Wand (Part 2)

Ollivander was pulled from his thoughts. After glancing at Luke, he looked in the direction Luke was pointing.

When he saw the target Luke had chosen, his brows furrowed again.

Still, he drew his wand from his sleeve and gave it a light flick, causing the box to float down from its high perch into his hand.

He returned to Luke, opened the box, and took out a wand that looked exquisitely crafted yet ancient, with an understated air about it.

"Try this one first."

He handed the wand to Luke without introducing it.

Professor McGonagall sensed that something was off with Ollivander. After Luke took the wand, she tightened her grip on her own, ready to intervene at any moment. If a wand truly went out of control, the damage it could cause was no small matter.

Of course, most of that harm would backlash onto the wand's owner. So she stared closely at Luke, afraid that something might happen to him. Without realizing it, Professor McGonagall had not focused much attention on Harry for some time now. Luke made her even more nervous.

The instant Luke took the wand, he experienced the sensation of being completely in tune with it.

Vaguely, he seemed to hear something calling to him.

At that moment, the wand felt like a part of his body. With a light tap, the vase Harry had broken earlier instantly pieced itself back together and returned to its original state.

Feeling the wand's delight in his hand, Luke could not help but smile.

"I didn't expect your compatibility with this wand to be so high."

Ollivander was somewhat astonished. It had been a long time since he had seen a wizard and wand so well matched.

"Is there something unusual about this wand, Mr. Ollivander?" Professor McGonagall could not help asking. If the wand posed a safety risk, then no matter how well it suited Luke, she could not let him use it—at the very least, not as his regular wand.

"Yes, Professor McGonagall. I made this wand recently. What makes it different is that I used a core material I had never used before, one that, throughout history, only one person has ever used."

Then, looking at Luke, who was also watching him, he said, "Ten and a half inches, vine wood, sensitive and proactive, and fond of wizards with lofty ambitions. As for the core... it is a dorsal spine from a White River Monster. So far, its known effects are to make spells more powerful and to give cast spells a more elegant form."

The first effect was similar to Fire Dragon Heartstring, while the latter sounded somewhat useless. Would the green light be a little brighter when casting the Killing Curse?

"White River Monster dorsal spines... Thiago Quintana's exclusive material. Those things live in Arkansas, North America. And supposedly, no one but him knows how to capture White River Monsters."

After searching his memory for a moment, Hagrid spoke with some puzzlement.

Ollivander nodded and gave Hagrid a surprised, approving look. "You truly are Hogwarts' Gamekeeper, sir. Your knowledge is indeed extensive."

Harry looked at Hagrid in surprise. He did not know just how obscure that information was, but even Professor McGonagall looked somewhat astonished, making Harry feel that Hagrid was very impressive.

Hagrid scratched his head a little sheepishly. Then he immediately asked, "Mr. Ollivander, do you know how to capture White River Monsters too?"

Ollivander shook his head. "No. This was merely a leftover piece of material sold to me by a younger member of the Quintana Family. Let alone me, even they themselves do not know how to capture White River Monsters."

Hagrid's expression was complicated, both regretful and relieved.

Luke could understand that feeling. Hagrid regretted losing the chance to capture or even see a White River Monster, but he was also relieved that he did not have to worry about this Magical Creature being slaughtered in large numbers.

Ollivander turned his gaze back to Luke and continued, "Mr. Gaunt, I had not intended to sell this wand, which is why I placed it in the unused section at the very top. But I did not expect your compatibility with it to be so high. So I will leave the choice to you. I do not know what unique effects this wand might have, because as far as I know, even Thiago has never tried combining vine wood with a river monster spine."

"If you are willing to take the risk, then I can sell this wand to you."

Ollivander spoke with great sincerity. He truly did not wish to sell a wand whose effects he could not determine. It went against his principles. After all, who knew whether this wand might have hidden flaws—or extraordinary benefits?

But aside from the compatibility, the child's identity also made him willing to make an exception. If anything went wrong, with his help and that of the Hogwarts professors, the child would not suffer any real loss. And if it turned out to have some wonderful use, then he would consider it a gift to the child—or rather, a greeting gift for the head of the Gaunt Family.

Luke did not hesitate. Without a second thought, he said, "Of course I'm willing."

It was a joke. A wand that suited him this perfectly was something one could only hope to encounter. Taking a little risk was well worth it.

Ollivander was not surprised by that answer.

"Then if anything unusual occurs, whether good or bad, please contact me. I would like to keep an eye on whether this combination has any special effects."

"Of course, Mr. Ollivander. Thank you."

Naturally, Luke would not refuse. Wands did not exactly come with after-sales service, and Ollivander was already taking exceptionally good care of him.

"May I ask the price, sir?"

"Seven Galleons, child. A fair price for all."

Ollivander winked at Luke mischievously. That was the price of the relatively ordinary wands in his shop. Yet all three wands Luke had handled were among the finest of the finest. If he truly intended to sell them, pricing them ten times higher would not have been a problem.

But even setting aside how unusually pleasing he found the child, the Gaunt Family changing from extinct to having a head again was itself something worth celebrating for the Noble Circle.

A wand was not too extravagant a gift.

Luke naturally understood the implication. He took seven gold coins from his pocket and handed them to Ollivander.

"Thank you for your generosity," Luke said.

"Congratulations on the return of the Gaunt Family," Ollivander said.

After today, word of the Gaunt Family's return would likely spread throughout the entire Noble Circle very quickly.