Domitian had high hopes for the hawthorn and dragon heartstring wand — it had a rugged look and a powerful feel. His eyes widened, however, when Zenobia tried to perform an actual spell as opposed to just giving it a flick. She wasn't supposed to know any magic, obviously, but he wasn't surprised that she'd picked up a few spells. She was a precocious child, who was intelligent and observant, and she'd lived her whole life surrounded by magic. Of course she knew spells — it wouldn't have even surprised him if she'd been practicing them in her room with a hairbrush standing in for a wand, or something of the sort. She was ambitious, she was smart — all of that he knew already.

She was also reckless, which was something he hadn't anticipated. As the flames jumped from the wand Domitian snatched it away from her, slamming it back down on the counter as the employee frantically began to quell the flames.

"What are you thinking?" Dom hissed at his daughter, taking her roughly by the arm and pulling her away from the fire. He prided himself on being even-keeled, but this had pushed him beyond what he could handle while remaining cool and collected. The outburst was short-lived, however, and after only a moment's pause he continued in a much more level tone, "We're going home. You can get a wand in August."