I, Ollivander, Call This a Masterpiece

Half an hour later, standing before Ollivander's Wand Shop, Kyle's skeptical gaze shifted back and forth between Dumbledore and the shop's sign.

"So this is the legendary wholesale market for cheat abilities—no, I mean, wand shop?"

The shop looked small and shabby. The gold lettering on the sign above the door had peeled away, and it read—Ollivander: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.

In the display window, a single wand lay on a faded purple cushion.

"Some things cannot be judged by appearances alone," Dumbledore said with a gentle smile. "Ollivander is the finest wandmaker in the British wizarding world, and among the best in Europe as well."

Pushing open the door, Kyle entered the wand shop.

The shop was tiny. Aside from a long bench in one corner, there was nothing else.

Thousands upon thousands of narrow wand boxes were stacked from floor to ceiling, all covered in a thin layer of dust.

A tinkling bell rang as they stepped inside. A head of white hair emerged from the pile of boxes, and upon seeing the old man behind Kyle, its owner immediately came forward with enthusiasm.

"Dumbledore? Welcome, welcome! It is such a pleasure to see you!" As for Kyle standing beside him, he was ignored for the moment.

When the old man reached them, his pale eyes—like two bright moons in the dim shop—finally noticed Kyle.

"Good heavens, this is..." Ollivander stared at Kyle's mismatched eyes and cried out in surprise. Then he turned to Dumbledore, as though seeking confirmation of something.

Dumbledore nodded. "That's right, Ollivander. Just as you think."

Kyle's eyes were exceedingly rare. Before a wandmaker who had spent his entire life dealing with all kinds of wizards, there was no way Kyle's identity could remain hidden.

With his suspicion confirmed, Ollivander rubbed his hands together excitedly and pulled a tape measure marked with silver scales from his pocket. "Which arm do you favor?"

"My right hand."

He measured from shoulder to fingertip, then from wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit, and finally around his head.

As he measured, Ollivander rambled on. "Every Ollivander wand possesses a powerful magical substance. That is the essence of it."

"We use Unicorn Hair, Phoenix Feather, and Dragon Heartstring."

"Every Ollivander wand is unique, because no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are exactly alike."

"Of course, if you use a wand that was meant for another wizard, you will never achieve such good results."

Kyle suspected that Ollivander gave this same speech to every wizard.

Watching Old Mr. Ollivander's mysterious routine, Kyle could not help asking, "Why do you need to measure all this to buy a wand?"

"Because every wand made by the Ollivander family is unique. To help you select a suitable wand, I must first measure your arm length, forearm length, height, head circumference, and other dimensions, then choose a wand based on those parameters."

After hearing Ollivander's explanation, Kyle thought for a moment, then held out both hands.

He placed his left hand on his right arm and suddenly exerted force. With a crack, his right arm dislocated.

Seeing Kyle's arm grow several centimeters longer, Ollivander's face instantly darkened after having his claims exposed.

Seeing Ollivander's frozen smile and twitching lips, Dumbledore turned away and tried hard not to laugh out loud. When he turned back, he felt somewhat sorry for him.

"Episkey." As Dumbledore spoke the spell, Kyle's arm snapped back into place.

"Sorry, sir. Can we continue?"

Hearing Kyle's words, Ollivander opened his mouth with difficulty and replied in a dry voice, "Oh, all right."

After all these years of making and selling wands, what situation had Ollivander not seen?

Sorry, but he truly had never seen this one.

Coming back to his senses, Ollivander took a box from the shelf, removed a wand from it, and shoved it into Kyle's hand.

He introduced it stiffly. "Cherry Wood, Unicorn Hair, thirteen inches. Try giving it a wave."

It seemed Old Mr. Ollivander had no intention of wasting words on anything unnecessary anymore.

Kyle casually waved the wand, and suddenly felt an urge for the magic within him to pour out.

He followed that urge and released his control over his magic. A bolt of lightning burst from the wand tip, blasting the shelf behind Ollivander and a great many wand boxes into fragments.

Kyle: Holy shit!

Ollivander: Motherfucker!

Seeing the state of the shop, both Kyle and Ollivander cursed inwardly.

Kyle was worried that the old man in front of him would extort him for damages, while Ollivander was heartbroken over his losses.

Ollivander looked hopefully at Dumbledore. "Dumbledore, this..."

Dumbledore understood what Ollivander meant. Only he could restore everything to its original state.

With a wave of Dumbledore's wand, everything in the wand shop seemed to have had a rewind button pressed. The shattered shelves, wands, and the boxes that held them all flew backward, returning to their original forms.

Both the old man and the young man breathed sighs of relief.

The wand in Kyle's hand was taken away, and another was shoved into it.

"Try this one. Willow Wood, Phoenix Feather, twelve inches."

"Don't wave it! Just give it a light shake!" Seeing Kyle about to flick his wrist again, Ollivander hurriedly stopped him in fright.

Seeing Ollivander's reaction, Kyle found it somewhat amusing and swung the wand forcefully anyway.

This time, however, he reduced the amount of magic he released.

Seeing Kyle's movement, Ollivander gave a violent shudder.

Another bolt of lightning burst from the wand in Kyle's hand, grazing Ollivander's scalp before striking the cabinet behind him.

Fortunately, this time the cabinet was not blown to smithereens.

Ollivander, however, was nearly scared to death by Kyle. Once he had calmed down, he fumbled around and somehow pulled a mirror from some corner, then looked tearfully at his receding hairline.

"Ah, sorry, Mr. Ollivander."

"It's fine, it's fine. Such a small problem can be solved with a little Hair-Growing Potion." Ollivander forced a smile.

If not for the person standing behind this brat being someone he could not afford to offend, Ollivander would have shown this brat today exactly why the flowers outside the window were so red.

"It seems this wand still isn't very compatible with you." Ollivander took out a third wand. "Walnut, Dragon Heartstring, eleven inches."

Unlike the first two wands, the moment Kyle gripped this one, a strange sensation arose within him.

It was as if this wand had always been a part of him.

He no longer restrained the magic inside him and gave the wand a light wave. A stream of water appeared out of thin air, and as Kyle moved the wand like a conductor's baton, the water continuously changed shape in midair.

"How wonderful. This is the first time I've encountered such a situation." Ollivander gazed into Kyle's mismatched eyes. "This is the one."