Hogwarts: Don't call me Wandmaker

Chapter 354 The Wand and the Interview (Combined Chapter)
"Please allow me to introduce Mr. Ollivander." After leading the group to another room, Dumbledore said to the warriors, "He will be in charge of checking your wands to make sure they are in good condition before the competition."

“Olivendine?” Fleur and Krum were taken aback, and almost simultaneously looked at Siron who was following behind.

As fellow warriors, they clearly still remembered Siron's name, Siron Ollivander.

“Yes, he is my grandfather,” Siren said with a shrug.

“I was just as surprised,” Garrick chuckled from behind the table. “They told me that the Triwizard Tournament inside has an age limit; only students over seventeen can compete for the title of Warrior.”

“But a few days ago, they suddenly told me you were going to represent Hogwarts in the tournament.” Garrick looked at Siron. “Only now am I sure they weren’t joking with me. How did you manage to dodge Albus’s magic…”

Dumbledore, standing nearby, blushed.

"Oh, you've really mastered the art of swearing lately, Garrick."

“That’s not what I meant,” Garrick said calmly. “I was just wondering if the project you’ve prepared is really suitable for a fourteen-year-old wizard.”

“I assure you, Garrick,” Dumbledore said softly, “Siron has now entered into a magical pact with the Goblet of Fire… and he is willing to participate in the tournament.”

“You’ve misunderstood.” Garrick shook his head and said with a smile, “I didn’t mean to stop this, otherwise I wouldn’t have waited until now.”

Garrick always respected Celen's ideas and rarely interfered. Even though the Triwizard Tournament was really dangerous, as long as Celen himself put his name in the Goblet of Fire, he would choose to support him.

“That’s wonderful.” Dumbledore waved his hand. “Then, Miss Delacour, would you please go first?”

Furong, who was watching the commotion, finally realized what was happening.

What a pity... I didn't get to see any more exciting scenes.

She was thinking to herself, but her steps didn't stop. She quickly walked up to Garrick and took out her wand.

Xilun also looked over.

Maple, Veela hair, nine and a half inches

【Condition: Good】

[Specialties: Polymorph spell +10%; Prophecy spell +10%]

Magic Attraction: Controls magical effects +5% (35%)

That's a really nice wand.

Siren blinked. This was the first time he had ever seen features related to prophetic magic. This might be related to the Veela's own talents. According to the records in "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," these magical creatures possess powerful perception abilities.

However, Celen had never actually seen Veela; the only time was at the Quidditch World Cup, and even then, it was from a great distance.

And the last one, Magic Attraction, can increase the effects of control-type spells, and it's also related to Veela.

Xilun guessed that the two values ​​corresponded to two different spells: one was common control magic, such as binding spells or petrification spells.

Another type of spell with a 35% bonus is likely a mind-control spell like the Soul Reaper.

This is not hard to understand. During the Quidditch World Cup, many spectators seemed to be controlled by Veela and unconsciously made many ridiculous moves.

In a sense, this is the Imperishable Curse, and it's an Imperishable Curse that doesn't require chanting.

After that, Garrick cast an orchid spell.

A spell in good condition is naturally fine; a blooming orchid blossoms at the tip of the wand, which Garrick returns to Fleur along with the wand.

Next up is Viktor Krum.

Compared to Fleur, his wand was much more normal. Hornbeam oak and dragon's heart ligament—a highly aggressive combination, perfect for wizards who enjoy combat.

[Status: General]

【Special Feature: Powerful Attack: When casting a spell, its power is increased to varying degrees (15%-30%).】

There seemed to be no problem, but the 'normal' wand state made Siren feel that things were not so simple.

Because at Hogwarts, the wands of seventh-year students are generally in good condition, as are those of many professors.

But Krum... no, I should say Durmstrang students' wands are basically all like that.

Xiren suddenly remembered that Garrick once said that Gregorovich did not like to inscribe protective runes on the wand core; he preferred to treat the wand as a pure weapon.

Rather than spending time protecting the weapon itself, he preferred to sharpen it to make it even sharper.

On this point, Ollivander and Gregorovich's ideas were completely opposite. As Hillen once told Harry, half of the runes Ollivander inscribed on his wand were for the purpose of protecting the wand itself.

Of course, putting aside these personal factors, Gregorovich was also a top-notch wand maker.

Garrick used it to cast a bird spell, and the hornbeam wood made a loud bang. A flock of small birds flapped their wings and circled the room, each one full of energy.

“Very good,” Ollivander said, handing the wand back to Krum.

"There's one last one."

Xilun stepped forward.

As a wand maker, it felt strange to have a fellow craftsman inspect his wand, even if that craftsman was his grandfather.

But there's nothing we can do; that's the rule.

Siren handed Silvermane to Garrick, and then, before everyone's eyes, pulled a handful of different wands from his pocket.

Fleur and Krum, who had just been feeling a bit bored, suddenly widened their eyes and stared at Xiren in disbelief.

So many wands, are you serious?

Xilun is definitely serious.

“I might need all of these,” he said to Garrick. “Since we’re going to check them, let’s take a look… if we have time.”

“I haven’t really had anything going on lately,” Garrick said, calmly picking up the wands one by one to examine them.

These wands have one thing in common: the shafts are all made of dragon bloodwood.

Dragon bloodwood is actually not suitable for making wands, but Siron took a different approach and created a batch of very distinctive wands.

Take this one in my hand, for example... its magical reaction is weak, and it's practically a useless piece of wood in my hand. But if I were to use it to cast a Whirlwind Spell...

"Whirlwind Sweep".

With a gentle wave of his wand, Garrick unleashed a fierce gust of wind that swept through the room, carrying all the dust from the floor out the window.

Simply put, this is a wand that can only cast one spell, but its effect is much better than that of a normal wand.

Normally, no one would use such a wand, no matter how good it is, because no wizard would only use one spell.

But Siron isn't normal... well, not quite. As a wand maker, he can use any wand he makes. While it's a bit more troublesome, it compensates for the biggest drawback of dragonblood wood wands.

And this Triwizard Tournament… Garrick looked down and counted; there were nineteen wands on the table. He patiently examined each wand one by one, as if checking Siron's homework.

But this made things difficult for the others, because the inspection process wasn't over yet, and Fleur and Krum couldn't go anywhere and could only wait on the sidelines.

Nearly half an hour later, Garrick finally finished checking all eighteen wands, leaving only the last one, which was also the most special one among all the wands.

It's so beautiful; a golden spiral pattern coils around its silvery-white staff, shimmering with a soft white light under the sunlight.

Fleur's eyes lit up; she had never imagined that a wand could be as beautiful and exquisite as the most perfect work of art.

“Incredible, I think I see a beautiful unicorn…” she said softly.

Xilun glanced at her subconsciously.

As expected of someone with Veela blood, she could actually tell...

Garrick also knew about Silvermane's origins, but he remained much calmer, as if he hadn't heard anything, and simply waved his hand.

"Lumos!"

……

The wand remained motionless.

So it was fake after all? Krum raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself.

This is understandable, since Garrick chose the simplest illumination charm. Even if a wizard were to cast this charm with a stick, it would be impossible for him to have no reaction at all.

That's right, how could there be anything as beautiful as a magic wand...

Furong thought the same thing, and her expression quickly turned to disappointment.

“Oh, don’t do that. I’m still Xilun’s grandfather, can you give me some face?” Garrick tapped the silver-maned staff and said helplessly, “Just this once, don’t embarrass me too much.”

As if to go through the motions, a white light flashed at the tip of the staff, then quickly went out a second later.

"Thank you," Garrick said with a smile, returning the wand to Siron.

"They are all very nice; it's obvious you take good care of them."

It feels even stranger. Isn't wand maintenance a required course for wand makers?
Xilun pursed his lips and said according to procedure, "Ah, that's right, that's how it is."

……

Because of a few minor hiccups, the wand inspection took longer than usual, but it's finally over now.

“Thank you, everyone,” Dumbledore said. “Now you can go back. Any interested warriors can also be interviewed by the Daily Prophet; they’re just outside.”

“However, I advise you not to do that,” Dumbledore added as a final remark.

As for the reason... as soon as Siron stepped out, he saw Rita Skeeter standing there excitedly, her eyes shining as she looked at the warriors who came out.

Oh, it's Viktor Krum, the most famous Quidditch player. Articles about him are sure to be popular.

And this girl, I heard she has Veela blood, she's also a good choice...

In those few seconds, she had already decided what to write.

Finally, Siren came out of the room.

In an instant, really just an instant, Rita Skeeter, who had been so excited just moments before, suddenly became unhappy, her face drooping as if she had seen something dirty.

"Oh, what bad luck... it's not just someone with the same name?"

Xilun rolled his eyes.

Rita Skeeter really didn't want to see him; she'd rather think he was a wizard with the same name than believe he was the warrior.

Is Ollivander a very common surname?

Next was the photo session, which also took quite a bit of time.

Wherever Ms. Maxim stands, she completely blocks everyone else from view, and the room is too small; if she stands too far back, the photographer can't get her completely in the shot.

In the end, Dumbledore found a chair and had her sit in the middle, which finally solved the problem.

"Should we start the interview next?" Siren asked expectantly, turning to Rita Skeeter. "I'm fine with that..."

However, Rita Skeeter didn't even look at him and walked straight past him. "Mr. Viktor, do you have time for an interview? I'm writing an article for the Daily Prophet about the Championship."

Krum instinctively glanced at Karkaroff beside him.

Karkaroff didn't know who Rita Skeeter was, but he knew that the Daily Prophet was the best-selling magical newspaper in Britain, with almost everyone owning a copy.

With Krum's reputation and influence, they might even be able to snatch some students from Hogwarts.

Karkaroff had long coveted the wealthy pure-blood wizards of England. A few years ago, he almost managed to persuade the Malfoy children to go to Durmstrang, but that woman ruined it all.

Saying you don't want Draco to be too far away is like saying she can come to Hogwarts. Aren't we all only able to go home during holidays? What's the difference?

Thinking this, Karkaroff nodded to Krum.

"Go ahead and speak well. Don't forget to introduce Durmstrang to this beautiful lady."

Upon hearing Karkaroff's words, Rita Skeeter immediately burst into laughter.

Foreign wizards are easier to fool... easier to talk to.

“It’s too noisy here, how about we go somewhere else?” Rita Skeeter said, grabbing Krum and pulling him out of the room, opening a door next to her.

Throughout the entire process, she didn't even glance at Xilun, as if there were only two warriors to begin with.

“Don’t be discouraged, Heron.” At that moment, Dumbledore came up from behind and comforted him.

"You'll soon find that not piquing Rita Skeeter's interest is actually a good thing... Sometimes I really wish she would forget about me."

“I understand, Professor Dumbledore.” Sirius nodded perfunctorily.

Dumbledore, of course, was unaware that Shiren and Rita Skeeter had already met. Ludo Bagman knew, but he couldn't say anything, so he pretended not to have seen anything.

Xiren sighed. He had wanted to take this opportunity to ask Rita Skeeter some questions, but she clearly didn't want to talk to him, so there was nothing he could do.

We'll have to wait until next time. The Triwizard Tournament will last for a whole school year, and Rita Skeeter can't keep avoiding him forever.

Xiren glanced at the tightly closed door and at Viktor Krum's fleeting profile.

Hopefully, Krum's mental fortitude is as strong as his tennis skills; Rita Skeeter's automatic quill pen is far more terrifying than a fire dragon.

……

(End of this chapter)