09: The Ambrosius Family

"It looks like two more energetic guests."

Ollivander took out a measuring tape: "Who will go first?"

"You go first, Hermione."

Ivan asked Ollivander to measure Hermione first. The old man first inquired about her dominant hand, and then began to measure the little witch.

From shoulder to fingertips, from wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit, and finally, he measured the circumference of her head.

"Each Ollivander wand contains a core of powerful magical substance, which is its essence," Mr. Ollivander explained while measuring. "We use unicorn hair, phoenix tail feathers, and dragon heartstrings."

"Each Ollivander wand is unique, because no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are exactly the same." "Of course, if you use a wand that should belong to another wizard, it will never perform as well."

"Sorry, sir," Hermione interjected, "I don't quite understand why you need to measure our body when buying a wand. After all, our bodies will continue to grow. Will the wand need to be replaced like clothes as we grow?"

The young witch was genuinely curious.

If she had been alone, perhaps to leave a good impression on Professor McGonagall, she might not have asked such a question. However, Ivan's presence bolstered her curiosity.

"Ah, good question," Mr. Ollivander was not offended but replied with enthusiasm: "Remember what I said just now, it is the wand that chooses the wizard!"

"The wand is not just a tool in the hands of wizards, but a companion that can accompany them throughout their lives. The wizard's body will change, but the wand will adapt."

"Mr. Ollivander?"

Hermione looked confused: "You speak as if the wand has its own life?"

"Of course the wand has a life!"

The old man laughed, but did not elaborate further. Instead, he selected a wand from the numerous boxes and handed it to Hermione: "Try this one, ten and a quarter inches, willow, dragon heartstring."

Hermione took the wand, but as soon as she touched it, the old man shouted, "No! Not this one!"

In her panic, Ollivander snatched it back, appearing as though he had touched something unclean.

"???"

The young witch looked perplexed. She wondered if there was something wrong with her touch: 'Did I do something wrong when I touched the wand?'

'What happened?'

Hermione turned to Ivan, her eyes filled with confusion. Ivan smiled and said, "I think the wand has the ability to identify a wizard's magic. Didn't Mr. Ollivander just say the wand has life?"

"Yes."

Ollivander looked back at Ivan and smiled, "Every wand is unique, just as no two leaves in the world are exactly the same."

"Many wizards regard wands as mere tools, but they fail to realize that wands are actually the best partners for wizards."

"Wands evolve as wizards grow. They are part of a wizard's life."

A wand is chosen when a young wizard enters school, becoming bound to their magical characteristics and growing alongside them.

And when a wizard's life comes to an end, the wand will soon perish as well.

Otherwise, with Ollivander's 2,300-year history of wand-making, there would be thousands, if not tens of thousands, of wands left in the world.

But the reality is that there are not so many wands in the wizarding world because wands are closely tied to the lives of wizards.

"Well, it should be this one."

Ollivander searched for a long time and finally found a new wand in the back.

"Try this one, 10 and 3/4 inches, vine wood, dragon heartstring."

Hermione took the wand, and the moment the young witch grasped it, an inexplicable sense of intimacy arose.

"Wonderful."

Ollivander laughed: "Vine wands are very rare. They usually choose those who seek greater things, have foresight, and will do things that shock even their closest friends."

"I feel like it is an extension of my arm."

Hermione waved the wand gently, leaving a trail of fluorescent light in the air. This sensation, like freeing a heavy shackle from one's body, was exhilarating.

"Hehe."

Ollivander watched Hermione's delight with satisfaction, pleased that his craftsmanship had found the right owner. "That will be 7 gold galleons."

The first wand purchase for young wizards is subsidized, hence the lower price.

Hermione paid and also bought a set of wand care tools.

"Next, Mr. Ambrosius?"

Ollivander repeated Ivan's last name several times, seeming to recall something: "Your last name reminds me of a legendary family."

"Legendary family?"

Hearing this, not only Ivan and Hermione, but even Professor McGonagall, who had been silently standing beside them since entering, became intrigued: "Garrick, which family are you referring to?"

The surname Ollivander is very ancient, counted among the twenty-eight sacred families in the British wizarding world.

Professor McGonagall was curious about Ivan's background and hadn't expected to glean a clue from Ollivander.

"Minerva, you should know, right?"

"We always mention that," Ollivander chuckled, then added playfully: "Merlin's beard."

"Merlin's?"

"Oh, Merlin's beard!!"

Suddenly, it dawned on Professor McGonagall, and she turned to Ivan with a look of astonishment: "Merlin, Merlin Ambrosius!"

In this world, Merlin is a wizard of immense power, a natural seer who could transform his appearance at will.

"Uh..."

Ollivander noted McGonagall's intense gaze, then turned to the equally surprised Ivan.

The old man's expression shifted subtly as he asked, incredulously: "Excuse me, Minerva, this couldn't just be a coincidence, could it?"

"..."

Professor McGonagall wanted to dismiss it as mere coincidence, but considering Ivan's extraordinary prophetic abilities, she hesitated: "I'm sorry, Garrick, but I believe this child may indeed be a descendant of that singular lineage."

"Merlin's beard!"

Ollivander's eyes widened, and he stared at Ivan for a long moment: "The great Eternal Family, I never imagined that such a noble bloodline would manifest in this era."

Ambrosius means "eternal" and "immortal," so in the wizarding world, those who inherited Merlin's bloodline are often called "immortal descendants."

The surname Ambrosius has left a legacy of the Eternal Family in the wizarding world. "But I heard that the bloodline of the Eternal Family was cut off a thousand years ago."

"No, it's not cut off," Ollivander corrected. "It was scattered."

Today, there is no Ambrosius family in the wizarding world because this family disappeared a thousand years ago.

The reason was not due to a disaster, but simply because the male heirs had died out.

As the female descendants married, Merlin's bloodline was dispersed among the families, and only those who simultaneously awakened both the Prophecy Magus and the Metamorphosis Magus abilities could truly be called the immortal descendants.