Oh, the way her lip turned down just the slightest amount as she answered him made him weak in the knees. Gideon immediately wished that there was something he could do to comfort her, but he wasn't sure what. It wouldn't have done her any good for him to have just slapped any old piece of pine on it, even if it would have been much faster. At best, it would negatively impact the quality of her spellwork, moving forward. At worst, it might make the magic itself unpredictable, or even refuse to cast certain spells entirely. Conflicted wands weren't good at all, which was why repairing them could be such a tricky business. If it would have been faster, though, Gideon would have offered to swim the English Channel himself to hunt down this wandmaker — at least, he would have in the moment, when she was looking at him like that. But that was ridiculous, and he recognize that it was ridiculous as soon as the thought occurred to him — what had gotten into him?
"I can send an owl off to him today," Gideon promised. After that, of course, the timeline was a little out of his hands. Monsieur Beauvais was a name Gideon recognized, and a moderately respectable wandmaker (though nothing to the legacy that Gideon's own family had). He would have records, but what sort of a state would they be in? How urgent would the foreigner consider an inquiry from an English wandmaker? Gideon would have returned something like that immediately, because he cared about his wands even after they left the shop, but he knew not everyone who practiced his craft felt the same. Then, of course, even when he had the information in hand he might not have an appropriate specimen available in his workshop, so there might be some delay while he sourced the most apt wood for the repair.
"I'll do what I can with the timeline, without sacrificing the quality of the repair," he said, which was about as much as he could promise — he might have offered to move mountains for her had it been in his power, but he could not offer to compromise the integrity of a wand in his care no matter how lovely she was or how expressive her features. "Er — if it would help," he added, after a slight hesitation, "I might lend you another wand until yours is ready?"
"I can send an owl off to him today," Gideon promised. After that, of course, the timeline was a little out of his hands. Monsieur Beauvais was a name Gideon recognized, and a moderately respectable wandmaker (though nothing to the legacy that Gideon's own family had). He would have records, but what sort of a state would they be in? How urgent would the foreigner consider an inquiry from an English wandmaker? Gideon would have returned something like that immediately, because he cared about his wands even after they left the shop, but he knew not everyone who practiced his craft felt the same. Then, of course, even when he had the information in hand he might not have an appropriate specimen available in his workshop, so there might be some delay while he sourced the most apt wood for the repair.
"I'll do what I can with the timeline, without sacrificing the quality of the repair," he said, which was about as much as he could promise — he might have offered to move mountains for her had it been in his power, but he could not offer to compromise the integrity of a wand in his care no matter how lovely she was or how expressive her features. "Er — if it would help," he added, after a slight hesitation, "I might lend you another wand until yours is ready?"