Severus couldn’t help but groan at the latest letter from the Headmaster.

A puzzle involving potions? Really? What was he wanting, for the ingredients to be provided and the person having to brew something?

Of all the years for Albus and his ‘dear friend’ Nicolas Flamel to decide to hide something in the school, it just had to be the year Julian was set to start school. And putting it on the third floor rather than in the dungeons? Of course students were going to try and get in! There had to be something more sinister that Albus was playing at; even he wasn’t this foolish!

At least creating a puzzle involving potions was an easier task than the last one Albus had given him. That one was currently cleaning his bookshelves for the fifth time this week.

“Julian! Stop, child,” he said, pulling his son’s hands away from the shelf and ignoring the protests from the boy. “You need to get your evening potions started. Cleaning can wait.”

If Severus was nervous for what they were going to be doing, Julian was terrified. The hunger pains hadn’t gone away despite the few small sips of blood he had managed to keep down. If he smelled even the slightest hint of blood, he would immediately start salivating to the point of drooling if he wasn’t careful. If he let his mind wander for even a moment, he would find himself wandering closer and closer to where he had smelt the blood.

He knew he couldn’t feed, but the instinct to do so was still there. And as he got stronger, the more that feeling grew. In desperation to focus on something other than the voice in his head screaming for a drink, he had started cleaning. He knew how to do that well and it kept his hands busy enough that he couldn’t leave an area and wander. It had started out as a distraction and was now a lifeline. If he was feeling nervous, hungry, scared, or overwhelmed, he would find a place to clean.

And today he was feeling all of these, for today they were going out.

The previous week, Severus had gotten a letter from Lucius’s son asking if he could come school shopping on Wednesday. While Severus was initially leery of going, a newspaper article from the Daily Prophet reminded him of something he was surprised he had forgotten. While ‘Julian’’s birthday was in early June, ‘Harry’’s birthday was July 31st.

And Julian had stated he had never had a birthday before.

A quick check of Julian’s magic levels showed he was now keeping a small amount of magic in reserve. Enough that testing wands would not be an issue. Most all of the standard school supplies he needed could be ordered and sent directly to Hogwarts with the notable exception of two items: a wand and school robes.

As every wand was highly individualized, one could not be ordered premade no matter the circumstances. The robes, on the other hand, required additional spells be placed on them to be resistant to most potions, fire, and most basic spellwork. Unfortunately, these spells made it so the clothing could not have alteration spells placed on them to resize them to fit the wearer. With Julian being an odd size, his uniform was undoubtedly going to need significant alterations.

All things considered, a short trip to Diagon Alley was in order.

Severus had reached out to Lucius and explained that they would not be able to go during the height of the day, however they would be able to join the Malfoys in the late afternoon. While Julian had initially been excited for the trip and potential for his first birthday present ever, his nerves about the situation were starting to get to him.

They had thought through most of the technical issues prior to accepting the invitation. They would go in the evening so the sun would be lower in the sky. Severus would tint his glasses so they would function more like sunglasses so he would be able to see better. He would, of course, be wearing one of the hats provided by Mr. Malfoy so his scar would be covered. He would have sunscreen on any exposed skin but would still wear one of the sun resistant cloaks.

There was only one issue they couldn’t get around: Julian was supposed to be running the nutrient potion at that time.

It was barely over 150ccs of fluid, but Julian still couldn’t tolerate it running faster than 40ccs an hour. Anything faster than that and he would have horrific stomach cramps. And they couldn’t move the potions timing up without him being in pain while it was running followed by being lightheaded before the next dose was due.

With that timing rather hard-stuck, they were going to have to find a way to bring the feeding pump along with them. Thankfully, Albus had spelled it to work in spite of being around large amounts of magic and to work without needing a source of electricity. Still, Severus knew Julian still didn’t want to be seen carting around a machine with him; a bag of some sort was in order.

One quick search of the items left at the school later, Severus was in possession of an old, rather tattered backpack which could be modified to hold the pump. A small hole was placed in the bottom of the bag to run the feeding tube from the machine around to where Julian’s tube was placed, a grommet conjured to reinforce the hole, and a sturdy clip placed in the upper portion of the bag to hold the feeding bag upright and in place. It wasn’t a pretty job, but it would have to do.

All of the preparations had been completed days ago, now it was a matter of actually going.

As much as Severus wanted to avoid this trip, he knew it was inevitable that they would end up needing to go to Diagon Alley for school supplies. Both he and Julian would fit in better in Knockturn Alley, but venturing into the dark alley would have to be saved for another day. Severus knew Julian would be able to handle the majority of the trip, but he had his doubts about extending the trip any longer than necessary.

“Do you need any help with the bag?” Severus asked, watching Julian thread the now primed feeding tube through the hole and place the feeding pump into the bag.

“Um… hold on,” Julian mumbled as he clipped the feeding bag full of nutrient potion into place and attached himself to the tubing and started the pump. “Can you hold it up so I don’t slosh everything around trying to get it on?

Severus obliged the request, noting the pack was slightly oversized thus making Julian seem even smaller.

“Is it too heavy for you?” Severus asked, fully prepared to cast a lightening charm on the pack.

“I… think it should be ok for now,” Julian said, rolling his shoulders. The weight of it wasn’t bad, but he dreaded to think of carrying it around for longer than a few hours due to the size of the pack. The excess tubing hanging from under the back was also rather problematic, but was easy enough to coil up and tuck into his pants pocket.

“Have you put on your sunscreen?”

“Yes, dad. I even did the back of my neck and my ears just in case. And I went half way up my arms,” Julian said, pulling his cloak over the backpack and pulling the hood up so it shaded his face.

Severus nodded and added a glamour to the backpack. “Don’t want you to look like a hunchback.”

A few more quick spells to ensure clasps would stay done, zippers zipped, and hats wouldn’t come off unless the wearer removed them and they were finally ready to go.

The plan was they would floo to the Leaky Cauldron, meet the Malfoys at Madam Malkins, get Julian fitted for robes, go to Ollivanders and get both boys a wand, then Julian and Severus would go back to Hogwarts. It was a simple plan with as few moving parts as they could manage.

As he and Julian stepped into the flames, Severus was hopeful they would be able to make it through this with little to no difficulty. Julian had been walking well and managing to go longer and longer distances. He had been tolerating very small amounts of blood orally. He had only had to have one additional blood transfusion since coming to Hogwarts. His nausea was even more under control, though it was always much worse after consuming anything orally or if he had laid flat for too long.

Stepping out into the Leaky Cauldron, Severus was extremely optimistic when Julian didn’t immediately vomit. The smell of alcohol and bar food was overwhelming to even the most prepared person.

“Ah, Professor Snape!” Tom, the bartender called. “What can I get for you today?”

“Nothing today, Tom,” Severus said, quickly taking Julian by the hand. In the dim lighting, it was very hard to see the boy’s face, however his hands were more pale than usual and quite clammy. He could tell Julian was struggling to keep his composure.

Severus led Julian to the back alley as quickly as they could manage through the throngs of people in the bar. They barely made it out when Julian doubled over and vomited bile into the middle of the alley.

Severus quickly spelled the mess away and led the still gagging child over towards the two bins at the end of the alley.

“Deep breaths, Julian,” he said, helping steady the boy on his feet and rubbing his back.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” Julian kept mumbling between hiccoughs and gags. “I tried to keep it down.”

“I know you did. And you did an admirable job at doing so. The floo is not an easy form of transit when your stomach disagrees with you. Now, breathe child.”

Despite taking deep breaths and trying to focus on relaxing the tense muscles in his stomach, it still took Julian nearly ten minutes to finally regain control of his gag reflex. It was evident to Severus that, despite all the planning and precautions put into place, it was highly likely Julian would not make it through this trip without becoming exhausted. He could only hope Julian would be able to keep control of his mind as he got more tired.

“Do you need more time?” Severus asked as Julian’s breathing finally leveled out.

“No, I think I’m ok now,” Julian said rather hoarsely, slowly straightening up and rubbing his aching stomach.

“Follow me,” Severus said, leading Julian to the far wall of the alley. Taking out his wand, he quickly tapped several bricks in rapid succession then stepped back.

“Welcome to Diagon Alley,” Severus said quietly.

Julian’s eyes widened as the bricks began to move and form a large archway into the most busy alley he had ever seen. As they stepped through the archway into the brightly lit alley, he was extremely glad his dad had thought to spell his glasses to have a self adjusting tint to them. Even still, he noticed he was squinting slightly as some of the more brightly lit displays became a rather muddled blur. But he paid no mind to that, there were too many other things to look at in the alley that he could see. Like the dimly lit potions displays or the bookstore with its tottering stacks seemingly supported by nothing. Pet shops, apothecaries, candy stores, even a store selling broomsticks, the farther they walked down the alley, the more Julian became enthralled with the alley.

Midway up the alley, with Julian both panting trying to keep up and whipping his head back and forth trying to take in all the sights, they arrived at their first destination.

Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions was an unassuming little shop with a Hogwarts Uniform display in one window and a dress robe display in the other. Upon entering the store, Julian was surprised by how much larger the room seemed on the inside. Racks of robes of every color stretched from floor to ceiling with multiple patrons meandering through the rows of robes.

From the back, murmuring voices could be heard.

Taking Julian’s hand once more, Severus gently led the child to the back of the store. From his vantage point, he could just see the bright blonde hair of the Malfoy family. They must have waited for a while before finally allowing Madam Malkin to begin measuring Draco for his robes.

“He said he was coming, right? So where is he?!” Draco could be heard saying.

“Draco, quiet,” Lucius snapped, looking towards the door as he heard the chime go off once more. A familiar black figure was stalking through the racks of clothing towards them. “He’s here.”

“He is?” Draco said, trying to twist around and see only to be admonished by the stitch-witch for moving too much.

“I apologize for our tardiness,” Severus’s deep voice said flatly.

“Problems?” Lucius asked, looking towards the man and inhaling sharply when he saw a small pale hand grabbing the side of Severus’s robes. The owner of the hand had ducked behind Severus as soon as Draco had started moving around and was peering intensely at Draco’s neck from behind Severus’s back.

Lucius felt his mouth go dry. Julian was here. And he was hungry. Mentally he thought back on the past two weeks. Had Draco injured himself on accident? Was there any wounds the vampire was smelling? He couldn’t think of anything, but kept his hand on his wand anyways.

“The floo,” Severus said, noting Lucius’s paleness had increased when he saw Julian. “Julian, come here.”

Julian broke his gaze off Draco’s neck and stepped around his father.

“Good evening, Mr. Malfoy,” Julian said quietly, causing the hairs on Lucius’s neck to stand up. “Thank you very much for the clothing. I appreciate it very much.”

“You’re welcome,” Lucius said, surprised at how cordial yet off putting the child was.

Severus nudged Julian forward, “Go stand on the footstool next to Draco. Madam Malkin will start measuring you shortly.”

Julian walked forward and stood on the stand opposite Draco. Now that they were standing on equal ground, he could only think one thing: Severus had lied. Draco couldn’t be average height; he had to be at least a good head taller than Julian! He wasn’t that short, was he?

“No, no dear,” Madam Malkin said from where she stood by Draco. “I’m only doing Hogwarts students this week. Step off the footstool please.”

“I assure you, Madam, he is eleven years old,” Severus growled. “You will measure him as well as he will be attending Hogwarts this fall.”

“Does he have his letter?” Madam Malkin grouched, looking towards the door as another customer entered. This was her busiest week, she didn’t have time to deal with parents trying to placate their younger children by buying them robes to match their older siblings.

Severus sneered as he pulled the letter from one of his robe pockets. The nerve of the woman. He had never heard her ask for a student’s letter before! Looking over at Julian, he saw the child had lowered his hood in preparation for being measured. His face was bright red with embarrassment.

Sighing deeply as she looked at the proffered letter, Madam Malkin looked at the child in front of her. While she still doubted his age, she had nothing to prove otherwise. She could already tell her standard robes would not work for this child.

“Cloak off, please dearie, so I can measure you.”

Julian looked wide eyed at Severus as he slowly undid the clasp of his cloak. They were inside and far away from the few remaining rays of sunlight, but he was also worried about the backpack he had hidden under the cloak. He didn’t want to have to explain that.

Severus nodded and held out a hand to take the cloak from his son.

As soon as the clasp on the cloak was undone, the glamour over the backpack was cancelled, leaving Julian standing wide eyed and very much aware of how much smaller he was. He was thankful for the warmth of the clothing Mr. Malfoy had given him as he could feel the chill of the air once the cloak was off.

“Daypack too.”

Julian looked wide-eyed at Severus and didn’t move. Why couldn’t she measure him with his pack on? It couldn’t be that difficult, could it?

Severus could see the mounting panic in his eyes. The nutrient potion was nowhere near complete, but it wouldn’t cause any harm to pause it momentarily so as to allow him to remove the bag from his back. The issue was, if the potion was paused, it would begin to become sticky and could clog the tube if left paused for too long without properly flushing the line with water. The other option was for someone to hold the bag while he was measured, though the tubing would continue to be attached and could get pulled. Neither of them had foreseen this being a problem.

With shaking hands, Julian slowly took off the backpack and unfurled the additional length of feeding tube so the pack could be farther from his body. He had hoped he would be able to run the nutrient potion without interruption.

As Madam Malkin busied herself with Julian’s measurements, Draco pulled his main robe back on and turned to meet the boy his father had told him about. He was fully prepared to hate the boy. How dare he take away the mentor he had grown to see as a second father? How dare he make Severus miss his birthday?

Acidic comments immediately lost their potency as he looked at Julian. He looked less like a human and more like a mannequin; his skin white as snow, green eyes locked on Severus, and his hands so thin it made his fingers look abnormally long. He had a slight greenish tint to his face as he stood trying to follow Madam Malkin’s commands, arms quivering as he tried to hold them straight out to his sides.

He was supposed to be starting at Hogwarts this fall? An image of Crabbe and Goyle standing next to this child came to his mind; one wrong move and this boy would be crushed by either of those two buffoons.

“Hello,” he finally said, trying to judge the boy next to him. “Hogwarts, too?”

Julian frowned slightly but nodded. Though it was obvious Draco was attempting to be nice, Julian doubted he had ever had to be nice to anyone for anything in his entire life. Severus had mentioned Draco was an only child and ‘did not want for anything.’ Julian took that to mean he was spoiled, just like Dudley was.

“We just finished shopping, though we were waiting for you and Severus to get robes and get me a wand. Have you gotten one yet?” Draco asked, trying to get the small boy to talk to him. He was being friendly enough, wasn’t he?

Julian shook his head and dropped his arms to his sides as soon as he was told he could. He was certain Draco knew he didn’t have a wand yet; Draco had been the one hounding Severus about coming along to get one. He hoped Severus would bail him out of this conversation, but Severus and Mr. Malfoy seemed to be having a rather heated, yet whispered discussion.

“I tried to get my father to get me a racing broom, but he wouldn’t let me. He said I couldn’t have one until next year when I get on the house team and would have to ‘cope with my current broom’ for a few more months,” Draco sighed, rolling his eyes. “Do you have your own broom?”

Julian shook his head.

“Why not? You live at Hogwarts with Severus, don’t you?” Draco was astounded. How could someone live at Hogwarts, have access to a full sized Quidditch Pitch year ‘round, and not have a broom?

“I can’t go outside,” Julian said, quietly. “I can’t go in the sun.”

“Can’t go in the sun? Why can’t you go in the sun?” Draco said, astonished.

“I get really sick in the sunlight,” Julian said, quickly thinking up a probable lie. “I have a sun allergy.”

“A sun allergy? What kind of nonsense is that?!”

“Draco!” Mr. Malfoy snapped. “Have you no tact?”

Julian’s face turned slightly pink as he murmured. “It’s fine, sir. It’s not a common thing.”

“Do you like Quidditch at least?” Draco asked, still flabbergasted at the idea of not going outside.

“All done, dear,” Madam Malkin said, straightening up from measuring Julian’s leg length and just missing stepping on the length of feeding tube between the backpack and Julian.

“Thank you, ma’am,” Julian said, clambering off the stool as quickly as he dared. Standing still like that on such a small surface was harder than expected, but he was relieved he managed it.

One stop down, one to go.

“Well? Do you?” Draco demanded as Severus helped Julian back into the backpack and cloak.

“Do I what?” Julian asked, having forgotten the question.

“Like Quidditch!”

“It… sounds fun? I guess?” Julian mumbled. Quidditch did sound like an interesting game from what he’d read, but having never flown before, he couldn’t imagine what it was like to play. Maybe when school started, he’d be able to watch part of a game?

“You’ve never seen a game, have you?” Draco asked, eyes widening as a realization hit him.

Julian shook his head slightly once more. He had tried to learn about Quidditch, he really had, but the idea of balls trying to knock him off his broom and speeding around in circles while flying at high speeds was off putting to say the least. If the school had gym class, he would be chosen last even if it was played in doors. No one wanted someone as small as him on the team.

“Draco,” Lucius hissed as the group walked to the front of the store to pay. “Julian has not been well for several years. He has been in and out of hospital due to illness. While you and your friends were playing Quidditch and practicing flying, he was fighting for his life.”

Draco swallowed heavily and looked at the child standing next to Severus once more. He had only ever been in hospital once and that was due to Dragon Pox. A few days had been more than enough for him to know he never wanted to be back there. Being in hospital multiple times was an honestly terrifying thought.

“Why do you have a backpack on?” Draco said, trying to change the subject away from the hospital while the adults were preoccupied with paying for the robes.

“It’s got potions in it,” Julian said.

“Potions for what?”

“Me.”

“Why can’t Severus carry them?”

“Because I’m taking them right now.”

Draco frowned and looked at the small boy next to him. He wasn’t taking potions right now; there was no way that was possible. The pack was on his back and he had a cloak over it! Even if he took off the cloak, he would still have to open the pack to drink whatever potion was in there. Draco supposed there could be a way to spell the potions into Julian’s stomach, but not something that was automatic. And Severus was still arguing with Lucius about paying for the robes.

“You haven’t drank a single thing since you got here,” Draco said rather haughtily, he did not like being lied to.

“Couldn’t anyways,” Julian said, pulling his hood over his face and relishing in the shade it provided. The lighting at the front of the store was much brighter due to the rays of the setting sun bouncing off of the large white building across the way.

“Couldn’t what?” Draco said, anger seeping into his voice. Was this tiny child mocking him?

“I…. I can’t …. I can’t eat… Or drink,” Julian stuttered, stepping away from Draco. Draco’s attitude reminded him of Dudley before he would sick his friends on him in a rousing game of “Harry Hunting.”

“What?!” Draco said, taken aback, all anger leaving his voice. Was this why Julian was so small?

Julian nodded slightly and toed at a warped board on the floor.

“Why?”

“‘Cause I’m sick. Or I was. I’m getting better since I came to live with Dad!”

“But how do you eat? Or drink? How are you even alive?”

“I have a tube that was put in my belly to bypass my stomach.”

Draco cringed and rubbed his own stomach. He couldn’t even imagine. How sickly was Julian? Would he even…. He couldn’t go outside. He couldn’t eat. He couldn’t drink. He looked like he hardly slept. But above all, he looked scared.

Scared and determined at the same time.

“Come along, Julian,” Severus said, breaking the tension by nudging the boys out the door. “We need to get both of you a wand.”

---

The walk to Ollivanders wand shop was relatively quiet between the two boys. Occasionally, Draco would ask a question of Julian, but rarely would he receive an answer longer than a few short words. The more questions he asked, the more questions he had, but at the same time he was afraid to ask too many probing questions in front of Severus.

Arriving at the Ollivanders, they found the wand shop to be quiet and dark. The sun, having completely set, was no longer affording any light through the shop windows. Stepping in and removing his hood, Julian immediately saw a short, wizened old man lurking in the shadows.

“Good evening,” the man said softly as Julian sat on the single, spindly chair in the room, legs feeling like jelly from the walk.

The other occupants of the room jumped slightly, having not seen or heard the man prior to him announcing his presence. His eyes immediately went to the two adults in the room, looking at them as though they were friends he hadn’t seen in a very long time.

“Lucius Malfoy. Continuing to use your grandfather’s wand, I see. Elm, dragonheart string, good for elegant charms work, originally thirteen inches, though your family has a penchant for meddling with their wand. Very bendy, though I believe you Malfoy’s have attempted to make it more rigid over time,” Mr. Ollivander said, shaking his head rather sadly before looking at Severus.

“And Severus Snape. Ebony with a hawthorne handle and dragon heartstring. Excellent for defensive magic, though not used very frequently nowadays.”

Lucius scowled and crossed his arms while Severus remained impassive. Both men had experience with Ollivander’s memory of the wands sold in and by the shop and were surprisingly nonplussed by the man. Draco followed his father’s example and scowled while Julian sat wide-eyed.

“Young Mr. Malfoy, you must have had some problems finding a wand from your family's stash, eh?”

Draco fiercely blushed, scowl deepening. He and his father had spent hours going through the stash of family heirlooms trying to find a wand which would respond appropriately to him. Some would react to his magic, others would do nothing. The decision had finally been made to purchase him a wand when one of the few wands which did respond to his magic spontaneously combusted in his hand.

“Well, no matter. Let me see,” he said, pulling a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. “Which is your wand arm?”

“Right,” Draco said, holding out his arm and allowing Ollivander to begin measuring him.

Julian watched in awe as the tape measurer jumped around and completed all of the measurements on its own, measuring Draco’s arm length, head circumference, and even distance between his nostrils. Mr. Ollivander himself had gone to the back of the shop while the tape measurer was completing its measurements and had begun to pull down box after box and bring them to the front of the store.

“That’s enough,” Ollivander said, commanding the autonomous tape measurer to cease.

“Try this one,” he said, proffering a wand for Draco to try. “Larch and phoenix feather, twelve inches, slightly whippy.”

Almost as soon as Draco touched it, however, Ollivander ripped it from his hand and placed it back in the box.

“No, no, that won’t do. Here, here, try this one. Red Oak, unicorn hair, nine inches, rather flexible.”

Again, Draco lifted the wand and gave it a flick. A few miniscule sparks shot from the end, though extremely lackluster. Yet again, the wand was removed from his hand and quickly replaced with another and another. Finally, after what seemed like a rather long period of time, a wand was found.

“Ah yes, hawthorn and unicorn hair, 10 inches, reasonably springy. I should expect interesting things from you, young Malfoy! Care for it well, and it shall care for you too,” Mr. Ollivander said, gently taking the wand from Draco and placing it in its box before wrapping it up and handing it back to the boy who instinctively cradled it.

As soon as Lucius had paid the seven galleons for the new wand, Mr. Ollivander turned his attention to the smaller child in the chair.

“Ah yes, young Mr. Snape,” he said, dragging out the last name slightly. “Yes, yes. I thought I ought to be seeing you soon, but I was worried I wouldn’t get the chance to meet you.You have your mother’s eyes. It was only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work.”

He leaned in closer to the boy, eyes wide and unblinking.

“I’m sorry to say the wands I have made have changed you in many ways. And I remember every wand I have ever sold.”

His eyes flicked first to directly above Harry’s eyebrow to where his scar lay hidden by his cap then to his neck where he had been bitten.

“Do you know who….?” Julian whispered, voice dropping off at the end.

“Sadly, I do not know the name of its current owner. All I know is that wound was sealed by a wand made by my very hand. As was your other wound.”

Julian swallowed and shivered, suddenly feeling very cold.

“I’m afraid my normal methods of wand selection will not work for you, child,” Mr. Ollivander said, standing up. “I do not wish to cause you harm, especially today. Follow me please. Not to worry, there is a stool for you to sit on.”

Julian slowly got up, legs aching from exertion. He was honestly glad he wouldn’t have to go through the same process of trial and error Draco had gone through. While his magic was returning, he only had one bout of accidental magic since coming to Hogwarts. It was a small thing, just summoning a blanket from the bottom of the bed, but he felt weak and shaky for several hours afterward. Finding a wand through trial and error would likely put him into a coma!

The back of the shop was a workman’s dream and an organizer’s hell. Different types of wood, wood chips, carving utensils, and designs lay throughout the room or pinned on walls. The smell of sawdust permeated the room as dust swirls could be seen in the rays of light streaming from the low-lit lamp on the desk.

“Now, Mr. Potter, or rather, Mr. Snape, if you will take a seat,” Mr. Ollivander said, waving to the chair at the desk. “There are several ways to find a wand. The simplest is what you have just seen: trial and error. For most, this is enough. For those who are ill or of certain creature descent, this method is seen as extremely ineffective. Especially as I have over eight thousand wands currently in my shop.”

Rummaging around in one of the many drawers, Mr. Ollivander pulled out a small blue and white stone, a piece of parchment, a quill, and a vial of ink. Handing the stone to Julian, he then took the writing implements and stood near the workbench.

“Take a deep breath, child,” Ollivander said, his voice taking on an almost hypnotic tone. “In through your nose, out through your mouth. We’re going to find a friend.”

Julian could feel his brain growing more quiet, his fingers, which had been fidgeting with the stone, quit their twitching. As Ollivander spoke, he could almost feel someone or something calling to him through a sea of voices. Ollivander mumbled a spell under his breath and suddenly the call was louder.

“Close your eyes now,” he said, waiting until Julian did so to continue. “Tell me what you see.”

Surrounding him on every side was a myriad of colored lines. Reds, greens, golds, purples: a whole rainbow weaving together around this very shop. Two of these stood out more than the rest, however, though one seemed much farther away.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as he described what he saw. The smells of wood dust and feathers permeated the room giving every breath an almost ethereal feeling.

Almost as soon as it started, Julian felt as though he had suddenly been dropped onto the stool.

“Curious,” Ollivander muttered as he left the room, parchment in hand. “How very curious.”

He came back not a moment later, single box in hand.

“Holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple.” he said, handing the box to Julian. “Give it a try.”

As soon as he picked up the wand, a sudden rush of warmth rushed over his hands. He raised the wand above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of maroon and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on the wall.

“Oh, bravo!” exclaimed Ollivander, “Very good indeed! How very curious… very curious indeed.”

“Sorry, sir,” Julian said as he coughed, his mouth and throat feeling excruciatingly dry. “What’s curious?”

“I remember every wand I’ve ever sold, Mr. Snape. Every single one. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather- just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother- why it’s brother gave you the scar you must now hide.”

Julian swallowed and coughed several times, head swimming.

“Curious how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember… I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Snape… After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things- terrible, but great.”

He stared unblinking at Julian, who didn’t think he liked Mr. Ollivander very much any more, for a few long moments before handing him the box the wand came in and assisting the boy to his feet.

Julian’s throat still felt quite dry, his limbs heavy, and his eyes felt as though they would close at any moment. He stumbled back to the front of the store, thankful it hadn’t decided to get any larger somehow. He barely made it back to the front of the store before his knees began to give way under him.

“Julian!” he heard Severus’s voice say as a set of small hands caught him before he hit the floor. “What did you do to him?”

“He used a kyanite stone to help find his wand. His magic was highly reactive to his wand and produced quite a display.”

Julian felt a zipper on his pack open and heard some rustling before a thick, sugary gel was squirted into his cheek. He then felt the hands switch and felt himself get picked up. A deep breath assured him it was Severus who had picked him up. Resting his head on his father’s shoulder, he could hear the exchange of coins and murmured voices.

Slowly, he moved the gel around his mouth, relishing in the moisture it provided and feeling his energy levels slowly rise. A rhythmic thumping and a sweet smell kept him from falling asleep. He wanted it. He needed it.

Severus had paid for the wand and was discussing additional books Draco could study to be ahead in his potions class, when he felt Julian shift slightly in his arms. Julian’s head had slid slightly closer to his neck. Immediately he quit speaking.

“Severus?” Lucius asked, noting the man’s eyes had gotten wide.

Severus ignored him in favor of readjusting the boy in his arms so Julian’s head was facing the other direction. Julian groggily lifted his head and tried to turn so he was facing towards Severus’s neck again. Severus gently turned the child’s head and laid it against his shoulder and held it down.

“Severus?” Lucius asked again, concern leaching into his voice. “Has his teeth ....”

Severus nodded, quickly applying a sticking charm to the boy’s head so he couldn’t lift it from Severus’s shoulder and turn it around. A soft moan came from Julian as he tried in vain to turn his head.

Suddenly, an absolute uproar was heard from down the street. Ministry Aurors began apparating in, wands drawn and rushing into the maelstrom that had become Gringotts bank. Roars and the sounds of crackling fire could be heard from within the walls of the bank, nearly drowning out the sounds of the spells the Aurors were yelling out. The goblin who had been standing as a greeter to the bank was looking into the bank in utter disgust and horror.

Julian shifted around in his arms, crooning increasing as the chaos in the street grew and he found himself still unable to lift his head.

“I apologize, Lucius, Draco,” Severus said, preparing to apparate away. “I am afraid I must cut this meeting short.”

Lucius nodded, continuing to stare at the struggling vampire Severus held and instinctively pulled Draco closer to him though Draco was more interested in what was occurring down the street. A moment later, Severus and Julian were gone and he released a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

“Hey! Where did they go?” Draco pouted when he realized Severus and Julian were gone.

“Julian wasn’t feeling well,” Lucius said, turning and walking the opposite direction of Gringotts, pulling Draco along by his shoulder until they were able to duck into Knockturn Alley. “Listen well, Draco, and heed this warning. I have made a promise to not tell details of that child’s condition until given permission to do so, but I will tell you this: never let that boy within arms' length of you. Promise me this, Draco.”

“Why? He is so weak, he can hardly stand after one flick of a wand!” Draco protested, something in him desiring to protect the small boy he had just met. Julian was the first potential friend he had met that was not a ‘friend’ due to pure blood politics.

“Promise me!” Lucius hissed, grabbing Draco’s shoulders and slamming him against a wall.

“Fine, I promise,” Draco said hastily. His father’s ire was rarely directed at him, maybe there was a reason.