"Okay. It's not hard, but it's a little disorienting, and if you're as clumsy as I am you'll fall over when you come out the other end, but it's a lot quicker than flying all the way there for sure. I like to have extra powder in my pocket before I go anywhere just in case. You throw a pinch into the fire, the flames go green and that's how you know they're safe, and then you step in and make sure your knees are locked and your elbows are straight arms at your sides, and then you clearly say the address, in this case Marseilles. Any questions?"

"What if, um, what if I stammer? I can- usually I can control for short stuff, but I, the pressure makes h- makes it harder."

"If you say it wrong then you'll come out the wrong fireplace - that's one reason I like having extra powder. Maybe you'll want more than a couple pinches to make really sure."

"...Oh. Okay. Not burning up." Sally looks slightly embarrassed.

"No, no, that doesn't happen. The worst case scenario is that you break a knee and wind up in Portugal, and then you just come back straight here and hop a bit and my mum can fix the knee if nobody else offers first. The address of this station is Plur Alley."

Miranda follows her. "Marseilles!"

"Let her fix your arm," Miranda says, likewise exasperated. "You have to tuck in your elbows!"

"Well, once I've got a wand I can fix it for myself! Besides, I talk with my hands." He allows his arm to rest long enough for his handler to reduce the fracture to hairline and Tergeo off most of the blood, then leaps to his feet. "Wands!"

"How are you this age without a wand or Mr. Ollivander recognizing you, anyway?" wonders Miranda, dusting herself off from her own less dramatic fall.

"I mentioned the rotting mansion, right? There were a bunch of old people wands lying around. I had one that liked me alright, but it turned out it was made with vileoak and unicorn heartstring, both of which are illegal as it turns out, so I couldn't keep it even though the unicorn was already dead. Plus, the whole secondhand wand problem. So, shopping."

"Huh. My secondhand wand supposedly has chimera hair but I wouldn't bet on that being true. It's probably really some kind of hair, though."

"Yeah, mine was... definitely unicorn heartstring. I think there's a test for cores, I can ask the case-auror if you want."

"That would be cool, then I could find out what I've really got."

"I'll owl him tomorrowish. And Sally will pester me if I forget."

"Thanks. So where's this wandshop?"

"Just down Rue Pugnant. Don't worry, I know the way to this one, Mom made sure I'd know where I could get a wand if I needed it in a hurry."

"Okay, lead on."

Wizarding Marseilles is a place full of shining colors and blown glass. However, Ari leads the merry troupe down an alley containing somewhat more sombre decorations, including swathes of black cloth and at least one tea-stained skull. There are fewer passers-by, and most look at the children in confusion and the adult with suspicion.

"Almost there!"

"Huh? I guess not, come to think of it. The rent's probably lower here, though."

"I mean this looks sort of like the alleys I'm not supposed to go into in London. Or like Walker Street - back in Australia - maybe."