#3 - Section 3

"It's alright, I was just a little disoriented from landing, but I'm much better now." As he spoke, Ethan had recovered considerably. Looking at him now, it seemed like it wasn't such a big deal after all!

Seeing that Ethan was indeed alright, Professor McGonagall explained, "Apparition is one of the ways wizards travel. It's a sixth-year subject, but it requires self-funded study and an examination at the Department of Magical Transportation. It's a very dangerous form of magic."

"The Leaky Cauldron is only visible to wizards. It's the entrance to Diagon Alley. Remember the address. You'll need to come here alone for your second-year school supplies."

As she spoke, Professor McGonagall led Ethan towards the inside of the pub.

Perhaps because of the time, or because it was morning, there were no other customers inside. Only a slightly hunched man was wiping down the chairs.

Seeing someone enter, the hunched man put down his rag, looked up, and casually said, "Good morning, Professor McGonagall. Guiding new students again today, I see!"

"Good morning, Tom!" Professor McGonagall greeted him as she led Ethan inside.

Passing by, Ethan was puzzled. If there was a Cleaning Charm, why was he still wiping the tables by hand? This man wasn't a Squib; he could use magic.

Passing through the pub, they arrived at the backyard. Apart from the surrounding walls, there were only weeds and trash cans against the wall.

Stopping in front of the trash cans, Professor McGonagall turned to him and said seriously, "Mr. Adrian, please remember my next actions. Count three bricks up, then two bricks across."

As she spoke, Professor McGonagall tapped the brick lightly three times with her wand.

Instantly, the bricks on the wall seemed to come alive, arranging themselves rhythmically until they formed an archway.

Beyond the archway was the real magical world: cobblestone roads, winding streets, crooked houses, and crowds of people in wizard robes.

"We'll go exchange for Galleons first, which is the wizarding currency."

Having worked as a guide NPC for so many years, she was very familiar with this process.

After exchanging for Galleons, they would buy a wand, then go to the bookstore, clothing store, cauldron shop, and pet store in one go, and then she could finish her work.

The reason for buying a wand first wasn't because it was nearby, but because young wizards were eager. Professor McGonagall couldn't remember how many times she had been begged to go buy a wand first.

Soon, under Professor McGonagall's guidance, Ethan arrived at the entrance to Gringotts.

Stepping through the first bronze door, Ethan saw a warning on the second silver door:

Enter, stranger, but take heed

Of what awaits the sin of greed,

For those who take, but do not earn,

Must pay most dearly in their turn,

So if you seek beneath our floors

A treasure that was never yours,

Thief, you have been warned, beware

Of finding more than treasure there.

Speaking of which, aren't the goblins themselves the most greedy?

After all, their archetype is a race that likes to collect wealth and stir up trouble.

"Professor McGonagall, is there anything I can help you with?" As soon as they entered the hall, a goblin in a suit greeted them.

As the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts, McGonagall had some status in the British magical world, worthy of these goblins' serious treatment, and her wealth was very attractive to the goblins.

"Helping a new student exchange currency!" Professor McGonagall said, pointing to Ethan.

"Please come this way!" Following the goblin's guidance, Ethan and Professor McGonagall quickly arrived at an unoccupied counter on the right.

Five pounds for one Galleon, with a limit of one hundred Galleons.

According to Professor McGonagall, one hundred Galleons was more than enough for a new student's supplies if they weren't looking for anything extravagant, and there weren't many places to spend money at Hogwarts.

Outside Gringotts, Ethan played with the Galleons in his hand, looking at Professor McGonagall with some doubt.

"Professor McGonagall, is there gold in these Galleons?"

"I wouldn't know. The wizarding world's currency is all minted by goblins, and it includes magical processes, such as always being shiny and new, preventing Summoning Charms, and preventing wear and tear."

After speaking, Professor McGonagall sighed inwardly. This child might really end up in Ravenclaw; he's too fond of exploring.

Forget it, let's just get it for free!

Ethan immediately made up his mind.

Under Professor McGonagall's guidance, the two walked through Diagon Alley, and soon arrived at the entrance of a small, dilapidated shop.

Compared to Gringotts just now, it was the complete opposite.

"Don't worry, the Ollivander family's craftsmanship is trustworthy. Over the years, almost all the wizards at Hogwarts have bought their wands from their family."

Thinking that Ethan was scared by the old and small shop, Professor McGonagall couldn't help but explain, then took the lead to walk inside.

Inside the shop, Ethan looked around. It was full of long, narrow boxes that almost reached the ceiling, which made the already small shop look even narrower and more cramped.

"Good morning!" Hearing the movement, Ollivander came out from behind the stacks of wands, with a kind smile on his face.

"Nine and three-quarters inches, fir, dragon heartstring, delicate and elegant, suitable for wizards with strong willpower and a talent for Transfiguration. Minerva, buying your wand here feels like it happened just yesterday."

Ollivander's old habit kicked in again. As long as a wand was bought from him, he remembered it clearly, and habitually recalled the scene.

"Good morning, Garrick. That was decades ago," Professor McGonagall said with a helpless look. She heard this at least once every year.

"Young wizard, can you tell me your name, and step forward."

After exchanging greetings, Ollivander prepared to get down to business.

In his view, finding a suitable partner for every wand he crafted by hand was the happiest thing.

"Ethan Adrien!"

After Ethan announced his name, he stepped forward and stood before Ollivander.

"Is your dominant hand...?"

"Right hand, sir!"

Ethan answered cooperatively, raising his right hand to facilitate the magically enchanted ruler's measurements.

It was unclear what significance these measurements held, as the wizard was only eleven years old, with plenty of room to grow.

After glancing at the measured data, Ollivander turned and headed towards the counter at the back, returning shortly with a large stack of boxes.

Setting down the wand boxes, Ollivander looked at Ethan with a serious expression:

"Every wand is unique; it is not the wizard who chooses the wand, but the wand that chooses the wizard."

"Mr. Adrien, try this one: apple wood, unicorn hair, nine inches long, suitable for wizards with lofty ideals and pursuits. Give it a wave."

As Ollivander spoke, he handed the wand to Ethan.

Ethan took it and waved it gently. The next moment, the wand boxes on the right collapsed with a crash, sending up a cloud of dust.

"Cough, cough! Seems this isn't the one."

"Reparo!"

After retrieving the wand from Ethan's hand, Ollivander waved his own wand gently, and the collapsed wand boxes floated back to their original positions.

"No matter, these things happen. Try this one!"

"Redwood, dragon heartstring, eleven and a half inches. This is a wand that brings good fortune, and with the dragon heartstring, it possesses great power. A wonderful combination."

After reassuring Ethan, Ollivander promptly handed him the next wand.

Ethan took the wand, feeling a burning sensation in his palm.

Following the previous pattern, he waved it gently a couple of times.

A burst of crimson flame suddenly shot out from the tip of the wand, nearly singeing Ollivander's white hair.

Touching the white hair on his head, Ollivander didn't say much, quickly taking the wand from Ethan's hand.

"Cedar, phoenix feather, ten and three-quarter inches, suitable for wizards with keen insight."

This time, when handing the wand to Ethan, Ollivander noticeably took two steps back.

Bang!

A vase, likely centuries old, shattered into pieces.

After a practiced repairing charm, Ollivander pulled out another wand and handed it to Ethan.

"Boom!"

"Try this one."

"Crack!"

"Hmm, a picky customer. Let's try this one."

… …

After about an hour, Ethan had tried dozens of wands.

Some caused a bit of a commotion, while others were deemed "unsuitable" by Ollivander as soon as Ethan took hold of them.

However, some wands felt very comfortable to Ethan, with magic flowing swiftly. In Ethan's perception, he could easily use the Petrification Charm and the Rainbow Siphon Energy he had learned, but Ollivander still didn't think they were suitable.

"Mr. Adrien, please wait a moment. I think I know which wand is right for you."

With that, Ollivander turned and walked towards the warehouse in the back.

If it were a normal businessman, they would have started to drive away such a picky customer long ago, but Ollivander wouldn't. On the contrary, he enjoyed it.

Helping a picky customer find a matching wand was a very fulfilling thing for him.

The wands Ethan had just tried were all mainstream in Britain, namely unicorn hair, phoenix feather, and dragon heartstring.

These were also Ollivander's favorite wand core materials. In theory, these three materials almost met everyone's needs.

Unicorn hair reflects the essence of magic and is not easily disturbed by other magic. It has the characteristics of loyalty and stability, but it is not suitable for dark magic.

Phoenix feather has a wide range of magic and a certain degree of initiative. However, phoenix feather wands are very picky and not easily tamed.

Dragon heartstring is simple and direct. The spells cast are the most powerful and dazzling. The disadvantage is that it is prone to succumb to dark magic and is not very stable.

In addition to wands with these three cores, Ollivander had also used other materials, learning from other wandmakers to keep up with the world.

For example, Thunderbird tail feathers, Jackalope antlers, Kneazle fur, Veela hair, Kelpie mane, Troll whiskers, Thestral tail hair, Horned Serpent horn, and so on.

Chapter 6: Fifteen Inches, Yew, Thestral Tail Hair

"Blackthorn, Thunderbird tail feather, eleven and two-thirds inches, a very powerful wand, exclusively for warriors, and also extremely suitable for Transfiguration, but this power is difficult to control."

As Ollivander spoke, he took out a dark wand from a dusty box and carefully handed it to Ethan.

He had noticed that Ethan was particularly suited to high-powered wands. The dragon heartstring surrendered actively and had a strong desire to perform, the phoenix feather was also fairly cooperative, while the unicorn hair was the least suitable.

Buzz!

The moment Ethan grasped the wand, bright sparks of electricity danced across his skin, but Ethan himself did not feel any discomfort.

After trying to wave it, Ethan found that the magic within him flowed smoothly through the wand, and he had the illusion that the wand was part of his body.

"Mr. Ollivander, I feel like this is the one."