Chapter 16: The Weasleys and the Wand

Hermione didn’t quite understand what Viktor was trying to say. She frowned, trying hard to think it through, but couldn’t figure out why someone else would be unhappy just because he put in effort. In the end, she could only shake her head and reply:

"I don’t understand, Professor."

"It’s alright, it doesn’t really concern you. If you want to read those books, go ahead. Learning more is never a bad thing," Viktor said with a small nod.

Hermione looked to her parents for permission. After the Grangers nodded in agreement, she happily went to pick out over a dozen books and ran to the counter to pay. Because she bought so many, Flourish and Blotts even gifted her a small, undetectable extension bag to carry all the books.

As she was packing up, the red-haired boy from earlier curiously returned, carrying a few third-year textbooks.

The boy, with freckles across his face, was tall and lanky but not as tall as the young store clerk. Clearly, he was just an ordinary third-year student. However, his mischievous grin gave off an air of unreliability.

"Professor? Are you a new professor at Hogwarts?" he asked eagerly.

"Yes, I teach Divination."

"Oh, so you’re replacing Professor Trelawney?" The boy’s face lit up with sudden understanding.

It seemed the news of Trelawney’s accident had already spread across the wizarding world.

Viktor gave a nonchalant nod in response.

The boy grinned and introduced himself:

"I’m Fred Weasley, Professor. I might take your class next term, though I haven’t decided yet. My brother Percy recommends I take Arithmancy. Which do you think is more important?"

"Either is fine," Viktor said indifferently.

"Arithmancy leans towards mathematical calculations, while Divination focuses more on sensing and intuition. Pick the one you’re more interested in."

As Viktor spoke, another boy identical to Fred came running over, grinning broadly and holding what seemed to be some sort of novelty item.

Behind him, faint calls of "George? George!" could be heard.

George, with a playful gleam in his eyes, raised his hand as if preparing to toss a piece of candy toward Fred, who hadn’t noticed him yet.

"But..." Viktor suddenly raised his hand, holding it steady about a foot to his side.

The next second, the candy George tossed flew higher than intended, bounced off the chandelier on the ceiling, changed direction mid-air, and fell neatly into Viktor’s waiting palm.

Without missing a beat, Viktor closed his fingers around the candy, its wrapper clearly marked with the logo of Zonko’s Joke Shop, as though it had been thrown to him on purpose.

Viktor lifted his hand toward Fred and said, "...But if you’re planning to use candies like these to skip my class, you’d better choose Arithmancy instead. I catch them every time."

In the distance, George’s eyes widened in disbelief.

"Cool!!" he exclaimed, running over excitedly.

"How did you catch that?"

Viktor handed the candy back to him.

"Divination’s intuition."

Both twins’ eyes lit up with admiration.

George had clearly seen Viktor move his hand into place before he even threw the candy. Every move Viktor made afterward felt like it was perfectly predicted.

This was way cooler than any other subject!

However, Viktor’s reason for catching it wasn’t to show off.

If he hadn’t caught it, the candy would’ve hit him. Out of sheer instinct for avoiding trouble, he had moved his hand.

Just as the twins gazed at him with newfound respect, their mother finally arrived. It was the red-haired witch Viktor had seen at the store entrance earlier.

She marched over and immediately grabbed George by the ear.

"Are you causing trouble again? Apologize this instant!"

"No—Mom, I didn’t mean—wait, I wasn’t even—"

"And your brother is still waiting for you! How dare you waste time here?"

Molly scolded them while hurriedly apologizing to Viktor, then bustled the twins out of the store, leaving them scrambling. It seemed they had a younger brother still shopping elsewhere, and the twins had snuck off.

As they were being dragged away, Fred waved dramatically and shouted:

"Professor Viktor, we’ll remember to take your class—!"

Viktor watched their retreating figures with a blank expression.

...Ah, suddenly he wasn’t so sure about teaching anymore.

Those two seemed like trouble.

Hermione quickly finished packing her books into the magically expanded bag and hurried to Viktor’s side. She had a satisfied smile that could make slackers and lazy students shudder.

"Let’s go," Viktor said.

After a few steps, Mrs. Granger suddenly looked worried.

"Hermione, do you have enough money left to buy an owl? They’re not cheap, especially with the food."

"!" Hermione froze for a moment, then frowned in realization.

"Uh-oh! I might not have enough..."

Recalling how many books she’d bought, Viktor calculated the probable cost.

Magical books were as expensive as their Muggle counterparts, often costing several Galleons apiece. Considering Hermione’s hefty stack, she likely had spent most of her money.

Viktor thought for a moment.

"Hogwarts has a communal owlery. The acceptance letter didn’t say pets were mandatory, so skipping the purchase should be fine."

Hermione double-checked her acceptance letter and exclaimed joyfully, "You’re right!"

She promptly decided to forego buying an owl.

Still, they stopped by Eeylops Owl Emporium to browse because Viktor wanted to buy an owl for himself. He didn’t live on school grounds full-time, so having a personal courier was essential.

He ended up choosing a barn owl.

Although Hermione quietly felt its name matched Viktor’s stern demeanor, the fluffy, round creature hardly suited its spooky reputation, apart from its peculiar hooting.

With the owl in hand, they headed to Ollivanders for wands.

As they entered, Hermione couldn’t resist poking the owl’s soft feathers through the cage.

"Jingle."

The bell above the door chimed as they walked in.

Mr. Ollivander was just finishing up with another young wizard. Piles of opened wand boxes were scattered across the chairs. As Viktor and Hermione entered, he glanced up from behind the counter.

"Oh, another student heading to Hogwarts this year?" Ollivander adjusted his glasses and said gently, "You must be here to get a wand, young lady."

"I need one too," Viktor added.

Ollivander looked surprised, as it was rare for adult wizards to lack a wand. But he quickly composed himself and nodded.

"I don’t recall seeing you before, sir. Are you new to England?"

"Yes. I’m teaching at Hogwarts now."

"Ah, that explains it. You have a rather distinctive presence. I believe I have just the wand for you."

After rummaging for a moment, Ollivander retrieved a wand box from the counter.

"Thirteen inches, yew wood with a dragon heartstring core, rigid. It’s also dusted with powdered unicorn horn, giving it a faint, subtle glow in total darkness."