great-warnovel Chapter 5 The Fallen Magic
Chapter 5 The Fallen Magic
"Are they sure they can find it?" Hermione thought it was absurd to make a group of 11-year-olds scavenge for useful trash in a chaotic tundra while constantly being on guard against potential dangers. Even if dark wizards, Muggle warriors, goblins, and aberrations were driven away, these children who hadn't yet mastered magic probably wouldn't even be able to handle the giant roasted rat at the school banquet.
"If we can't find it, we can look again next year," Harry said nonchalantly.
"Not having a wand just means I'm near the bottom of the class. I can learn some hand gestures to pass the exams, and then I can take the exams again with the freshmen in my second year, or..." The well-mannered little lion's eyes gleamed with a desire for adventure. Hermione strongly suspected that he was even planning to deliberately miss the materials so that he could participate in the adventure the following year.
"Of course, you can also ask your mom to buy you one that doesn't fit right yet, and use it temporarily." Ron scratched his hair.
But this requires one of the parents to be a wizard. It's already a miracle that a Muggle child isn't an orphan, let alone have Galleons to buy a wand.
"Harry, I guarantee that if you deliberately fail, your mother will put you in a cauldron and boil you alive," Ron said confidently.
"If you really don't want to participate a second time, you can just pick up some dry branches or bones to fill the spot. Everyone has to be responsible for their own choices anyway," Harry shrugged.
"But there's one advantage to making your own wand," Harry said. "As long as you're not too stupid, a young wizard's inspiration is often quite useful. The materials they find may be strange and unusual, but the final product will always be the most suitable wand for them. Especially after years of refinement, these seemingly rough wands can even be better than the masterpieces left behind by the masters."
"George and Fred didn't use their old wands; they found some great stuff on the beaches of Normandy," Ron muttered. "Why won't Mom let me join in? I could have done better than them."
After finishing breakfast amidst Ron's rambling, Hermione and Harry went together to Professor McGonagall's office, where they would receive some wand tutoring. As for Ron, he was on holiday until the first year officially began.
Although Giraffe Academy only needed to tutor two students, Professor McGonagall did not hesitate to set aside an empty classroom specifically for the lesson.
"A wand consists of two parts—the shaft and the core." McGonagall tapped the blackboard, projecting a diagram of a traditional wand's disassembly onto it.
She then held up her wand for the two to observe: "The main function of the wand is conduction. Depending on each person's characteristics, different materials will have different degrees of affinity, which is also the biggest difference between each person's wand."
She drew a circle with her finger, and a faint yellow light illuminated the wooden wand, revealing the fine core inside: "This one of mine comes from the legacy of Master Ollivander, fir wood, dragon's heartstring, 9 and a half inches long, inflexible." She recited the old pronouncement as if recalling a memory.
"Fir is a resilient tree. The wands made from it require a person with perseverance and strong will to be its true master. When used by a fickle and indecisive person, it becomes a useless thing."
While the professor was rambling on, Harry whispered to Hermione, "Fir wands are particularly suited for Transfiguration. They prefer owners who are loyal, opinionated, and occasionally assertive. That's why Professor McGonagall was one of the last Animaguss to register before the Ministry of Magic collapsed. She's a shapeshifter, and my mom says she can turn into a tabby cat."
"Mr. Potter, it's obvious you've been carrying around a lot of wand material guides at home, but that's no excuse for disrupting the other students' learning." Professor McGonagall glared at him.
"The cores of traditional British wands are usually made from unicorn hair, dragon heartstrings, and phoenix tail feathers, but they're not limited to these materials." She paused for a moment. "Of course, unicorns were declared extinct fifteen years ago, so even if you wanted to, you wouldn't find any alive."
She looked at the two children: "I'm not saying all this so that you'll remember it, but so that your inspired minds will develop a 'tendency'. After you have a basic understanding of wands, your inspiration will guide you to find the most suitable wand body and core."
"[Tendency]?" Hermione asked, puzzled.
"Something very mysterious, like the determination when casting a spell." Harry shrugged. He had extensive theoretical knowledge, but in reality, he had only learned a few simple hand gesture spells.
"Professor, where will we look for wand materials?" Hermione asked.
You can't have an exam coming up and not even know where the exam venue is.
McGonagall looked out the window and sighed: "USSR—Pripyat—Chenobi."
Harry gasped, while Hermione looked at him, puzzled.
"After that great war, the surviving Soviets began to focus on nuclear weapons research, and with the help of goblins, they built the towering Chernobog nuclear power plant," Harry explained. "But a few years ago, when I was only six years old, that nuclear power plant exploded."
He gestured the shape of a mushroom cloud: "I heard the whole city is finished. The surviving Muggles turned into blood amidst their wails. Even wizards and goblins have to rely on large amounts of potions to stay alive until today."
He looked at McGonagall with surprise: "Professor, is it really a place we can go?"
McGonagall said seriously, "Dumbledore will remove most of the radiation there, and the remaining part will no longer harm you wizards."
She suppressed her worries: "The professors will drive out the dangerous elements who are still lingering there, and you will be looking for materials in the designated safe area."
After finishing their wand-wielding tutoring session, Hermione and Harry walked back to the common room.
"Mutant trees, the skeletons of dead aberrant beasts, and goblin alloys forged by goblins and Muggles together—if you're lucky, you might even find a dead wizard's wand. Thinking about it this way, it's really quite appropriate for Dumbledore to put the wands here," Harry said, keeping an eye on the stairs beneath his feet.
"Can you walk anywhere at Hogwarts? I mean, in all countries?" Hermione followed his steps, avoiding being left behind by the moving staircase.
"Of course, we have the greatest white wizard!" Harry said proudly.
"But he still lost to the Dark Lord." A discordant voice interrupted, it was Malfoy and his group who had just finished their tutoring session, his face as arrogant as ever.
"Draco, I never thought you'd actually dare to participate in the wand selection. I thought you'd hide behind your dad and beg him to break off a piece of your wand for you." Without Ron around, Harry's fighting prowess was by no means inferior.
"Go ahead and use your words, I hope you and your Mudbloods won't wet your pants in Cherokee." Malfoy, unwilling to get entangled with them, gave Hermione a malicious look for a moment before walking away arrogantly.
"Don't the professors care?" Hermione asked, somewhat puzzled. "Mudblood, I've heard it's a really bad swear word, right?"
Harry pursed his lips: "I used to be in charge."
The two suddenly lost interest in talking and returned to the lounge side by side.