On the way, Kyle handed the bag with the Undetectable Extension Charm to William, saying it was an enrollment gift, which surprised William slightly.
He had originally thought the Galleons exchanged from Pounds belonged to Kyle, since the Pounds were his.
And his own bag would be deducted from the Galleons he had exchanged himself.
As it turned out, it was actually a gift for him?
To be honest, William didn’t want to accept this gift, but since the whole group was there, it wasn’t easy to say so explicitly, so he had no choice but to take it.
However, while purchasing school supplies next, William dismissed the idea of paying him back later.
Clearly, he was the one buying things for school, but those who didn’t know would have thought it was Kyle; he would ask a few curious questions about anything he saw and even buy some suitable items.
By the time they reached the last stop, the wand shop, Kyle’s bag was already stuffed with many things.
Although most were food and some wizarding clothes and didn’t cost much, it was enough to make William feel exhausted.
Fortunately, it was finally coming to an end.
“This is it, Ollivanders.
Every wand produced here is a masterpiece,” Professor McGonagall said, pointing to the shabby sign.
Everyone looked over and saw it written above: Ollivanders: Makers of Fine wands since 380 B.C.
“Makers of fine wands since 380 B.C.—this is a thousand-year-old shop,” Kyle marveled.
But having wandered for so long, everyone was tired, so no one spoke up to respond.
Afterwards, everyone followed Professor McGonagall into the wand shop, and a tinkling bell rang out at the same time, alerting the owner to the arrival of customers.
The inside of the wand shop didn’t look large; one wall was piled high with boxes, seemingly thousands of them, stacked from the floor to the ceiling, making the already small shop look somewhat cramped.
And upon closer inspection, a thick layer of dust had accumulated on many of the boxes.
It was unclear whether Mr.
Ollivander did this intentionally or had forgotten to maintain it.
The reason he thought this was entirely because the old man gave off a rather eccentric vibe.
Just as William was thinking this, a faint, somewhat weak-sounding voice rang out:
“Customers have arrived.
Good afternoon, everyone.”
This sudden voice truly gave everyone a start; even Professor McGonagall was startled by Ollivander’s way of appearing.
“Ah, Professor McGonagall, I remember your wand.
Fir and Dragon heartstring, nine and a half inches, a wand fit for a master with great willpower and a talent for Transfiguration.
Have you brought new students to buy wands?” Ollivander asked politely.
“Yes, these two are Young wizards about to enroll; they need wands of their own,” Professor McGonagall replied.
Hearing this, Ollivander looked at the two Young wizards.
After staring at Hermione for a few seconds, he looked at William and said, “Hmm, another Young wizard with an Eastern face?
This is indeed rare.
I remember an Asian girl who came to Hogwarts last year; it took a long time to select her wand, made of Sandalwood, about nine inches.”
William didn’t need to guess to know who Ollivander was talking about: Cho Chang of Ravenclaw, Harry Potter’s first love.
“Alright, you two Young wizards, who will go first?”
Seeing Hermione’s eager look, William spoke up, “Ladies first.
Miss Granger, you go first.”
“Thank you.”
Hermione thanked him and stepped forward, but in William’s eyes, she was still incredibly nervous.
Although she wasn’t walking with the same arm and leg, her posture was still a bit stiff.
“Child, which hand do you use?”
“My right hand.”
Ollivander pulled a tape measure from his pocket and, like an old tailor, measured her from top to bottom—height, shoulder width, arm length, head circumference, and so on.
If he hadn’t known this was a necessary procedure, William would have thought the man was preparing to make a 1:1 replica doll of Hermione.
“Child, don’t be nervous.
Only with the necessary data can we easily find the wand that belongs to you.”
The measurement was finished, and after a moment of thought, he turned to a shelf inside, took out a box, and handed it to Hermione.
“Try this one.
Vine and Dragon heartstring, ten inches long.
Give it a wave.”
Hermione took the wand and gave it a gentle wave; a streak of light flew out from the tip of the wand.
But before Hermione could even smile, that streak of light went straight for the ceiling.
With a “boom,” an explosion rang out, and everyone present felt as if there had been an earthquake.
“Oh, not this one.”
Ollivander said as he took the wand from Hermione’s hand, then turned and brought out another wand box.
“Try this one.
Vine, the core is Dragon heartstring, fourteen inches.”
This time, Hermione took it and waved it more cautiously.
As starlight-like sparks showered from the tip of the wand, her nervous heart also relaxed.
“Excellent, this is the one.
That will be seven Galleons,” Ollivander said with a smile, though it was unclear whether he was happy about selling a wand or about finding a suitable owner for it.
“Now then, next is this Young wizard.”
“Alright, sir.
I am also used to using my right hand,” William, having seen the process once, gave his answer ahead of time.
“Very well, please hold out your right hand, and let us take your measurements.”
Soon, after a series of operations, the measurements were finished.
Ollivander gave his wand a wave, and a box drifted over.
“Vine, Unicorn hair core, thirteen inches.”
William took it and gave it a gentle wave; the expected explosion followed.
Before he could even say the wand wasn’t right, he found that Ollivander had already taken the wand from his hand and simultaneously brought another wand to hand to him.
“Palm, Phoenix feather core, ten inches.”
As he finished speaking, William had already waved the wand, and an explosion followed.
“Oh, what a picky Young wizard.”
Although Ollivander said this, the excitement on his face became increasingly apparent.
To him, the greatest joy was finding the right wand for a Young wizard.
And the pickier the Young wizard, the happier it made him.
Subsequently, the explosions from trying wands occurred one after another; such a commotion even made passing Wizards on the street look over.
“Oh, no, still not right,” Ollivander said as he took the wand, his brow furrowing.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t served picky young wizards—even that You-Know-Who whose name must not be spoken had bought his wand from him—but this was the first time he had encountered a Young wizard like William, who was both suitable and unsuitable.
William’s mood was also turning sour at this point.
He was quite willing to try a few more wands, but after trying so many and not finding one that was his, he began to get a headache.
“Could I be the only Hogwarts freshman who can’t find a wand that fits?”
Just as William was thinking this, Ollivander’s gaze fell upon William’s features, and then he cried out, “Oh, I should have thought of it sooner!”
Before he had even finished speaking, he waved the wand in his hand, and the wand boxes that had almost buried William were all sent back to their original places, while he himself walked further inside.
After a good while, William saw Ollivander return with an ancient-looking box.
“Try this wand.
Alder, the core is the nerve of an Eastern Dragon, thirteen and three-quarter inches.
This is a wand that combines East and West; I think it will definitely suit you.”
Saying this, Ollivander came before William and handed the wand to him.
At the moment he took the wand, William suddenly understood what it felt like for something to be like an extension of his own arm.
With a gentle wave of the wand, a shower of light immediately fell within the shop, and a feeling of joy emanated from the wand.
“See, see?
I knew this was the most suitable wand for you.
Since this wand was made, this is the first time I’ve seen it so happy.
Child, you must take good care of it; it will give you unparalleled assistance,” Ollivander said very happily.
“Alright, sir, I will certainly take good care of it,” William promised very seriously.
“I believe you, child.
That will be seven Galleons.”
Hearing the first sentence, William had just started to smile, but the second sentence that followed immediately froze the smile on his face.
“How pragmatic.”
After paying the money, Professor McGonagall quickly led everyone away.
After taking everyone back to the Leaky Cauldron, she gave the two tickets to William and Hermione and informed them of the specific details of Platform Nine and Three-Quarters before finally departing…