“And what,” she asks, “happens if a woman becomes Ollivander’s apprentice?”
He stares at her, scratches his head. “Er...” - True that! Very valid point. (:
She is the matriarch in a family of formidable women. - I love that we can see this right from the start!
...the elf sealed the door up tight with magic. Ollivander suspects she would bake seven cakes a day if she was able. Instead, she knits. Knits and mothers. - So very much Molly to a T! Well done. (:
not turning into a magpie in her last quarter-century. - Laughter, too true. Although I will undoubtedly be an old magpie spinster; I appreciate Muriel just as much for not joining avian ranks. (;
Making yourself a target on principle is a Gryffindor thing to do. I’m a Slytherin, Ollivander; we pick our battles carefully. - I love house comparisons! This one is apt. Love intelligent Gryffindor vs. Slytherin vibes.
He is a keen studier of people, an observer of social currents and the tides of power. - I adore this line. I love his thoughts in the paragraph and his conclusion about Muriel. I smile to see a comment acknowledging that keen observers can exist within those who speak many words, rather than being limited to those of few.
“Well, excuse us for trying to make things bearable,” they say simultaneously. - Oh, Gred and Forge...this scene was so perfectly them. You are fantastic with staying IC for your characters.
Your house elf cooks the way I do. :P A process of purchasing everything and throwing it all together!
“A hike in the mountains?” he asks her. “Running into town?”
She sniffs. “You’re never too old for anything worth doing.” - Few truer statements have been made! I will have to remember that one for the future. Loved your paragraph on wands and their cores. Always thought that to be very true myself, the shifting of the witch/wizard and wand!
LOVED your mention of Luna Lovegood. Very true - her innocence is still very much intact, and if anyone can handle an apple and unicorn hair wand forever, it's Luna Lovegood. I'm glad Olliver remembers her so fondly. (:
Fantastic family study. I often sit and do the same with families - see who traces back to whom in looks, where the similarities and differences lay. Ollivander (and thus you!) did a brilliant job with it.
There is a glint of amusement in her eyes as she peers at him from beneath her lashes. - I can see the connection to Fred and George. I am really loving your Muriel. I think, when I'm done reading this fic, I will be just about ready to write a proper Muriel/Ollivander(/possible Xeno) fic for you, as you deserve!