Chapter 18: Fish's Wand

In fact, Fish knew that doing so was probably wrong.

Unfortunately, he couldn't resist.

Luckily, as Mr. Ollivander had said, the wand was actually very hard, and Fish's bite left only a light coating of teeth marks.

But the wand seemed to be irritated by it, and a white light burst frantically from the tip of the wand, hitting the shelves next to it and blowing the boxes to smithereens.

"Protego!", Professor McGonagall pulled out her wand and cast a protection spell to stop the white light from shooting out, while Mr. Ollivander snatched the wand from Fish's mouth as fast as he could.

Whether the wand was suitable for Fish or not, it certainly wasn't going to do him any good later this cast.

"Fish! A wand is not a cat toothpick! It's not for biting!", Professor McGonagall scolded the cat boy, as she ducked her head and bowed to Mr. Ollivander apologetically, "I'm so sorry, Mr. Ollivander, the boy still has some habits he hasn't kicked."

"It's okay, I understand..." Mr. Ollivander stroked the wand in pain, then looked at Fish who was still looking confused (pretending), and let out a long sigh before not pursuing the matter any further.

"Just don't do it again, not all wands are as hard as this one," Mr. Ollivander said.

"Did you hear that, Fish?!" said Professor McGonagall sternly.

"Meow!" nodded Fish.

Mr. Ollivander forgave the young man, despite his distaste for his earlier behavior.

Fish had an affinity for animals that most people, even Dumbledore, let alone Ollivander, could not easily resent.

Besides, Mr. Ollivander, who knew Fish's "origins," considered him justified, and if any other wizard had dared to do so, Mr. Ollivander would not have done business with him again, even if he had been the son of the Minister of Magic.

So the selection of wands continued.

Mr. Ollivander picked up a wand, thought about it, handed it back, pulled another from the bottom of the box, and carefully handed it to Fish, "Carpe, phoenix quill, eleven and one-third inches, characterized by.... well... very hard."

This time Fish did nothing else, took the wand and waved it, nothing happened.

Mr. Ollivander, relieved, quickly took the wand out of his hand, then took the one he had put back.

"Ebony, unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, very flexible ... please be careful, it's not as hard as the first two wands," Mr. Ollivander handed the wand to Fish after a few tips.

This time there was a reaction to Fish's movement, a flicker of light on the tip of the wand that might have been lost if he had not been careful, but that was all.

This response did not satisfy Mr. Ollivander, who removed the wand and replaced it with a new one, "Black walnut, thunderbird tail feathers, nine inches, not very controllable, but very popular with shapeshifters...not too hard either."

"Buzz!"

There was a flash, and this time the reaction was a little stronger, but Mr. Ollivander was still not satisfied.

"Mahogany, unicorn tail hair, thirteen inches, flexible, perfect for shapeshifting," Influenced, it seemed, by Fish's "natural animagus" status, Mr. Ollivander's choice of address focused on transfiguration.

Well, except for the Carpe wand.

The reaction to the first two wands made Mr. Ollivander think he was on the right track.

As a result, the moment Fish grabbed the mahogany wand, Mr. Ollivander realized that his assumption was wrong.

Without waiting for Fish to wave his wand, he snatched it away, shaking his head at the same time.

"Looks like we're going in the wrong direction..." Mr. Ollivander rummaged through a pile of boxes for a while before finding a wand and placing it in Fish's hands, "Purple clover, heart nerve of a fire dragon, ten and two thirds inches, a very powerful wand."

Fish waved it, and it crackled with sparks.

"This one's no good either," said Mr. Ollivander.

The wand was withdrawn from his hand again, and Fish grew impatient.

"Minerva," Fish looked at Professor McGonagall with pursed lips.

"You must be patient, my dear," Professor McGonagall said in a reassuring tone, "the choice of wand is too important for a wizard to neglect."

"But this is really boring...," Fish was a bit bored, at first caught up in the strange light effects, but after a while he got bored with the tedious wand movements.

"Oh... I see!"

Mr. Ollivander seemed to be inspired by their conversation and, instead of searching through the pile of boxes at his feet, resumed his search of the shelves, "Here, try this one, made of sycamore wood, for the curious teacher, with the core of a phoenix tail feather, nine inches."

Fish, who had lost his initial enthusiasm, waved it nonchalantly and, while nothing happened, Mr. Ollivander's eyes lit up and he snapped his hands, "That's it!"

And then he switched his wand for Fish to try.

"Meow!", Fish had no patience for anything he wasn't interested in, and if he hadn't wanted a wand, he would have lost his temper and run away.

After trying several wands back and forth, Fish's mind became irritated and his face twitched, while Mr. Ollivander looked happier and happier.

For a wand maker, the more demanding the customer, the more rewarding it is to satisfy them.

"I think we're very close to the final answer," Mr. Ollivander could see Fish's impatience and, as he repositioned the wand, he stopped Fish from taking another bite of his wand.

"Perhaps this is it," Mr. Ollivander pulled out a wand made from several tangled reeds and handed it to Fish.

"Vine wood, twelve inches, with a core of cat and leopard hair, which I bought from the Appalachian Cherokee to try out different wands, and which Johannes Jonker, the American wandmaker, liked to use as a wand core, and which, after several attempts, I decided that phoenix feathers, unicorn hair, and the heart sinews of a fire dragon were the best materials for a wand core."

When it comes to wand making, Mr. Ollivander can't stop talking, "Although I no longer use cat and leopard hair as a wand core, this wand is still one of my best creations, from material to technique."

Despite Ollivander's rhetoric, Fish had no interest. He took the wand in his hand and was about to wave it as he had done before when he suddenly felt a warmth in the hand that held the wand.

Unconsciously, he swung his arm in the direction of the power.

As he waved his arm, the entire store was enveloped in a vibrant green light, new branches sprouted from the wooden shelves and benches and quickly grew and spread, hanging down with cascades of green leaves, and instantly transforming the old, ramshackle store into a lush, green place.

"That's it!" Mr. Ollivander shouted excitedly, "There'll never be a better wand for you, Mr. McGonagall!"

"Vine wood is more sensitive than any wand made of wood when it comes to being an instant match for the wand master!" Mr. Ollivander excitedly explained to Fish and Professor McGonagall, "I have witnessed two similar scenes, this is the third, and they were invariably made of vine wood."

Fish, who had no interest in wand knowledge, played with the wand in his hands with delight.

The silver-eyed old man was a bit grumpy, but he had a knack for picking out wands.

With the wand in his hand, Fish looked at Minerva, who was paying Mr. Ollivander, and remembered the spell he had cast on her....

"Wingardium leviosa!"

Professor McGonagall turned to Fish, who was pointing his wand at her, looking confused.

"Very good pronunciation my dear Fish, it's just that spells don't just have to be shouted, but don't worry, we have a month before classes start and in that time I will teach you a lot about spells," Professor McGonagall crouched down in front of Fish with a soft smile on her face, stroked her head gently and said softly.

However, Fish felt a shiver run down his spine, and if he were in his cat form, all his fur would have bristled.

Fish blinked twice, quickly removed his wand from his hand, slumped to the floor, and then lifted up his shirt, exposing his belly to Professor McGonagall with an ingratiating smile on his face.

"Meow~~~~" (●?ω?●).