The shop was just as he had left it at the end of the school year, except for the thin layer of dust that was now covering the floor and the large shelves. The village's branch of Ollivander's Wand Shop never received many customers during summer holidays, as first-years bought their wands from the main store on Diagon Alley. Even now that the term had started, only the occasional villager or student would come by, needing a new wand after theirs had been broken or had simply stopped functioning.

Grabbing a broomstick from the back of the room, he started cleaning the place, determined to make it presentable again. He suddenly recalled that another student, a first year, was supposed to arrive to work with him at the store. Glancing at the door every once and a while, he eagerly expected this new colleague. Even though he was rather shy, working at the shop could get pretty lonely at times and he was glad to gain a companion at his side. A cracking sound suddenly resonated across the room, making him instantly raise his gaze towards the entrance.

Daisee walked up to Ollivander's, excited to start her job at the wand shop. She cracked the door open and peeked inside to see a guy about a year or so older than her, wearing a Ravenclaw badge. She gave him a friendly grin.

"Hey!" Daisee greeted him. "You're James Riddle, right? The guy I'm to be working with?"

"Hey!" the young girl greeted him with a kind grin, her long blonde hair somewhat wet from the cloudburst that persisted outside, while her dark brown eyes were fixing him. "You're James Riddle, right? The guy I'm to be working with?" she asked giddily.
"Hi. Yes, I'm James." the Ravenclaw replied with a smile. Even after a year, he still felt somewhat uneasy whenever he would hear his last name. "And what's your name?" he inquired.

Daisee noticed James become a bit uneasy at first, but then he seemed to shake it off as he confirmed who he was.

"My name's Daisee, Daisee Dursley." She introduced herself. "So what's first on the agenda?" She asked, rubbing her hands together in excitement. She couldn't wait to get started.

"Well, first of all, welcome to Ollivander's Wand Shop." he declared, glad to see how enthusiastic she was at the thought of working at the store. "I can show you around if you want, and I'll try to explain how the whole wand choosing process works." he suggested.

"As you can see, the shop is a bit smaller than the one on Diagon Alley. And we don't get as many people here." he admitted, hoping she wouldn't be too disappointed. "Wands are mostly bought by students about to be in their first year at Hogwarts. And they all purchase their wands at the main store. The Hogsmeade branch has been created for the locals, and also for students and teachers who need a new wand if theirs is not working correctly anymore, or if they've broken or lost it." he explained. "But we still have an incredible collections of wands here." he proudly pointed out, showing her the hundreds of boxes lined up on the numerous shelves along the walls. "By the way, which one did you get?" he asked her with curiosity.