The Wand Chooses the Wizard

Hagrid's little pink umbrella was peculiar.

William had seen him use it to perform magic more than once.

But Hagrid said his wand had been snapped and refused to acknowledge anything peculiar about the umbrella.

Although William was curious, he did not pay it much mind. He was still a newbie and had not fully grasped how extraordinary a power capable of restoring a snapped wand was!

"All right, our young wizard is getting impatient too." Ollivander turned his gaze back to William.

As he spoke, he pulled a tape measure marked with silver scales from his pocket.

"Mr. Stark, which arm do you use for your wand?"

"My right."

"Hmm, lift your arm. Good."

Ollivander began measuring William, first from shoulder to fingertip, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit, and finally around his head.

William wanted to ask, "If the wand chooses the wizard, and every wand has already been made to its own measurements rather than tailored to the wizard like a set of robes... what's the point of all this measuring?"

But he did not say it aloud. Being that blunt... could easily get him beaten up.

As Ollivander measured, he prattled on. "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr. Stark. That is its essence.

"I use unicorn hair, phoenix tail feathers, and dragon heartstrings.

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

"Of course, if you use a wand that should belong to another wizard, you will never get such good results."

The tape measure began operating on its own. Ollivander darted between the shelves, directing Cedric to select and bring down a succession of long boxes.

In a sense, Cedric the apprentice was there for the manual labor.

But Cedric showed no impatience. It was clear that he liked the job.

"All right," Ollivander said, and the tape measure dropped to the floor and curled into a heap.

"Now, Mr. Stark, try this one. Hawthorn and unicorn hair, ten inches, reasonably pliable."

Cedric, the apprentice, pulled out a battered notebook. He did not open it, but recited from memory with practiced ease:

"Page ninety-five, line six.

"Gregorovitch once said, 'The hawthorn wand is a wand of contradictions, much like the tree that gave rise to this contradictory nature. Its leaves and flowers have healing properties, yet the scent of its branches can be fatal'..."

Ollivander nodded and began teaching on the spot:

"Although I disagree with most of Gregorovitch's opinions, we are in complete accord on the complex and fascinating nature of hawthorn wands.

"They accept only the owners best suited to them."

"Remember this, Cedric. In my experience, this wand has a particular liking for wizards going through a period of uncertainty."

As he spoke, Ollivander snatched the wand from William's hand.

"Clearly, it doesn't quite suit you, my boy." Ollivander shook his head.

"Try this one." He drew out another wand, marked with black grain.

"Applewood and clam nerve, nine and a quarter inches, very flexible."

Cedric said quickly, "Page one thousand nine hundred and twenty-six, line ninety-four.

"Applewood represents longevity, complemented by clam nerve..."

"Exactly! A brilliant combination." Ollivander rubbed his hands together excitedly.

"Eastern wizards use this combination. My ancestor also made a similar wand for Nicolas Flamel.

"It seems to have worked rather well, though people more often attribute that to time magic or the Philosopher's Stone-come, give it a try, my boy!"

The moment William touched the wand, he felt the magic throughout his body pouring out of him uncontrollably.

Ollivander immediately snatched the wand away, but it was too late. The door was blown to pieces.

"Oh, sorry," William said.

"It wasn't your fault, my boy. The door will be restored in no time, but this wand doesn't seem to suit you either."

Ollivander grew even more excited. It had been a long time since he had encountered such a picky customer.

"We'll find it, the one that suits you best, won't we?"

William tried wand after wand. The ones he had tried were piled on the bench, the heap growing higher and higher.

But Ollivander kept having Cedric pull wands from the shelves. His whole body was trembling, and he was in a state of excitement.

"A picky customer, and we can't find a perfect match? Never mind, let me think. There must be an ideal one here, the most perfect one, the one that suits you best-let me think-oh, of course, how could there not be?"

Ollivander shouted so loudly that Hagrid nearly snapped his little pink umbrella in fright.

Ollivander hopped up and down as though he had gone mad.

"An extraordinary combination: cherrywood, phoenix feather, twelve and three-quarter inches. Yes, very hard."

He went to the display window himself and carefully picked up the wand lying quietly on a faded purple cushion inside the dust-covered case.

William took the wand and felt a sudden warmth in his fingertips.

He raised the wand high above his head and brought it down with a swish through the dusty air. A flash of red light appeared, and golden sparks burst from the wand tip like fireworks, casting dancing spots of light across the walls.

Mr. Ollivander cried, "Oh, splendid! Oh, really, wonderful!"

Cedric put the wand in its box and wrapped it in brown paper, while Ollivander watched William with his pale, colorless eyes.

"This was the last wand made by my grandfather, Gervaise Octavius Ollivander, the greatest wandmaker of the past two centuries.

"The material is rare cherrywood. Ever since my grandfather began using this combination, this wood has become the favorite material at the Mahoutokoro School of Magic.

"I thought this wand would remain on display in the window forever. I never expected..."

Hagrid applauded too. "That one was already in the window when I came to buy my wand as a boy."

William: "..."

Ollivander made it sound impressive, but William wondered, Is this old man sure he's not responding to the Ministry of Magic's call for "supply-side structural reform" and clearing out old stock?!

He did not dare say that aloud. Instead, he asked in puzzlement, "Mahoutokoro?"

"Oh, that's the only known school of magic in Asia, although I don't think that description is accurate."

As Ollivander spoke, he began tidying up the blown-apart door, while giving Cedric a look that said, "You know what to do."

Cedric nodded almost imperceptibly and produced a gift box from somewhere.

His tone remained humble, but he turned into a salesman.

"Buying a wand isn't the end of it. It's a very delicate thing and needs regular maintenance.

"But don't worry! Here at Ollivander's Wand Shop, we've introduced a special summer holiday maintenance package:

"For just three Galleons, you can get maintenance tools worth five Galleons to keep your wand in peak condition forever.

"If you pay five Galleons, you'll also get a two-year warranty card in addition to the maintenance tools.

"During the warranty period, unless your wand has been snapped, we at Ollivander's Wand Shop will repair it free of charge.

"Of course, besides that, we also have a family package that covers all your family's wands, though that is rather more expensive..."

William felt as though he were seeing a salesman at a hair salon again.

Before he could say anything, Hagrid sprang from his chair and shouted excitedly, "Here, give me a set!"

William: "..."

(P.S. A picture of the protagonist's wand has been posted in the comments. The system chose it for him.

Cedric reminds all you esteemed wizards that as long as you cast a recommendation vote, your wand gets a lifetime warranty, plus quality home service.)