On Saturday afternoon, at the wand shop in Diagon Alley, Ollivander sat behind the long table reading the latest edition of the Daily Prophet.
Suddenly, there was a tinkling sound from the front door, and Ollivander looked up instinctively.
"Welcome to Ollivanders…"
"Ah, Hales, what a rare visitor. What brings you here?" Ollivander beamed when he saw who it was. He came out from behind the long table and put the Daily Prophet aside.
"I was just reading about you. It's been over a thousand years, and you're the first student to graduate early from Hogwarts. It'll go down in history," Ollivander said ruefully.
"You flatter me, Mr. Ollivander! In fact, many talented wizards and witches have the ability to graduate early from Hogwarts, such as Headmaster Dumbledore, or Lord Voldemort… they simply choose to continue their education at Hogwarts," Ivan said humbly.
"Yes, but they have extraordinary talents, legendary wizards who have made their mark in the annals of British history… and, of course, I think you are no different, Harles," Ollivander said, staring at the half-grown wizard before him, his mind wandering. "I still remember when you came to pick that wand six years ago, as if it were yesterday…"
"Yew, unicorn hair, an impressive combination, opposing each other and mending each other's shortcomings. From then on, I knew you would achieve great things!"
"You should know that yew wands never choose a mediocre or timid master, who is usually either a hero or a demon!" Ollivander said pointedly.
You-Know-Who's wand was made of yew, and when paired with the tail feather of a phoenix, it was easy to perform powerful magic, but because of its extreme nature, it was easy for the owner of the wand to go astray.
Ivan Hals's wand was even more special. Its core was made of unicorn hair, a symbol of loyalty and justice, which neutralized the unique magical properties of yew.
Ivan rubbed his nose. He suspected that Ollivander, a wise old man, might have guessed something from the strange events of the past few months.
Ivan, however, knew very well that Ollivander was not a pedantic man. In fact, he did not care if the person who used his wand was good or evil. He only cared if the person was famous enough to be able to show off his wand skills.
With that in mind, Ivan cleared his throat and skipped the subject, waving his wand to close the shop door behind him as he said, "Mr. Ollivander, may I have a word in private? I have something very important to discuss with you…"
"Come with me. We'll talk inside." Ollivander nodded, although Ivan's decision to close the door without permission was somewhat offensive.
They entered the alchemy room in the back room, and Ivan looked around. The room was surprisingly large, probably because it had been expanded. There were various alchemy tools on the tables, and four walls of cabinets with narrow boxes stacked almost to the ceiling.
"Tell me, Mr. Harls," Ollivander said. "Why have you come to me? Have you damaged the wand? Do you need me to repair it?"
"Not really," Ivan said slowly. "I've always kept that wand in good condition. I just thought it might not suit me anymore…"
"Why do you say that?" Ollivander's brow furrowed with displeasure, his belief in Ivan's claim being questioned. "You chose the yew wand yourself, and it is the perfect one for you!"
I wasn't the one who chose it, Ivan thought to himself. He remembered that when he was in his first year, the system showed that the wand's compatibility was only around seventy percent. If he hadn't accidentally fused the blood of a unicorn, he would have replaced the wand with a yew wand.
Ivan, however, could not reveal this secret, so he said, "Because my opponent has a wand so powerful that if I wish to defeat him, I must replace it with a wand of equal power."
Ivan was frustrated. In the past, he had to rely on his alchemy equipment to increase his combat power to crush his enemies. This time, he felt the frustration of having inferior equipment.
"I must remind you, Hales, that the most important thing about a wand is not whether it is strong or not, but whether it fits its owner, and only then can a wizard exert one hundred percent of the wand's full power! A wand that is not strong enough will make a wizard lose a duel…"
Ollivander tried to talk Ivan out of replacing the wand, then continued proudly.
"Ollivanders has been around for over two thousand years, and is definitely the best wandmaker in the world. Every wand I've ever sold may be biased in its own way, but it's definitely as good as anyone else's…"
"Really? What about the Elder Wand?" Yvonne interrupted.
"What?" Ollivander asked, unable to respond for a moment.
"The Elder Wand! You may also call it the Deathstick or the Wand of Fate…" Ivan emphasised.
"You mean the wand of legend in Britain, the wand that made its owner invincible?" Ollivander looked at Ivan in surprise.
"We should all know that it was more than a legend!" Ivan raised his voice. "It was real, and it is in the hands of a dangerous man!"
Ollivander paused for a long moment, then said slowly, "You mean Gellert Grindelwald?"
There are not many people Ivan would call dangerous, the most likely being Grindelwald, the infamous escaped prisoner and the Dark Lord who terrorised Europe!
"That's right! He's trying to start a war between wizards and Muggles!" Ivan said concisely. "I just fought him the other day, and I was so impressed by the power of that wand, it was more than I could handle with this yew wand!"