That Friday, Katsuki was pulled from his Transfiguration class. All the champions were needed for something.

He entered the fairly small classroom and closed the door behind him. Most desks pushed to the back of the room, but three of them had been placed end-to-end in front of the blackboard and covered with the long length of velvet. Six chairs had been set behind the velvet-covered desks, and Mr. Bagman sat in one of them, talking to a witch wearing magenta robes. Inasa and Camie stood next to each other, making small talk. A paunchy man, holding a large black camera that was smoking slightly, watched Camie out of the corner of his eye.

Mr. Bagman spotted Katsuki and stood to wave at him. "Ah, here he is!"

The witch looked over, and Katsuki swore the world slowed down. The first and only time he saw Rita Skeeter, a reporter for the Daily Prophet, had been after the Aurors arrived. She was first on the scene to cover the story of the rescued Black Gauntlet Children. The atrocious green outfit she had worn back then stuck out, forever burned in his mind. After that day, she failed to land an exclusive interview with the Boy Who Led. His parents kept it from happening since he was only thirteen.

Fuck.

"If we're here for photos, I'm passing," Katsuki said, not wanting to be around Rita any more than he had to.

"It's just the wand weighing ceremony," Mr. Bagman assured him. "The rest of the judges will be here in just a moment."

"Wand weighing?" Katsuki questioned.

"You see, we have to check that all wands are functional since they're to be your most important tool in the tasks ahead. Dumbledore is with the expert upstairs now. Oh, and there's to be a little photo shoot. Rita Skeeter from the Daily Prophet is doing a small piece on the tournament."

Rita stepped over to Katsuki and Mr. Bagman. "Maybe not that small, Ludo."

The years hadn't changed her much. Her light blonde hair was set in elaborate, rigid curls that contrasted oddly with her heavy-jawed face. Jeweled spectacles were in front of her eyes. The thick fingers clutching her crocodile-skin handbag ended in two-inch nails, painted crimson.

She sized up Katsuki. "And who is this, Ludo?"

"The third champion, Katsuki Bakugo from Hogwarts!"

Her eyes lit up with recognition. Her lips parted, and she sucked in air.

Shit.

"The Boy Who—" she began.

"Yeah, the boy who joined Gryffindor's Quidditch team his first year," Katsuki interrupted. He tilted his chin up subtly, daring her to say something else.

She pursed her lips before forcing a smile, displaying three gold teeth. "I've heard much about you, boy."

"I'm sixteen," he sneered.

Her gaze remained on Katsuki as she spoke to Mr. Bagman. "I wonder if I could have a little word with Katsuki before we begin?"

He nodded. "By all means!"

"No," Katsuki denied.

Rita's smile faltered. "I won't take much of your time."

"I don't do interviews." He strode past the two to approach the other two champions.

"Hey, what's up, fam?" Camie greeted.

Inasa grinned. "Exciting times, huh?"

"Bloody exciting," Katsuki huffed.

There came the time everybody took their places. The champions sat near the door, looking at the velvet-covered table, where five of the six judges sat. Rita settled herself down in a corner to take notes, and the photographer stood by her.

"May I introduce Mr. Ollivander?" Headmaster Dumbledore said, taking his place at the judges' table. "He will be the one to check your wands."

A jolt rushed through Katsuki when he looked to see the old wizard with large, pale eyes. This would be their third meeting. Katsuki had gotten both of his wands from his shop in Diagon Alley.

Garrick Ollivander stepped into the empty space in the middle of the room. "Mademoiselle Utsushimi, could we have you first, please?"

"Bet." She stood and handed off her wand.

It didn't take long for her wand to be cleared. Inasa was next, and everything went smoothly for him.

"Ah, Mister Bakugo," Mr. Ollivander said.

Without a word, Katsuki stood and grabbed his wand, holding it out.

"Ah, yes..." Pale eyes gleamed. "Yes, yes, yes. How well I remember."

Katsuki could remember too. He could remember it as though it had happened yesterday...

Three summers ago, Katsuki entered Mr. Ollivander's wand shop for the second time with his parents. They explained somebody broke his other wand and he needed a new one. No questions asked, Mr. Ollivander took Katsuki's new measurements and got to work. Wand after wand, none of them seemed to work. Nothing compared to his first wand that was made of black walnut and dragon heartstring. There had been a split second where Katsuki wondered if he would ever have another compatible wand. Everything changed when Mr. Ollivander took a chance with a unique wand that he didn't make.

"The only wand my father crafted with the tail hair of a..." His voice trailed off. "Blackthorn. Thirteen inches. Pristine. You both take care of each other."

Mr. Ollivander spent the longest time examining Katsuki's wand. Eventually, he made a fountain of wine shoot out of it before handing it back to Katsuki. "Still in perfect condition."

"What core does he 'ave?" Madame Maxime inquired in a heavy accent.

Mr. Ollivander and Katsuki looked at her. "Pardon?" Mr. Ollivander asked.

" 'Is wand core," she prompted.

"Yes, I too am curious," Professor Karkaroff said.

The two eyed down Katsuki as if his core gave him an unfair advantage over the other champions.

"It's the tail hair of a thestral," Katsuki said without blinking.

Mr. Yagi didn't look away from Katsuki's wand. His lips parted, but no words came out.

"That's unheard of," Professor Karkaroff scoffed.

"It's uncommon," Mr. Ollivander corrected.

Before the topic could continue, Headmaster Dumbledore stood from the judges' table. "Thank you all for your time. Champions, you are dismiss—"

The man with the black camera cleared his throat.

Mr. Bagman jumped right into it. "Photos! We need photos! Rita, what do you think of getting all the judges and champions together?"

"Yes, let's do those first," she said, her eyes locked on Katsuki. "And after that, some individual shots."

Crimson eyes glared at the despicable woman.

xXx

A/N: Insight for the first wand Katsuki owned!

Wood: Less common than the standard walnut wand, that of black walnut seeks a master of good instincts and powerful insight. Black walnut is a very handsome wood, but not the easiest to master. It has one pronounced quirk, which is that it is abnormally attuned to inner conflict, and loses power dramatically if its possessor practices any form of self-deception. If the witch or wizard is unable or unwilling to be honest with themselves or others, the wand often fails to perform adequately and must be matched with a new owner if it is to regain its former prowess. Paired with a sincere, self-aware owner, however, it becomes one of the most loyal and impressive wands of all, with a particular flair in all kinds of charmwork.

Core: As a rule, dragon heartstrings produce wands with the most power, and which are capable of the most flamboyant spells. Dragon wands tend to learn more quickly than other types. While they can change allegiance if won from their original master, they always bond strongly with the current owner. The dragon wand tends to be easiest to turn to the Dark Arts, though it will not incline that way of its own accord. It is also the most prone of the three cores to accidents, being somewhat temperamental.