 more-anxious-than-usual-Phoebe Which came first, the phoenix or the flame?
It was her turn! Phoebe had to take some VERY big deep breaths so as not to freak out. It was her turn! It was her special moment! And as a kid who often felt like she didn't receive enough attention, as a kid who spent much of her life being overlooked and forgotten about (at least in her own mind) and deemed to be not-a-problem-kid, she was very much enjoying the full attention of Drewie AND the shopkeeper, which was TWO people JUST thinking about HER. Awesome! She stepped forward as confidently as she could and took the wand being presented to her. She gave it a proper wave and-
Nothing happened.
She gave it a few more not-so-patient waves, but still. Nothing.
Oh no! She looked between Drewie and the shopkeeper. What if this meant she wasn't really magic and her Hogwarts letter was a big mistake and she got kicked out of Hogwarts??? What if she got kicked out of Stemp House??? What if she got kicked out of... THE WHOLE UNIVERSE??? Surely not!!! Say it wasn't so, Drewie!!! She was about halfway through signing to him- anxiously asking if he was SURE she was really a witch- when she realized he couldn't understand and switched to a whispering tone that she thought was quiet but was actually very much audible because she wasn't very good at whispering. "What if I'm NOT magic, Drewie? What if I can't get my wand or go to school with my friends and- and- and-" She was VERY worried about it and was already starting to make big tearful puffskein eyes and take the most anxious ever of deep breaths when Drewie gave her a hug and reassured her that it was actually very, very normal to not get the first wand as a match and that it didn't mean she wasn't good at magic.
Oh. Carry on, then. She gently put the wand back in the shopkeeper's box. "I don't think this particular wand is the right fit for me. May I have a different one, please?" Anxious-about-not-being-magic-enough who? Phoebe wasn't anxious at all, and had NO clue why anyone would think so. And she was also nowhere close to tears, and she definitely didn't have to wipe her eyes on her sleeve, because she wasn't stressed out at all.
(She was a little stressed out and embarrassed about being stressed out but still stressed out and teary but embarrassed that she was a crybaby and she was pretty sure she needed a pep talk. It was just.......... a very big and important day for her and she just really wanted it to go right.)
Last edited by astrocat; 08-15-2023 at 06:57 PM.
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