[i]*ting-a-ling*[/i]

The bell over the door of Flourish and Blotts Booksellers jingled as the door swung open to reveal a small child run happily out with a large stack of books stacked in his arms. After him, much slower in pace, came a woman with a sack of coins in one hand, a bundle of robes in the other. The boy raced over to a nearby bench and sat his pile of books down, picking up one called [i]The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)[/i] and excitedly flipped through it.

"Mom! Mom! Look!" The boy said as his mother caught up with him, "Look at all the spells!"

The woman looked down at him, withdrawn. "Slow down, Fitz. If you told me I would be buying my son spellbooks a week ago, I would have thought you were crazy." She picked up another one of the books labeled [i]The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self Protection[/i] "With how dangerous some of these look, it's me who's the crazy one..."

Fitz stuffed his books in his backpack and threw it over his shoulder. There were only a couple places left for them to visit before they were done shopping. They walked to an older building, above the door was painted [i]MAKERS of FINE WANDS SINCE 382 B.C.[/i] Fitz excitedly swung open the door and ran in, but stopped awestruck as he saw the shelves and shelves stuffed full of boxes around him. At the counter sat an elderly man, wrinkly face illuminated in the soft light of the lamp on the desk. His mother followed in silently afterword.

"Hey Mr.Olivander? I'm Fitz, I'm looking for a wand." Fitz exclaimed

"Why of course you are!" Olivander said, smiling warmly, "Step on up to the counter, tell me about yourself!"

Fitz watched the man walk around the counter and up a steep set of stairs, "Well my name is Fitz, I'm eleven years old, and my mom and I just figured out all this existed like a week ago. It's [i]crazy![/i]"

Olivander chuckled and pulled a box from the wall, but then put it back, shaking his head. He walked back down the stairs and took a box from another shelf, "Acacia wood, unicorn tail hair core, 10 inches." He handed the wand to Fitz, "Give it a swish, I believe this one will do nicely for you."

Fitz gave the wand a flick, and the pages of the ledger in front of him turned rapidly, eventually settling on a page. "Whoa." Fitz said, amazed.

His mother stared at the ledger with wide eyes, still trying to get accoustomed to magic. Olivander simply smiled and took the wand, placing it in the box and returning it to Fitz. "The wand chooses the wizard, Mr. Fitz, and it seems this wand has chosen you! With a core of a unicorn tail hair, I'm sure you have just formed a bond that will not easily be broken."

~~~~~

Fitz strode happily from the shop with his mother in tow, "Just one place left for us," his mother chimed in, "That is, if you want to take a pet along with you."

Fitz turned and smiled widely at his mom, then ran off in the direction of The Magical Menagerie.