Chapter 4 "Magic Wands"

"Gregorovitch? Miss Clearwater, you said we are going to Ollivanders Wand Shop earlier." Matthew seems to be taken aback by reading the sign.

"Gregorovitch is a magic wand franchise in the wizarding world," Penelope said calmly. "Mr. Ollivander, the owner of this shop… sigh…" Penelope seems to run out of patience while explaining to Matthew, "Seriously, just go in… why would you even care about the name of these places?"

The shop is tiny; there is nothing but a bench. Penelope sat on the bench and waved her hand, telling Matthew to go upstairs alone.

Matthew went upstairs; by the time he was climbing the stairs, he heard bells ringing somewhere from inside the shop. He looked around, but the surroundings were empty…

"Good morning!" A man with a soft voice greeted Matthew.

Matthew was almost taken aback because someone suddenly appeared beside him.

A regular old man whose eyes are wide, pale, and shine through the gloom of the shop. His hair is messy, seems like he is living a decadent life…

Matthew could feel it through his eyes; this old man must be dissatisfied with his current life.

"Hello, you are Mr. Ollivander, right?" Matthew asked.

"Whose asking?" Mr. Ollivander leaned in front of Matthew, looking closer at him. It made Matthew feel uncomfortable. "A freshman at Hogwarts, I presume?"

"Yes, I---" Without having the chance to finish his sentence, Mr. Ollivander cut him off.

"What's your name, boy?" Mr. Ollivander asked.

"Matthew Wickfield, sir," Matthew answered.

"Mr. Wickfield, you are here to buy a magic wand, correct?" Mr. Ollivander asked again

"That's right, sir." Matthew nodded.

"Follow me then!" Without any explanation, Mr. Ollivander took the lead up the stairs.

...

In contrast to downstairs, Matthew could see thousands of narrow boxes containing wands piled right up to the ceiling; the whole place had a thin layer of dust.

"Mr. Wickfield, which arm will you equip the wand with?" Mr. Ollivander pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket.

"Oh-oh, I use my left-hand, sir." Matthew said.

Matthew Wickfield is left-handed, which he knew from the first time he crossed over. Due to his past life, his right hand is stiff to the point unusable. It is better to respect his physical traits while choosing his wand, Matthew thought to himself.

"Raise your arms; that's good." He measured Matthew from shoulder to fingers, wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit, and round his head.

Matthew then realized that the tape had been measuring on its own, slithering through his body.

"That will do." Mr. Ollivander said, then the measuring tape crumpled into the floor.

Mr. Ollivander then returned to his workbench, recording a series of data while muttering something in his mouth.

"All right!" He exclaimed.

Around fifty boxes of wands appeared and flew in front of Matthew.

"Try this first." Ollivander opened the first wand box.

But to Matthew's surprise, what was placed in the box was not a magic wand but a pile of wooden sticks.

"These are holly wood, quite a rare wand wood!" Ollivander said softly, "Wands made of holly wood are the best for using protective magic. They are suitable for wizards who love dangerous and noble tasks; they even also have the ability to help the owner overcome impulse and anger..."

"What should I do?" Matthew asked softly.

"Just put your hand on top of it." Mr. Ollivander said

Matthew followed his instruction; he put his left hand on the box, but…

"It's okay, boy, it's okay." Ollivander comforted Matthew while pulling his hand back. "No doubt this wood isn't for you, Mr. Wickfield."

"Try this next, Mr. Wickfield; it's alder." Mr. Ollivander brings out another box, "When an alder wand is happily placed, it becomes a magnificent, loyal helpmate. Of all wand types, alder is best suited to non-verbal spell work, whence comes its reputation for being suitable only for the most advanced witches and wizards." He explains enthusiastically.

Matthew put his hand on the box, but once again, the wand rejected him…

"Why don't you try this instead, walnut? While some woods are difficult to dominate and may resist the performance of spells that are foreign to their natures, the walnut wand will, once subjugated, perform any task its owner desires, provided that the user is of sufficient brilliance. This makes for a truly lethal weapon in the hands of a witch or wizard of no conscience, for the wand and the wizard may feed from each other in a particularly unhealthy manner." Mr. Ollivander explains once again to Matthew.

Another wand box appeared in front of Matthew, but when he reached for it this time--

"Oh!" Matthew let out a scream and quickly retracted his hand.

"What's wrong?" Ollivander asked with great interest.

"It's hot...like touching a blazing charcoal." Matthew described how he felt just now.

"That's not right!" Mr. Ollivander's expression suddenly changes when he puts his hand on his forehead. "It couldn't be!" He went searching between the wand boxes.

A few seconds later, he returned with another wand box and then asked Matthew to put his hand on it.

This time, a comforting feeling came from his palm. As if the essence of the wood is a perfect match for him, at the same time, a dim red light faintly glows from the box.

"Marvelous!" A smile appeared on Mr. Ollivander's face for the first time, "This is black walnut. If the witch or wizard is unable or unwilling, to be honest with themselves or others, the wand often fails to perform adequately and must be matched with a new owner to regain its former prowess. Paired with a sincere, self-aware owner, however, it becomes one of the most loyal and impressive wands of all, with a particular flair in all kinds of charmwork." Mr. Ollivander said with an excited tone.

"There is no doubt black walnut is the one that is suitable for you, Mr. Wickfield!" He adds.

Mr. Ollivander then returned to his workbench to record something. At the same time, the 50 wand boxes return to their rightful place neatly.

"Do you want anything in particular for the core?" Mr. Ollivander asked while putting down the quill in his hand, "Unicorn tail hairs, Phoenix feather, and Dragon heartstrings. These are the three I specialize in. If you have other requests, then I have to ask for some help from the others." He explained.

"What would be the difference between these cores, sir?" Matthew asked.

"Different wand cores had different magical properties. Unicorn hair was not very strong but stable and reliable, whereas dragon heartstring was strong and flamboyant but more prone to accidents. While phoenix feathers are capable of the greatest range of magic, they are the pickiest when it comes to their owner." Mr. Ollivander explained.

"Interestingly, certain wand woods reacted with certain cores in unique ways, affecting the wand's personality and magical abilities." He adds.

After thinking for a moment, Matthew finally comes to an answer "I want unicorn tail hairs as the core." After all, he thinks stability is the most important.

"Very good, a great choice Mr. Wickfield. Black walnut, unicorn tail hair, eleven and a half inches long… Mr. Wickfield, I'll try finishing the wand before next month arrives. I'll send it to Hogwarts under your name.

Matthew thought he could get his wand now, "I---I thought… I could get my wand right away." He couldn't help but feel lost.

"May it be fifty years ago; you would get it right away, boy." The old man's expression changed, his eyes looked sad, and his mood saddened.

He wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes. "My principle would be to let the magic wand choose their wizard, but Gregorovitch bought my wand shop… I had to sell wands according to how he wanted it done. Let the wizard choose their wands."

"Then, Mr. Ollivander, what year did Mr. Gregorovitch buy your wand shop?" Matthew asked.

"It was in 1945…" Mr. Ollivander said with a sad tone.