Showing Off Is a Disease That Needs Curing / Ginny's Thanks and Warning

"Very good, I'm sure it will be of help to you." Ollivander waved his wand, and a silvery-white smoke ring shot out from the tip.

"Then the last one is, Miss Granger." After Cedric Diggory, he finally got Hermione's wand.

"Ah, yes... I remember it perfectly." Ollivander seemed somewhat excited as he stroked the wand. "Hollywood, eleven inches long, with a Phoenix Feather inside, from Dumbledore's phoenix. It also has a twin brother's wand, which is..."

"Mr. Ollivander, you should continue examining Hermione's wand."

Dumbledore reminded him from behind, and the wand maker quickly realized his mistake and began to examine the wand more thoroughly.

He examined the wand longer than the others, and after a long while, he sprayed a stream of wine from it before finally declaring it to be in excellent condition.

But as he returned the wand to Hermione, he seemed quite emotional.

"Miss Granger, I originally thought that this wand in your hand should belong to Mr. Granger, but it chose you in the end, so that Mr. Granger did not choose any wand from me."

"Uh... I guess so." Hermione hesitated slightly. She wanted to say that Harry had chosen the wand for her, but then thought better of it.

Mr. Ollivander has always been extremely confident in his profession, and although Hermione is now more knowledgeable and somewhat dismissive of this, she doesn't feel the need to point it out on the spot.

However, despite her thoughts, Mr. Ollivander had no intention of stopping there.

Using Hermione's Holly Wand, he surprisingly steered the conversation toward Harry: "I've heard that Mr. Granger also has his own wand. May I have the pleasure of examining it?"

"You want to see my wand?" Harry paused for a moment, then he realized what Ollivander was up to.

However, since the other party wanted to see it, Harry didn't think it was a big deal, so he gave Silver Cage an order not to attack it indiscriminately, and then handed the wand to Ollivander.

"Hmm... this is craftsmanship from America, isn't it?" Ollivander frowned and examined it. "I'm not very familiar with wand makers there. Whose work is this?"

"This is a wand specially made for me by Mrs. Hickaba Wolfe, who came all the way to Britain herself," Harry explained earnestly.

Although the wandmaker was somewhat eccentric, it's undeniable that the Ginkgo Wand she made did indeed help Harry a lot, and Harry has always been grateful to her.

"I see, I knew it." Ollivander nodded confidently. "In Europe, wand makers always prioritize simplicity in their designs and never add any metal. The wand core and shaft together form the perfect wand structure; any complex decorations might actually hinder its performance."

"However, wand makers in America don't seem to think that way. They always prefer to add some flashy, impractical designs, though, if you, Mr. Granger, find that too ostentatious..."

"Mr. Ollivander, do you really think... these decorations on my wand are just plain fancy?" Harry asked pointedly, "Would you like to take a closer look?"

"Mr. Granger, I've been examining it carefully." Ollivander seemed oblivious to Harry's change in attitude, continuing to scrutinize the wand in his hand. "The shaft is...wood from the East, but not redwood, and I can't sense any particular character in it; the core...yes, it's the legendary Thunderbird Feather most commonly used by the Wolf family; the sterling silver handle, besides being non-slip, probably serves no other purpose; it's twelve inches long and extremely resilient..."

Hehe~

Harry rolled his eyes inwardly in exasperation. To think Mr. Ollivander had treated a perfectly good wand like this, showing absolutely no sign of being unaware of its flaws.

He realized that Mr. Ollivander didn't recognize ginkgo wood at all, nor could he understand the unique double-core design of the staff, or the true purpose of the silver cage with Occamy Egg.

Even so, he still insisted on criticizing and finding fault with every little detail, relying on his professional expertise.

This really is exactly the same as when they first met...

Then confront him!

(P. S. Something came up, so Chapter 3 is a bit late. Sorry everyone~)

Chapter 635 Showing off one's superiority is a disease that needs to be cured.

Garrick Ollivander comes from a family of wand makers, whose lineage is said to have been selling fine wands since 382 BC. He is also one of the three most famous wand makers in Europe.

However, ever since their first meeting, Harry and Ollivander have never gotten along. This is certainly due to Harry's own unpleasant personality, but Harry has always been skeptical of the ideas that Ollivander has been trying to promote.

It's absurd that a perfectly good wizard has to be chosen and arranged by a wand!

Moreover, Harry couldn't help but sneer inwardly whenever he saw Ollivander's arrogance regarding wands.

Admittedly, Ollivander was not an arrogant person; he simply enjoyed displaying his sense of superiority in various situations.

The problem is, if you want to show off, just do it yourself. Why do you always have to use belittling others to elevate yourself?

So you think you're the only amazing wand maker in the whole world, and everyone else is just full of flaws, right?

"Mr. Ollivander, please give me back my wand." Seeing that the other man seemed about to wave his wand, Harry calmly stopped him, "My wand, you can't use it."

"Mr. Granger, I'm just conducting a simple test, you don't need to worry at all."

Clearly, Ollivander completely ignored Harry's words and simply waved his wand...

Of course, the result was even more obvious, because nothing actually happened.

"What... what's going on?" Ollivander waved his hand a few more times, refusing to believe it, but just like before, he couldn't release a single spell.

He examined the wand in his hand with a puzzled look, but no matter how he checked, he could only discern the same information as before.

"Mr. Ollivander, didn't I just tell you that you can't use this wand?" Harry casually waved his hand, and the wand seemed to be drawn back to Harry.

With a gentle flick of the wrist, a burst of dazzling fireworks immediately erupted from the tip of the cane.

"Mr. Ollivander, you are undoubtedly an excellent and professional wand maker, but when you're showing off your expertise, could you please listen to what others are saying?" Harry stroked his wand. "And just now, your comments were also biased, and your evaluation of my wand was even more inaccurate."

"Mr. Granger, you say my assessment wasn't accurate enough?" Mr. Ollivander's expression gradually darkened. "Then I'll have to listen to your explanation, because in my opinion, apart from the wood of the wand, which I've never seen before, the other characteristics of this wand are simply..."

"There are many other features you haven't noticed." Harry gently raised the wand in his hand. "First of all, its shaft is made of ginkgo wood, which is unique to China. This wand wood does not have an overt character, but it is inclusive enough to accept various different types of power. Based on this characteristic, my wand is compatible with two types of cores. The Thunderbird Feather you mentioned earlier is only half right."

"Impossible!" Mr. Ollivander rejected the idea without hesitation. "Mr. Granger, I know you have many grievances against me, but you can't just spout such irresponsible nonsense here! I'm telling you from my professional perspective, since the invention of the wand, there has never been such a thing as a double wand core!"

"But believe it or not, I'm telling the truth." Harry shook his head slightly. "The Thunderbird Feather you found was actually ground into powder and poured into those grooves you previously looked down upon. In reality, it's just an external secondary core. The true core of this wand is hidden within the wand wood, which unfortunately you couldn't detect."

"Is... is that really true?" Ollivander exclaimed in surprise. "Then what exactly is the other core of the staff?"

"I'm sorry, I can't tell you today."

Harry wasn't doing this purely to target Ollivander, but because Igor Karkaroff, a former Death Eater, was also present. Harry had to keep the secret of his wand core to himself, lest that guy actually tipped off Voldemort.

"Finally, the silver cage at the end of the wand is not just for decoration. This silver is actually a specially crafted Occamy Egg. This fluid material ensures that this wand will only be used by me."

To Ollivander's astonishment, the sterling silver patterns suddenly came alive, flowing and extending until they transformed into a glove that perfectly enveloped Harry's right hand.

"Finally, Mr. Ollivander, you were able to touch my wand because I gave it the command not to harm you. But if you touch it without permission, then this is what it will do!"

A sharp, cracking sound, like a silver bottle shattering, suddenly rang out. Sharp silver spikes had sprung up on Harry's right-hand silver glove, making him look like a hedgehog in a defensive stance.

Everyone gasped in shock at the sight, realizing that if they were to grab it rashly, their hands would surely be pierced with more than one hole!

"Mr. Granger, you...you and your wand, you are simply..."

Mr. Ollivander's face alternated between pale and flushed, as if he had no idea what to say.

The barely suppressed anger in his gaze toward Harry grew stronger and stronger.

This kid is like his nemesis, always trampling on his ideas and making him suffer humiliation time and time again...

"Mr. Ollivander, you're very angry right now, aren't you? And don't you feel embarrassed too?"

"You... what did you say?" Ollivander was stunned when he suddenly heard Harry's voice, because the other person had actually guessed his thoughts.

"So now you understand just how uncomfortable it is to have your problems pointed out so bluntly?"

"I...I know there might be some conflict between us," Mr. Ollivander said, his voice heavy with suppressed emotion. "But Mr. Granger, why..."

"Because you haven't given due respect and objective evaluation to the work of other wandmakers!" Harry interrupted Ollivander's questioning coldly. "Even though you are a world-renowned wandmaker, on this occasion, you have only been invited to inspect wands. Your job is to confirm whether the wands perform well, not to arbitrarily criticize their materials and design! Moreover, even if you really can't resist the urge to comment, you should at least maintain the most basic objectivity!"

"I... I've always been perfectly objective!" Ollivander, furious, abandoned all restraint and shouted at Harry.

"Yes, you've always been very objective in praising the wands you make, but what about the ones you make for others?" Harry shook his head with a hint of sarcasm. "Miss Delacour and Viktor Krum's wands are both made by renowned craftsmen. Besides their unique designs, they also have their own advantages... I'm sure you can see that."

"But you completely ignored all of that, and instead, in front of the wand user, casually belittled the material and the maker's design philosophy. I don't think your self-righteous evaluation is what you call objective!"

Chapter 636 Ginny's Thanks and Reminder

Well... although it might be a bit harsh to say that, Ollivander got himself into this mess.

Many people think Harry's personality is like a firecracker, and even Harry himself thinks so. But there's a prerequisite... for a firecracker to explode, someone has to light it.

Hogwarts, and indeed the entire Britain Wizarding World, has never lacked those who would deliberately stir up trouble, Ollivander was one of them.

Showing off is fine, and showing off isn't illegal in itself. But if you show off and flaunt your superiority regardless of the occasion or location, then you're asking for trouble.

Phoebe and Viktor Krum's wands were undoubtedly excellent and perfectly suited their personalities, but Ollivander ignored their merits and instead talked about the Veela's sensitive and capricious hair, and how Gregorovitch's design concept was inferior to his own, etc.

That's not all; he even went so far as to criticize Harry himself. If he didn't get roasted, who would?

Of course, the conflict between Harry and Ollivander went beyond that. He had actually wanted to give the old man a piece of his mind for a long time, but he refrained from going to his shop to yell at him out of consideration for the old man's feelings.

Garrick Ollivander was one of the most vocal opponents of Harry's revision of History of Magic.

What he particularly opposed was Harry's plan to replace wizarding history with the history of ordinary people.

This is somewhat ironic, because Ollivander himself was of Half-blood; his mother was a commoner, yet he refused to acknowledge the history of ordinary people... especially the period before Christ.

However, this is not entirely incomprehensible. After all, if Harry were to truly overturn that part of wizarding history and replace it with the version circulating among ordinary people, then everything the Ollivander Family boasted about, such as their founding history in 382 BC and their 'noble' status as ancestors who came to Britain with Roman merchants, would ultimately become worthless lies.

It's quite pitiful, really, but Harry won't sympathize with him, nor will he feel any guilt whatsoever.

Just as he didn't care at all about the reputations of the Slytherin House Pure-blood Family that he had trampled underfoot.

Indeed, Harry was trampling on their reputations and even shattering their honor with his own hands. But if what these people hold onto is fundamentally wrong, yet they insist on flaunting it...

What's wrong with smashing it?!

The wand inspection by the Champion naturally ended unhappily because of Harry's outburst against Ollivander.

The interview with The Witch Weekly was also featured on the front page of their latest issue.

As Harry expected, the content was indeed bland and uninspiring, with nothing to offer except for a few meaningless phrases like "wishing the Champion good results."

When Harry saw that article, he kept thinking that if Rita Skeeter were to interview him, she would definitely first fabricate some rumors about Cedric Diggory and Phoebe, then make up a bunch of conspiracies hidden beneath Viktor Krum's gloomy exterior, and finally publish all of Harry's rants about Ollivander, while also criticizing the Ministry of Magic for its incompetence.

Unfortunately, The Witch Weekly lacked that kind of boldness. As it turns out, peripheral publications like this, which can only survive in the cracks and rely on others without any backing, cannot seize the opportunity to rise to prominence even if given the chance to take center stage.

In the entire Britain Wizarding World, only the Quibbler and The Daily Prophet have the power to influence public opinion, because Harry and the Ministry of Magic stand behind these two companies respectively, and their battles over public opinion are nothing more than a microcosm of political struggles.

Currently, the balance of power is gradually tilting towards Harry's side. Even with Albus Dumbledore's secret assistance from the Ministry of Magic, it is still difficult to reverse the increasingly obvious decline.

Moreover, the Ministry of Magic has to deal with more than just Harry himself...

Two weeks later, when Harry and Hermione came to pick up Luna Lovegood after class and were about to head to the alchemy lab, Ginny suddenly approached them looking rather flustered.

"Weasley, is there anything I can help you with?"

Harry looked at Ginny with a puzzled expression and asked, a form of address that only intensified Ginny's sense of loss.

She certainly hoped Harry would call her by her name, as intimately as he would call Hermione or Luna Lovegood, but Harry never treated her as a friend... no, not even a friend, just a nodding acquaintance.

However... after today, their relationship might make a breakthrough.

Ginny had been hoping for this, and if Harry hadn't reminded her, she probably would have stood there indefinitely daydreaming.

"Weasley, if there's nothing else, we'll be leaving now."

"Oh... yes!" Ginny, regaining her composure, blushed and hurriedly explained, "I... I just wanted to thank you. My dad... he was recently injured and is now recuperating at St Mungo's's. My mother went to take care of him. She wrote that if it weren't for your reminder, Harry, Dad might have been in real danger! Fred and George also wanted to thank you in person, but they haven't been able to see you much lately..."

"Mr. Weasley is injured?" Harry was taken aback. "When did this happen?"

"Just a few days ago, he and Mr. Scrimgeour were both injured, and quite seriously..." Ginny seemed a little shaken as she recalled the incident. "But thankfully, they're both alright now."

"That's good... But I didn't do anything to help with this. If you want to thank someone, thank Mr. Scrimgeour."

Harry could roughly guess that Arthur Weasley was injured by the Death Eater invaded the Ministry of Magic, and that the reason he had his wife write to the Weasley at school was actually to have the children relay the message to him, thus trying to curry favor with him.

It seems that Scrimgeour didn't follow his advice to take leave and lay low. Instead, he told Arthur, the deputy head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, about the matter. As a result, the two of them were taken down by the Death Eater.

Harry didn't know if the Ministry of Magic had suffered any other losses, but he estimated that Voldemort had probably retrieved his wand.

It's good~

"Oh, right, there's one more thing..." Ginny hesitated for a moment, then reminded him somewhat urgently, "Harry, I know you're worried about Hermione, but... you absolutely can't be the referee for the first match!"

"What did you say?" Harry frowned immediately.

He acted as referee alongside Moody, a decision Dumbledore had already agreed to, because Harry needed to keep Hermione in his sight at all times.

But now, Ginny Weasley says he can't be the referee for the first match, which leaves Harry very puzzled.