Ollivander
"Mum Wanda, I did it!" Harry shouted as he burst into the house at full speed. He had been playing quietly with Hermione in the backyard, but now he seemed unable to contain his excitement.
Wanda, who was arranging some teacups in the kitchen, turned around curiously at the sudden commotion.
"What did you do, sweetheart?" she asked with a warm, maternal smile.
"I moved the ball! With my mind!" Harry said, his eyes shining with a mix of pride and wonder.
Hermione appeared right behind him, slightly out of breath from running but wearing the same excitement on her face.
"It's true, I saw it! It only moved a little, but it moved!" she affirmed quickly, as if afraid no one would believe her if she didn't say it right away.
Wanda looked at the two children, who were now surrounding her, bubbling with excitement. A tender smile curved her lips.
"That's wonderful. Looks like you've been training hard," she said, gently brushing Harry's hair.
"Yes!" he replied, puffing out his chest proudly.
Truthfully, Wanda could have taught him magic long ago. She knew every secret of this world"light magic, dark magic, ancient rituals… But she had chosen not to interfere too soon. According to British spellcasting books, magical education was meant to begin formally at the age of eleven. It was believed that children were too emotionally unstable before then, and their magic could spiral out of control, potentially harming those around them.
Other sources suggested a different reason: that magical education was delayed to ensure young witches and wizards understood the importance of keeping their power a secret, especially when living among Muggles.
In the past, many magical children were hunted, branded as monsters, and even executed during the dark times of the witch hunts. That history still hurt, even centuries later.
But watching Harry so happy, Wanda thought it would be foolish to hold him back out of fear. It was better to teach him to control his magic now, to prepare him for the world"and protect him, even in her absence.
As those thoughts circled in her mind, Harry placed the ball on the floor and stared at it intently. He raised his hand, focusing hard, trying to repeat what he had just done.
"Ugh… It's not working anymore…" he said, lowering his hand in disappointment.
"Maybe your battery ran out!" Hermione said confidently.
"How do I recharge it?" Harry asked, frowning.
"When the remote runs out of batteries, you just change them," Hermione explained, with all the childish logic in the world.
"But… where's my battery?" Harry wondered aloud, looking down at himself and inspecting his shirt like he expected to find a hidden battery compartment.
"Remember that kung fu movie we saw at the cinema?" Hermione suddenly exclaimed, lighting up with an idea.
"Yes! The one where they did 'haiya!'" shouted Harry, striking a ridiculous pose and punching the air.
"They healed by meditating," Hermione added, still excited.
"Meditating? That thing where you sit with your eyes closed and your knees bent?" Harry asked, thoughtful.
"That's it!" she confirmed enthusiastically.
Wanda watched them in silence, both amused and amazed by Hermione's logic. Not entirely wrong, actually"meditation did help calm the mind and restore magical energy. But in Harry's case, the issue wasn't a lack of energy. It was a lack of focus.
That's why most wizards used wands: to concentrate magic and direct it precisely.
Wanda then remembered the existence of learning wands"harmless, enchanted versions made for children. Maybe it was time to get them a pair. If she was going to teach Harry, Hermione couldn't be left out. But of course, she'd have to speak with Susan first…
.....
"Learning wands? Didn't the book say children can't use magic until they're eleven?" Susan asked as she sat across from Wanda on the couch, a steaming cup of tea in hand.
"That's right," Wanda replied calmly. "But if there are special wands made for children, there must be a reason, don't you think?"
The two women spoke while, across the room, Harry and Hermione listened in silence, their eyes wide with excitement, doing their best not to interrupt.
"I just worry they'll use them carelessly and get into trouble," Susan added, though her voice faltered under her daughter's pleading gaze.
"They can't do much harm with these wands. They only cast very basic spells. And if anyone asks, we can say they're magical toys from abroad," Wanda said, sipping her tea calmly.
Susan glanced at her daughter, who was looking at her like a hopeful puppy. She sighed.
"Promise me no one will see you using it, and you'll only use it at home?" she asked.
Hermione nodded eagerly, her whole body vibrating with excitement. Susan couldn't help but smile.
"Then it looks like we're going to Diagon Alley," she said.
The room erupted with joyful screams.
"---------
A while later, the four of them were calmly walking through the bustling Diagon Alley, leaving behind poor Mr. Granger, still trapped in his office under mountains of work.
They entered a children's store specialized in beginner magic: it had everything from toy flying brooms to illustrated books of basic spells.
Harry pressed himself against the display window, fascinated by a tiny flying broom floating behind an enchanted glass.
"Hurry up, Harry! We have to choose our wands!" Hermione called from the back of the store.
Harry gave the broom one last longing look before running after her. Wanda had seen it all and, without saying a word, gave the broom a quick glance before heading toward the counter.
The purchase was simple: two training wands, one for each child, and a small cleaning kit that mimicked the ones adult wizards used.
"Now that I think about it… Everyone here uses wands, but I've never seen you use one," Susan said, eyeing Wanda curiously.
"A wand? Technically, I don't need one. But if I'm going to teach Harry properly, maybe I should try what it feels like to use one," Wanda said thoughtfully.
After all, she used magic with her own hands"even in this world. Depending on a piece of wood felt odd. Doctor Strange didn't use a wand either, though he did have his portal ring… maybe it wouldn't hurt to explore the other approach.
"Do you want to go to Ollivander's? The clerk said that's where everyone who enters Hogwarts gets their wands," Susan suggested.
"Sure. Let's see how special these wands really are," Wanda agreed.
The children clapped and ran ahead excitedly while the adults made their way toward the old wand shop.
When they arrived, they opened the door, which jingled with a soft chime. From one of the dust-covered shelves, a thin, hunched figure slowly peered out…
"Welcome. And welcome to the young lad as well. You don't seem familiar… I don't believe I've sold you a wand before," said the man as he approached the counter.
"Oh, I don't use wands. Just toothbrushes and drills to terrify patients," Susan said cheerfully.
"Oh, that's good. Then you must be the one who needs one," Ollivander replied, looking at Wanda. "Since it seems the little ones already got some practice ones."
He looked at Harry and Hermione, who couldn't resist and had already opened their boxes. They were waving their toy wands and watching the little starbursts that appeared with each flick.
"Indeed," Wanda said.
"Then, please tell me, which hand do you normally use?" he asked as a measuring tape floated up, measuring her height, arm, and back on its own.
"Both," Wanda answered calmly.
"I see," Ollivander said, staring at her before taking a nearby box. "Let's try this one first."
He pulled it out of its case and handed it to her.
Wanda looked at it and touched it calmly. But the moment her fingers made contact, the wand exploded. It literally self-destructed from the core.
Everyone froze, even Harry and Hermione, who ducked behind Susan"though both still had their toy wands ready just in case. Susan couldn't help but laugh when she saw them.
Ollivander, on the other hand, looked nearly in shock, with wand debris in his hair.
"Ahem… Sorry about that. Let's try something more… durable," he said, snapping out of it and heading deeper into the store. He returned with a much larger wand, slowly removed it from its case, and handed it to Wanda.
Wanda, even more carefully this time, took it. And the exact same thing happened. The wand shattered into pieces. Wanda raised her other hand and casually deflected the splinters. Ollivander looked like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"Well… ahem… I'm not great with staves, but I do have some. They're much more resistant than wands," he said, disappearing again into the back.
He came out covered in dust, carrying at least five different staffs of various kinds.
He offered her the first, and the same thing happened as with the wands. Then he tried the second one, with the same result. This time, Ollivander looked devastated.
"I'm sorry… please, let's stop. I don't think I have a wand that can withstand this," he said sadly, almost begging for mercy. He looked like he'd taken a serious blow to his pride as a wandmaker.
"Sigh… Give me a random wand. I want to see something," Wanda said with a sigh.
Ollivander brought one very reluctantly, his hand trembling slightly as he handed it over.
"I don't want to use the wand. I just want to see it," Wanda said. But she wasn't speaking to Ollivander"she was speaking to the wand itself.
This time, she was able to touch it. Though it felt like nothing more than a stick in her hand, completely inert. As if the wand itself knew that activating would mean exploding.
Wanda examined it closely. Then she made it float between her hands. The wand opened, separating into its materials, runes, and core, while a red aura seemed to hold it all together. Ollivander's eyes widened in astonishment.
Wanda reassembled all the pieces with precision and handed it back to him. Ollivander received it carefully. He didn't feel anything strange… in fact, it even seemed better than before.
"Thank you. And sorry about your wands. I'll pay for them," Wanda said seriously.
"No… no, it's fine. It's my fault for not being a better wandmaker. But… could you tell me what you did and why?"
"Ah. It seems I'll have to make my own wand. I saw how they're made, but I don't really know," Wanda replied calmly.
"I see…" Ollivander said, then paused for a second, deep in thought. "Wait a moment."
He bent behind the shop counter, searching for something. After a few seconds, he stood up with a notebook.
"You can use this to create your wand. Don't worry"it doesn't have my secret recipes, I keep those to myself. Consider this an apology for not having a wand that works for you. I've been working with wands for over seventy years… and this has never happened to me before," he said sincerely.
"Then thank you," Wanda said with a smile, before saying goodbye and leaving with the others.
"Whew," Ollivander said, wiping invisible sweat from his brow as he looked sadly at the splinters of staffs and wands scattered across his shop floor. "What a monster… not even Dumbledore could do that."