Chapter Text
Colin Dursley gazed up at the small shop with awe. It was shabby with peeling gold letters over the door of the shop, but it looked wonderful to the eleven-year-old child. His Dad had told him they would meet Uncle Harry outside the shop, but when they looked around for him, Colin caught sight of Miss Hermione hurrying over to his side.
She gave them a brilliant smile as she raised her hand and waved at him, and he smiled back at her in greeting. Colin loved Miss Hermione; she was incredibly nice to him and often came over with Uncle Harry. He knew his father liked Miss Hermione too, and even though Colin was deaf and couldn't hear them talking to each other, he had often seen his father making those weird adult faces — the ones Colin had seen in movies — at Miss Hermione when she wasn't looking.
'Your Uncle Harry's not coming,' Miss Hermione signed, her hands flowing from sign to sign easily. 'He's working, but he will be here soon. I'll go with you two. Okay?'
Colin glanced up at his father, who had that goofy look on his face again, and he nodded in acceptance, happy that they could spend more time with Miss Hermione. She was one of the few people who knew how to talk to Colin without pitying him, and he appreciated the lengths she had gone to for helping him out. She was the one who had taught his Dad and Uncle Harry how to use sign language to talk to him; Miss Hermione had a deaf cousin on her father's side.
Colin Dursley had been born deaf, and when he had started showing signs of being a wizard, his affliction and magic had been the causes for his parents' fights — and ultimately, their divorce. He didn't remember his mother very well, having only been a few years old at that time, but Miss Hermione was someone he trusted implicitly and looked up to as a mother figure.
Miss Hermione chatted with his father as they walked towards the wand-shop, and Colin felt amused at how eager his father was to talk to Miss Hermione. As they crossed the street, Miss Hermione focused her attention on him and began to sign.
'This shop has been in the Ollivander family since 382 BC,' she informed them, her hands and fingers moving fluently. 'The family has sold most of the wands in Wizarding Britain. There is another wandmaker — Mykew Gregorovitch — who sells his wands in Carkitt Market, but his wands are less… common than these.'
'How do they make wands?' Colin asked curiously. He tapped his right thumb against the palm of his left hand twice, asking if the work was difficult.
Miss Hermione smiled at his Dad when he opened the door for her, and then, she turned to Colin. She signed, 'It is difficult. They use different woods and cores to make each wand. The wand chooses the wizard, and no two wands are alike.' At the end of her explanation, she hesitated for a second before she made a thumbs-up gesture with her right hand and slid it against her left palm away from her.
'Usually?' Colin and his Dad asked in unison, and Miss Hermione nodded but didn't elaborate. Colin assumed it had to do something with the bad wizard Uncle Harry had defeated thirteen years ago.
A few seconds later, an ageing man appeared from behind the pile of boxes, startling Colin as he hadn't expected him. Miss Hermione placed her hand on Colin's shoulder, calming him down, and said something to the old man.
As the adults conversed, Colin wandered towards the pile of narrow boxes that were piled neatly right up to the ceiling. They were all covered with at least an inch of dust, and Colin wondered how many wands there were.
He felt Miss Hermione's hand on his shoulder again, and he turned to look at her curiously. She signed, 'Are you ready to buy your wand?'
Colin glanced at the old man, who was staring at him with his huge silvery eyes, and he swallowed. He looked over at his father, worried all of a sudden. When he had learnt that he could do magic, he had been delighted — especially when his Uncle Harry and Miss Hermione had shown him they could do it too. But now, as he stood in the shop to buy his first wand, Colin dreaded being told by the old man that he wasn't a real wizard. He was deaf, after all, and Colin didn't even know if there were deaf wizards or not.
As always, Miss Hermione seemed to sense his apprehension, and she got down on her knees in front of him. She placed her hands on his shoulders, not bothering to sign anything, and simply let him feel her presence. Tears pricked Colin's eyes as he shakily signed, 'What if I can't find a wand?'
His Dad came over and signed, 'If you can't find a wand here, we'll go to another shop.'
Colin looked at Miss Hermione, hoping she would reassure him like she always did, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she gently tugged him closer and hugged him to her chest. Colin felt all his tension and nerves dissipate as she wound her arms around his shoulders. Miss Hermione always gave the best hugs, and he always cherished the moments.
When she pulled back, Miss Hermione stood up and extended her hand towards him. Colin took a deep breath in and took her hand, his heart thudding painfully in his chest. Miss Hermione said something to the old man, and he picked up a tape measure from his cluttered desk.
As the tape measure began taking his measurements, Colin kept on looking over at Miss Hermione, who stood beside his father talking and signing to them both. She beamed at him, soothing his irrational fears, and signalled at him to smile. Colin couldn't help but grin at her, his heart swelling with love for her.
Mr Ollivander handed him a wand, and Colin glanced at Miss Hermione and his Dad. They signed at him to wave it, and he did. The old man quickly whipped it out of his hand and handed him another wand. And then, another. And another.
Colin started to feel foolish holding so many wands, but Miss Hermione signed at him to relax. They told him they would find a wand for him soon, and finally, Mr Ollivander handed him a long wand with a thick handle.
The moment Colin touched it, he felt a sudden warmth emanate through his fingers. A stream of blue sparks shot out from the tip like a firework show, and Colin noticed Miss Hermione and his Dad grin at him with delight. Mr Ollivander smiled and let him hold the wand for a few more moments before he took it back and placed it in its box.
His Dad paid seven gold coins for the wand, and the trio left the shop. Miss Hermione glanced at her wristwatch and signed, 'Would you two like to get some ice cream?'
Colin looked up at his Dad hopefully, wanting to spend more time with her, and his Dad stumbled over his agreement. It always amused Colin how his father, a man so robust that others stepped out of his way, could be so timid in front of Miss Hermione, a petite woman who had to tilt her head back to look at his Dad.
As they sat down outside the ice cream parlour with their summer treats in hand, Colin saw his Dad shyly reach his hand out and touch Miss Hermione's. A soft blush formed on her face, but Colin was just as delighted as his Dad that she didn't pull away from his touch.
Colin savoured his cookies-and-cream-flavoured ice cream sundae and watched the two adults interact. He wondered how long it would take for them to confess their feelings for each other. Everyone around them often assumed they were a couple already, and it was amusing to see them protest.
Miss Hermione had been a part of his life for as long as Colin could remember, always helping him through his troubles like a real mother, and he wanted her to be an official part of his family soon. As he licked his spoon clean, he thought of asking Uncle Harry to help him pair them up. Uncle Harry would understand. He was the best uncle Colin could ask for.