Shocking Talent!

Under the guidance of Professor McGonagall, Kevin arrived in front of a shop. The shop's door was old and narrow, and in the shop window was a faded purple cushion with a wand on top of it. Above the door was a peeled gold sign that read: Ollivander's, crafting fine wands since 382 B.C.

Kevin seriously doubted this claim. If the words on the sign were true, it meant that their family had been making wands since 382 B.C., a time when the dragons were still ruling and Rome wasn't even an empire. Back then, Britain was Celtic territory, practicing Druidism, and there was no trace of the Normans or Saxons.

The two of them entered, and the copper bell beside the door rang crisply. The shop was not large. Besides the counter and a long bench, thousands of narrow boxes piled up to the ceiling occupied the rest of the space.

Even though it was the back-to-school season, it was still early in the morning, and there were no other customers inside. It was very quiet, and Kevin found himself involuntarily taking a deep breath. Even though wizards had convenient cleaning spells, the shop was still quite dusty, which Kevin found hard to accept.

"Good morning, Professor McGonagall. He is this year's young wizard, right?" A soft voice spoke. An old man suddenly slid out from behind a counter, appeared in front of Kevin, and looked at him with his large, pale eyes, appearing to be very pleased. "Excellent, you are the first customers to arrive at the store today. I am Garrick Ollivander."

Ah, he was the famous wand maker of Great Britain.

It seemed that Ollivander noticed Kevin's doubt and explained, "In most cases, young wizards often go to other shops first and then come to pick out wands, which is quite strange. After all, for wizards, a wand is their most important companion."

Kevin, as a young wizard, shrugged, not offering any comments on the topic.

"Then, let's proceed to choose a wand, my boy. Please extend your hand."

With Ollivander's words, a measuring tape flew up from the counter and began measuring Kevin's height, arm span, and other parameters.

"Which hand do you use predominantly?"

"My right hand," Kevin said, extending his right hand. Suddenly, he blurted out, "Forgive me if I'm being presumptuous, Mr. Ollivander; does your surname represent that your ancestors used an olive wood wand?"

The spelling of Ollivander was almost a combination of "olive" and "wand."

"Oh, yes, that's correct. You are indeed a clever young wizard. You might be sorted into Ravenclaw," Ollivander said approvingly while continuing to measure. "Please raise your other arm. Good."

Fortunately, the tape measure was operated by magic, which spared Kevin from the old man's hands-on measurements.

The tape measure went from shoulder to fingertip, then from wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit, and finally measured head circumference. Kevin was well aware that, at the age of eleven, he was going through a growth spurt, gaining several centimeters in height each year. Clothes that fit him now would often become too small within a few months, so he wasn't sure how these measurements would help in wand selection. Nevertheless, he played along.

"Try this one!" He waved his hand, and a box flew over. "Eleven and a quarter inches, holly and phoenix feather core. Holly wands are best suited for those who are friendly, caring, and endearing. Give it a try."

Kevin held the wand, and with a swish, a burst of fire erupted. Watching the smoky box, Kevin thought to himself, "Does he see me as an endearing wizard?"

Ollivander nodded in satisfaction. "Good luck; this wand is for you. Nine Galleons..."

"Wait, is it over already? Can I try another one, Mr. Ollivander? I feel like it's not quite right!" Kevin was taken aback to find that his first wand test was deemed successful.

In his mind, as a protagonist, wand selection should be a much more selective process.

"If you'd like to take more time, that's a strange request. Most young wizards hope to find the right wand as quickly as possible. Nevertheless, let's try another one. Perhaps, due to your recent statement, you want to become a dark wizard." Kevin wondered if the man was implying that he might become a dark wizard.

Ollivander reluctantly agreed to the request, perhaps influenced by his appreciation of Kevin's earlier statement or the effects of his [Charming Humans] ability.

"Okay, then, how about this one? Twelve inches, applewood, and phoenix feather core," he said, but was cut off before Kevin could even touch the wand.

"No, that's not it. This one isn't right," Kevin said with some strange look in his eyes.

Kevin was beginning to wonder if the guy was implying that he might become a dark wizard or something.

"Then, how about this one? Cedarwood, phoenix feather..." At Ollivander's shop, wands only contained phoenix feathers, unicorn hair, and dragon heartstrings as their cores. However, wands from other manufacturers could use different materials like Veela hair, Banshee hair, Kneazle whisker, and Wampus cat hair for North American wands, and so on.

Ollivander allowed Kevin to try one wand after another. All of them were capable of casting powerful spells, including dark magic, and Kevin had no problem causing a ruckus with any of them. But in Ollivander's eyes, each wand seemed to be a perfect match, which meant that none of them achieved the most perfect match.

At the beginning, Ollivander was still somewhat pleased, but as time went on, he was starting to sweat, wondering if Kevin was the first young wizard who was this easy to please. "Green, I've never encountered a young wizard like you who accepts any wand that I offer. The good news is that when necessary, you can easily borrow someone else's wand without worrying about being unable to perform spells."

Thinking it over, Ollivander went to the back of the store to retrieve a box wrapped in silky fabric. In fact, Kevin was quite satisfied with his situation. He believed it was a manifestation of his innate talent. When you feel comfortable with someone and believe that you can get along with them very well, as if they have understood you very well after just a few words, it's probably because the other person's emotional intelligence and intellect are completely overwhelming you.

This saying applies here as well. Being able to adapt to any wand also meant that his talent could overcome any wand's restrictions.

"Try this wand. Eleven inches, holly, and phoenix feather," Ollivander carefully took out the straight wand with a glistening gold-red sheen.

At first sight of the wand, Kevin felt something different. Through the air, there was already a faint attraction coming from the wand.

This time, when he held the wand in his hand, there was no earth-shattering reaction. It was more like a return to simplicity. Kevin could feel a strange sensation rising in his heart. The wand seemed to become a part of his body, and with a single thought, magic could move precisely along with it.

"Wow, it seems you two get along well!" Ollivander's expression finally became happy. "Holly is a unique wand wood, and I've found that it's difficult to find the right wizard for a holly wand. Therefore, my stock of holly wands is always limited. But in return, it only shows its true power to the most talented individuals. Mr. Green, you are undoubtedly one of them."

Kevin paid Ollivander ten galleons for the wand, and the two of them walked out of the shop. Professor McGonagall was also pleased with the result. "Alright, now it's time to get you fitted for your school robes."