"Try this one first," Ollivander said, taking out a very ordinary-looking wand. "Eleven and one-third inches, chestnut, Kelpie mane hair."
The wand had no decorative features at all. Lorne took it and gave Ollivander a puzzled look.
"I don't know your background or your family, so it's best to start with a test model. Though every wand is unique, there's always one with a little more general appeal."
Lorne understood. It was the equivalent of a generic face.
"This wand has no particular leanings, but the feeling it gives me in response will reveal your traits, allowing me to find a wand better suited to you." Ollivander took the wand back and was just about to deliver his most familiar line. "Clearly not this one... wait!"
A startled expression crossed the elegant old man's face. "This is the one. Simply perfect."
Lorne's eyes widened. Surely he didn't just have a generic face?
"Truly incredible. This wand appears to have been made from the most ordinary materials, but in fact, its requirements for its wielder are extremely high. At least since my great-grandfather's time, no one has been able to possess it. Please tell me your name, sir."
Startled by Ollivander's sudden excitement, Lorne hastily backed away two steps.
"Lorne Miles."
"Mr. Myles, this wand is yours, for just three Galleons."
Lorne took the wand again. Perhaps because it was destined for him, even its plain shape now looked sophisticated in his eyes.
It felt good in his hand, too.
Lorne hadn't had many requirements for a wand to begin with, and it only cost three Galleons. What more could he ask for?
After buying the wand, Lorne checked his progress bar.
[Quest: Collect the Power of Emotion from those of your kind] [Progress: 7/10]
He really did need to get out and see more. Delight lit up Lorne's face. The more wizards he met, the more Power of Emotion would naturally come his way.
Hagrid was waiting at the door. Lorne walked over and glanced back at Ollivander's shop.
Making wands since 382 BC.
The sign couldn't compare with the ones he had seen on television in later years, but it was decent enough for welcoming customers here.
Wait, a sign? Welcoming customers?
He suddenly knew what he could do as director of the General Affairs Office.
Welcoming new students!
After all, someone like Harry, who knew nothing about the magical world, would never figure out that he had to go through a barrier to reach Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, no matter how hard he racked his brains.
Though most students knew how to get to Hogwarts, wasn't ensuring that every student received timely assistance precisely what their General Affairs Office ought to do?
As for the Power of Emotion he would collect then, Lorne gave a wicked smile. He would simply have to accept it gladly.
"Hagrid, take me along to Harry Potter's home."
Lorne said earnestly, "As director of the General Affairs Office, I need to conduct a background check on Harry's household."
"A background check?" Hagrid sounded as though he had heard a joke. "There's absolutely no need, Lorne. Almost the entire Wizarding World knows Harry's background."
"I know his credentials are impeccable, Hagrid, but you know that's not what I mean. What about his life among Muggles? Education doesn't depend on school alone, you know. Education at home is every bit as important."
Hagrid fell silent.
"Please, Hagrid. This is my first task since taking office. I don't want to mess it up."
"Besides, Dumbledore didn't tell you to keep Harry's affairs confidential. That means he wants me to know about Harry's home situation, too. Perhaps this is a test he's set for the General Affairs Office?"
The face hidden beneath Hagrid's thick beard finally softened. He let out a heavy sigh.
"All right, Lorne, you win," he conceded gruffly. "You always make things sound so... well-reasoned. Dumbledore did say Harry hasn't had an easy time on Privet Drive. His family won't be too friendly when they see us, either."
"Leave it to me when the time comes. I know all about intimidating a Muggle." Lorne smiled faintly, adjusted his cuffs, and calmly followed Hagrid's enormous figure.
On a nameless island, a pitiful little hut rocked from side to side, as though trembling.
Harry Potter was still awake on the carpet. He watched the time, and at precisely midnight, he drew a cake on the carpet with his finger.
"Happy birthday, Harry," he murmured to himself.
The sea wind outside poured into the hut amid the thunder. Harry was just about to blow out the candles on his carpet cake when he suddenly heard something like a giant's breathing outside the door.
Hagrid was asking in a hushed voice, "Lorne, we spent too long shopping. We're late now."
Lorne, however, was utterly confident. "Don't worry, Hagrid. We're not late at all."
"Will doing it this way really work?"
"Guaranteed."
Lorne knocked on the door.
No one answered.
Looking helpless, Hagrid squeezed Lorne aside. "Better leave this to me."
Bang!
The tremendous noise sent Dudley Dursley springing up from the sofa. He cried out in panic, "Mum! Mummy!"
Petunia Dursley, likewise jolted awake by the noise, poked her head around the turn in the stairs in a panic, her hair held in pink plastic rollers, wearing silk pajamas and clutching a feather duster.
Vernon had also taken the shotgun down from the wall. He rushed in front of Petunia and aimed the barrel at the enormous figure in the doorway.
Bang!
With another tremendous crash, the hut's wooden door fell down. Hagrid squeezed his massive body through the doorway, then picked up the door and put it back in place. "Really sorry about that."
Petunia pulled Dudley, who had just bounced off the sofa, into her arms, her voice as shrill as a whistle. "You're not allowed-"
"Good evening, Mrs. Dursley," Lorne gently interrupted her shriek.
He stepped out from behind Hagrid, took a gold-embossed business card from his inside pocket, and offered it with both hands, his manner impeccable. "I am Lorne Miles, the newly appointed director of Hogwarts' General Affairs Office. I apologize for this unannounced visit. The school has entrusted me with conducting a routine background and educational assessment of Harry Potter's home environment."
"?"
Petunia froze. She looked at the elaborate lettering on the card, then at Hagrid, who stood beside him like a wall. The curses she had prepared stuck firmly in her throat.
She had long known that the recent strange happenings were connected to the magical world, but she hadn't expected the magical world to have a department called the "General Affairs Office," which sounded like a government agency. Still less had she expected its representative to visit with such a... businesslike attitude.
"I did knock, but the wind and waves seem to have been a little too loud," Lorne explained unhurriedly. "But rest assured, we'll repair the door before we leave."
"You said something about... an assessment?"
"Yes, entirely in accordance with procedure." Lorne maintained a perfectly measured smile, his tone neither servile nor overbearing. "As you know, Harry is about to embark on an entirely new course of study at Hogwarts. We place great importance on cooperation between home and school, so we've come specifically to learn about his living conditions in your household, as well as..."
He paused briefly, his gaze sweeping over the furniture tightly covered with dust sheets. "Your household's willingness to accept a magical education."
Beside him, Hagrid cleared his throat at just the right moment, producing a low rumble that startled Dudley, who was hiding behind Petunia.
"Get out! Leave my family alone!" Vernon all but shoved the shotgun barrel up Hagrid's nose.
Hagrid said nothing. He merely bent the barrel to a ninety-degree angle as though folding paper.
With the two of them playing good cop and bad cop, Petunia could not refuse. She patted her husband's shoulder, then spoke to Lorne again.
"...Just five minutes."
"Thank you very much, Mrs. Dursley. Your cooperation is vital to Harry's future." Lorne inclined his head slightly.
Lorne and Hagrid had a clear division of labor. Lorne was responsible for handling the Dursleys, while Hagrid was responsible for delivering Harry's acceptance letter, explaining the magical world to him, and giving him a cake.
Looking at the beautifully made cake before him, Harry felt his nose sting, but he quickly composed himself. "Thank you, Hagrid."
"Don't mention it. A lot of the credit goes to Lorne Miles, the one talking to your aunt. He carried this cake the whole way on the boat, and he chose the design, too. He said eleven-year-old lads would like this one better."
Harry looked toward Lorne, who was having a lively conversation with Aunt Petunia. Lorne winked at him.
"Don't worry, Lorne will sort everything out," Hagrid said, seeing through Harry's concerns. "Pack your things, young wizard, if you don't want to stay here any longer."