"Every time a wand finds its wizard, it is just as thrilling," Ollivander remarked as he prepared to box and wrap the wand.
Herman held the wand tightly, feeling as though it were already connected to his soul. He could not bear to put it down, and hurriedly waved a hand. "There's no need to wrap it. I'd like to hold it a little longer."
At this, Ollivander immediately grew serious and explained, "I understand exactly how you feel, my boy. But you must understand that when you first receive a wand, that feeling of magic following your every whim, of having everything under control, may well be an illusion. In reality, as a young wizard who has yet to start school, your magic is still unstable and prone to outbursts. Adding a wand's assistance at this point could have unpredictable consequences. You might even blow up an entire house."
Herman was about to argue that his control over his magic was actually very strong, and that even Dumbledore had acknowledged it.
But seeing Ollivander's stern expression, he knew from his experience in his previous life that agreeing with the other person was the best way to end the conversation quickly at a time like this. Otherwise, there would probably be more long lectures waiting for him.
Besides, most of what Ollivander said did make sense, and there was no need to argue.
"All right. Sorry for the trouble, then. Please wrap it up." Herman obediently placed the wand in the box Ollivander held out.
Seeing his authority acknowledged, Ollivander looked very pleased. As he wrapped the box, he enthusiastically began his introduction. "This wand is eleven inches long, with a shaft made of walnut wood of excellent quality and just the right hardness. Walnut wood has always favored intelligent wizards. The core is unicorn hair, which was not obtained through hunting, but purchased under special authorization. Unicorn hair imbues a wand with stable, gentle magical energy, making your spellcasting more precise and fluid while effectively reducing the risk of your magic going out of control. This combination will make you particularly outstanding at magic that requires precise control."
Herman listened attentively to Ollivander's explanation, recalling how he had thought the old man rather mystical and eccentric when he saw him in the films. But now that he had personally experienced choosing a wand and selected this one, which felt like love at first sight, he had to admit that the old man really did know his stuff.
With wands being so wondrous, Herman was full of curiosity and could not help asking, "Sir, how do you make these wands? Could I learn?"
Ollivander was not offended by Herman's question. After all, a child's frank words only made him prouder, as he considered them a recognition of his craftsmanship.
"Wandmaking is a vast and profound field of study, especially my family's wandmaking craft, which has been passed down for a thousand years. It contains many secrets that are not shared with outsiders."
At this point, he seemed to feel that his words might dampen the child's enthusiasm, so he added, "However, you could learn to make ordinary wands. Hogwarts offers related lessons, though they are merely a small section of alchemy and cannot truly explain the mysteries of wands. They even foolishly believe that the wizard chooses the wand."
Clearly, Ollivander held other wandmakers' craftsmanship in considerable disdain. Still, he did have grounds for such pride, given his thousand-year history of wandmaking.
Herman was currently curious about everything to do with magical matters, and followed up on Ollivander's words. "Then how do you see wands?"
"Wands are alive and conscious." Ollivander's eyes gleamed, as though he were telling an ancient and mysterious story.
"The moment they bathe in moonlight, they develop a consciousness of their own and acquire unique personalities. They choose wizards they acknowledge of their own accord, helping them and adapting to one another. As they help their wizards achieve success, they also leave their own unique mark on those wizards' magical journeys."
"Alive?" Herman recalled the marvelous sensation of holding the wand earlier. With his powerful perception, he seemed to have genuinely sensed emotions resembling joy, as though the wand really were conscious.
"Indeed, alive. So you must take care never to involve your wand in anything unsuitable. Otherwise, you will not only get half the results for twice the effort, but may also cause your wand to grow increasingly distant from you, or even damage it outright."
"Anything unsuitable?" Herman asked, his face full of curiosity. Ollivander patiently explained, "For example, if a wand with a unicorn hair core is used to perform Dark Magic, its power will be greatly diminished. Over time, it may even damage the wand."
So I've bought myself a 'gun of kindness'! Still, Herman soon came to terms with it. He could always get another wand.
Looks like I really do need to learn wandmaking, or obtain more wands through other means.
Although he was already planning how to perform Dark Magic, Herman continued to maintain his Muggle-born persona aloud, pretending to know nothing about it as he asked, "What does Dark Magic mean?"
"Oh, my memory. I forgot you weren't born into a wizarding family." Herman wore Muggle clothes, and his speech and behavior differed in many ways from those of children from wizarding families. Ollivander had met countless people and had an excellent memory, remembering the relevant details of every wand he sold, so naturally he could easily tell.
He patiently explained, "Dark Magic is magic that causes irreversible harm to people. Your professors will explain it in detail once you start school. There now, my boy, your wand is wrapped."
With that, Ollivander handed the wand box to Herman. Herman put the wand away, thought for a moment, then came up with another question and hurriedly added, "You just said the wand hasn't improved my magical ability, but I really do feel stronger. Why is that?"
Ollivander rarely met children as curious as Herman whose questions were not so childish. Most young wizards his age asked things like whether wands with dragon heartstring cores were more powerful than those with phoenix feather cores. Thus, he explained with particular patience:
"Wands are alive, so naturally they possess magic of their own. They can use their own magic to amplify the effects of your spells while also helping you better control your own magic. When people first handle a wand, it is easy for them to focus only on the amplified magic and thus develop a mistaken impression. That amplification is indeed an objective fact, but if your ability to control your magic cannot keep pace with the degree of amplification, you are very likely to hurt yourself."
Herman nodded to show he understood. But soon, he found another question in Ollivander's words. "You said wands have their own magic. Does that mean the more magic a wand has, the more powerful it is? Are there more powerful wands, then?"
Ollivander froze for a moment, not expecting such a question from this child. He hesitated before saying, "In theory, they exist. But dragons, unicorns, and phoenixes are already the Fantastic Beasts with the most abundant magic. Besides, although there are other Fantastic Beasts, the magic ultimately retained in materials used as wand cores actually differs very little. The sort of more powerful wand you speak of exists in theory, but wizards cannot make one."
Herman indicated the wand's length with his hands and said, "A wand is only this big, with room for just one feather. How could it hold all that magic from a phoenix?"
"Of course it doesn't work that way. The magic a single feather holds is naturally not the phoenix's entire magical power. The same applies to materials from other Fantastic Beasts; they contain only a small portion of the creatures' magic. You must understand that the full magical power of a mature Fantastic Beast is quite terrifying."
Still harboring the "fear of insufficient firepower" he had developed in his previous life, Herman asked curiously, "Then why not make the wand bigger and put in a few more feathers, so it has more magic?"