Makiya took the wand, but the moment it was in his hand, he felt it wasn't quite right.
Under Ollivander's expectant gaze, he pointed it at the azure sky and gave it a wave. A pillar of crimson fire shot into the sky, the searing heat instantly singeing a portion of Ollivander's pale hair.
"No, no, obviously this isn't the one either."
Ignoring his hair, Ollivander snatched the wand back and set it on the counter. He scrambled to search through the towering shelves, his mouth constantly muttering things Makiya couldn't understand.
The old man didn't care at all that a hole had been blasted through his roof. The higher Makiya's talent was, the happier he became.
Putting aside commercial value, for someone of Ollivander's age, watching a wand he crafted follow its master to achieve great success and perform extraordinary deeds—perhaps even leaving a significant mark on magical history—was his greatest joy.
"Oh, found it." Ollivander pulled out a dust-covered box, gently brushed away the cobwebs, and handed the wand to Makiya.
"Holly, phoenix feather, twelve and a quarter inches. Quickly, give it a try."
Ollivander rubbed his hands together, his face filled with expectation. Harry also stared wide-eyed.
Makiya's eyebrows furrowed slightly. Compared to the first two, this wand was indeed much better, but there was still a certain sense of awkwardness.
That feeling was indescribable. If it had to be put into words, it was roughly like the relationship between a die-hard fan and a hater.
The first two wands were like sharp-witted fans; as soon as Makiya, the hater, showed even a hint of his true colors, they caught on immediately. Consequently, the wands became furious and began throwing a temper tantrum.
The wand in his hand now was like a less-than-intelligent fan, tricked by Makiya's superb acting to the point of chatting happily with him and considering him a soulmate.
But a fake is a fake; one day, the truth will come out.
Makiya waved the wand, and a large amount of fire erupted from the tip. However, it caused no damage. The crimson flames danced nimbly in the air like mischievous fire spirits, frolicking around Makiya.
As the magic ceased, the flames vanished. Makiya looked down at his hands, lost in thought.
Just as Ollivander was about to speak, he saw Makiya suddenly reach out and point toward the shelves.
Invisible magic was released from his fingertips, turning into a shockwave that swept through the small shop. The shelves began to vibrate violently, and countless wands flew out from their boxes, hovering around Makiya like a formation of flying swords.
Ollivander's eyes widened. Even with all his experience, he had to admit he had never seen such a scene!
"So cool!" Harry, having watched for so long, finally couldn't help but shout.
He didn't notice that the wand in his own arms shook twice as well. It hesitated for a moment, seemingly making a monumental decision, before finally choosing to stay obediently in Harry's embrace.
Countless wands flitted up and down around Makiya. Some wands constantly shook their bodies, trying to catch Makiya's attention.
Makiya felt as though he were hallucinating; he heard countless... bird calls in his ears?
'Great king, choose me, choose me!'
'Choose me, I'm really powerful!'
'Great king, I can do so much! Choose me, choose me!'
"I can do even more!"
'...'
The wands didn't actually make a sound, but their movements clearly expressed that meaning.
The wands varied in length, and some were quite vintage in design. They were clearly not made by Ollivander; perhaps they were made by his ancestors and kept deep within the shelves. Now, they were all summoned out by Makiya.
"Wait, these wands..." Ollivander suddenly noticed the key point: "The cores of all these wands are phoenix feathers. What is this boy's relationship with the phoenix clan? That's not right... I've met his parents, and I don't remember them having any special bloodlines?"
Could it be that little Makiya had unintentionally gained the favor of phoenixes while growing up?
Lucky boy!
"Truly rare!"
Ollivander praised him from the bottom of his heart.
Countless wands competed for attention, swirling and floating around Makiya. Makiya reached out and brushed past them one by one; every wand he touched emitted sparks from its tip.
But Makiya still hadn't found a choice he was truly satisfied with.
'It seems I'll have to learn how to make wands myself in the future.'
Makiya didn't intend to waste any more time. He reached out and grabbed the one that felt most agreeable. Another invisible ripple spread out, and the rest of the wands flew back into their boxes reluctantly.
"This... this is really..." Ollivander walked over to Makiya, his burning gaze almost enough to singe someone. He was tongue-tied for a long time, not knowing what to say.
The wand chooses the wizard?
No, as long as one is exceptional enough, the wizard can also choose the wand!
The scene that unfolded today shattered Ollivander's long-standing worldview. Makiya's actions told him that nothing is absolute; as long as one is sufficiently outstanding, the "goddess" who seems unattainable to others is merely someone else's "simp."
"Mr. Ollivander, can I buy this wand?" Makiya waved the wand in his hand, breaking Ollivander's train of thought.
"Of course." Ollivander composed himself. "Phoenix feather core, elder wood, fourteen and three-quarter inches. I'll wrap it up for you right away. Mr. Maki, you will surely achieve great things in the future!"
Harry blinked. Why did those words sound a bit familiar?
The wand, along with a set of luxury maintenance tools, was packed and handed to Makiya. Makiya tucked the wand box into his bag and counted his Galleons.
The luxury maintenance tools were a complimentary gift.
This wand wasn't made by Ollivander but was a work of his great-grandfather. The Ollivander family principle was to only sell wands they had crafted themselves, but for Makiya, he was willing to make an exception.
"Here you go, 7 Galleons." Makiya placed seven gold coins on the counter.
Knock, knock, knock!
The wand shop's window was tapped. Hagrid's large face filled the entire window. He held two cages containing two owls—or rather, snowy owls.
"Harry, Makiya, we should be going!"
Hagrid's voice traveled into the shop through the glass.
As he spoke, Hagrid used a foot to hook the shop door open while shaking the cages in his hands, gesturing for the two of them to come out quickly.
"Makiya's is July 7th, Harry's is July 31st—I remembered correctly, didn't I? Hahaha! Happy birthday, little guys!"
"Look at that, whose servant is this?" A mocking voice suddenly reached their ears as one tall and one short figure slowly walked to the wand shop's entrance.
With his blonde hair meticulously groomed, the young Malfoy looked on with contempt, as if he were looking at a house-elf.
Malfoy's father, Lucius, followed closely behind. His black robes were simple yet sophisticated, with luxurious decorations at the edges. "Oh, it's the Hogwarts gamekeeper."
Lucius wore a look of arrogance. "Stupid giant, you should be rotting slowly in Azkaban instead of appearing here and blocking the path of noble pure-blood wizards."
"Father, he smells so bad. Are all half-bloods like this?" Malfoy made an exaggerated motion of covering his nose and stepping back, looking as if he were about to retch.
The surrounding crowd burst into snickers, pointing and whispering at the scene. Hagrid's face turned bright red; being a man of few words, he was left flustered.
Lucius was nowhere near as tall as Hagrid, but in terms of presence, he was the giant. Seeing Hagrid unable to speak, he took a step forward, intending to press his advantage.
Makiya frowned. His eyes glimpsed the second wand he had just tried still sitting on the counter, and his lips curled into a smirk.
Just as Lucius was about to speak, a flash of crimson suddenly caught the corner of his eye. Immediately after, a panicked cry rang out.
"Watch out, I can't control it!!!"
Boom!
A surging torrent of fire erupted from inside the doorway. The cylindrical pillar of fire, carrying heat and immense force, brushed past Hagrid's arm and Malfoy's head before crashing heavily into Lucius.
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