Chapter 59 - The Wand Chooses the Wizard
The bell above the door gave a soft chime as we entered Ollivanders' shop.
The shop was quiet, dusty and strangely cold even in the summer heat. Thousands upon thousands of narrow boxes stretched from floor to ceiling. A single silver lamp burned near the counter which made the shop quite dim.
Harry and Dudley both stopped talking immediately as they stared in wonder.
Then a voice came from the darkness.
"Ah… Arthur Dursley."
Mr. Ollivander appeared silently from between the shelves, making Dudley jump a little. His pale eyes fixed directly on me.
"Oak wood. Unicorn hair. Fourteen inches. Excellent for stability and steady magic. A loyal wand."
I smiled slightly, "You still remember."
"My child," Ollivander said, "I remember every wand."
I introduced my brothers, "Mr. Ollivander, we are here for my brothers' wands. He is Dudley Dursley and Harry potter."
His pale eyes shifted slowly toward Harry and then he went still.
"Ah. Harry Potter."
Harry stiffened beside me.
"Yes," Ollivander said quietly, almost to himself. "Yes… I wondered I would be seeing you soon."
The room somehow felt even quieter.
Mr. Ollivander stepped closer and gently moved Harry's fringe aside, revealing the almost faded lightning scar.
"The infamous scar," he murmured.
Harry looked uncomfortable.
Mr. Ollivander blinked and stepped back at once. "Forgive me. Manners. I am Garrick Ollivander. It seemed like just yesterday when Lily and James got their wands."
Harry asked," You knew my parents, sir?"
"Of course, my child. I remember every wand and their owners very well." He then went back to the other side and asked, "Now, which of you first?"
Harry and Dudley looked at each other.
"You go," Dudley muttered.
Harry nodded nervously.
Mr. Ollivander began pulling boxes from shelves at impossible speed.
He handed a wand to Harry.
Harry tried it.
A vase exploded behind us.
"No, no," Ollivander said calmly, snatching it away.
"Perhaps… maple and dragon heartstring. Flexible."
Harry waved it.
A stack of boxes burst open.
"No."
Another wand.
Another failure.
Dudley slowly moved further away every time something exploded.
After nearly a dozen tries, Harry's hair was a complete mess.
Then Ollivander suddenly froze with another box in hand.
"Ah," he whispered. "Yes. I wonder…"
He handed the wand to Harry.
"Holly and phoenix feather. Eleven inches. Nice and supple."
The moment Harry touched it properly, warmth filled the shop. Golden sparks burst softly from the tip like tiny fireworks. The air itself seemed to hum.
Ollivander clapped once.
"Excellent," he said. "Very good. Excellent."
Harry stared at the wand in wonder.
"It feels warm," he said quietly.
"Of course it does," Ollivander replied. "The wand chooses the wizard, Mr. Potter. Curious… very curious."
Then his strange pale eyes became distant.
"I remember every wand I have sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather resides in your wand gave another feather. Just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother gave you that scar."
Harry swallowed.
"The other wand…" he asked quietly.
Ollivander's eyes rested on him.
"Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand. Powerful indeed." He paused softly. " It was meant to do great things. And in the hands of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, it did great things. Terrible, but great things."
Dudley looked nervous at once. Harry too.
I stepped forward slightly, "Maybe we should find their wands first before the shop becomes haunted."
Ollivander blinked once and suddenly smiled faintly, "Quite right."
Then his eyes shifted toward Dudley.
"And now… Mr. Dudley Dursley."
Dudley looked alarmed with the destruction during wand selection, "Do they all explode like that?"
"Only when they dislike you," I said helpfully.
Dudley glared at me while Harry snorted loudly.
Ollivander ignored our non-sense completely.
"Hmm…" he muttered, studying Dudley carefully.
"Strong build. Steady hands. Loyal temperament. Interesting."
He handed Dudley a wand.
"Chestnut and unicorn hair. Ten inches."
Dudley waved it carefully.
Nothing happened.
"Not bad," Ollivander murmured, taking it back.
Another wand.
Then another.
Finally Ollivander handed Dudley a brown polished wand.
"Birch and dragon heartstring. Twelve inches. Surprisingly sturdy."
Dudley gave it a nervous wave.
The wand glowed softly in his hand. The wooden shelves around us creaked gently, like they approved of it.
Ollivander smiled properly this time.
"Yes," he said quietly. "That will do very nicely."
Dudley looked down at the wand like he could hardly believe it had chosen him.
And for the first time since entering the Diagon Alley, both boys truly looked like wizards.
I wanted to make sure the boys did not simply shove their new wands into pockets like careless children. Too many students snapped good wands that way.
So before leaving, I bought both Harry and Dudley proper wand holsters, the kind that strapped neatly along the forearm under the sleeve. Easy to reach, hard to lose, and much safer during careless accidents.
Dudley looked fascinated by his immediately. Harry too, and they kept drawing and returning the wand every few seconds like they still could not believe it belonged to them.
I also asked Mr. Ollivander for a wand maintenance kit. The old wandmaker looked genuinely pleased by the request and the extra sales.
"Ah, very wise," he said softly, almost approvingly. "Most young wizards neglect their wands terribly. Dust, moisture, cracked handles… dreadful things. A wand cared for properly may serve faithfully for generations."
"Treat a wand well," Ollivander said, "and it will answer you far better."
After we paid for everything, Mr. Ollivander wrapped the purchases carefully in brown paper tied with golden string. Then he bowed his head slightly.
"Good luck to all three of you at Hogwarts."
We thanked him and stepped back out into the bright noise of Diagon Alley.
The sunlight felt almost blinding after the dim wand shop.
And just as we stepped onto the street again, I spotted Hagrid lumbering toward us through the crowd. He looked extremely pleased with himself. In each of his massive hands was a cage covered partly with cloth.
And the cages moved.
Harry noticed first, "What's in there?"
Hagrid's beard twitched with excitement. "Surprise," he said proudly. "Couldn't let the lads start Hogwarts without proper pets, could I?"
A loud hoot came from one cage.
The other cage gave an annoyed screech and rattled little violently.
Dudley jumped back at once.
I looked at Hagrid suspiciously, "Please tell me that second one is not dangerous."
Hagrid looked offended immediately. "Dangerous? Nah! Jus' got a bit o' personality, tha's all."
That answer did not reassure me in the slightest.
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End of Chapter 59 - The Wand Chooses the Wizard 2