As the golden energy flowed from Echo's body into the wand, the pain in Max's chest began to decrease. It faded away as if it had never existed. Max stopped screaming, but he remained unconscious.
"Max! Max, wake up! Are you alright?" Echo shouted.
Harry bent down to where Max lay unconscious. He checked to see if Max was okay, starting by lifting his right arm and feeling for a pulse. Fortunately, Max was not dead—he was just unconscious from the immense pain.
"Oh, thank God, he's alright. He's just unconscious. Let me get some water to wake him up," said Harry.
"Thank God the kid's alright," Mr. Ollivander sighed in relief.
Harry took out his wand and conjured a bowl to carry the water. Holding the bowl in one hand, he pointed his wand at it and recited a small spell:
"Aguamenti."
Slowly, the bowl filled with the cleanest water one could ask for. He splashed some onto Max's face. As the water hit his skin, Max's eyes twitched slightly.
Slowly opening his eyes, Max brought a hand to his face, wiping away the droplets. He sat up on the floor, still dazed.
"Wh... what happened to me? What was all that pain? Is this normal when choosing a wand?" Max asked, his thoughts still hazy but clear enough to form questions. He turned to Harry and Mr. Ollivander, seeking answers.
Harry glanced at Mr. Ollivander, clearly unsure.
"I don't know what happened to you," Mr. Ollivander admitted. "This is the first time I've seen someone experience pain while trying a wand. A strong reaction is not unusual, but harming oneself? That has never happened before."
"Are you alright, kid? I don't think this wand is for you. Why don't we try another one?" Mr. Ollivander suggested.
"Wait, I don't want to change it. I think this is the one I'll keep," Max said after some thought.
"What?! What are you saying, Max? The wand clearly doesn't suit you—it even hurt you! What are you thinking? There's no way this wand is right for you," Harry protested, his voice filled with concern.
"I understand your worry, Harry, but if I want to survive in this world, I need to be strong. My parents died because they lacked the strength to protect themselves. I don't want that fate—I want to protect my friends and myself. And for that, I need to choose what makes me strong. Besides, Mr. Ollivander said this wand was made from a powerful dragon. It stands to reason that its first wand would hold the most power." Max reasoned.
"I get that you want to be strong, but this isn't the way. Strength doesn't just come from wands, spells, or powerful artifacts. It comes from our emotions, our thoughts, and the choices we make," Harry countered.
The two fell into a heated debate, each holding firm in their stance. Mr. Ollivander stood silently, listening to their argument.
"Alright, both of you, stop it!" Mr. Ollivander finally spoke, stepping between them.
"Enough. You both have valid points, but arguing won't solve anything. The wand clearly doesn't accept Max, yet he insists on keeping it. In the end, the choice is his—it's his future to shape."
"But..." Harry started.
"I know you're worried about me. You're my first real friend, but I have to make my own choices in life. I will get stronger, and I will make this wand mine," Max declared.
Harry looked into Max's eyes for a long moment before sighing in defeat. "Alright, you win. But if that wand harms you again, we're changing it!"
"You got it, Harry. And… thank you for worrying about me," Max said with a small smile.
In his previous life, Max had always made decisions alone. No one ever questioned him—no one cared about the consequences he might face. He was free to make any choice, even self-destructive ones.
But now, it was different. He had someone who genuinely cared about him, not for personal gain, but because he truly mattered to them.
"Alright, now that you've finally decided, the wand will be seven Galleons," Mr. Ollivander announced.
"Here you go, sir. And thank you for helping us decide," Harry said, paying for the wand.
With that, both Harry and Max left to continue their shopping.
"So, what do you want to get next?" Harry asked.
"Hmm... I think getting some spellbooks would be a great idea. I still don't know any spells. Even with the world's strongest wand, I can't protect myself if I don't know magic," Max admitted.
"Yeah, that's true. I know the best place for that. We can get some spellbooks for you there," Harry said.
The two set off to buy books and various supplies. In the end, Max purchased three books—The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1, Magical Drafts and Potions, and A History of Magic—as well as some potion-making materials. All of these books as well as the wand costed Harry a total of 12 galleons. Though these were only first-year Hogwarts textbooks, mastering the basics was crucial for any wizard.
After completing their shopping, Harry, Max, and Echo returned to the Leaky Cauldron. Harry and Max parted at the canteen to rest in their rooms. But rest was the last time in Max's mind at that time, he was way to excited to try out his wand and cast his first spell.
Entering his room, Max quickly took out his books and laid them out on the bed. His eyes were glittering with a fiery passion. He wanted to learn everything there was in the world. But the very first question was what had happened to him when he used the wand.
Bring the wand out of his packaging, Max carefully check out the wand, Echo who was in front of Max watches him carefully.
"What might have caused a reaction like that??", asked Max to himself.
"I really don't have any idea, I have read through all of your memories of reading the books as well as watching the movies but there was never a case of that. I think that was had happened to you was something that not even the author of the book thought about. This world is very big with loads of artifacts and relics and the books author can't write about every last one of them, there weren't even enough books to write."
"True, there was so much that the author had showed us in only 8 books but there was so much more too."
"My best guess at what had happened to you is that the wand didn't mean to harm you but was trying to form something within you. I could feel it making something in your when I intervened with the divine energy. Why don't you try out your [Status]"
"Alright"
"[Status]"