"Professor McGonagall, isn't Owen... a new student just like me?"
Unable to contain her intense curiosity, Hermione finally asked.
Professor McGonagall offered a faint smile. "He is indeed enrolling this year, but he can hardly be considered a 'new' student. Hermione, if you wish to excel in your magical studies, you might want to ask Owen for some advice on how to study once school starts."
"I will, Professor!"
By the time Hermione finished her shopping, Owen was just walking out of the bookstore with a look of pure satisfaction on his face. The two groups rejoined and headed toward Ollivanders.
"Dear, which is your wand hand?"
"Right hand."
Hermione's wand selection went quickly; she found her perfect match after only a few tries. Then it was Owen's turn. He looked at Mr. Ollivander and said, "Sir, I'm ambidextrous. Both hands work."
Ollivander smiled at him. "Mr. Corlett, I've been waiting for this day for over a year. One moment, please."
He disappeared into the back room. After quite a while, he returned carrying a remarkably long box. When he opened it to reveal the contents, Owen was dumbfounded.
"This is...?"
"This is a custom wand ordered specifically for you by the great Albus Dumbledore. 25.59 inches. Thousand-year-old lightning-struck wood from the East. The core is a blend of Unicorn hair, Phoenix tail feather, Dragon heartstring, and fur from the back of a Luwu..."
Seeing Owen's expression shift from confusion to shock, Ollivander quickly explained, "According to Dumbledore, only a combination of these cores can withstand your magical output."
Alright then...
Owen took the wand with both hands and gave it a gentle wave. Instantly, the room was filled with blindingly bright rainbows.
It took a while for the rainbows to fade. Ollivander nodded in satisfaction. Although this wand completely violated his usual crafting philosophy, it seemed to be a perfect fit.
Owen tested the weight and balance. It was ridiculously long. Given his current height, if he held it down, it could double as a walking cane. If he held it up, it was taller than him. The only practical way to carry it seemed to be slinging it over his shoulder like a sword.
Fortunately, he had his magic pouch, so he stuffed the massive wand inside.
Finally, he had the wand he'd been longing for!
Owen could feel his magic become much gentler as it flowed through the wood. Spells he hadn't been confident enough to cast wandlessly should be a breeze now. But he'd have to wait until he got home to test it properly; this wasn't the place.
Also, the moment he held it, he sensed that the wand had some hidden mechanisms. He'd need to study it later.
Aside from being absurdly long, it was perfect.
However, while he was satisfied, Professor McGonagall was not. "A wand that length is extremely inconvenient."
Ollivander spread his hands helplessly. "There was no other way. That is as compact as I could make it. Unicorns, Dragons, and Luwus all have strong personalities. Combining three such potent cores required the stabilizing length and properties of the thousand-year lightning-struck wood."
McGonagall thought for a moment, then shook her head. "This won't do. Let Owen choose a normal wand as well. Just something reasonably compatible that he can use for daily study, practice, and Potions class."
Right!
How could he forget that?
Potions required stirring the cauldron with a wand. If he used his current "staff," he'd have to stand on the desk just to get the tip into the cauldron. And if the bottleneck of a flask was narrow, this thick wand might not even fit inside.
"Alright..."
It was a valid point. Just as Ollivander prepared to start the selection process again, Owen raised a hand. "Sir, you said the wand chooses the wizard. I'd like to try something."
"Try what?"
"Something like... this." Owen looked at the thousands of wand boxes stacked to the ceiling. "My name is Owen Corlett. If there is a wand here willing to be my partner, please, come to my hand."
As he spoke, he released a tiny fraction of his magic, letting it ripple outward.
And then...
The entire shop exploded into motion. Boxes flew off the shelves, burying him in a mound of wands.
Startled, Professor McGonagall quickly waved her own wand to send them back to their places. When the avalanche cleared, the young wizard emerged, grinning, clutching a single wand in his hand.
"Spruce, Phoenix feather, thirteen inches..." Ollivander stared at the wand for a long moment, then laughed. "Well, seeing as it likes you so much..."
The first wand cost seven Galleons thanks to the Ministry subsidy. But for the second wand, he had to pay full price. Even with the student discount, it came to seventy-six Galleons.
Owen could afford it, but after paying, he was broke again. No matter. Gringotts was right there. He could just make another trip before school started to grab some living expenses and pay back the school for his previous supplies...
"Professor McGonagall told me everything. But it doesn't matter. There's still time before school starts. I'm going to study hard this summer so I won't fall too far behind you."
Just as they were parting ways, Hermione suddenly dropped this declaration. Owen paused, then nodded firmly. "Let's improve together."
Mr. Granger drove off. McGonagall placed a hand on Owen's head. "It seems you've made your first friend."
Owen smiled, eyes crinkling. "Yes, Professor. Diligent and eager people should be friends, don't you think?"
"Indeed!"
McGonagall laughed. After dropping Owen off at his home, she left without even staying for tea. Being Deputy Headmistress meant she was a busy woman.
Back home, Owen took out both wands to test them. The long one was powerful and durable, easily handling his full magical output. The short one, however, was delicate. While it felt good in his hand, Owen realized he had to carefully throttle his magic. If he pushed past sixty percent output, this Spruce wand would likely explode.
But that was fine. After putting his magic suppressors back on, he wouldn't need the "Great Staff" unless he was in a life-or-death situation.
Wands were definitely necessary!
After casting just a few simple spells, Owen understood why so many wizards became useless without their wands.
The wand smoothed out the magical flow. It simplified the control required for a spell by at least eighty percent the moment the incantation was spoken!
To put it in data terms:
If levitating a chair with wandless magic cost 10 mana, doing the same thing with a wand only cost 2.
Most intriguingly, Owen found that with a wand in hand, he didn't even need to speak the incantations for simple spells. A casual flick of the wrist was enough, and the magical cost didn't increase.
Is this Non-Verbal Spells?
When Owen snapped out of his trance, he realized every piece of furniture in the house was floating. He quickly waved his hand, and everything settled back into place.
"Magic really is fun!"
Before bed, Owen picked up The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 and began reading seriously. First, to review. Second, he planned to see if he could master Non-Verbal casting for all spells from years one through three. If he succeeded, he would move on to Multi-Casting practice.
Of course, he couldn't neglect his wandless magic skills either. Morning training would still be strictly wand-free.