Author's notes: yeah, I don't know, I managed to write until chapter five yesterday so might as well update. This is where I start to take some very big liberties with the process of wand crafting.

This is the last of the intro chapter where you learn who everyone is and what they're up to, so more frequent interaction after this. Also I'll have to keep an eyes on it as I write but in my head this story has taken a not-so-subtle turn towards including GRi somewhere down the line. I'll let you know and update the tags if that ends up happening.

The tips of his fingers move gently, as if in a caress, almost feelings all the little grooves and grains in the smooth wood.

His other hand holds the athame firmly as he moves it, slowly and carefully carving the runes he’s committed to memory and practiced over a thousand times. It’s more like ritualistic magic than outright spellcasting, since it’s going to draw magic from the materials at first.

Of course, activating the runes in the first place requires a bit of your own magic – which is, besides craftsmanship, what gives each wandmaker their own touch – but not with a wand. Besides the issues of contamination, they’re fickle things, have personalities and grudges of their own and there’s nothing quite like having your wand burn out the one you were trying to create in a pique of broodiness.

His breathing is too loud in the small room but he doesn’t notice, too focused on his task. Most people believe the magic in the wands comes from the core but the wood itself also possesses some magical properties and should be handled with as much care. The entire process is laborious, deserving of caution and his master wouldn’t have kept him around if he didn’t treat it respectfully.

The final strike. He pauses afterwards, taking a deep breath and putting the blade down on the table, checking each individual rune in turn to make sure they are perfect and if he hadn’t forgotten any. Everything checks out so Daesung gathers his magic and intent, feeling distinctively aware of his master leaning forward over his shoulder as his finger touches the first symbol.

A single spark leaps forward, blue light lining up the carved lines one by one as if flowing through them. It only takes a few seconds but he waits with baited breath, watches as all of the runes are illuminated slowly, flashing brightly together at the end before fading. His shoulders drop with relief, the left one receiving a congratulatory and reassuring squeeze. “Very good, Daesung!”

His cheeks flush as he hangs his head, smiling. It may seem like a small step but it took a lot of studying and a lot of work on his part and Daesung couldn’t help but be proud of himself, especially when he heard the pride and happiness in his master’s voice, knowing she only offers praise when deserved.

The hand on his shoulder pats him twice. “Have a break, you deserve one,” his eyes don’t move from the piece of wood lying in front of him even as the footsteps advance towards the door and the sound of swinging hinges reaches his ears. He did it. Sure, it’s not a wand, but since starting his apprenticeship this has been his first real test.

A way to show that he is capable of not only understanding but handling the very basics of this work, that he’s suited for this. Frankly Daesung wouldn’t know what to do if he had been found lacking and the nerves had been eating at him for a while, try as he might to ignore them. His fingers shake as they curl into a fist and the giddiness threatens to burst out of him. He did it, he did it, he did it, he did it!

Soft giggles rush out of him, higher pitched than usual, and his smile is the widest it’s been in quite a while. He did it! After over a year of studying and maybe by the end of the next he could start studying some of the cores and - oh, Youngbae needs to know about this! Searching for writing supplies has never been such a difficult task, his hands keep bumping into anything in an exhilarated sort of clumsiness.  The workbench and the shelves and some of the boxes, limbs grazing sharp corners like his body’s unfamiliar with the place; he’s close to hitting his head on one of the lower cupboards when an urgent tapping catches his attention.

On the wall opposite the one leading to the store front there aren’t really any shelves, it’s mostly an old blank wall, the only thing on it being a single window up top. Daesung stands back up, cranes his neck to try and take a look outside. There’s an owl tapping against the glass – somehow, some of the birds seem to know when he isn’t home and come here instead. He scratches his head, wondering how on earth he’s going to open it when it’s so high up before he stops.

A laugh escapes him as he grabs at his wand and flicks it gently, the window sliding down with a rusty sort of screech and the owl quickly flying in. After all these years of being surrounded by magic sometimes he still forgets he’s a wizard. The bird’s impatient with him, prompting a low apology to fall from his lips as his fingers hurriedly work on untying the parchment.  Daesung isn’t expecting a letter from anyone so soon and his eyebrows furrow, wand lazily closing back the window once the owl is safely outside. His face shifts from confusion to surprise once he sees the name scribbled there.

Jiyong. He remembers him, of course, it’s kind of impossible not to. The man had been weird even for a Ravenclaw – no, that’s a bit unfair, he’d been odd regardless of house, merely because he’s one of those people that focus on one thing single-mindedly. They met in Hogwarts’s music room because Daesung missed music and had been surprised that such a room even existed and Jiyong… seemed to be always there.

Their friendship had remained casual for the most part, restricted to that room since they were in different houses and different years. It turned out that wizards have magical instruments that played on their own. He was ecstatic about this but his new friend always seemed disgruntled. The source of his discontent was the fact that, if Daesung got it right, the self-playing spell was more like a recording than anything. Sure the they could play by themselves but only things that already existed and couldn’t create anything new on their own.

There were very few people trying to do anything new in music in the wizarding world, apparently, most stuck to a more classical style of music and accompanying instruments. This caused Jiyong a great deal of frustration and although Daesung wasn’t sure why, he’d launched into a fond recollection of his favourite songs and genres of muggle music in an earnest attempt to help. It had sparked more than one interesting discussion between them, culminating in a summer where the Ravenclaw came to his house to learn.

Admittedly he hadn’t thought how much of a headache it would be to lead a pureblood wizard around when they stopped and gawked at everything but they had done alright and reached his house without any major incidents, barring his dad’s embarrassing teasing. Songs, videos, concerts, Daesung tried to show him everything he hadn’t been able to properly explain while in school, going through as many genres as he could think of, even the ones that didn’t personally appeal to him.

Jiyong had been so quiet and still during all of it that he thought he had made a mistake, offended him somehow, and was about to apologize when those eyes him. They held such an absolute ferocity and determination that they rooted him to the spot and it took a couple of tries for his ears to pick up on the fact that he was being asked to explain how all of it worked.

His thoughts slowly returning to the present, Daesung shakes his head, smile dimming down to something less elated but fonder. Since then Jiyong has been like a man possessed, talking about bringing some of that innovation to wizarding music like it’s some sort of holy and sacred mission. His friend was doing something with The Weird Sisters, last he’d heard, but there’s no point wondering when the letter’s in his hands.

It’s pretty much a standard letter, just old friends catching up, and Jiyong is still working with them and some other new groups coming up. Wizards tend to be pretty tricky when it comes to anything new, either embracing it whole heartedly or rejecting it outright and causing a blacklash in the name of tradition, but he supposes that’s a general people thing and just hopes they’re not making too big a ruckus over this.

His smile widens something fierce, laugh bubbling out of him when Jiyong suddenly starts complaining about Seungri. He remembers, exactly a week ago, the interviewee turned out to be him. They seemed to have gotten along fairly well but there’s only so much you can glimpse through a picture – even if it moves – and writing. The letter’s implied slightly huffy tone, however, lets him know this isn’t actually a serious complaint. Of course, thinking about Friday makes him think about-

Seunghyun. His eyes instinctively search for the clock shoved inside one of the shelves. He doesn’t actually have a fixed day off and his master hadn’t said anything about dismissing him for the rest of the day, only mentioning a break. Biting his lip, heartbeat a bit too loud, he wonders if he should ask her. Thinking back to the corner they bumped into each other, the man was probably coming from Gringotts.

If Daesung hurries maybe he can catch him again. It’s not that far away but surely some sort of excuse would occur to him on the way. It’s not like it’s even really needed, he thinks, getting up and looking around. He studies and lives and work in the Alley, it’s not abnormal to see him out and about, either on chores for his master or taking care of his own business. His hand’s reaching for the jacket before suddenly stopping.

Shaking his head, he withdraws it, sitting back down on the bench. Honestly, what is he thinking? There’s no way of knowing if Seunghyun goes to the bank every Friday, it was probably just a coincidence, that’s all. And even if he does, even if his wishing came true and they bumped into each other again, what would he say? Hi? Sorry I hope this doesn’t feel creepy but I ran all the way here hoping to – do what?

No, this is nonsense, Daesung decides, reaching for parchment, quills and ink instead. He needs to write back to Jiyong, say something to Youngbae and probably Seungri before going to help his master out in the shop. There’s too much to do to waste time day dreaming about someone he doesn’t even really know and only exchanged a couple of words with.