The Wand Chooses the Wizard

After Harry withdrew his money, another half hour passed.

When Dumbledore reappeared in the Gringotts hall, he was carrying a pouch and a small, grimy paper package in his hands.

He tucked the paper package into his robe and handed the pouch to Tom.

"Here are two hundred Galleons. Plan their use well—it will be more than enough to ensure you never have to worry about living expenses for your entire first year."

Dumbledore added, "If you can guarantee excellent grades every year, I wouldn't mind paying out of my own pocket to prepare a generous scholarship for you."

He truly cared deeply about Tom and, to ensure Tom wouldn't be distracted from his studies in the future, had specially prepared Galleons as a reward.

"Thank you, Professor. I will definitely plan the use of this money carefully."

Tom opened the pouch and found that the space inside was much larger than the outside; it must have been enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm.

He hadn't expected that his first contact with the magical world would involve milking Old Dumbledore for gold.

As for Galleons, having enough was fine; too many didn't mean much. What truly mattered was one's own strength.

Suddenly, Dumbledore thought of something else and quickly added, "Hogwarts doesn't have a scholarship system. Be sure not to mention this to anyone, or I'm afraid some might say I'm playing favorites."

After all, he was the headmaster of Hogwarts, and openly favoring a particular student wouldn't look good to outsiders.

"Yes, I understand."

"Come on, let's go buy a wand." Dumbledore then walked ahead.

"A wand is a wizard's most important tool."

The two of them nodded and followed Dumbledore out of Gringotts.

The trio arrived at Ollivanders Wand Shop, where the sign clearly read, "Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C."

As they pushed open the heavy wooden door, the brass bell above it let out a crisp jingle.

"Welcome, Mr. Dumbledore." A soft voice rang out, and from among the towering piles of wand boxes, a silver-haired old man slowly emerged.

"I recall your last visit to my shop was in the autumn of 1971. You brought a rather withdrawn child with you, and he left after purchasing an eleven-and-a-quarter-inch cypress wand with a Unicorn tail hair core."

Dumbledore gave a helpless smile. "Mr. Ollivander, if Merlin were still alive, I'm afraid even he would envy your memory."

"Ha, not that exaggerated. I simply love wands too much."

Garrick Ollivander stepped forward, shook hands with Dumbledore, and then looked down at the two children beside him.

After a careful analysis, his eyes lit up, and he immediately turned back to rummage through the vast array of boxes, beginning to select wands.

"If I'm not mistaken, one of you is the famous Mr. Potter, and the other is..." Ollivander chatted idly, half to himself.

"Tom. Tom Riddle." Dumbledore introduced him proactively.

Crash—

Ollivander stumbled, taking an entire wall of boxes down with him, and was buried under a heap of wand cases.

"Mr. Ollivander, are you alright?!"

Before Dumbledore could take a step, Tom had already rushed to Ollivander's side and helped him up from the pile of wands.

"Merlin's wand... I must have been working too hard on wand-making lately. I should give myself a few days off."

Ollivander knew his reaction had been excessive. The world was big enough for some name-sharing. As an older wizard, he really ought to be more composed.

"Mr. Riddle, it's a pleasure to serve you. Please stand still for a moment."

He pulled out a tape measure, which began automatically measuring Tom's body, while with his other hand he waved his wand, sending the scattered wands flying back to their shelves on the wall.

"The wand chooses the wizard, Mr. Riddle. Every wand is unique, just like every wizard."

After the measurements were done, Ollivander selected one from among the flying boxes, opened it, and presented it to Tom.

"...Let's try this one first. Eleven inches, cypress, Unicorn tail hair.

Cypress represents 'bravery and steadfastness,' and Unicorn tail hair represents 'loyalty and closeness.'" Ollivander had deliberately chosen a wand whose qualities were the complete opposite of the Dark Lord's temperament.

Tom took the wand, and as soon as he waved it, the surrounding wand boxes began to shake violently. The boxes he had just tidied seemed ready to collapse again.

Seeing this, Ollivander snatched the wand back immediately.

"Clearly, not this one."

"Then how about this? Twelve inches, Alder, Dragon heartstring."

The moment Tom took it, a burst of flame shot from the wand tip.

"No, still no."

Over the next ten minutes or so, Ollivander brought out many more wands, testing Harry along the way as well.

He wanted to prove that the person Dumbledore had brought today was not another Dark Lord, so the wands he gave Tom were all made from materials with more positive symbolic meanings.

One after another failed, and just as Ollivander's expression was growing increasingly grim—

A golden light flared at the tip of Tom's wand, blooming into a beautiful flower in midair.

It worked.

"Thirteen inches, walnut wood, dragon heartstring. It represents intelligence, wit, and formidable elegance. This wand has an excellent compatibility with you."

Ollivander's suspended heart could finally settle.

It seemed the wizarding world wouldn't need to endure a third calamity.

Tom felt the warmth radiating from the wand in his hand. Though a flicker of excitement stirred within him, a trace of confusion lingered as well. Was this truly the wand best suited for him?

Meanwhile, Harry stood nearby, holding a new wand of his own—yew wood, Phoenix Tail Feather, thirteen and a half inches long.

The moment he swung it—

Bang!

A burst of flame erupted from the wand's tip.

The sudden force caught Harry off guard, and the wand slipped from his grasp. It arced through the air before landing, without deviation, straight into Tom's hand.

The next instant, a blaze of golden light flared. The entire wand shop, which had grown slightly chilly from the steady drizzle outside, warmed considerably under its influence.

"Merlin's Socks..." Ollivander's eyelids twitched uncontrollably.

If his memory served him right, that was a wand identical in type to Voldemort's. Though the core didn't come from the same phoenix, the wood was harvested from the same yew tree.

It took him a long moment before he could speak again. "An even higher compatibility... This wand seems more suited for... you."

Wands chose the wizard, that much was true. But a wand leaping so eagerly into a wizard's hand—this was something he had never witnessed before.

"You will accomplish great things, Mr. Riddle."

As he spoke, Ollivander glanced toward Dumbledore, his eyes brimming with countless question marks.

He truly wanted to ask—was this child not Voldemort reincarnated? Based on the current display alone, wouldn't it be perfectly justified to send him straight to Azkaban?

To that, Dumbledore merely shook his head silently.

If this had been before, he might have been tempted to use Legilimency on Tom. But after witnessing his friendship with Harry and his kindness and selflessness in the vault...

He believed it was all just coincidence. Though the coincidences were happening a little... a lot more often than usual.

Seeing Dumbledore's unwavering stance, Ollivander could only sigh.

"That will be 7 Galleons, Mr. Riddle."

"Yes." Tom pulled 14 Galleons from his pocket and placed them on the counter.

"Wands are made of wood and can break, so I'd like to keep a spare."

Back in second year, Ron's wand had snapped, and during that time, he couldn't cast a single proper spell, his studies falling behind as a result.

Now that he had money on hand, buying an extra wand was no burden for Tom.

There was such a thing as Brother Wands. Even someone as powerful as Voldemort couldn't overcome the Brother Wand advantage to kill Harry outright during his school days. To be safe, Tom wanted a backup.

No, wait—what if the backup broke too when facing Brother Wands? Should he get a backup for the backup?