In any case, Kyle still had a wand to buy, so he carefully pushed open the door and stepped inside.
Diana and Chris hadn’t followed him in; they probably assumed the process of choosing a wand would take a while. After hearing that Kyle needed to visit Ollivanders first, they had decided to head to Gringotts instead.
...
The inside of the shop, while still old and cluttered, was much cleaner than the exterior. Shelves stacked high with narrow, dusty boxes lined the walls, and though the items appeared haphazardly arranged, there was a certain order to the chaos.
With a soft chime from the door, an elderly man’s graying head popped up behind the counter.
"Good afternoon, my boy," said Ollivander, his sharp eyes glinting with curiosity as he examined Kyle. Then, as if struck by an odd thought, he asked, "Are you here alone?"
"Yes," Kyle replied, feeling puzzled. "Is there a problem?"
Ollivander shook his head. "No, of course not." But as he spoke, Kyle caught a fleeting look of disappointment in his eyes. Strange... Why would a shopkeeper be disappointed to have a customer?
Maybe it’s just my imagination, Kyle thought, shaking his head to clear the feeling.
"Alright then, young wizard," Ollivander continued, stepping out from behind the counter. "May I ask your name?"
"Kyle Chopper," Kyle answered promptly.
"Chopper..." Ollivander repeated, his brow furrowing slightly. "And Mr. Chris is...?"
"My father," Kyle clarified.
"Ah, of course..." Ollivander muttered, glancing briefly toward the door before quickly turning back. "The name Chopper isn’t one I often hear in the British wizarding world, you see."
Now it was obvious—Ollivander was disappointed. Kyle couldn’t deny it. The old wandmaker’s face practically screamed it when he learned Chris was his father. Not only that, but Ollivander had started muttering something about "Willow wood" or "Hornbeam wood" under his breath, though Kyle couldn’t quite make it out.
Still, Kyle was more interested in getting his wand than worrying about why Ollivander seemed so bothered. After all, he was here for business.
"Mr. Ollivander, I’m right-handed," Kyle said, extending his arms straight out to make the measuring process easier. He knew the drill. Measurements were taken, then came the long process of testing wands, which could take quite a while. With so many wands in the shop, it was unlikely Ollivander would find the perfect match in one go. The usual method involved trying wands one by one.
Kyle braced himself for what he expected to be a lengthy search.
But Ollivander’s next words took him by surprise.
"Oh, my boy, if it’s you, there’s no need for that."
Before Kyle could even react, Ollivander bypassed the usual measuring entirely. He walked straight to the counter, pulled out a wand box from the most prominent spot, opened it, and placed it in front of Kyle with swift precision, as though he had known all along which wand would suit him.
"Well? What are you waiting for? Try it!" Ollivander urged when Kyle hesitated.
"Huh? Oh, right," Kyle replied, snapping out of his confusion. He picked up the wand from the box.
It was a simple wand, gray-black in color, with a smooth surface free of any elaborate decorations or engravings. Aside from the standard handle, there were no frills—just an ordinary, unassuming wand.
But the moment Kyle held it, before he had even attempted to cast a spell, a bright white light shot out from the wand’s tip, flooding the entire shop with light. The previously dim and dusty room felt instantly transformed, as if a skylight had been opened, bathing the shop in warmth and brightness.
"Good, excellent," Ollivander exclaimed, clearly thrilled. Without waiting for Kyle to ask, he continued speaking to himself, "Thirteen and a half inches, cedar wood, phoenix feather core. I must say, this is a rather magical combination."
"A magical match?" Kyle echoed, a little confused.
"Yes, magical," Ollivander said with a patient smile, looking directly at Kyle. "A cedar wand usually chooses a wizard with great wisdom and keen insight. These wizards are calm by nature, and every choice they make is carefully considered. As my father used to say, you can never fool a wizard who carries a cedar wand. I wholeheartedly agree with that."
He went on, explaining, "Cedar wand owners tend to favor the stability and loyalty of unicorn tail hair cores. Phoenix tail feathers, by contrast, are known for their fiery and independent nature—sometimes too aggressive. In fact, I’ve crafted and sold 36 cedar wands in total. Of those, 30 contained unicorn tail hair, and five had dragon heartstrings. The last one..." Ollivander paused, smiling broadly as he pointed at Kyle, "... is the one you're holding now."
Kyle, still puzzled, asked, "But sir, didn’t you say those materials don’t typically go well together? Then why did you make it?"
"Not make it because the materials don't usually pair well? Oh, no, no, no, that would be quite wrong," Ollivander chuckled, shaking his head. "You see, the wand chooses the wizard, my boy. From the moment they are created, each wand knows exactly who its wizard will be. It’s not that the materials don't work together; rather, they only find harmony in the hands of their destined owner."
He gestured to the stacks of dusty wand boxes behind him. "Those wands over there, still waiting for their owners... They’re not here because they’re bad wands, but because their time hasn't come. Their wizards are simply waiting for their letters from Hogwarts."
Ollivander paused for a moment, then continued with a gleam in his eye. "And you see, even the most seemingly opposite wands and cores can work perfectly together in the hands of the right wizard. That's the beauty of wandlore. Take the wand you’re holding now. Your father, Chris, tried it. Your mother, Diana, tried it. But it wasn’t a perfect match for either of them—they were close, but not quite right. And so, after I learned of your birth, I’ve been waiting for this day. It’s truly perfect, isn’t it?"
Kyle nodded slowly, still absorbing the moment. The feeling of control and connection with the wand in his hand was powerful, almost addictive. He couldn’t imagine parting with it now.
Though the process had been different than expected, the result was better than he could have hoped for. Kyle was very satisfied with his new wand.
"Well then, my boy, seven galleons," Ollivander said, smiling even more brightly now.
"Okay," Kyle replied, pulling out the seven gold galleons he had prepared in advance and placing them on the counter. The price for a first-year student’s wand was always seven galleons, a reasonable deal for such a crucial item. This discount only applied to young wizards enrolling at Hogwarts for the first time.
After Kyle paid, Ollivander bowed slightly in gratitude. He watched Kyle leave the shop before turning his attention to the next young wizard who had just stepped inside, accompanied by an adult.
"Oh, we meet again, Mr. Thomas. Eleven inches, hawthorn wood..."