Wand Core Supplier

From morning to noon, then on into the afternoon.

When Silvan finally looked up again, eight hours had passed.

He'd spent the entire eight hours repairing the thing. It was more exhausting than carving a whole new set.

Fortunately, the results were good.

The wand, which had been split into three pieces, was whole again, and all the spiderweb-like cracks had vanished.

The Mending Charm already present on the wand had played a major role in the process, greatly improving Silvan's efficiency.

"Is it fixed?" Hagrid asked nervously.

He'd stood there the whole time Silvan worked, without moving once.

"More or less." Silvan took out a long-necked bottle filled with green liquid and placed the wand inside.

"The Revival Potion can encourage the wand wood to grow again, healing the broken parts. Along with the Mending Charm it already has, your wand should be as good as new in about a week."

"Really?" Hagrid's eyes lit up as he carefully took the bottle Silvan held out to him.

"Of course," Silvan said. "You can still use your wand if you need to. It won't affect anything; just put it back in here afterward."

"That's wonderful. I don't even know how to thank you..."

"That's easy. Just bring me some Fantastic Beasts materials from the Forbidden Forest." Silvan smiled, making no effort to hide his motive.

He'd had this in mind for years, but hadn't had many chances to meet Hagrid.

"Of course, no problem." Hagrid agreed almost without hesitation. After a flurry of searching, he found a grimy cushion.

"What do you think of this?"

Hmm... a cushion woven from Unicorn Hair.

"Let's leave the Unicorn out of it." Silvan shook his head and didn't take it.

His grandfather, Ollivander, had already confirmed that the best Unicorn wand core was a whole tail hair. Silvan could turn other parts into wand cores, but there was no need.

They were all from the same kind of Fantastic Beast. If a tail hair was a perfect, hundred-point wand core material, then even if the other parts were fashioned into wand cores, they'd only score seventy points, or even fifty.

Why waste time making an inferior one when he could use a perfect one?

Unless Hagrid could get him a Unicorn heart... But even Ollivander couldn't get his hands on one. Unicorns merged with the earth soon after dying, so Silvan didn't expect it.

After that, Silvan told Hagrid what he was looking for.

Aside from Unicorns, for which he only wanted tail hairs, anything else would do: shells, scales, fur, teeth. He'd take whatever he could get, and dead Fantastic Beasts would be even better.

Hagrid hesitated for a long time at this request.

"That's wand-making," Silvan said softly. "It took my grandfather ten years to find the three wand cores best suited to him: Unicorn, Phoenix, and dragon."

"And that's the process I have to repeat. I need to find the wand cores that belong to me."

"But Mr. Ollivander has already found them, hasn't he?" Hagrid asked, puzzled. "Can't you use those wand cores?"

"I can, but if I do, I'll never become a top wandmaker."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not my grandfather," Silvan said. "Let me put it this way. Back when my great-grandmother ran the wand shop last century, wizards usually used Thunderbird feathers, Manticore tail spines, and Kelpie manes as wand cores."

"You can make wands with those?" Hagrid asked.

"Of course," Silvan said. "Kelpie mane makes the best Transfiguration wands, and Manticore tail spines make Dark Magic twice as effective. But my grandfather didn't like them. He always thought Kelpie mane smelled like seaweed."

Hagrid listened with great interest. He'd never known that the Ollivander Family had such an amusing story in its past.

He'd always thought that the thousands of wands in the Diagon Alley shop, and the way they were made, had been passed down from generation to generation.

"So you have to find your own wand cores too?" Hagrid seemed to understand.

"You could put it that way." Silvan nodded hesitantly.

His situation was different. He wasn't a wandmaker in the traditional sense.

After all, neither his grandfather nor his great-grandmother—not even anyone going back dozens of generations in the family tree—had ever managed to stuff a toad's tongue into a wand.

That meant he had more possibilities to try, and he had to start preparing as early as possible.

The Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts was a good place to start. With Hagrid's help, he wouldn't have to worry about running into danger. It was the best of both worlds.

At dusk, Silvan left Hagrid's hut.

Hagrid had agreed to his request, and had also promised to help him find a Bowtruckle nest.

After all, he had the wand cores covered, and couldn't neglect the wand wood. None of this was any trouble for Hagrid; he could take care of it while patrolling the Forbidden Forest.

However, Hagrid repeatedly warned Silvan not to sneak into the Forbidden Forest. If he did, Hagrid wouldn't help him again.

Silvan agreed without hesitation.

He was only a first-year. He'd have to be tired of living to go into the Forbidden Forest alone. Getting Hagrid's help was the safest option.

Silvan made it back to the castle just in time for dinner.

It was the first weekend after the start of term, and the Great Hall was buzzing with activity. Even Dumbledore was there, sitting at the High Table and chatting with Snape.

Farther to the left sat Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, and Professor Sprout, the Herbology professor.

"Hey, Silvan..."

Harry started waving from far away. "Where have you been? We've been looking for you all day."

"I was with Hagrid," Silvan said. "Remember? I had to fix something for him."

"Hagrid..." Harry paused, instinctively glancing at Ron beside him.

Ron happened to be looking at Harry too.

But when their eyes met, they both turned away at the same time.

Those two really couldn't keep a secret. Even Neville would have been able to tell something was off if he'd seen them now.

But Harry didn't say anything, and Silvan didn't ask.

He wasn't interested in the Chosen One's curiosity after entering the wizarding world. He had more important things to do.

Dinner was more lavish than usual, with corn soup and large steaks. It tasted pretty good too.

Beside him, Harry and Ron were discussing Malfoy from Slytherin. Silvan caught a few words. Apparently, they'd run into him in the corridor that morning and had exchanged some harsh words.

Ron also asked Silvan what he thought, but Silvan didn't say anything.

After he'd been sorted into Gryffindor, Malfoy's enthusiasm for him had plummeted. They hadn't spoken since.

Silvan just didn't know why Malfoy still hadn't asked for his deposit back—the one he'd paid on the boat for the color-changing spray.

It was about thirty Galleons.

Malfoy had neither canceled the order nor paid the balance. It was as if he'd forgotten all about it.

But Silvan wasn't in a hurry, so he was even less concerned.