Ollivander only responded to Mr. Weasley's teasing with a polite smile, saying nothing more.
Even though they didn't follow the standard routine, he didn't really mind—after saying the same things so many times, skipping it once hardly mattered.
"So you're here today to buy a new wand for this young Mr. Weasley, is that right?" Ollivander looked toward the smallest boy in the group.
The Weasleys had a lot of children and came in almost every year. In a way, they were regulars.
"No, actually." Mrs. Weasley shook her head. "We're here to get Charlie a new wand. He's about to start working at a dragon reserve."
Ollivander paused for a moment, his eyes scanning the group until they landed on the youngest boy's wand.
Or rather, the wand in his hand.
It was in terrible shape—cracked and chipped, with patches peeling off. One end was even glowing faintly white.
Merlin's beard—that was unicorn hair!
Ollivander took a deep breath. He had never seen a wand in such poor condition so soon after graduation. It looked worse than wands that had been used for twenty or thirty years.
Clearly, it had never been cared for—and the owner had treated it with complete disregard.
Ollivander's expression darkened, and even his voice turned cold.
"Yes, I can see that. Working with dragons definitely requires a functional wand."
He put heavy emphasis on the word functional.
The Weasley couple knew exactly why he was upset, and though they both flushed a little, they had no choice but to pretend nothing was wrong.
Charlie would be dealing with dragons, and a quality wand from Ollivander was essential.
Fortunately, Ollivander didn't say much else—he just gave them a bland look.
"But I should remind you—this Mr. Weasley is not a first-year. That means no student discount."
"We understand," Mrs. Weasley replied quickly with a nod.
Ollivander gave a brief nod in return and said no more.
"How about I handle this one?" Harold stepped in, having noticed his grandfather didn't really want to deal with Charlie. "Let me pick a wand for this customer."
Under normal circumstances, Ollivander would never have allowed Harold to take over.
After all, Harold was only eleven years old—far too young to be selecting wands for others.
But this time, Ollivander only hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement.
"Then I'll leave it to you, dear," Mrs. Weasley said with a sigh of relief.
She knew Harold.
Unlike most families, who only visited a wand shop once in a lifetime, the Weasleys were practically regulars.
They'd seen Harold the first time Percy came for his wand, and again when the twins got theirs.
This was the third time now—not exactly close, but certainly not strangers.
Harold glanced at Charlie, then at Ron, and a string of data instantly floated into view.
[Willow, Unicorn Tail Hair, Fourteen Inches]
[Status: Damaged]
[Trait: Magic Attenuation (Damaged wand leads to weakened spell power. Replacement recommended.)]
A standard wand. Nothing special. Not worth referencing.
"I heard you're headed to a dragon reserve?"
"Yes. I leave in a few days," Charlie nodded.
"Then how about oak?" Harold mused aloud. "Oak contains power—usually drawn to steadfast wizards. Seems like it would pair well with dragons."
"As for the core, Weasleys are perfectly compatible with unicorn hair. No need to consider alternatives."
"Length-wise… maybe around ten inches," Harold added, glancing again at the fourteen-inch willow wand. "Shorter makes it easier to draw quickly, which can be useful in emergencies."
Charlie's opinion was unknown, but Ollivander's eyes were lighting up more with each word.
The moment Harold finished speaking, he had already found the matching wand.
Oak, unicorn hair, ten and one-third inches—exactly what Harold had described.
Ollivander handed the wand to Charlie.
He was already too intrigued to stay annoyed. When Charlie didn't move, he even gave a little push.
"Well? Don't just stand there—go on, try it."
"Huh?"
"Oh!" Charlie instinctively gave the wand a wave.
A cluster of blooming orchids burst from the tip.
"Perfect!" Ollivander exclaimed without hesitation.
Even through the most professional lens, there was nothing to criticize. This wand suited Charlie perfectly—possibly even better than his old one ever did.
One thing had to be said: this wand had chosen Charlie, even if he was the kind of brute who didn't know how to treat wands properly.
"This is great—I really like it." Charlie clearly loved his new wand.
Mrs. Weasley blinked in confusion.
Wait, that's it?
She was an old customer, but this was the first time she'd seen a wand purchase go so fast.
Just a few glances, no measuring arms or shoulders, no trying out multiple combinations—done just like that?
And Charlie was totally satisfied. He'd already slipped the wand into his coat pocket.
Seeing that, Mrs. Weasley said nothing more and reluctantly paid seventeen Galleons to purchase the wand.
That was the real price of a wand.
Honestly, selling to first-years for seven Galleons was barely making anything.
Take Charlie's wand just now: the unicorn hair alone cost nine Galleons. Add in the specially treated wand wood, and that was another Galleon at least.
Luckily, the Ministry of Magic provided a five-Galleon subsidy for each first-year's wand purchase—just enough to avoid losses.
Ollivander's Wand Shop had been crafting wands since 382 BC and had pretty much monopolized the wand market in Britain—but it didn't actually make much money.
After all, most wizards weren't going to spend Galleons on a second wand.
Over the following days, Harold stayed in the shop to help out. During that time, he met Hermione—Professor McGonagall brought her in to buy a wand.
[Vine Wood, Dragon Heartstring, Fourteen and Three-Quarter Inches]
[Status: Perfect]
[Traits: None]
A perfectly ordinary wand. In fact, ninety percent of new wands were like that.
Over time, however, wands would change depending on their user.
Just like Professor McGonagall's wand.
[Fir Wood, Dragon Heartstring, Nine and a Half Inches]
[Status: Good]
[Traits: Transfiguration Mastery – -50% magic cost when using transfiguration (Minerva McGonagall only)
Transfiguration Expert – +30% casting speed for transfiguration (Minerva McGonagall only)
Insight – High chance to dismantle opponent's transfiguration (Minerva McGonagall only)]
Three traits, all related to transfiguration, all bound to McGonagall.
This was an example of the wizard influencing the wand. If someone else used it, the traits wouldn't vanish entirely—but they'd be significantly weaker.
…
Soon, the final day of July arrived.
That morning, Harold had gotten to the shop early. He was waiting for a very special customer.
But the entire morning passed, and that person never came. Harold had no choice but to keep waiting patiently.
Until the afternoon—shortly after lunch—the door finally creaked open once more.
With the familiar jingle of the bell, in walked a skinny, timid-looking boy who resembled a nervous chick. Behind him was a giant of a man, easily eleven feet tall.
(End of Chapter)