The Return to Hogwarts

"Ebony, twelve feet long, somewhat stiff, and the core of the staff is the tendons of a dragon's heart, right?"

“Absolutely right—” Amosta nodded slightly, “The price is six Galleons and ten Silver Sickles. You gave me a good discount because of my handsome appearance.”

Dumbledore's lips twitched, but he remained silent, while Ollivander seemed not to hear Amosta's words, continuing to be lost in his memories.

"I remember we tried many things before finally choosing your wand, Mr. Blaine. It's a very special wand. I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Blaine. I had just taken over the shop then, and my skills weren't that refined. And the materials for this wand were nothing special either—a malnourished tree from a magically barren region, a domesticated rather than wild dragon. Yes, nothing special. I thought it would be an ordinary wand."

But the result was surprising: many ordinary elements combined to create a magic wand with immense power—

Why do you think this is the result?

Amosta was a little curious. Wand making was a branch of alchemy, a very niche and profound field. Knowledge about wands was almost entirely monopolized by the Garrick Ollivander family in front of him; trying to learn it on his own, he probably wouldn't even grasp the basics.

"Oh, Mr. Blaine, I can't say."

Ollivander said slowly and deliberately,

"No one can say for sure. If you insist on an answer, then I can only tell you that perhaps both the malnourished sandalwood tree and the dragon kept underground possessed incredibly vibrant hearts, hearts that yearned for excellence and freedom. They entrusted their desires to this magic wand. So, when this magic wand chose you, I immediately knew that the little boy before me would one day achieve great things—"

Ollivander's silver eyes gleamed as he stared at Amosta, and said with slight surprise,

"But things have gone far beyond my expectations, Mr. Blaine. Your achievements far exceed my expectations. I thought you would become a very famous dark wizard. Don't mind me, Mr. Blaine, I knew that wand would yearn for the hands of someone who wanted to become increasingly powerful and without end—"

"Hehe--" Amosta chuckled without any hesitation, "It seems I've received the right guidance?"

“That’s not the case, Mr. Blaine—”

Ollivander shook his head.

"It was your kind nature that triumphed over your greed for power, and that is why you have earned the true allegiance of this magic wand."

“I bet Amostella never expected that you could see right through him with just a wand—”

Dumbledore smiled as he watched Amostella raise his teacup, but then he became wary and looked at Ollivander, saying...

"In the few times we've met over the years, you've emphasized your regrets many times, haven't you? I think there's no need to explain it again—"

"Oh, why not?"

Amosta looked at Ollivander with curiosity.

"What happened? Would you mind sharing it with me?"

Dumbledore immediately looked helpless, as if he knew that his little secret could no longer be kept hidden.

"Oh, Albus has given up his original wand—"

Ollivander said 'lamentingly',

"He no longer uses the wand he received from my father, and I must say, Albus, my father was still talking about it on his deathbed—"

"is it?"

Amos was slightly surprised.

"How could that be? Normally, no one would do that?"

“This is not what I wanted to see either,” Dumbledore said calmly, “but that wand was damaged many years ago due to my misuse, so I have been forced to make a different choice—”

"It was after that duel that shocked the world—"

Ollivander spoke up at the opportune moment, and his words made Dumbledore's lips twitch again.

"Oh, so—"

Amosta had seen Dumbledore's wand before; it was a peculiar elderwood wand. Generally, few wizards used such wands, and Amosta hadn't paid much attention to it before. But after Ollivander's reminder and Dumbledore's reluctance to discuss it, he vaguely sensed that things weren't so simple.

"This wand is..."

Amosta stared thoughtfully at Dumbledore's cuff, where Dumbledore usually kept his wand.

“The warriors will be at the classroom downstairs soon, Amosta. I think we must hurry—” Dumbledore said, a few strands of silver mustache twitching unnaturally, before glancing at Ollivander, who was looking at him with regret.

"What I want to ask you about is Garrick, the two wands made from Fawkes' two feathers—"

"Mysterio and Potter--"

Ollivander was immediately intrigued by the question Dumbledore hadn't yet asked, and with a gleam in his eyes, he spoke in a very excited tone,

"Two wands made from the tail feathers of a phoenix, possessed by the most evil dark wizard in history and the one who defeated him, seem to illustrate their intertwined fates!"

Could you explain it more clearly?

Amostella had no idea what Dumbledore had discussed with Ollivander about this matter before, and he narrowed his eyes and asked.

"What would happen if the cores of both wands came from the same source?"

"It is the wand that chooses the wizard, not the wizard that chooses the wand, Mr. Blaine, I have always told people this. But few people understand the meaning of this—"

Ollivander gave a strange smile.

“Wands also have a life of their own, Mr. Blaine. They have their own thoughts, so wands don’t necessarily have to obey the commands of the wizard to whom they belong. And after choosing a master, they become a part of that wizard—”

Amostella's thoughts raced; he immediately understood the meaning of the first half of Ollivander's sentence.

"If two wizards wielding the kind of wands we just described meet—"

"They won't fight each other, but if their owners force them to, a rare phenomenon will occur: one wand will compel the other wand to recreate the spells cast in chronological order—"

Dumbledore said quickly, clearly having already consulted Ollivander about this.

"What if we use a different wand?"

Amosta's eyes were deep as he asked softly.

“Oh, hehe, Mr. Blaine, as I've already said, once a wand chooses its master, it becomes part of that wizard. It's not something that can be solved by simply changing the wand—”

Ollivander wore a mysterious smile.

"The connection between the wand and the wizard will not be completely severed unless they despise each other and decide not to be loyal to each other."

Chapter 605 Popularity

2023-11-20

Amosta lowered his gaze, quietly pondering Ollivander's words. He could roughly understand what Ollivander meant.

Upon closer reflection, Harry was truly a perfect adversary chosen by God for Voldemort. Their souls were intertwined, and they both used Fawkes' feather as the core of their wands. And if Voldemort were to choose Harry's blood to resurrect himself, that would create yet another close connection.

These three connections correspond to three levels of powerful protection. Put yourself in his shoes; even if he were Voldemort, it would be difficult for him to break through such protection.

Amostella glanced at Dumbledore, whose expression remained unchanged, and couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.

The seemingly perilous situation is actually almost certain. Voldemort is now lurking in the shadows, waiting for his chance to resurrect. But Dumbledore has already calculated exactly how he died. Perhaps the biggest obstacle to Voldemort's complete demise is Voldemort's Horcruxes.

That's how it is in theory, but in reality, accidents always happen, don't they?

For example, this time, he and Dumbledore clearly had the upper hand, but the outcome was still unexpected.

Because of his appearance, the world's originally predetermined 'fate' has diverged. It seems that he has perfectly handled most of the crises, but in reality, unseen dangers are lurking in the shadows. Amosta has a feeling—no, he can almost be certain—that one day in the future, these accumulated crises will be completely detonated, and at that time, the situation is very likely to spiral out of control!

Dumbledore did not participate in the wand testing process that was about to begin. In fact, he had handed over most of the affairs, leaving Minerva to handle the internal affairs of the school's operation and Amos Tower to represent Hogwarts in dealing with external matters.

“Let’s go, Mr. Ollivander, let’s go meet those warriors who are about to face the challenge—”

The wand testing for the warriors was arranged in a large classroom on the second floor. This was mainly because it was not only a wand test, but also the first opportunity for the warriors from the three schools to meet the public. Previously, Amostana had received many applications to interview the warriors, but Amostana had always turned them away.

He didn't want outside opinions to interfere with the Warriors' lives, which added a lot of unnecessary pressure to them, but as the game time approached, it did increase their sense of urgency.

A buzzing sound echoed through a long stretch of the second-floor corridor, like thousands of bees fluttering their wings. As Amosta descended the stairs, he found Filch, who had been ordered to maintain order, had been pushed out of the classroom where reception was to be held, and was struggling to squeeze back in, letting out desperate cries.

"Wow, what a magnificent scene!"

Ollivander followed behind Amosta, seemingly unconcerned, and said with a smile,

"I haven't seen such a lively scene in many years."

"Let me handle it--"

Amosta approached Filch from behind, patted him on the shoulder, and took out his wand. Standing in the corridor, he aimed it at the classroom. After a series of complex spells, the space suddenly became hazy for a moment. Then, the reporters in the classroom all felt dizzy. When they came to their senses, they were astonished to find that the space of the classroom had changed drastically, becoming as large as the auditorium below.

"Oh, we should have done that a long time ago!"

"That's what a photographer who lost his shoe said angrily."

Then, people noticed a man with a unique air about him standing at the classroom door.

The noisy crowd fell silent for a moment, and everyone turned their attention to the entrance. In a split second, the commotion seemed to be amplified by magic, becoming even more deafening!

"You promised me an exclusive interview, Blaine!"

Rita Skeeter was the first to shout, struggling to stand on tiptoe amidst a crowd of her colleagues, letting out a shrill cry. Her oddly stiff, wavy hair was now a mess, and her bejeweled eyes were inexplicably covered in fingerprints.

"You were the only one who came to the Daily Prophet, weren't you?"

Despite the noise in the classroom, Amosta managed to make sure his voice reached Rita's ears precisely.

About a dozen exposure lamps lit up simultaneously in front of Amosta, and many people were talking to him.

"The Triwizard Tournament has suddenly announced that Hogwarts, as the host school, can have two champions. Mr. Blaine, is this an abuse of your power to seek convenience for Hogwarts?"

A male wizard dressed as a cowboy with Latino skin roared.

"Tell me your thoughts on the four warriors, Mr. Blaine!"

A fairy leaped onto the top of a stack of tables on one side of the classroom and frantically waved its arms at Amosta, shouting, "Who do you think is most likely to win!"