Pushing open the small shop door, the bell hanging inside rings, notifying Mr.
Ollivander that customers have arrived.
Rayleigh follows Professor McGonagall into the wand shop.
It is even more crowded than in the movies.
Stepping on the creaking floorboards, the wand boxes stacked all the way to the ceiling sway.
“Minerva McGonagall.
If I remember correctly, your wand is fir, dragon heartstring core, 9 and 1/2 inches long.” Standing behind the counter is an old man with graying hair.
He smiles as he looks at Professor McGonagall.
“Your memory is excellent, Mr.
Ollivander.” Professor McGonagall responds with a smile.
“I have brought new student Rayleigh here to be matched with a new wand.”
“Oh, a new student!” Ollivander’s eyes light up.
“Come, young man.
Let us see which wand chooses you.”
Mr.
Ollivander picks up a tape measure and measures Rayleigh’s arm length, forearm, height, head circumference, and other dimensions.
Rayleigh helplessly looks at Professor McGonagall.
This is the second time today he has been measured.
He even feels that Mr.
Ollivander is measuring him even more carefully and comprehensively than Madam Malkin.
“Mr.
Ollivander, I am only a child right now.
Is measuring all this really useful?”
“Oh, of course, of course it is useful, my child.” Mr.
Ollivander says enthusiastically.
“Wand matching is a complex magical discipline.
To find the wand that best fits a wizard, understanding the user’s physical characteristics is a very important first step.”
“Your body will continue to grow, but physical characteristics and skeletal structure will reflect your personality and talents.”
Mr.
Ollivander explains while noting down Rayleigh’s various physical data on paper.
“These can provide me with important references to help determine the wand length, core material, and other elements that best suit you.”
“A wizard must see the essence through appearances.
Do not worry.
We will definitely find the wand that suits you best!” Mr.
Ollivander says with full confidence.
“I understand.
Thank you for your teaching, Mr.
Ollivander.” Rayleigh nods.
Having lived two lives, he is finally about to have his own wand, so Rayleigh cannot help but feel full of anticipation in his heart.
Based on Rayleigh’s physical data, Ollivander takes out several boxes from the shop that look like they might match.
“Here, try this one first.
Hawthorn, phoenix feather core, 12 inches, reasonably springy.”
Rayleigh takes the wand and waves it, but only a small gust of cold wind blows out.
“No, no, not quite suitable.” Ollivander shakes his head.
He immediately takes back the wand and takes out another: “Then what about this one?
Cherry, dragon heartstring core, 10 inches, very sturdy.”
Rayleigh waves this wand, and the vase in the shop explodes with a ‘bang’.
“My vase!” Mr.
Ollivander exclaims, then shakes his head with a smile.
“Never mind.
It seems this one is not a very good match either.”
Next, Rayleigh tries several more wands, including boxwood and yew, but they either have no reaction at all or produce chaotic effects.
“Hmm…
truly a picky customer.” Mr.
Ollivander mutters to himself.
“Do not worry.
I think I have a wand that may suit you very well…”
As he speaks, he takes out a brand-new box.
Inside is a special wand.
“Here, try this one.
Holly, phoenix feather core, 11 inches, supple and flexible.”
‘Uh…
this seems to be Harry Potter’s wand.
Did I steal it from him?’ Rayleigh stares at the wand, but still takes it.
He looks at Professor McGonagall.
She thinks Rayleigh is worried the wand will still not be suitable, so she smiles and encourages him: “Give it a wave, Rayleigh.
The wand chooses its wizard friend.”
Rayleigh nods and gently waves it.
There is no reaction at all.
‘Ha…
that scared me!
Let Harry Potter and Voldemort’s tangled fate continue to entangle the two of them.’
Ollivander frowns slightly, ‘This should not be.’
He scratches his Beethoven-like white hair and crouches down to take a box from the very bottom shelf.
This is a wand made of rosewood, 12 inches long, spiral-shaped, looking unique and elegant.
The core of the wand is a qilin heartstring, a rare and powerful magical material.
The moment Rayleigh grips this wand, a dazzling golden light shoots out, and beautiful sparks explode in the shop.
“Excellent, this is the one!” Mr.
Ollivander happily announces.
“Rosewood, qilin heartstring, 12 inches, very sturdy.”
“Mr.
Ollivander, did you say qilin heartstring?” Professor McGonagall looks at the wand in Rayleigh’s hand, her expression slightly tense as she questions Ollivander.
“Minerva, calm down!” Ollivander raises his hand, signaling McGonagall to let him finish.
“The qilin heartstring in the wand does not belong to Newt’s qilin, and it has absolutely nothing to do with Grindelwald.
This is an adult qilin corpse that the Ministry of Magic provided to me 60 years ago.
Completely legal.
Please do not worry.”
“Now, let me explain to you in detail the meaning of this wand.”
In order to match the qilin heartstring, I specially found this kind of wood from the Far East.
It represents that the wand’s owner usually has a firm will and noble goals.
Second, the spiral design represents the continuity of life and infinite possibilities.”
“In Eastern culture, the qilin is a sacred creature, symbolizing good fortune and peace.
Using a qilin heartstring as the core indicates that this wand has powerful protective and healing abilities.”
“Finally, a length of 12 inches is a perfect choice for many wizards who pursue balance and harmony.”
“To be honest, this wand was not made according to our tradition.
It was born through my hands, but it seems to have been waiting for a wizard from the East.” Ollivander did not expect the wand to actually choose Rayleigh.
“No matter what, this is a wand with powerful potential.
It can sensitively execute all kinds of complex magic.
It is an ideal combination of flexibility and strength.
It suits wizards who are nimble and have adaptability and innovation.” Ollivander concludes.
Professor McGonagall sincerely agrees with his explanation, but the qilin heartstring still makes her very worried.
Rayleigh happily grips this wand full of deep meaning.
Magic power flows into it without any obstruction and blooms into beautiful fireworks at the tip.
“Thank you very much, Mr.
Ollivander!” Rayleigh says excitedly.
“I will properly use this wand and bring out its power.”
“You should, child.” Mr.
Ollivander says with a smile.
Rayleigh takes out a small leather pouch and places a full bag of Galleons on the counter.
“Thank you for your trouble, Mr.
Ollivander.
I think this wand is very precious.”
“Ah, no need, no need, my child.” Mr.
Ollivander friendly waves his hand and takes only 7 Galleons.
“This is already enough.
I believe this wand will become your good partner.”
“You can take it back and try it out.
If there are any problems, come find me again.” Mr.
Ollivander smiles and has Rayleigh put the pouch back.
Rayleigh nods and carefully puts the new wand into his pocket.
Under Professor McGonagall’s guidance, he walks out of Ollivanders’ shop cheerfully.
From today onward, he finally has a wand of his own!
“Mr.
Rayleigh, congratulations on having your own wand.” Professor McGonagall sincerely feels happy for Rayleigh.
She pushes up her glasses and begins to teach Rayleigh his first lesson as a wizard.
“According to the Ministry of Magic’s regulations, children over 11 who know they are wizards but have not yet enrolled are completely forbidden from using magic outside of school.
Their wands will be confiscated and kept until they enroll, after which they will be returned.”
“Ah…
Professor McGonagall, please allow me to keep it myself.
I swear I will never use magic outside of school.” Rayleigh looks at Professor McGonagall in disappointment.
He never remembered that young wizards had to have their wands confiscated.
Rayleigh knows the Ministry of Magic places the Trace on students after enrollment to monitor their use of magic, but he did not expect there to be such strict regulations for young wizards who have not yet enrolled.
In the movies, Hermione used her wand to fix Harry’s glasses, and at that time Hermione had not enrolled yet either.