The others quickly shifted their attention from Bill. Envy transformed into anxious anticipation.
The lord had said their wands would be made by Bill. So they could only pray Bill learned quickly and would help make their wands as soon as possible.
Afterward, witnessed by Arwen, Kael and Bill signed a magical contract. In the future, Bill would become Hogwarts' exclusive wandmaker, responsible for making more wands for Kael to provide for numerous wizards.
Bill was the weapons manufacturer Kael trained for himself.
Even in the future, he could consider establishing Middle-earth's only wand supply shop, like Ollivanders.
Bill stayed in the castle, learning the wandmaking craft from Kael.
The other new wizards also received Kael's permission to remain in the castle. Though currently without wands to cast spells, they could learn magical knowledge and theory in advance.
Kael specially opened a large classroom, then hung his portrait on the blackboard and copied many first-year Hogwarts textbooks for these people to read.
These new wizards hungrily studied new magical knowledge. Even without wands now, they didn't find it boring.
Moreover, Kael placed one universal wand on the lectern, letting these magical rookies take turns trying it out.
So this wand became the most popular object. Every day, people queued to use it to cast learned spells.
Whether successful or not, each person only had one spellcasting opportunity.
So some successfully cast spells with the wand. Even the simplest Lumos charm made them very excited and happy.
Those who didn't succeed could only dejectedly put down the wand and continue studying hard, waiting for their next turn to cast spells with the wand.
Among them, some had outstanding magical talent, like Dunlending chief Bróg, who even figured out some magic tricks without a wand.
Like condensing water into ice, breathing out fog. Though the area wasn't large, it was enough to make others envious and amazed.
While teaching Bill wandmaking, Kael also helped Dunlending chief Bróg make a wand for himself.
After all, both served under Kael's command. Both mayors had wands Kael made for them. He couldn't show favoritism.
Thus, a wand with an aspen wood body and a thunderbird feather core was born.
That Bróg could match this wand also surprised Kael somewhat.
He originally thought these people all fused dragon blood, so the most suitable wand core for them should be dragon heartstring.
He had even worried that so many people probably wouldn't have enough dragon heartstrings to share.
After all, dead wyverns and frost dragons combined totaled only fifty-plus heads, while over five hundred people here waited for wands.
Even dividing each dragon's heartstring into several segments probably wouldn't be enough.
However, Bróg's wand materials finally made Kael breathe a sigh of relief.
This wand was powerful, very suitable for combat, with extremely fast spellcasting speed, like lightning.
Once Bróg got the wand, he treasured it deeply, never leaving it behind, and appeared deeply afraid of losing it.
Bill progressed rapidly under Kael's tutelage in wandmaking.
With his wood carving background, within just a few months, he could independently carve complete wand bodies and even inscribe magical circuits inside them.
Now he studied the properties of wand woods and cores, learning how a skilled wandmaker must know every material intimately and understand which combinations work best.
To gain practical experience, Kael brought Bill to the Old Forest to collect materials from the Huorns.
Given Kael's current strength, these Huorns posed no threat.
When they attempted to attack, he simply immobilized all the surrounding trees with a wave of his hand, then broke off a branch from each one while explaining its properties and what type of wizard it would suit best.
Bill watched his teacher with awe. Any one of these trees could crush him instantly, yet Kael walked through them as if they weren't even there, casually immobilizing them without effort.
After studying under Kael, Bill had come to regard him as his master, abandoning "my lord" for the more familiar "teacher."
Kael accepted the title without hesitation.
Bill became his first official apprentice.
As more trees were immobilized, the Huorns seemed to realize they were outmatched. They stopped attacking entirely, reverting to a state of stillness like ordinary trees.
They allowed Kael to harvest branches from them.
For Huorns, these branches were like human hair—removing a few made no difference.
But to a wandmaker's eye, this magical wood was perfect material.
Surveying the abundant magical wood around them, Bill said excitedly, "Teacher, this place is incredible—a wandmaker's paradise! With the Old Forest, we'll never run short of materials!"
Kael nodded in agreement.
The Old Forest contained countless Huorns whose branches possessed ideal wandmaking properties, and it lay conveniently close to Weathertop.
For wandmakers like themselves, this was indeed a treasure trove.
Kael smiled at Bill. "Next time, you'll collect wood yourself. These trees have foul tempers. You'd better learn some defensive magic first, or you'll regret it."
Bill glanced at the menacing trees. Remembering their earlier attacks, he shuddered.
Once I finish my own wand, I'm mastering defensive charms before I come back here alone.
After harvesting from all the largest trees, Kael and Bill returned to Hogwarts Castle with enough material for over a thousand wands.
Kael had taught Bill everything about wandmaking. Now Bill needed to perfect the craft through practice. Stepping back, Kael turned his attention to other projects.
Bill began working independently.
He processed every branch from the Old Forest into wand blanks, then gathered his core materials: dragon heartstring, thunderbird feathers, great eagle feathers, elf hair, giant spider nerves, and troll heart tendons.
Kael had identified these as the most magically potent materials suitable for wand cores.
Four stood out as superior: dragon heartstring, great eagle feathers, elf hair, and thunderbird feathers.
Dragon heartstring wands offered maximum power and responsiveness, ideal for explosive magic.
Great eagle feather wands showed exceptional loyalty and excelled at powerful, creative spellwork.
Elf hair wands provided unmatched stability and consistency but were strongly resistant to dark magic.
Thunderbird feather wands possessed remarkable versatility, lightning-fast casting speed, and tremendous raw power.
Kael designated these four as primary core materials, pairing them with various woods to create diverse wands.
Bill followed his teacher's approach, matching Old Forest wood with these cores to craft wands for himself and the others.
Wandmaking proved challenging. Bill's first attempts predictably failed. Ruined wands accumulated in a growing pile.
While Bill worked, Kael pursued his own project.
He felled a thick Mallorn branch, cut it into boards, and, through careful processing, crafted two solid wood wardrobes.
He intended to create Vanishing Cabinets—magical transport devices that could move objects across vast distances while bypassing anti-apparition wards.