Chapter 78: Wand-Making Skills Acquired

"George, from today onwards, you are officially my apprentice. I, Ollivander, will do everything in my power to train you into a master wandmaker like myself!"

Inside the wand shop, Garrick Ollivander tightly clutched the box of unicorn tail hairs, his hands trembling. He made this solemn promise to George, his enthusiasm evident.

"Please, don't get too excited. I trust you," George replied, worried that Ollivander's flushed and emotional state might push the old wandmaker to an untimely collapse.

For a wizard like Ollivander, whose entire life revolved around the study of wands, receiving 8,000 unicorn tail hairs was akin to a martial artist receiving 8,000 top-tier manuals or a 'romantic' receiving 8,000 dream companions. George was confident that such an offering could make Ollivander do just about anything for him—perhaps even bow and call him "Daddy."

"Alright, alright. When would you like to begin your lessons?"

Ollivander steadied himself, though his excitement still shone through his silver eyes. He was already dreaming of creating a wand as legendary as the Elder Wand, perhaps becoming a legend in the wand-making world before his death.

"Right now, if possible," George replied, eager to start. Learning wand-making quickly would allow both his primary self and his avatar to have wands, greatly enhancing his magical prowess.

Ollivander, clutching the box of unicorn tail hairs, immediately flipped the shop's "Closed for Business" sign and led George to the back of the store. If George wanted to begin now, Ollivander had no reason to delay.

Thus began George's journey into wand-making, a pursuit he enthusiastically dived into during the holiday season. Even on Christmas Day, he didn't let Ollivander rest, studying from dawn until dusk before returning to his potion shop.

That morning, however, George still found time to select and send gifts through Peggy. He sent presents to Tonks and her Auror colleagues, his Slytherin peers, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Luna, Ginny, and every professor at Hogwarts. Even Dumbledore received a gift.

These gifts, though thoughtful, were not overly extravagant. George understood that overly expensive gifts could become burdensome, as recipients might feel obligated to reciprocate in kind.

Time flew by, and soon the holiday break was coming to an end.

"This one is quite good. It barely meets the standard of a proper wand," Ollivander remarked, inspecting a wand George had crafted using troll whiskers as the core and pinewood as the wand material. He nodded in approval.

Ollivander had initially planned to teach George only the basics, thinking wand-making was too intricate for someone to grasp quickly. The process involved understanding materials, preparing cores, and carving wand wood—skills that typically required months of practice.

To his surprise, George demonstrated exceptional talent. He quickly grasped complex theories, possessed remarkable dexterity, and rarely made mistakes. In just two weeks, George managed to produce a functional wand, albeit with minor flaws that were inconsequential in regular use.

"Thank you for your guidance," George said politely, bidding farewell. "I'll return during the summer break for further instruction."

George's rapid progress wasn't solely due to innate talent. His three consciousnesses worked together to absorb knowledge, his physical abilities surpassed those of most wizards, and he had already laid a foundation by studying wand-making books at school.

As George left the shop, Ollivander watched him go and sighed in admiration. "That boy... If he focuses on wand-making, he might even surpass me someday."

Fairy Tail Guild

George flew from the library to the guild hall, scanning the bustling space before heading to the bar to speak with Mirajane.

"Have you seen Natsu?"

In this world, finding magically resonant wood was relatively simple. A quick flight over the forests behind the guild could yield several suitable trees. For something even better, George could browse magical shops for premium materials.

Wand cores were similarly accessible. With so many magical creatures in this world and Fairy Tail wizards frequently taking on monster-slaying missions, obtaining rare feathers, hairs, or horns wouldn't be difficult.

If all else failed, George could use his own fur as a core—though he suspected the results would be subpar.

"I think Natsu and Lucy went on a mission to retrieve a book," Mirajane answered kindly.

Nearby, Levy, who had been browsing the job board, perked up.

"The book-retrieval mission? Wasn't that worth only 200,000 jewel? I was debating taking it myself!"

"Actually," chimed in Master Makarov, leaping down from the second floor, "the client just raised the reward to two million jewel."

The guild erupted into chatter. Many wizards regretted not taking on the seemingly simple task.

"That's practically a large-scale monster-slaying mission!" someone exclaimed.

George, however, remained skeptical. High rewards often hinted at hidden dangers. He agreed with Levy's earlier hesitation; the task likely wasn't as straightforward as it appeared.

Still pondering, George returned to the library. He also felt that Levy had made the right choice. Her team's combat capabilities were weak, and the stakes of such a mission might have been beyond them.

In truth, even without a wand, George could easily outmatch Levy's entire team if he took things seriously.