"Clink, clank..."
The bell rang as Voldemort entered a tiny, shabby shop. The first thing he saw was thousands of long, narrow boxes stacked almost to the ceiling.
"Rattle..."
A sliding ladder appeared from one side, with an old man standing on it. He was none other than the shopkeeper, Mr. Ollivander.
"Quirrell?"
He jumped down from the ladder in surprise and walked over to Voldemort. "It's wonderful to see you again. You shouldn't have gone to the Forbidden Forest; it was far too dangerous."
Voldemort nodded in full agreement. "If you'd advised me sooner, there's a good chance I would have given up, especially after what happened."
"What happened?"
Mr. Ollivander asked in confusion, then saw the Alder wand Voldemort had taken out. A look of horror flashed across his pale eyes. "Good heavens, what happened to it?"
Mr. Ollivander snatched up the wand, his eyes nearly pressed against it as he muttered, "It's dead... Good heavens, what did it go through?... I can almost hear its despairing cries..."
"It was Dark Magic."
Voldemort said softly, "A Vampire put a Blood Curse on me. While she was chasing me, I had no choice but to..."
His face showed sorrow. Thanks to Quirrell's acting lessons, he had learned a thing or two himself.
"Oh, my boy, it'll be all right. You'll be all right..."
At last, Mr. Ollivander lifted his gaze from the Alder wand and looked at Voldemort.
What a kind old man, Voldemort thought.
"You need a new wand. Trust me, wizards who are good at using Dark Magic will find it difficult to earn a Unicorn tail hair's approval." Mr. Ollivander wiped the fingerprints off the Alder wand as he spoke.
"I thought so too, but it means a great deal to me. You know, it was my first wand. It accompanied me throughout my entire time at Hogwarts, so..."
Voldemort gazed at the Alder wand with deep affection.
"You want to replace its core?"
Mr. Ollivander asked, then shook his head firmly. "That would be very difficult. Every wand is unique, and after its core is replaced, it might no longer suit you."
"I had the same concern," Voldemort said, explaining his thoughts. "So I'd like a new wand, while also having this old one repaired. You know, even if it's not as easy to use, I still want to keep it with me."
"Only someone softhearted would think that way."
Mr. Ollivander nodded, his gaze toward Quirrell growing even kinder. "You're a kind boy."
Voldemort offered an appropriately bashful smile, then pressed his lips together, refusing to answer.
"Then let's find you a new wand first. A wizard can't be without one."
Mr. Ollivander spoke excitedly. He carefully set the Alder wand in a box nearby and began looking for a new wand for him.
"Ten and a quarter inches, made of Alder. A good wand for casting spells. Try..."
The moment he handed the wand to Voldemort, Mr. Ollivander snatched it back.
"Perhaps Alder no longer suits you. Let's try something else: Beech wood and Serpent nerve. Nine inches, quite supple... No, not this one either..."
"Maple wood, Phoenix feather. Seven inches. Springy... A fussy customer. Let me think..."
After many attempts, they still hadn't found a suitable wand.
In truth, Voldemort wasn't surprised. Before coming here, he had suspected this might happen: the mismatch between his body and soul was bound to make choosing a wand difficult.
The repeated attempts continued until a wand was finally brought before him.
"Holly wood, Phoenix feather, eleven inches, with good flexibility..."
Voldemort hesitated...
If he picked it up, it might well suit him. After all, this was the wand his Horcrux used.
But the wand's core was very unusual. If Old Bee noticed...
"Do you have any Yew wood wands?"
Voldemort asked, refusing to take the wand. "Going to the Forbidden Forest and using Dark Magic felt like being reborn. If it were Yew wood, I think..."
"An excellent idea!"
Mr. Ollivander cried, "Yew wood's loyalty is also one of your traits. Your refusal to give up the Alder wand has already shown just how strong that quality is in you."
As he spoke, he took the Holly wood wand back behind the counter. After rummaging around, he brought out another wand.
"Ten and a half inches, paired with a Phoenix feather. With prolonged use, you could... Oh, she's rejected you of her own accord, though I don't know why..."
"Then let's try Unicorn tail hair once more. Perhaps... No, that won't work either..."
"As for Dragon Heartstring, I remember trying that once before. But pairing a powerful wand with a powerful core isn't necessarily the best choice..."
Mr. Ollivander muttered to himself as he rummaged through the boxes. At last, in an inconspicuous corner, he found a dusty box.
"Thirteen and a half inches, Yew wood, with a Dragon heartstring core. Extremely powerful, but very strong-willed. It'll be hard to tame. Perhaps..."
Before Mr. Ollivander could finish, Voldemort took the wand and felt the magic inside him surge.
At the same time, a fire dragon rose from the wand and circled around it.
"It's chosen you."
Mr. Ollivander said in surprise, then cautioned him carefully, "Watch your wand. Two powerful forces joining together aren't necessarily the best combination. At least, that's never been the case with wands."
"What qualities does it have?"
Feeling the wand respond readily in his hand, Voldemort asked, "I mean, what do you think will happen when Yew wood and Dragon Heartstring are paired?"
"Both materials are powerful, but I must say that the claim that people who use Yew wood wands are more easily drawn to Dark Magic is pure nonsense."
Mr. Ollivander said earnestly, "The greatest purpose of a Yew wood wand is to protect. Just look at the wizards buried with Yew wands. The wands turn into Yew trees and guard their masters' graves until they die."
Voldemort nodded thoughtfully, agreeing with Mr. Ollivander.
"But Dragon heartstring is entirely different. Without prejudice, it's a difficult core to handle. It can produce powerful magic, but it's drawn to Dark Magic and to the strong."
After finishing, Mr. Ollivander leaned closer to Voldemort and said softly, "Beware of its betrayal, especially when facing a powerful Dark wizard. It will instinctively submit to the strong."
Voldemort nodded, but wondered which Dark wizards were more powerful than he was.
"Next, let's try different cores for your Alder wand. You'll need to choose one to repair your old wand."
Mr. Ollivander said, bringing out several Alder wands with different cores.
Voldemort stepped aside to let Quirrell take over. It wasn't long before Quirrell chose a Phoenix feather. It seemed Quirrell really had changed; at the very least, his soul was no longer compatible with Unicorn tail hair.
By the time everything was finished, night had fallen completely, but Voldemort's trip to Diagon Alley wasn't over yet.
After bidding Mr. Ollivander farewell, he walked along the winding street until he stopped across the street from a dark alley.
That was the final destination of his trip: Knockturn Alley.
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