I listen to Bridget as she tells me about my wand. I, of course, knew what it was made of, what wizard doesn’t know the makeup of their [i]own[/i] wand? But to hear her tell me just what my wand meant. That was something else. I remembered the dark disembodied voice from my dream, [i][b]“There is much to be done. You are the vessel to usher in a new age, a world where this needn’t happen to anyone else ever again, Alex. You just need to embrace it!”[/b][/i] I swallowed hard, gazing at my wand, for the first time wondering if there was more to my dream than a simple nightmare. As she tells me she is a little surprised that I ended up in Ravenclaw, I gingerly pick my wand from the table, staring at it, feeling conflicted. I close my eyes, and I see the skull and serpent. It flashes green, and I let out a startled cry, falling over backwards out of my chair, but still clutching the instrument in my fingers. I blink a few times, then pull the chair upright, staring and hoping nobody saw. Only a few people had turned to face me in this little bar, but Bridget had leapt to her feet, a shocked look on her face. 

I try to downplay what just happened, though ironically my wand gives me away--my hands are trembling so hard that I can’t hold it straight.
 
[b]“It’s...nothing. I just kinda leaned back a little too far and the chair fell over!!”[/b] I exclaim, giving an exasperated sigh for good measure. I try my best to chuckle and plaster a smile onto my face, knowing full well it’s as fake as Professor Trelawney’s “divinations” she went on about in class. 

The skull….did I really see it when I was surrounded by flames that day? Or was it just a dream? The disturbing part is, I can no longer really remember. I stare at Bridget, part of me wanting her opinion on my dream and part of me so terrified to tell her that I think it would kill me, especially after what she said about my wand. So instead, I laugh again, and shake my head.

[b]“As for you being surprised about my being in Ravenclaw...well, the Sorting Hat wanted to put me in Slytherin. It considered it...but it said that my rightful place was among those in Ravenclaw and one day I, and others, would know why.”[/b] I shrug, then slip the wand deep into my sleeves once more. [b]“To be honest, sometimes I wonder about that old hat.”[/b]