Chapter -31 .
The boy dashed out in tears, exclaiming, "I'll inform my dad!" He didn't even know the names of Dudley and the others. It's not an exaggeration to say that Dudley could intimidate students at St. George's School just by his name; it has genuinely occurred. Perhaps in the boy's perspective, Dudley was asking him, "Hello, may I examine the decayed part of your brain?"
The kind of pressure that arises from confronting Dudley directly, especially at close range, is something one wouldn't grasp without experiencing it firsthand.
"Oh my, what just occurred?"
Mrs. Malkin entered, bewildered. She had just witnessed the Malfoy child exit in tears.
"Nothing, ma'am."
Even though Mrs. Malkin was perplexed, she had no time to delve deeper; many new students were enrolling at Hogwarts, and just moments ago, several young wizards had entered the shop.
"Next time, refrain from bullying others."
Hermione whispered to Dudley, nudging him in the side.
"Hermione, I didn't bully him; what you heard was merely me offering a friendly greeting."
Hermione thought: While it was indeed a salutation, it was far from friendly. Dudley appeared innocent: "I am a very cultured and easy-going individual."
'We need to reassess the definitions of cultured and easy-going,' Hermione and Harry thought simultaneously.
Dudley's remarks reminded her of the earlier events at Oxford Dragon Primary School; initially, everyone believed Dudley was an easy target until a group of self-important kids proved to be excessively cruel.
"You can't behave like this when you arrive at Hogwarts."
Hermione said softly.
"Yeah, I understand, I understand." Dudley nodded repeatedly: "I will get along well with my future classmates and foster good relationships."
Before long, the uniforms and robes were fitted, and the next destination was the wand shop.
Speaking of wands, Hermione and Harry appeared thrilled, especially Hermione. Ever since she discovered her identity as a witch, she had been dreaming of having her own wand, chattering incessantly in Dudley's ear.
Wands are essential for performing magic in this realm.
In contrast to the two of them, Dudley maintained a much calmer demeanor.
Ollivander's Wand Shop is the largest wand shop in Diagon Alley, and it is, of course, the only one.
Pushing open the somewhat decaying door, a jingling sound of bells echoed. The interior of the shop was much narrower than anticipated, clearly showing no signs of the Extension Charm; this was the only shop Dudley and the others had encountered so far that hadn't utilized it.
Surrounding them were thousands of narrow cardboard boxes, evidently containing wands.
"Hello."
A gentle voice emerged, and they noticed an elderly man had appeared at the counter on their left. His silver-white eyes sparkled like two full moons under the dim lighting.
The moment the old man laid eyes on the three of them, he was entirely captivated by Harry. He gazed at him and slowly said, "I knew I would meet you soon, Harry Potter. Your eyes resemble your mother's. She came here to purchase her first wand; it feels like it was just yesterday. It was ten and a quarter inches long, made of willow, and made a swishing sound when waved; it was an excellent wand for casting spells."
"Is your brother very renowned?" Hermione nudged Dudley's side, inquiring quietly.
So far, she hadn't encountered a single magical book and was unaware of the legendary savior, Harry Potter's greatness.
"More famous than you can imagine."
Dudley leaned down and whispered in Hermione's ear.
While the two were conversing, Ollivander had already begun measuring Harry's arm.
Then he retrieved a wand and handed it to Harry: "Made of beech wood and dragon heartstring, nine inches long; give it a try."
Harry clumsily took the wand and waved it.
"Oh, wonderful, try this one." "So wonderful, try this one." "Try this one again."
Harry switched several wands but couldn't find the right one.
"Is selecting a wand this difficult for us too?"
Hermione asked quietly as she observed Harry trying out wand after wand.
Dudley paused and said, "I think maybe only Harry has this issue."
Ollivander exchanged several more wands until he produced one: "Holly wood, phoenix feather, eleven inches long."
When Harry waved the wand through the air, a red light flashed.
It must be noted that Ollivander truly knew how to select wands. He chose a wand for Harry that suited him exceptionally well.
Next, it was time to choose a wand for Hermione. Just as Dudley had mentioned, Ollivander casually selected the most appropriate wand for her.
Hermione waved the wand in the air, and a rainbow instantly appeared.
"Vine wood, dragon heartstring core, fourteen and three-quarters inches."
"Well then, finally, it's this gentleman's turn," Ollivander said, glancing up at Dudley for a moment, then casually retrieved a wand and handed it to Dudley. "Try this one."
"Maple, phoenix feather, seven inches long, quite flexible."
Dudley took it and waved it nonchalantly; apart from a gust of wind, there was no response whatsoever.
Ollivander frowned for the first time.
Even when selecting a wand for Harry Potter, he hadn't reacted this way.
He then took out another wand and handed it to Dudley.
"Ebony, unicorn hair, eight and a half inches."
Another gust of wind.
Now, Ollivander's frown deepened.
Then came the third wand.
"Ten inches, hawthorn, unicorn hair."
The fourth wand.
"Willow, unicorn hair, fourteen inches."
Dudley switched wands one after another, but unlike Harry's various reactions when trying wands, Dudley exhibited no response at all.
It felt like a Muggle waving a stick; there were no words to describe how foolish it appeared.
Ollivander's forehead had already wrinkled into a river shape.
Hermione looked at Dudley, then at Harry, and finally at the wand in her hand.
Was this wand a bit rushed? Actually, I could try a few more.
Even Dudley, no matter how foolish, sensed something was amiss, so after returning an unknown number of wands to Ollivander, he casually grabbed a box nearby.
"I feel like this wand is calling to me. Didn't you mention that wands choose their owners? Alright, I'll take this one."
Dudley said this very dismissively, not allowing Ollivander a chance to respond, pulled out twenty-one gold Galleons, and left with Hermione and Harry as if escaping.
Ollivander observed the three depart without attempting to stop them.
"Iron birch, nightmare tail feather, nine inches."
"Iron birch is too rigid, and the nightmare tail feather is too unstable; neither the material nor the core of the wand is to my preference."
"That's the worst wand I've ever crafted; rather than a wand, it resembles a dagger."
Note : Guys, some power stones will be really helpful.
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