Buying a Wand

Speechless. Absolutely speechless. Ryan realized he had been far too naive. After all, no wizard had their name written on their face. Even if he ran into characters from the original story, he would not recognize them.

Unfortunately, he was not old enough to buy a wand yet. Then Ryan suddenly realized—had crossing over turned him into an idiot? Why could he not buy one in advance?

"Father, can I buy a wand?"

"You can. But I suggest buying one when you enroll at eleven," Jack replied.

"Just as expected, Jack never refuses. Heh heh, wand, here I come."

Ryan turned back and headed with Jack toward the last shop in Diagon Alley, Ollivander's Wand Shop.

The shop was tiny and shabby. The gold lettering on its sign had peeled away, and it read: Ollivander: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty display window.

When they entered, a series of tinkling bells rang somewhere in the back of the shop. The store was small, containing nothing but a long bench. Jack sat down to wait while Ryan recalled the description from the original story. Harry had felt as though he had entered a strictly managed library. Suppressing the countless new questions that had just sprung into his mind, he began looking at the thousands of narrow boxes stacked nearly to the ceiling. For some reason, he had suddenly felt uneasy. The dust and silence here seemed to conceal mysterious magic.

Just as the book had described, the silence around them was terrifying. Yet even with a Magic Power of 16 and Lv. 2 Thinking, Ryan was so anxious he nearly had to pee, but he still could not sense the magical fluctuations Harry Potter had felt.

Just as Ryan had guessed, aside from the nature of their magic, every wizard had something they excelled at. For example, Tonks was a Metamorphmagus, born with the ability to freely alter her appearance.

As for Harry Potter, the original text made it clear that he excelled at magical combat. Though nearsighted, his perception was incredibly strong. By his third year, he had already cast a Corporeal Patronus that even some highly skilled wizards could not produce.

"Good afternoon," said a soft voice, startling Ryan.

Then a loud series of clicks suddenly sounded, and an old man stood before them. His large, pale eyes shone like twin moons in the dim shop.

"Hello," Ryan answered politely, his little face tense. This rotten old man was bad news. Did he enjoy suddenly scaring people? He had definitely come out long ago and simply remained silent. Harry had been startled in the original story, and even Hagrid had been frightened.

"Oh, yes," said the old man. "Yes, yes, I knew I would be seeing you soon, Ryan Smith. No question about that. You have your father's eyes. He came here to buy his first wand, and it feels like only yesterday. Six inches, Ash Wood, stubborn and fickle. In fact, we saw each other just last week."

Ollivander walked over to Ryan and examined him closely.

"Your mother was different. She liked Acacia wood. Eleven inches, flexible, and more particular. It is difficult to find a suitable wizard for it; it only reveals its power to the most gifted. I say your mother liked it—but in truth, of course, it was the wand choosing its wizard."

He shook his head, then immediately recognized George Smith, whom Jack was playing. Ryan let out a breath of relief. This old man talked too much and had an incredible memory. Did every young wizard with wizard parents get a speech about their parents' wands upon arriving?

"George! George Smith! It is wonderful to see you again... Ash Wood, six inches, correct?"

"That's right, Ollivander. Why do you always bring up my wand whenever we meet?" Jack said.

"Only last week, we discussed the price of Acacia wood. You know I need a great deal of timber here, and I am one of your old customers. Your Smith family has been working with ours since 382 B.C., so about this price..." Ollivander said, suddenly becoming rather mercenary.

"As far as I know, you do not need much Acacia wood in stock. Owners of Acacia wood wands are usually careful wizards. Moreover, there are relatively few wizards with such fine qualities. Not every wizard is as meticulous as my wife," Jack replied in an affected manner, completely unlike his usual self. Ryan nearly thought the original owner's father had not died after all.

"All right, all right, let us not discuss that for now. Mr. Ryan, come here. Let me see." He took a long tape measure marked with silver gradations from his pocket. "Which arm do you use your wand with?"

"I am used to using my right hand," Ryan said.

"Raise your arm. Good." He measured Ryan, first from shoulder to fingertip, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit, and finally around his head. As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand contains powerful magical substances. That is the essence of it, Mr. Smith. We use Unicorn Hair, Phoenix Feather, and Dragon Nerve. 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 get such good results."

What amazing service. He remembered that advertising line perfectly—he did not even change the script, Ryan thought.

Next, Ollivander himself moved through the shelves, busily selecting several long boxes and bringing them down, while the tape measure continued working on its own.

"Right," he said, and the tape measure fell to the floor and rolled itself up. "Now then, Mr. Ryan, try this one. Hawthorn Wood and Dragon Heartstring, seven inches. Nice and flexible. Give it a wave."

Ryan took the wand, but the moment he waved it, Ollivander snatched it from his hand. "Alder Wood, Phoenix Feather, eight inches, inflexible. Give it a try..." Ryan was about to test it, but before he could raise it, Ollivander took it away again. "No, no... Try this one. Applewood and Unicorn Hair, eight and a half inches, very springy. Come on, come on, try this one."

Ryan tried one wand after another, secretly thrilled. As expected, he was the protagonist—he had tried so many.

The wands he had tested piled higher and higher on the bench. Ollivander looked equally delighted by this picky customer.

"A picky customer, hmm? No matter. I think there must be one here that is most ideal, most perfect, most suitable for you... Let me think... Ah, here it is. How could there not be one... An extraordinary combination: Holly Wood, Phoenix Feather, eleven inches. Nice and flexible, too."

Ryan hurriedly took the wand. This was Harry Potter's wand. But Ollivander quickly snatched it away again.

"No, no... Try this one. Aspen Wood, rare Unicorn Heartstring suitable for use as a wand core. Come on, come on, try this one. Rare material."

Ryan took the wand again. Then his fingertips grew slightly warm. He raised the wand above his head and slashed it downward with a whoosh, cutting through the dust-filled air. A flash of white light burst forth, and golden sparks sprayed from the tip like fireworks, crackling continuously.

Jack clapped and cheered while Ollivander cried loudly, "Oh, excellent! Oh, truly, wonderful. My, my, my... How marvelous... Truly marvelous..."

He placed Ryan's wand into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, all the while muttering, "Marvelous... marvelous..."

"Excuse me," Ryan said. "What exactly do you find so marvelous?"

Ollivander gazed at Ryan with his pale, colorless eyes.

"Aspen Wood is pale wood with a fine grain. Because of its ivory-like elegant appearance and its ability to produce excellent spells, it is treasured by all wandmakers."

"Those suited to Aspen Wood wands are usually highly skilled or fated duelists, because Aspen Wood wands are especially suited to combat magic. But that is not the marvelous part."

"What is marvelous is the wand's core. Its core is Unicorn Heartstring. You must understand, apart from naturally shed Unicorn Hair, materials from any other part carry a curse unless the Unicorn offers them willingly. Truly an extraordinary combination."

"That will be 20 Galleons," Ollivander added.

"That expensive?" Ryan could not help clicking his tongue.

"For each Hogwarts first-year enrolling that year, the Ministry of Magic provides a subsidy for wand purchases. If you were not buying in advance, it would only cost 9 Galleons after the discount."

Good grief. That means even after the discount, this wand was still 2 Galleons more expensive than Harry Potter's. Impressive, Ryan thought.

Then Ryan had Jack pay for it and spent an additional 3 Galleons on a wand holster and a maintenance kit.