Duncan and Newt rushed to Diagon Alley, to the entrance of Ollivander's wand shop.
Unfortunately, a 'Closed' sign already hung on the old wooden door.
Fortunately, the shop door wasn't locked, and Mr. Ollivander was standing at the entrance, organizing wands on the shelves.
Newt brought Duncan forward to speak with Ollivander, explaining their reason and asking if he could work a little overtime to help Duncan choose a suitable wand.
The kind-hearted Ollivander nodded enthusiastically, welcomed the two of them into the shop, and lit the lamps on the side wall.
Ollivander had Duncan stand in front of the counter, measured his size with a tape measure marked with silver scales, then mumbled a few words to himself before turning to a nearby shelf to retrieve a dusty box. He waved his hand to brush off the dust and took out a white wand with fine Texture, placing it in Duncan's hand.
"Aspen, Phoenix feather, eight inches. Give it a try," Ollivander said with a smile.
Duncan nodded, flicked his wrist, and spun the wand in the air. A sudden gust of wind blew through the shop, swirling the wand boxes Ollivander had just arranged, sending them flying everywhere.
Duncan stopped, a little embarrassed, and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Mr. Ollivander..."
"No, no, child, it's not your fault," Ollivander raised his hand to interrupt Duncan, skillfully taking the wand back from him, and turned again towards the shelves beside him. "Although this wand has submitted to you, it's still not quite right for you. Hmm... let me see, which one would be more suitable..."
Ollivander paced back and forth in front of the shelves filled with boxes. After about ten seconds, he stood on his tiptoes to retrieve another box from a higher position, taking out the wand inside. But this time, as soon as he handed it to Duncan, before he even had a chance to wave it, Ollivander pulled it back again.
"Not this one, still not right... Let me see again..." Ollivander mumbled softly, continuing his search in front of the shelves.
After a period of repeated pulling and trying, Duncan's hand hovered in mid-air, his face showing a helpless expression, letting Ollivander operate. The wands on the floor had piled up into a small hill, but a suitable one still hadn't been found.
Did the wand detect my special identity as a transmigrator?
Or is my magic really that picky? Am I a legendary genius?
Duncan thought silently, but Newt's next action made him surprisingly dismiss his thoughts.
Newt coughed softly, feigning a casual reminder, "Mr. Ollivander, it's getting a bit late now, and we still need to go to Flourish and Blotts to buy some things. Aren't you..."
"Oh, oh, sorry, I forgot..." Ollivander suddenly came to his senses, gently patted his forehead, and showed an apologetic smile. Then he turned and went to the bottom of another shelf, as if he had already chosen a target, and directly pulled out a box from below, handing it to Duncan. "Maple, Phoenix feather, thirteen inches. Try this one."
Duncan took it and waved it gently, immediately feeling a silky smooth sensation that he hadn't experienced with any other wand.
"You seemed to know it was suitable for me already?" Duncan asked with interest, examining the slender wand in his hand.
"Because the wand chooses the Wizard, child, and it told me the answer."
Ollivander said in a mysterious tone, but seeing Duncan's disbelieving expression, he hesitated, then smiled and said,
"How should I put it, when everyone holds a wand that isn't suitable for them, different fluctuations are produced depending on the degree of difference. A qualified wandmaker can determine which type of wand is suitable for the customer in front of them based on these fluctuations. If you want to understand it in detail, you can come here to learn in the future."
"So that's why you made me try so many wands earlier?" Duncan nodded knowingly.
"Not entirely. Actually, when you held the first wand, I already knew which wand was suitable for you."
Duncan raised his eyebrows in surprise: "Hm?"
"The reason I made you try so many times..." Ollivander's light-colored eyes showed a hint of cunning,
"is because I found that if I picked out the right wand for young Wizards right away, they sometimes became a little disheartened. But as I increased the number of times I let them try, they would feel very special and become very happy. Over time, I kept this habit."
"I see, you truly are a kind wandmaker." Duncan laughed wryly, no wonder Newt had spoken up to remind him earlier.
"This is our secret, don't tell anyone else, or this trick of mine won't work anymore." Ollivander smiled and winked at Duncan. "Your wand is nine Galleons in total."
"Of course!" Duncan nodded in agreement. After Newt paid, he waved goodbye to Ollivander and jogged with Newt to Flourish and Blotts, Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, and other shops to buy everything on the list that came with the acceptance letter. Then they hurried back to a large tree next to their house.
Duncan looked at the stars gradually appearing in the sky, leaned against the tree trunk, and gazed at a three-story house not far away. A dim yellow light spilled from the windows, and a blurry figure could vaguely be seen through the window.
They had indeed returned a bit late today. Tina was probably anxious and might be brewing a storm of anger.
Duncan turned and met Newt's slightly solemn gaze. Both of them took a deep breath in unison, calming their inner tension: "Let's go, to face the judgment of fate."
Walking to the waist-high stone wall and pushing open the gate, Duncan followed Newt into the small courtyard.
As soon as they stepped onto the pebble path, the front door of the house burst open with a bang not far ahead. Tina appeared in the doorway, her arms crossed, her lips tightly pressed, her face taut, seriously examining Duncan and Newt. A chilling atmosphere immediately permeated the air.
Duncan decisively chose to lower his head, silently falling back two steps behind Newt.
Unexpectedly, as they were about to get close, Newt suddenly slammed on the brakes, bent down, and picked up something from the ground.
This forced Duncan to walk ahead and face Tina first.
Damn it!
Duncan roared in his heart, quickly put on a brilliant smile, opened his arms to hug Tina, and sweetly called out: "Grandma!"
The expression on Tina's face softened considerably. She gently stroked Duncan's smooth hair and asked, looking down, "Did you buy everything on the list?"
"Of course, Grandma. Look at my new wand, isn't it pretty?" Duncan pulled out his wand, showing it off to Tina.
"It's beautiful!" Tina smiled and nodded, then stepped aside from the doorway. "Duncan, hurry in and rest. Dinner is on the table."
"Okay." Duncan breathed a sigh of relief, knowing he had passed the test, and quickly slipped into the house, quietly giving Newt a helpless, triumphant smile.