Chapter 3: The Magic of the Maple Wand
Professor McGonagall had left. The house was quiet. Lucian stood in the middle of his old, dusty home. He looked at his messy clothes. He did not look like a noble wizard. He looked like a normal boy from the United States.
"Master Lucian!" squeaked Crumple the house-elf. "You must look nice for the wizard world! You are a Chocastle!"
Lucian smiled. He remembered his old life as a chocolate maker. He closed his eyes and thought about his favorite thing: Chocolate. He felt a spark of magic in his heart.
He pointed a finger at some old, purple curtains on the wall. He used his power to change them. The old cloth turned into a beautiful, bright purple coat. It was soft and shiny. It looked just like the coat Willy Wonka wore.
"Now I am ready," Lucian said.
The Compass and the Hidden Beans
Before they went to the shops, Lucian felt a pull in his chest. It was his Resource Compass. This was a special magic from his family. It helped him find rare things.
He walked into the messy garden. He stopped near a very old tree.
"Dig here, Crumple!"
Under the dirt, they found a small wooden box. Inside were glowing blue beans. These were Moon-Dew Beans. They were very rare. Most wizards used them for potions, but Lucian had a better idea. He would use them to make chocolate that makes people float!
"This is the start of my business," Lucian whispered.
Shopping in Diagon Alley
Lucian, Crumple, and Mocha the owl went to Diagon Alley. It was a street full of magic. There were shops for flying brooms and owls.
Lucian stopped in front of a candy shop called Honeydukes. He looked at their chocolate frogs.
"Too simple," Lucian said with a shrug. "The chocolate is too hard. It needs more love. I will make something much better."
Next, they went to the big bank, Gringotts. The goblins took him to his family vault. It was mostly empty because his family had lost their money. But there was a big Gold Pot inside.
"I will take this," Lucian said. "I need it to cook my special sweets."
Choosing a Wand
The last stop was Ollivanders. This was the shop for magic wands. The old man, Mr. Ollivander, looked at Lucian for a long time.
"A Chocastle," the man said. "Your family always had strange magic."
Lucian tried many wands.
• The first wand made a loud bang!
• The second wand broke a vase.
• The third wand did nothing at all.
Finally, Mr. Ollivander gave him a wand made of Maple wood.
"Maple is for people who love to travel and create," the old man said.
When Lucian touched it, the room suddenly smelled like warm sugar and cocoa. Gold sparks flew out of the tip. It was the perfect match.
That night, Lucian sat by the fire. He held his new wand and a Moon-Dew bean. He used his magic to melt the bean into a bar of chocolate.
He took a tiny bite. Suddenly, his feet lifted off the floor! He was floating in the air. He laughed loudly.
"The other students at Hogwarts will learn how to fight," Lucian said to his owl, Mocha. "But I am going to show them how magic can be delicious."
He was ready. Tomorrow, he would go to the train station. His journey to become the Chocolate Alchemist was just beginning.