| Mr. Ollivander's Assistance |
| As the tinkling bell rings somwhere in the depths of the shop, you look around at the thousands of narrow boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling. For some reason, the back of your neck prickles. The very dust & silence in here seems to tingle with some secret magic. "Good afternoon", says a soft voice. You jump. An old man is standing before you, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop. "Ah yes," says the man. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday your mother was in here herself buying her first wand. 10 & 1/4" long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work." Mr. Ollivander moves closer to you. You wish he would blink. Those silvery eyes were a bit creepy. "Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. 11", pliable. A little more powerful & excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favored it - it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course." Mr. Ollivander has come so close that he & you are almost nose to nose. You can see yourself reflected in those misty eyes. "Well, now...let me see." He pulls a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?" You answer him & he says, "Hold out your arm. That's it." He measures you from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit, & round your head. As he measures, he says, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, the heartstrings of dragons, & many other magical substances. No 2 Ollivander wands are the same, just as no 2 magical creatures are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand." You suddenly realize that the tape measure, which is measuring between your nostrils, is doing this on its own. Mr. Ollivander is flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes. "That will do," he said, & the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor. "Right then. Try this one. Beechwood & dragon heartstring. 9". Nice & flexible. Just take it & give it a wave. You take the wand & (feeling foolish) wave it around a bit, but Mr. Ollivander snatches it out of your hand almost at once. "Maple & phoenix feather. 7". Quite whippy. Try..." You try...but you hardly raise the wand when it, too, is snatched back by Mr. Ollivander. "No, no...here, ebony & unicorn hair, 8 1/2", springy. Go on, go on, try it out." You try. And try. You have no idea what Mr. Ollivander is waiting for. The pile of tried wands is mounting higher & higher on the counter, but the more wands Mr. Ollivander pulls from the shelves, the happier he seems. "Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somwhere...I wonder, now...yes, why not...unusual combination..." He hands you another. You take the wand. You feel a sudden warmth in your fingers. You raise the wand above your head, bring it swishing down through the dusty air & a stream of red & gold sparks shoot from the end like fireworks, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls. Mr. Ollivander cries, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good." He pulls out an order form & hands it to you to fill out. While you're filling out the form, he places your wand back into it's box & wraps it in brown paper. Click HERE to fill out your form. Click HERE to go back to the front desk. Click HERE if you have questions. |