Harry, beaming with happiness and joy at the entrance of the wand shop, couldn't wait to show this special birthday gift to his two newly acquainted friends.
"Hermione, Adelaide! Look at this, this is the birthday gift Hagrid carefully picked out for me!"
"It's a snowy owl—Adelaide, why do you look so pale? Are you feeling unwell?" Harry asked, full of doubt.
Adelaide's usual elegant smile was gone, replaced by a ashen, seemingly greatly shocked expression.
Hermione, smiling, walked up and stroked the snowy owl's feathers, then handed him a beautifully wrapped gift box and softly said, "What a beautiful little fellow... Don't mind her, today is a happy day. This is our gift to you—Happy Birthday, Harry!"
Hearing Hermione's warm wishes, Harry set aside his concerns about Adelaide's unusual behavior, his gaze immediately drawn to the brand-new gift box.
He carefully took the box, feeling the weighty sentiment, his heart filled with emotion and joy.
Urged by Hagrid, they entered the small, dilapidated Ollivander wand shop. Adelaide looked around and found that the shop's layout hadn't changed much from when she bought her wand years ago. She wondered how many wands Ollivander had sold in recent years, and whether he was making a profit or a loss.
"Good afternoon."
A voice as soft as a breeze across a lake suddenly echoed from inside the shop. Though not loud, it startled everyone.
Ollivander appeared before them like a ghost, his pale eyes wide, his gaze empty and distant, as if he could see into the deepest, most secret corners of people's hearts.
""Hello."
Harry and Hermione responded somewhat stiffly, their eyes fixed on Ollivander, a sense of awe rising within them.
Ollivander walked up to Harry, bending slightly, his unfocused, silvery-white eyes, like they were covered in a layer of silver frost, staring intently into Harry's.
Harry felt a chill creep up his spine, and he shivered involuntarily.
Then Ollivander extended a hand, as thin as a dry stick, and gently caressed the iconic lightning-bolt scar on Harry's forehead.
"I'm sorry, this was done by a wand I sold; thirteen and a half inches long, made of yew, with a Phoenix feather core... Your father preferred mahogany, perfect for Transfiguration... Your mother's wand was made of willow... You see, the wand actually chooses the Wizard."
Harry was stunned, only nodding blankly.
Ollivander was silent for a moment, then straightened up and looked at Hermione.
Ollivander scrutinized her for a while, then said, "Hmm... Miss, I can tell you possess extraordinary wisdom and courage—you must be from the Muggle world, aren't you? Welcome to the Wizarding family."
Hermione looked up at Ollivander, only to see a seemingly warm yet unsettling smile on his face, a smile that instantly made the hairs on her body stand on end.
But out of politeness, she forced herself to remain calm and softly replied, "Thank you."
Ollivander shifted his gaze to Hagrid, but before he could speak, his peripheral vision inadvertently caught sight of an unmissable light-haired girl beside Hagrid.
Merlin's Barbie pink leather shoes!
Isn't this the terrifying Grim Reaper—Grindelwald the Second!
Why is she here again... and with The Chosen One!
Ollivander's composure instantly vanished, replaced by a face full of shock and apprehension.
He widened his eyes and took half a step back, his gaze, like a startled rabbit, darting between The Chosen One, Harry Potter, and the Grim Reaper, Grindelwald the Second.
Could it be that there isn't even time to wait for Grindelwald to graduate from Hogwarts, and the British Wizarding World is about to descend into a bloodbath?
Just as Ollivander's mind was filled with these chaotic, complex, and terrifying thoughts, Hagrid, who could no longer bear it, suddenly waved his hand, loudly interrupting Ollivander's completely muddled thoughts, and asked in his usual gruff voice:
"Mr. Ollivander, can we start trying wands for Harry and Hermione?"
Ollivander came to his senses as if waking from a dream, stammering, "Oh, yes... yes, in that case, ladies first. So, little girl, what is your full name?"
"Hermione Granger."
"Miss Granger, which is your dominant hand? Please extend it."
Ollivander said softly.
Hermione nervously glanced at Adelaide beside her, then, under her encouraging gaze, extended her right hand.
Ollivander took out an automatic tape measure, which, as if alive, quickly began to wrap around Hermione's right hand, precisely measuring various data.
Meanwhile, Ollivander was not idle; he moved back and forth between the shelves, carefully searching for a wand suitable for Hermione.
Before long, Ollivander pulled out a wand from a pile of haphazardly placed wands, handed it to Hermione, and introduced, "Try this one first. It's made of mahogany, with a Unicorn hair core, ten and a half inches long, and quite flexible."
Hermione carefully took the wand, but before she could feel anything, the quick-witted Ollivander snatched it back.
"No, no, this one probably isn't suitable."
Ollivander muttered, shaking his head, then, as if he had discovered a treasure, he excitedly exclaimed, "Aha, I've got it! How about this one? Yew wood paired with dragon nerve, eleven and three-quarters inches long, very elastic."
Hermione obediently took the wand again and, following Ollivander's instructions, foolishly waved it.
A flash of fire erupted from the tip of the wand with her movement, shooting straight towards a cardboard box on the counter.
In the blink of an eye, the empty cardboard box burst into flames.
The sudden turn of events left both Hermione and Harry dumbfounded; they had no idea such a thing would happen.
Ollivander, however, remained calm and composed, as if he had seen it all before.
He unhurriedly waved the wand in his hand, muttering incantations, and the leaping flames instantly vanished without a trace.
Adelaide stood quietly to the side, somewhat enviously watching Hermione trying out wands. Her wand was custom-made from materials bestowed by Merlin, and its power was immense. However, as a Hogwarts student, she missed out on the process of choosing her own wand, which made her feel as if a crucial piece of her life's puzzle was missing, incomplete.
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