The Wand Chooses the Wizard

In the eastern market, she bought a fine horse,

In the western market, a saddle and blanket,

In the southern market, a bridle,

In the northern market, a long whip.

The author of Mulan's Ballad had used interlocking lines, yet somehow described exactly how women shopped.

Under Professor McGonagall's guidance, Li Wei also made his way through the entirety of Diagon Alley:

At Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, he bought school robes and a pointed hat;

At Flourish and Blotts, amid shelves packed with magical books, he purchased his first-year textbooks;

At Potage's Cauldron Shop, Li Wei bought the cauldron, crystal phials, telescope, and scales required by the school;

At the Magical Menagerie and Eeylops Owl Emporium, Li Wei merely browsed around. Under the reluctant gazes of the owls and little animals, he left without buying anything;

However, when they passed a place called Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, Professor McGonagall paid for both herself and Li Wei to have nutty ice cream. It gave Li Wei his first taste of handmade Wizarding World desserts, which truly were more delicious than industrial products.

Sitting with Professor McGonagall on a roadside bench meant for pedestrians, eating ice cream as the cool breeze drifted by, Li Wei felt exceptionally at ease. His mind relaxed considerably.

"Li Wei, when we were at the Magical Menagerie just now, you seemed to really like those adorable little animals. Why didn't you buy one as a pet?"

"Even an owl would be useful for delivering letters or packages!"

Professor McGonagall, the old cat lady, was eating ice cream as well when she curiously asked Li Wei.

Hogwarts was a boarding school of magic. Young wizards separated from their families might gain the friendship of classmates, but they would still lack the companionship of family.

If they had a pet by their side, perhaps their loneliness and fear would lessen considerably.

Professor McGonagall asked because she hoped Li Wei could have a pet to keep him company and ease the loneliness of being an orphan.

"Professor, I want to take care of myself and do well in my studies before I think about caring for a pet. If I can't even take care of myself, having another pet would probably turn everything into a mess!"

Li Wei explained himself to Professor McGonagall, though in truth, he was merely making an excuse.

Although Wizarding World pets were more intelligent and spiritually aware than ordinary pets, and could often help young wizards,

to be honest, Li Wei did not think much of them. If possible, he would rather raise a magical creature.

Besides, when he had browsed the magical creature pet shop earlier, he had loaded a brand-new MOD:

[Magical creature pets detected. Pokémon MOD loading...]

[Loading complete. Congratulations, host, you have obtained the Pokémon MOD!]

As another world-class IP, Li Wei naturally knew the name Pokémon. With clever, adorable, and exceptionally capable Pokémon as pets and companions, he had even less desire to buy some ordinary pet!

"Sigh... You're so sensible that you hardly seem like a child at all!"

Professor McGonagall sighed at his words, not knowing what to say. She could only stroke Li Wei's black hair fondly.

After they finished their ice cream by the roadside and drove away the summer heat, they checked the shopping list and discovered that only one final item remained unpurchased—his wand.

"Come with me. Let's go to the best wand shop in Diagon Alley!"

Professor McGonagall stood and took the lead.

Li Wei rose with her, but silently added, It's also the only wand shop in Diagon Alley. How could it not be the best?

Following Professor McGonagall, Li Wei arrived at the entrance of Ollivanders.

The peeling gold sign read: Ollivander, Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC.

He looked up at it, finding it hard to believe that this shabby little shop before him was Ollivanders, the store that dominated Britain's entire wand market.

If every wizard were compared to a warrior, then Ollivander was Britain's largest arms dealer. Yet an arms dealer's shop was this run-down!

Apparently, selling weapons in the wizarding world really was not profitable.

Li Wei glanced at the lone wand resting on faded purple velvet in the display window, then pushed open the door with Professor McGonagall and walked inside.

The wind chime hanging by the entrance jingled, as if informing the shop's owner that customers had arrived.

Footsteps sounded from the spiral staircase farther inside. Ollivander descended from the upper floor, his eyes like moons glowing in the dim surroundings.

"Good day, Minerva! Nine and a half inches, dragon heartstring core, fir wood, with a sturdy nature. Very suitable for Transfiguration, wasn't it?"

"I still remember the moment that wand chose you when you came to school. Even then, I said you would achieve extraordinary things in Transfiguration!"

"Indeed, it is the wand that chooses the wizard!"

The moment Ollivander reached the counter, he began chattering away. He seemed to hold a peculiar philosophy, believing that wands could foretell a wizard's life.

"Yes, Mr. Ollivander," Professor McGonagall said, quickly changing the subject. She knew that once Ollivander started talking about wands, he would never stop.

She gently pushed Li Wei forward, positioning him before the counter, then drew Ollivander's attention to him.

"This is this year's new student, Mr. Lee Wickens. I brought him here to choose a wand!"

"Oh, no, no, no!"

Hearing Professor McGonagall's words, Ollivander shook his head nervously and corrected her. "It is the wand that chooses the wizard!"

However, he knew there was no point in arguing further. He lowered his head, smiled at Li Wei, and asked:

"Now then, Mr. Wickens, which hand do you prefer to wave your wand with?"

"My right hand," Li Wei answered seriously, meeting Ollivander's pale violet eyes.

A wand was the most important thing to a wizard.

Without one, the overwhelming majority of wizards would lose almost all ability to fight back and could only be slaughtered at another's mercy!

One could be casual when buying any other item in Diagon Alley, but when acquiring a wand, one had to be especially serious and attentive.

"Very good," Ollivander replied. Without any visible movement from him, the tape measure on the counter flew up by itself and began measuring Li Wei.

From fingertip to elbow, elbow to shoulder, shoulder to the floor, neck to crown—and in the end, it even measured the distance between Li Wei's nostrils...

Li Wei stood motionlessly before Ollivander, but inwardly, he could not stop himself from complaining.

Good heavens, am I buying a wand or getting a full-body mold made? Even if wands are important, is this really necessary?

No matter how many doubts he had, Li Wei knew he was in the magical world. Professionals should handle professional matters; perhaps these measurements narrowed down the range of suitable wands.

Just as Li Wei was thinking this, Ollivander spoke.

"Every Ollivander wand contains a powerful magical substance. That is the essence of it, Mr. Wickens.

"We use Unicorn hair, phoenix tail feathers, and Fire Dragon heartstrings.

"Every Ollivander wand is unique, because no two Unicorns, Fire Dragons, or phoenixes are exactly alike.

"Of course, if you use a wand that truly belongs to another wizard, you will never achieve such good results."

Is this old man trying to fool me?

After hearing Ollivander's words, Li Wei looked up at the old man before him and thought:

Unicorns and Fire Dragons were understandable. Pulling a Unicorn's hair would not kill it, and there were many Fire Dragons in the Wizarding World. A Fire Dragon's huge heart could provide plenty of heartstrings.

But as for phoenixes, he remembered that only Dumbledore seemed to have one. If one-third of the wands in this shop were made with phoenix tail feathers—

(The author knew there was more than one phoenix in the wizarding world, but the protagonist only remembered Fawkes in the headmaster's office.)

—wouldn't the phoenix in Dumbledore's office have been plucked bald long ago?

Even if phoenixes could be reborn in fire, surely they could not withstand that kind of treatment, right!?

Just as Li Wei began to have doubts, Ollivander finished measuring him. He turned, pulled a long narrow box from the mountain of wand boxes stacked all the way to the ceiling, took out a wand, and stuffed it into Li Wei's hand with great anticipation.

"Try waving this wand, Mr. Wickens. Yew wood, Unicorn tail hair core, ten point seven inches long, suitable for..."

Listening to Ollivander's introduction, Li Wei tentatively waved the wand. He immediately felt magic flow from his palm into the wand, then burst from its tip!

"Crackle!"

A series of explosive sparks instantly ignited the parchment on the counter, sending thick smoke billowing upward!

"I'm sorry, sir." Li Wei froze. He had not expected to set the man's shop on fire!

"It's fine." Ollivander waved his hand and directly summoned a ball of water to extinguish the flames.

Then he shook his head, swiftly snatched the wand from Li Wei's hand, and muttered, "Not this one!"

Next, Ollivander pulled out another wand, stuffed it into Li Wei's hand, and told him to try it.

Try it, die trying!

Li Wei then began his journey of wrecking the shop. Every time he changed wands and gave one a try, there were either flying sparks, crackling lightning, spraying acid, or gushing water!

In the blink of an eye, Li Wei had turned Ollivander's shop into a complete mess. Fortunately, Ollivander and Professor McGonagall were highly skilled in magic; otherwise, this thousand-year-old shop would have been demolished by Li Wei himself!

"Very rare! Very rare! I have rarely encountered such a picky young wizard!"

"Don't worry, Mr. Wickens. You will certainly find the wand that belongs to you! But the wand that matches you must be something truly extraordinary!"

"I think I should try some bolder combinations. Please wait a moment!"

As he spoke, Ollivander turned and walked behind the wall of stacked wand boxes. After a burst of frantic rummaging, he cried out in a voice full of delight:

"Found it, finally found it! Why didn't I think of it sooner? It must be this wand!"

Ollivander hurried back with a wand box in hand, removed a wand from it, impatiently stuffed it into Li Wei's hand, and said excitedly:

"Try waving it, Mr. Lee Wickens!"

In truth, the moment Li Wei grasped the wand Ollivander handed him, he felt something entirely different from the other wands.

It felt as though a limb he had once lost had been reattached. Li Wei seemed to have found the other half of his body in this mortal world.

Magic flowed into the wand from within him without the slightest obstruction. The wand obediently cast that magic outward, causing beautiful flowers to bloom one after another across the wooden surfaces of Ollivander's little shop!

"Yes, yes, this is the one!"

Seeing this, Ollivander's eyes lit up as he said excitedly:

"Elder wood, phoenix tail feather core, twelve inches."

"Wands made of elder wood may be the most unlucky, but an Elder Wand never chooses an ordinary master. It only follows wizards of great power whose fates are especially rugged, and its owners often become embroiled in major events capable of changing the world!

"At the same time, it possesses the hidden trait of the Survivor's Wand, bringing its owner a sliver of hope in desperate situations."

"Phoenix tail feather cores are rare and independent. They will not submit, but once they acknowledge a master, they are the most loyal!

"Phoenix fire can greatly weaken the ill omen inherent in elder wood, providing its owner with powerful and stable magical output while allowing them to maintain themselves amid countless complicated choices!"

"Mr. Lee Wickens," Ollivander said, his bright eyes fixed on Li Wei as he held the wand, his voice utterly certain.

"This wand will only choose a wizard with an unwavering heart, one who dares to challenge fate. It will accompany its master to the crest of an era's tides, while helping its master wield and master the power to control his own destiny!

"To survive in adversity, to be reborn through death—such is the power hidden within this wand!

"Please use it well, because it chose you!"

Li Wei stood before Ollivander, gripping the wand in stunned silence. If he had not known that Ollivander was merely a master wandmaker and not a prophetic seer, he would have thought the old man was delivering a prophecy.

Professor McGonagall, standing behind Li Wei, also fell into thought after hearing Ollivander's words.

The facts proved that every wand sold by this master wandmaker was exceptionally well suited to its owner.

With the wand in Li Wei's hand being so extraordinary, perhaps Li Wei himself might accomplish great things in the future.

Professor McGonagall made that guess inwardly, but did not dwell on it.

Because she understood deeply that what determined a wizard's ultimate achievements was never a stick of wood, but the wizard's own character, choices, and effort.

In fact, when Li Wei grasped this elder-and-phoenix wand, the mist of the Fantasy MOD system drifted before his eyes once more, and a notification silently appeared:

[Wand detected. Equipment Enhancement MOD loading...]

[Loading complete. Congratulations, host, you have obtained the Equipment Enhancement MOD!]