Chapter 23: Two Souls

Walking down diagon alley I visited the shops I needed in order to get the supplies required for Hogwarts. Following the list was pretty simple and since I had already familiarised myself with this place 3 years ago I was able to get through the list quickly. A lot of the stuff had already also been bought a few years ago when I last visited, for instance I had the standard book of spells volume 1 and I also had a full potion kit with apparatus' and materials. I did plan on visiting the apothecary one more time to get some more materials but I didn't need to buy an insane amount as the Room of Requirement was ripe for exploiting. After I discovered a safe method to sneak around the school at night I'd probably spend basically all of my evenings there, it was just that useful.

Such a convenient room, I wonder how it was even made? Surely there's some deep seated secret there for a room to appear when you so desire something. If I could find out the mechanism… Could I recreate it? Maybe it was conceived through complex runes or could another deeper magic be at play?

Getting side tracked as usual I found myself lost in thoughts as I looked at the shop I front of me. The main shop that I wanted to try out this trip round and the one shop that would be the biggest gamble for me. Looking up at the sign I noted the name;

'Ollivander's'

I already had Merlin's wand however that selected me in a unconventional way. I was pretty much expecting no wand to accept me as its master here however I thought it was worth a try considering I needed to come through this place anyway.

Taking a deep breath I headed into the shop.

.

Looking over at the shop counter Ollivander wasn't present. I could however hear him shuffling around at the back, probably sorting through the copious amount of wands he had. I took a long look around the place taking in the sight. This was a legendary stepping stone for all wizards in Britain. Nearly all of them would visit this place at 11 years old to get there first wand and here I was going through that same thing.

My experience however was destined to be somewhat different in comparison…

Walking over to the counter I noticed there was a bell on the side that had a note saying 'press for service'. I pressed the bell a few times and a chime rung out throughout the shop. The distant shuffling from Ollivander ceased and he seemed to come over to the counter with a smile. As he approached he looked down at me and started to speak;

"Welcome to Ollivander's young man. Another wizard coming for their first wand~ It's such a joy seeing a young wizard receive their first wand~"

Before I could even respond he ran back into the shop and started to pick out a few wands. He looked at me deeply every now and then as he did so and brought quite the collection back. Placing them in front of me he gave me a scrutinising look.

"A wand maker has to be able to discern their client in order to give them the best wand suited to them. You my dear boy, after seeing you I immediately feel a few things from you. Your eyes carry experience far beyond your years which shows you must be a true genius however behind that experience lies a deep cold nature, a detached aloof nature much like a dragon that looks down on the world with pride. Well let's not say pride it's more like you are trying to gauge everything around you in order to make the best decision at every step. Meticulous and clever, you will go a long way as a wizard~"

I felt my jaw drop as I heard Ollivander's profiling of me. It was literally dead on. This man had been doing this job for a long time so he had earned his right of being one of the best wand makers around so it also made sense that he had some tricks that came with the trade, however the fact he was able to pick apart my personality so perfectly made me feel a heavy respect for the old wand maker. He even called out the fact that my 'eyes' held experience behind them not usual for my age.

Whilst I was standing in shock Ollivander proceeded to take the lid off of one of the boxes showing me the contents.

"11 1/2 inches, Dragon heartstring and of beech wood. This one instantly feels like a wand that would be suited to your tendencies~"

Ollivander passed the wand over to me and I reached for it. As I grabbed it in my hand I felt… nothing. Compared to when Merlin's wand linked with me there was no feeling at all this time around.

"Hmm, I was confident that one would be it…"

Ollivander started to pass me different wands from then on and each proceeded not to work. He looked genuinely frustrated as he couldn't get any wand to link with me. Honestly I was starting to feel a little guilty knowing Merlin's wand was in my extension pouch tucked away and I was able to use that one and that I just came here on a whim…

Eventually he disappeared off into the back of the shop for the seventh time at this point. He looked at me deeply one more time as he headed off calling it a 'last ditch effort'. After some time in the back he came over to me again with another box with a wand in it. This box… it had a different feeling to it.

"This wand dear boy… it's unruly, it's never found its owner ever despite being here for a long time. Probably the pickiest wand out of the lot and also one of the darkest… give it a try"

Ollivander handed the wand over to me with shaking hands. Looking at the wand it had a dark colour, from what I could tell the wands wood was Blackthorn. As for the core though, Ollivander hadn't mentioned.

Grasping onto the wand I felt it link deep within me. It was the same feeling as when Merlin's wand connected to me. I felt my heart skip a beat at this sensation as constant questions came up in my mind. How had this happened? Another wand accepted me despite me already having Merlin's wand? I was preparing to tell Ollivander that it wouldn't matter or come up with some excuse however it seemed as though something unbelievable had happened.

Compared to my shock, Ollivander showed relief. He heaved a sigh and started to explain;

"You were probably one of the most difficult ones to pick a wand out for boy. This wand here, it's made with Blackthorn, a wood suited for battle. The core… well the core is actual a Thestral tail hair"

My eyes widened in shock as I looked up at Ollivander. Thestral tail hair was the core used within the elder wand after all, the fact Ollivander had a wand with a similar core showcased instantly why Ollivander had apprehension in trying this wand out. Seeing my shock he started to explain further;

"It seems you know some stuff boy and I know what you're thinking. The Thestral tail hair is a core that's only found in the elder wand from the deathly hallows. You're correct on this point, it is ONLY found in that wand supposedly... This wand here, whilst it does technically have the same core you could call it more like a replica I made in my fervent youth. The core of this wand is no way near the same level as the elder wand. I wanted to create a wand that was as powerful as a deathly hallow and this was the creation. The product though ended up being unruly, unresponsive and even sometimes lashed out at me when I tried to use it. Seeing it link to you though means one thing, you have an extremely close link to death"

As Ollivander spoke these words I felt a deep understanding of the situation come to me. I started to realise how two wands had accepted me and why this was even happening. Wands as far as I could tell would link to a witch or wizards soul and bind to it.

The me of right now was Leo Osbourne who died, spent eons in that darkness and was granted a second chance by the 'rules'. I right now was the one who was linked closely to death. However there was another soul in me, the soul of the Leo who was already present in this world, the soul of a Leo who was the descendant of Merlin before I even came to in this world. His soul linked to Merlin's wand as he was Merlin's destined descendant in the canon. I was unaware of what happened to him in the canon and why he never made an appearance despite his incredible bloodline however considering how much of a brat he was before I took over his body chances are he just lazed around despite having all this potential which eventually led to his own downfall.

Two wands, two souls. They had each separately connected to one each. Thinking about it like that it started to make sense. However how would this even work now? Would I have to dual wield two wands? That didn't seem like it would be practical. It was like having a gun in two hands. Sure the firing rate would be greater but the focus placed on both wands would be half of the focus placed on a single wand. I guess it was something I'd have to eventually find a workaround for, whether I practiced using both at once or if there was another way…

Looking down at the wand coated in death in my hands, another thought rose to mind. The Elder Wand was a wand that was made by 'death'. I was closely linked to death due to dying and being transferred here. Would I with the Elder Wand be able to use it to its utmost potential? I had just got this new wand yet I was already thinking of replacing it... Guess me and Merlin are similar in that regard. Snapping me out of all my thoughts was Ollivander who stared at me deeply.

"Take good care of that wand boy. It is a wand that's closely linked to my legacy after all!"

I gave Ollivander a nod and paid him the amount required for the wand. Thanking him once more I headed out of the shop staring deeply down my new wand…

.

Just after leaving Ollivander's I took a moment to collect myself. A lot was discovered in that shop after all so I needed some time to sort through my memories. I also noted that when Ollivander handed me the wand that I now had, I felt a mystical force enter into my body and seemingly 'place' itself deep within me. I didn't know if it was normal to be able to feel this sort of thing happening however considering how Ive been training for years now, my magical control and sense was definitely a league above most 11 year old wizards. Remembering that force I instantly identified it as the trace.

It was a bit frustrating however honestly it wasn't a bother. Now I was heading to Hogwarts anyway the trace wasn't really a big issue. I planned to eventually erase it from me early on anyway just to avoid the annoyance of the ministry having a read on my movements. Slapping my face I stood up with a renewed vigour, whilst shock was still prevalent in my mind I had work to do still here in Diagon Alley. My next stop was getting some potion ingredients and then finally it was getting my robe for Hogwarts.

Walking through the alley I took a few minutes to arrive at The Apothecary, as I entered the shopkeeper was stirring the cauldron in the middle of the shop with a serious look. Noting the door had opened though, he casted a spell on the ladle that he was stirring with so it would stir itself whilst he tended to me. If he could do that, why didn't he in the first place? I guess doing it yourself feels like you have more control.

"Hello there youn- Ah… I was wondering when you would return here. Welcome back Oz"

"You remember me?"

"Of course I do! Just because you got a little taller and beefier doesn't mean my old eyes are going to mistake you for a stranger. You were one of the most unique young customers I ever had after all. Come, come, let's get you sorted"

Heading over to the counter I explained to the shopkeeper I wanted various ingredients to practice different potions. He smiled as he heard I wanted at least 4x the amount so I had many different chances. Considering the amount of money I saved by buying everything 3 years ago the money McGonagall handed to me due to the orphan policy was now basically being all used up on these potion ingredients.

After some rummaging the shopkeeper delivered me copious amounts of boxes again.

"Are you going to place them in that pouch of yours again?"

The pouch was deep in my pocket this time around instead of on my hip so the shopkeeper had to guess whether I had it or not. I shook my head as I pointed at the luggage behind me near the shop door.

"That was only a onetime thing sadly, if you could pack it all up so I can take it with me to the Leaky Cauldron that would be great"

It seemed weird to lie on this point however McGonagall was expecting me to come back with all this luggage. It was probably also a part of her test to see if I bought everything back and even managed to bring it all back with the sheer amount that was needed. Luckily in one of the first shops I visited for school supplies they have a system where they give you a big trunk if you don't have one, under the orphan policy I was supplied one for free. It was listed as the first place to buy items for a reason. Since then I've been placing everything I needed in the list for Hogwarts into that trunk and bringing it along. In doing so I could avoid going back to McGonagall empty handed and having to convince her I did buy everything when in reality it was all in my pouch…

"Its no problem lad. That pouch looked pretty expensive so I imagine it was a family members or something…"

The shopkeeper packed everything I needed up into boxes and such and I placed them with my luggage. I picked the luggage up and took it up the steps towards the exit after paying him the amount required. As I got to the door he exclaimed out loud.

"Being able to pick all that up means you got some muscle on you boy! Maybe you should make some protein potions or something for the long term if you want to train physically. Looking at your build it looks like you exercise regularly alongside magic training, that's incredibly diligent of you"

I just heard an interesting thing there. Protein potions? That was a thing? Placing the luggage down I decided to inquire further.

"Protein potions? I've never heard of those before"

"It's an easy to make potion but most wizards and witches neglect it as they place value on their magic only and not their physical strength. Simply speaking it's a potion that allows your body to rebuild itself after working out quicker and also enhances strength gain. The ingredients are cheap and the potion itself is simple to make. You just need to drink it after working out and it will give you 2x the benefits of just exercising and no potions. I will warn you though it tastes incredibly foul…"

Protein potions, I almost felt like laughing at the concept of them. The wizard or witch who made them must have been a muscle-brained person who placed value on their physical strength far more than most. I personally placed value on physical strength alongside magic as, after all, magic resided in a wizards body meaning if that body was strong then surely the magic within would receive some benefits. Even if that wasn't the case, strength was always nice to have especially in a situation where magic evades me.

"Thank you for the heads up shopkeeper. I appreciate the help!"

"No worries Oz. Feel free to come back anytime"

Giving a final wave I headed out the door, peering back one more time I saw that the shopkeeper had returned to stirring his cauldron in the store. Looking up the street with the luggage next to me I noted in my head there was only one more destination and then I could go back the McGonagall.