Chapter 16: Ron's Desire
Strange as it seemed…
The glowing red "cord" didn't look very long, maybe only two or three inches, yet it managed to connect the entire ten-inch wand from tip to base—and not even in a straight line.
Harry watched closely. The cross-section of the wand was engraved with all sorts of symbols, each now emitting a faint red glow.
How long it took, no one could say—perhaps minutes, perhaps hours—but finally, the cord reached the end, and the two halves of the wand swiftly came together.
"All done?" Harry's throat moved as he spoke, his voice slightly dry.
"Almost," Siron replied without looking away, eyes fixed unblinking on the wand. He waved a hand. "You'd better step back. I don't know if it's going to explode this time."
No sooner had he said that than Harry and the others stumbled backward. Neville and Seamus almost collided… mostly because standing still too long had made their legs numb.
At this point, they were already thinking of leaving. But before they could reach the door, a sharp, grating noise filled the air.
Creaaak… creaaak… Like someone sawing through wood.
In terrified disbelief, they watched as the wand floated midair, shaking violently.
For a moment, Ron thought he saw the shadow of a strange creature.
Only about twenty inches tall, its gray-brown skin was rough, like a tree stump. Most striking was its head, topped with a crimson hat, as if soaked in blood.
The creature roared and swung a wooden stick with all its might.
Smack!
Someone slammed heavily on Ron's shoulder, and he snapped awake.
"Run! It's the Red Hat!" he shouted, reaching for Harry.
"What are you talking about? Red hat?" Harry barely had time to react before Ron's frantic grip almost sent him sprawling.
There was no choice. He, along with Seamus and Neville, had to hold Ron firmly, preventing him from thrashing wildly.
With everyone working together, Ron gradually calmed down.
The dorm room was familiar again, and faint laughter from the common room drifted in.
"The… the Red Hat?" Ron rubbed his eyes, looking dazed.
"Red hat?" Harry released his arms. "There's nothing here. What's gotten into you?"
"But I clearly saw it…" Ron rubbed his eyes again. "Maybe I imagined it?"
"You didn't imagine it," Siron said, drawing everyone's attention.
He studied Ron with interest, then glanced at the wand on the desk.
"Remarkable. The wand should have exploded, yet it miraculously fused—and you even saw the wand core's original form."
He picked up the wand.
[Holly, Red Hat Nerve, 10 inches]
[Status: Perfect]
[Traits: Poison Curse Success +5%; Exploding Spell Success +10%]
By Merlin's beard…
Siron squeezed the wand lightly.
Two traits. Low bonuses, the names almost unworthy… yet two traits, and both positive!
Siron glanced at Ron. After a moment of thought, he handed the wand over.
"Want to try it?"
"Huh?" Ron froze. "Me?"
"Yes," Siron nodded.
Ron didn't hesitate. Excitedly, he stood, wiped his hands, and took the wand.
He had dreamed of owning a brand-new wand.
Though it wasn't technically his, it was at least new.
"Go ahead," Siron said.
"Try what?"
"Spells. The ones you know best."
"Oh." Ron licked his lips and cleared his throat.
"Daisy, sweet cream, and sunlight.
Turn this old, shabby desk yellow."
Buzz…
A flash of light shot out. In an instant, the once-brown desk gleamed bright yellow.
"Oh, wow!" Ron covered his mouth, eyes wide in disbelief. "It actually worked!"
He wasn't the only one. Harry's eyes widened too.
He had seen Ron try this spell on the train—but nothing had happened then.
Why did it work now?
"Looks like you and this wand are compatible," Siron said with a raised eyebrow. "Want to buy it? I can give you a great deal."
"How much?" Ron's eyes sparkled.
"Seven Galleons," Siron said. "Same price for all first-years."
The sparkle in Ron's eyes dimmed instantly. He reluctantly placed the wand back on the desk.
"I don't have money… not even seven Sickles," he muttered, head down, cheeks flushed.
"I'll pay for it!" Harry said boldly, digging into his pocket and pulling out a handful of shiny gold coins.
He had enough; a small gold mountain sat in his vault. Buying a wand for a friend was nothing.
"No, no need!" Ron grabbed Harry's arm, face even redder.
"Besides… I already have a wand. I don't need another one."
If he hadn't kept glancing at the desk, Harry might have believed him.
But Ron refused, and Harry didn't push.
"Don't worry. I can hold onto it for you," Siron said, taking the wand. The awkward standoff ended.
"I'll leave it at Ollivander's. You can buy it anytime."
"Good!" Ron licked his lips again and nodded eagerly.
"You have to save it for me," he reminded once more.
Seeing Siron agree, Ron quickly returned to his usual self. He apologized to the others and left the dorm.
The celebration wasn't over yet—they wanted snacks, maybe another bottle of Butterbeer.
Alone again, Siron took the wand out, recalling the process of fusing wand body and core.
The violent shaking, the piercing noise—he knew them too well. It had been moments away from exploding.
Yet at the final instant, all anomalies vanished.
Coincidentally, Ron had seen the wand core's red hat.
This was a kind of resonance, appearing only when a wizard and wand were highly compatible during the creation process—almost impossible under normal circumstances.
Typically, wandmakers choose quiet, isolated places for their work, free from other wizards.
Siron's case was unusual.
He hadn't expected success. This was just to appease his classmates, to give himself an excuse.
Show them how dangerous wand-making could be, that it could explode, and why he didn't stay in the dorm for them.
Siron had planned well—he just hadn't expected it to succeed.
After a month of failures, he had finally done it!
"Because of Ron?" Siron murmured, thinking again of that oft-repeated phrase.
The wand chooses the wizard…
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(End of Chapter)