Gideon was pleased that she'd agreed, but the feeling was followed almost immediately by an overwhelming sense of anxiety: placing a wand with someone, even temporarily, was a large responsibility. He did this all the time, dozens of times a year, but not typically for — people like Miss Chevalier (what did he even mean by that? he wasn't sure, but felt this instance was different from matching a student with a new wand). Where to start, and what to give her? There were wands that were well-suited to healing, but they wouldn't necessarily be so malleable as he needed them to be in order to take to her orders quickly and then return to the shop afterwards. More than anything, Gideon needed to find a wand which was eager, which would relish the chance to perform some high-quality magic, regardless of whose hands it was operating in.
"Of course," he said with a quick smile, to the comment about her taking care of it — she had taken very good care of him, when he had been in her charge, so he expected no less. "Let's — I'll pull out a few options and we'll see if they take to you," he suggested, moving away from the counter (and her damaged wand) to survey the shelves.
The first he selected was a maple wand which had been rather restless lately; it had jettisoned itself off the shelves thrice in the past two weeks. It was certainly eager, though he wasn't sure that the kelpie hair core would suit itself well to her particular brand of magic; kelpies were not particularly nurturing creatures. The next he pulled down was a laurel and unicorn hair wand, which had almost gone home with three different customers in the past year — it seemed to enjoy making wand sparks regardless of who was holding it, and if Gideon had been slightly less experienced in matching wands to wizards he might have called that good enough. After selecting the first two he hesitated, thinking and surveying the shelves, before eventually selecting a pine and phoenix feather wand.
"Three very different wands," he said as he returned to where Miss Chevalier was standing, laying each out on the counter and opening the boxes. "But each might enjoy a turn out of the shop. This one is eager for a walkabout," he said, indicating the maple. "This one is rather versatile, and very easy to please. And this one," he continued, indicating the pine wand last, "— is... creative, is probably the best way to put it. I think if it were to leave with you it might... this may sound silly," he warned her, shaking his head lightly. "But think of it like taking on an apprentice for a week or two. I think it might like learning from you. The sorts of spells you use and the way you cast them, that sort of thing."
"Of course," he said with a quick smile, to the comment about her taking care of it — she had taken very good care of him, when he had been in her charge, so he expected no less. "Let's — I'll pull out a few options and we'll see if they take to you," he suggested, moving away from the counter (and her damaged wand) to survey the shelves.
The first he selected was a maple wand which had been rather restless lately; it had jettisoned itself off the shelves thrice in the past two weeks. It was certainly eager, though he wasn't sure that the kelpie hair core would suit itself well to her particular brand of magic; kelpies were not particularly nurturing creatures. The next he pulled down was a laurel and unicorn hair wand, which had almost gone home with three different customers in the past year — it seemed to enjoy making wand sparks regardless of who was holding it, and if Gideon had been slightly less experienced in matching wands to wizards he might have called that good enough. After selecting the first two he hesitated, thinking and surveying the shelves, before eventually selecting a pine and phoenix feather wand.
"Three very different wands," he said as he returned to where Miss Chevalier was standing, laying each out on the counter and opening the boxes. "But each might enjoy a turn out of the shop. This one is eager for a walkabout," he said, indicating the maple. "This one is rather versatile, and very easy to please. And this one," he continued, indicating the pine wand last, "— is... creative, is probably the best way to put it. I think if it were to leave with you it might... this may sound silly," he warned her, shaking his head lightly. "But think of it like taking on an apprentice for a week or two. I think it might like learning from you. The sorts of spells you use and the way you cast them, that sort of thing."