great-warnovel Chapter 98 Wand Appraisal
Chapter 98 Wand Appraisal
Chapter 98 Wand Appraisal
With the protection of numerous professors and senior students, this year's Wand Election proceeded without incident.
As the students blew their whistles one by one and were brought back, Hermione also bid farewell to Dumbledore and went to the courtyard.
She promised Ron and the others that she would use her clairvoyance to help them identify the material of their wands.
Although children may find the most suitable materials for themselves based on their "inclinations," it doesn't mean they know what those dusty, dirty sticks and branches were originally.
Neville and Ginny were brought back first, and they didn't seem to have suffered much; even their robes were clean.
Under their expectant gazes, Hermione took Neville's wand first: "A sword? No, just a scabbard."
Upon first touch, it felt heavy. The understated silver-gray metal scabbard was engraved with patterns of flowers and vines, and it was much heavier than I had imagined. It seemed that there was some kind of liquid flowing inside the hollow scabbard, but even when it was turned upside down, it would not flow out. It was as if a layer of magic had sealed the opening on the scabbard, but the flowing silver liquid inside could be seen.
"Is it mercury? Your wand is quite peculiar." Hermione recognized the nature of the liquid inside; no wonder the entire scabbard was so heavy.
Neville scratched his head: "First, I found a sword, you know, it was straight and long, and I found it very handy."
Then-"
Before she could finish speaking, Hermione had already passively activated her third eye, seeing scenes from the past flash by rapidly.
She could only quickly select the valuable content from them and share it with Nawi.
"This sword came from a French Muggle nobleman, but the sword itself has no value; rather, it is the scabbard that holds it."
Once part of the holy sword Durandal, after the holy sword was lost, the nobleman who obtained its scabbard had a sword custom-made for it.
Hermione recounted the history of the scabbard, then turned her gaze to the mercury within.
"Ah—mercury, one of the three sacred elements of alchemists, you found that the buildings once belonged to a half-alchemist, but he didn't actually know alchemy, he was just a charlatan Muggle. In this pious city, the overcrowded environment allowed the plague and high fever to spread, and this half-alchemist saved many people with his rudimentary medical skills."
"With the scabbard that holds the holy sword as its shaft and the sacred element that heals a thousand as its core, symbolizing restraint and transformation, this is your wand. It is better suited for magic of protection and healing. But I also see that mercury has a powerful toxicity, and its weight can be transformed into the power to split mountains and shatter rocks. When it is in the scabbard, it is a good medicine for healing people, but when it bursts forth, it will be more deadly than any sharp blade."
The students around him watched with envy as Neville happily accepted his wand. Their own wands might be special too, but without Hermione's interpretation, they themselves didn't understand the meaning behind each piece of material.
"My turn!" Ginny eagerly handed over her wand, the little girl beaming with enthusiasm.
This one looks much more conventional, like a common wand, but its pure black metal material makes it much longer than a regular wand, about 16 inches long, and the bright red on the wand head makes it look like it's stained with blood.
The moment Hermione touched the wand, she activated her third eye.
"The cane is a gun barrel. Its owner was a sergeant who came here with his wife to seek refuge. When hunger and chaos swept through the city, he used this gun to fight off many ill-intentioned people, but in the end, he and his wife perished in the nuclear explosion."
"The core of the wand—the core of the wand is a rose!" Hermione exclaimed in surprise. "Ah, it's an ice cellar. This rose was carefully preserved by its owner, a bishop, and placed in the deepest part of the ice cellar. Muggles use this method to preserve their future and hope."
"A magical combination, violence and love, from which a fiery magic will erupt. It is very powerful, but at the same time it yearns for love and peace, which is perfect for you."
Ginny happily accepted the wand. Although she hadn't formally learned magic yet, she could still easily wave it and a delicate rose would bloom from the tip of the wand.
The third to return was Colin, who had been waiting for a long time. He hurriedly shoved the wand into Hermione's hand and stared at her expectantly.
Hermione didn't refuse and activated her third eye to observe again.
Colin's wand is a paintbrush, from a painter who fled here, and the core of the wand is a small bottle of sealed agave, from a sailor who was addicted to alcohol. They are melted into the paintbrush and seep out from the brush tip, turning into pigments of various colors.
"Passion and inscription, your wand. I didn't realize you liked drawing." Hermione was a little surprised. Children from Muggle communities rarely knew these "useless skills." How to dig mice out of the ground was more suitable for them.
Colin laughed sheepishly. His former settlement was near the city ruins, where he could see the pre-war art museum, many of which now contained only abandoned trash.
Ron hadn't returned yet, and the other students gathered around, begging Hermione to help them with their appraisals as well.
Thinking that she could use it to practice mastering the Third Eye, Hermione didn't refuse and looked at them one by one.
Behind every wand lies a story, big or small. It is these stories and people that bring together the materials for a wand that have special meaning and can carry magic.
Finally, as darkness fell completely, Ron returned, covered in dust, having crawled away from somewhere. A small round shield was strapped to his arm, its white stone surface carved with an image of the Weeping Virgin Mary.
"This is your wand?" Hermione stared at the small round shield, her mind full of questions. Although the definition of a wand is quite broad now, it is still rare to see a shield used as a wand.
Ron nodded firmly and handed the small shield to Hermione.
Her Heavenly Eye was triggered again. This time, she saw the collapsed icon of the Weeping Mary and a father shielding his child from the nuclear explosion with his back when disaster struck, but they all died soon after from the high fever and radiation.
"The staff's body comes from devout faith; it is an image of the Weeping Mary that has been prayed for by countless people who begged the Virgin Mary to bring them peace and sustenance. The core of the staff comes from the spine of a father who struggled to support his family, using his not-so-broad back to seek a glimmer of hope for the child in his arms."
"Protection and faith, like this shield, it excels at protective magic," Hermione said, flipping the shield over.
Sure enough, on the inside of the handle, I saw a white bone grip.
"This shield will enhance your Iron Armor Spell, making it difficult for even weapons infused with demonic core metal to break through."
Ron nodded thoughtfully, then blushed slightly and asked, "By the way, didn't you teach Harry magic weapons before? I remember there was also a magic shield? Can I learn that too?"
Hermione, of course, wouldn't refuse. After the Basilisk incident, the boy had grown a lot and become more ambitious.
Moreover, she felt that perhaps this kid was suited to practicing advanced shield parries.