Not long after, the two arrived before a quaint-looking shop.
It was small and shabby. The golden lettering on the sign had peeled away, reading:
Ollivander: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.
That was it, exactly! Buying a wand in Diagon Alley meant coming right here. Ollivander was the finest wandmaker in all of Britain, and the wands of most Hogwarts students came from his hands.
Standing before such a famous shop, Devereux still felt quite a thrill. He followed Professor Snape inside.
[Secret Realm — Diagon Alley Exploration Progress: 35.1%]
Devereux raised an eyebrow. This was the most generous exploration progress rewarded by any shop in Diagon Alley he had entered so far. It seemed the information density here was very high!
As soon as they stepped inside, the tinkling of chimes drifted from somewhere in the back of the shop. The store was tiny, holding nothing besides a single bench. Professor Snape told Devereux to sit on the bench and wait while he remained standing.
Devereux looked around with curiosity at the stacks of long narrow paper boxes piled almost to the ceiling. If Professor Snape hadn't been right beside him, he certainly would have gone over to rummage through them.
Suddenly, the sound of colliding wood and rotating pulleys echoed through the air. An old man with eyes as large as coins appeared before them.
"Good morning, gentlemen." His voice was very soft.
"Hello, Mr. Ollivander," Devereux said, standing up from the bench.
...
[Name: Garrick Ollivander]
[Age: 61]
[Spell Library: ...]
[Traits: Magical Ability (Blue), Born Wandmaker (Gold)]
...
[Born Wandmaker (Gold): Born to craft wands, possessing the innate bloodline of a wandmaker, destined to craft lifelong companions for countless wizards.]
...
Devereux was not at all surprised that Ollivander possessed a gold trait. After all, his family had passed down the craft of wandmaking for generations. In the original story, almost every Hogwarts student's wand was made by him. He was truly formidable.
Without hesitation, Devereux wanted to load both of his traits! But unfortunately, he could only copy one blue trait; the gold trait was still on cooldown.
Yet the moment Ollivander appeared before him, Devereux suddenly had a sensation, as if he could sense countless voices brimming with spiritual energy whispering in this entire room.
"Ah, a fresh face. Perhaps none of your family has ever bought a wand from me?"
Before Devereux had a chance to listen closely, Ollivander walked right up to the two of them. His large eyes stared fixedly at Devereux without blinking once, making Devereux's skin crawl.
"His name is Devereux Alexander. His mother is French and his father is Chinese, so he has never bought a wand here before," Professor Snape said in a low voice.
Ollivander raised his head and immediately recognized Professor Snape. "Severus! Severus Snape! The day I sold you your wand seems just like yesterday. Birch, thirteen and a half inches, right?"
"Yes." Professor Snape maintained his gloomy tone, as if seeing Ollivander made him rather uncomfortable. Of course, Devereux figured he probably wouldn't feel comfortable seeing anyone.
"Ah, throughout Europe, birch twigs are used to drive away evil spirits. At ceremonies, birch wands are also used to banish ancient ghosts. At the same time, they possess a quality of both sacredness and beauty."
Ollivander spoke as if he hadn't noticed Professor Snape's expression, beginning to lecture Devereux on some lore about birch wood.
Snape's face grew even darker. He turned directly, pushed open the shop door, and walked outside.
Devereux stood awkwardly beside the bench. After a long-winded speech, Ollivander smiled slightly.
"I have always believed that a person's character is reflected in the wand they choose—oh, of course, the wand chooses the wizard." He let his gaze fall upon Devereux. "Very well, Mr. Alexander, which is your wand arm?"
As he spoke, several measuring tapes floated into the air.
"Right hand," Devereux said.
"Good, don't be afraid, just work with them."
Several measuring tapes quickly wrapped around Devereux's body to take his measurements. During this process, Ollivander nodded frequently, rustling away as he jotted something down in a small notebook. Then he turned and walked into the stacks of paper boxes, rummaged around for a moment, pulled out a box, and drew a wand from it.
He handed it to Devereux. "Here, this wand should suit you. Oak and dragon heartstring, eleven inches, very resilient."
The moment Devereux looked at it, he had an intuition that this wand felt far too heavy for him. He took it and gave it a casual wave, instantly shooting a spark that shattered a chandelier on the ceiling to pieces.
Devereux immediately felt his whole body become uncoordinated, as if his entire right side had grown much heavier.
"No, no, no! Powerful, but unbalanced!"
Ollivander snatched the wand back and pulled a new one from the pile of boxes. "Try this one. Cherry wood and water serpent nerve, eight and a quarter inches, much more pliable."
Before Devereux even truly took this one into his hand, he felt that this wand might be a bit too light. Ollivander seemed to think the same thing; before Devereux could even touch it, he took it back.
After trying several wands in succession, none of them were suitable.
"No, no, why would I think... what a picky customer." Muttering to himself, Ollivander walked directly to the very back of the shop this time.
"What... thinking it's too exceptional? Hiss, perhaps only this one will suit you. A Frenchman... and from Huaxia..."
As he spoke, he produced a quaint wooden box and drew a wand from it.
The surface of the wood displayed a delicate and even grain with a faint purple luster. The overall shape of the wand was smooth and elegant, with the handle slightly thickened for a better grip. The moment Devereux saw it, he felt a sense of attraction. Although he had never received any education in wandmaking, at that moment he simply felt this wand had been made just for him.
"Rosewood. Originally I intended to pair it with unicorn hair, but unexpectedly, it somehow became a wand all on its own—truly most peculiar. Although it is very particular, I feel it might be unexpectedly suited to you."
Devereux took it, and instantly felt as though this wand were an extension of his own body! It was completely different from the previous wands that had given him such a severe sense of discord. At that moment, he even felt that holding this wand made his whole body lighter, as if he had become stronger.
He gave it a casual wave, and the entire shop seemed to tremble slightly.
Suddenly, an idea came to Devereux's mind.
"Reparo!"
Devereux cast the first spell of his life toward the glass shards scattered across the floor. Instantly, the glass fragments that had just littered the entire shop flew into the air, rapidly fitting back together and transforming back into the chandelier that had just been hanging from the ceiling.
This astonishing sight stunned Ollivander. Even a few passersby who happened to be walking past the shop door stopped to watch. After all, for a child who looked barely eleven years old to execute such a perfect Scouring Charm so smoothly was truly an eye-opener!
"Oh, Merlin's beard! What have I just witnessed! This wand will only acknowledge a master of immense talent, and moreover in multiple fields, before it will deign to serve them. It seems, Mr. Alexander, your future has been approved by the wand."
After his initial shock, Ollivander recovered his composure and said to Devereux.
Devereux was extremely astonished as well. Say what you will, this wand certainly knew how to recognize quality. Devereux was currently a dual-prodigy future star of the magical world as both a Magic Prodigy and a Potion Genius; it was quite normal that he could be matched with this wand.
Yet Devereux's face was still filled with irrepressible excitement. After all, this was his very first time using a spell, and the system panel showed that he was only at the beginner level for this spell.
Could it be that this wand had granted him an extra boost, increasing his spellcasting success rate? Thinking of this, he could hardly wait to open his spell textbooks and try out every single spell.
But he restrained himself; now was not the time.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Ollivander, I may have made a mess of your shop. May I ask how much this wand—uh, costs..."
Suppressing his excitement, Devereux realized that Professor Snape was no longer standing outside the shop. How was he supposed to pay? Surely not—he couldn't possibly have just chosen his favorite wand only to have to scurry outside to find Professor Snape to pay for it. Devereux thought that would be entirely too humiliating.
Just as he was at a loss, Ollivander smiled and said, "It's quite all right, Mr. Alexander. Professor Snape has already paid for it just now. I saw him walk off to the left; you can go find him over that way."