Chapter 240: Sirius Wand

They successfully found the writings, the purpose of this trip had been accomplished, and no one touched the seemingly dangerous Dark Arts objects and the other curious collections.

They returned the way they had come, led by Griphook.

More than half an hour later, the wagon finally reached the surface after another wild ride.

Breathing in the fresh air, and looking at the familiar buildings in Diagon Alley next to Professor Lupin, who waved and smiled at them, Ivan, Harry and Hermione had a sense of rebirth. The location of the vaults and the countless secrets under Gringotts were truly exciting, though they did not get to see the Black family wealth as they had anticipated.

The three discussed with Lupin what they saw and heard in the depths of the earth, the chained Ironbelly, the small islands in the melting lava, the vaults of pureblood wizarding families from thousands of years ago, and so on.

Vault number one, with the Slytherin family crest, was the most interesting.

Ivan was absolutely convinced that there was a connection between the ornament on the vault door and the strange Slytherin medallion ornament on it.

There was another point about the secret keys to the treasure left by the Four Founders.

Ivan had speculated about clues to the location of the keys.

In a literal sense, since the Gryffindor treasure key was preserved among the Centaur tribe, the Slytherin treasure key was probably hidden by the goblins in Gringotts, right in the mysterious vault he had just seen.

The question then was: how to make sure of that and get the key out?

It was impossible to ask a goblin that question, and going straight into Gringotts meant nothing but death.

Ivan thought for a moment that if the key to the Slytherin treasure was really in Gringotts, he would have to start looking for it with the vampire girl named Elaine and her family.

Although they were vampires, they were also descendants of the Slytherin family.

Like Voldemort, they were the rightful heirs to the vault.

While Ivan was thinking about this, Lupin talked to Harry and Hermione about the magic the goblins placed in Gringotts and the weakness they had all just seen in the Ironbelly.

Sirius followed him and did not participate in the conversation.

He didn't look too happy and they didn't know if it was because of the crazy bumpy carriage or the empty vault.

He stared straight ahead, and no one knew what he was thinking.

Harry and Hermione were quick to notice. They exchanged an uncomfortable glance, their faces were full of worry and the atmosphere was silent.

Hermione poked Ivan gently and motioned for him to look back at Sirius.

Ivan looked back and could understand Sirius' feelings at that moment.

He didn't care about those treasures and gold though, it was wealth accumulated by the Blacks over the centuries, passed down from generation to generation, and now it was owned by other families.

No matter who would come across such a thing, he would be unhappy.

In particular, Sirius' mother, who assigned the property, preferred to trust her two cousins rather than leave anything to her own son.

If Ivan himself came across such a thing, he would be sad to death.

"Sirius..." cried Harry anxiously.

"I'm fine, I'm just recalling some unpleasant memories!" Sirius took a deep breath of the cold air, perked up and joined them in conversation. "Remus was right, the Ironbelly's weakness is in its eyes, you can use Obscuro or other spells to attack that part and make it retreat in pain. Also, each dragon has a particularly fragile scale. If you want to kill the dragon, then..."

As they walked, Sirius seemed fully recovered.

Before returning to the Leaky Cauldron for lunch, they decided to go to 36 Diagon Alley to have a look around.

They left the main road and headed down a narrow, backlit street where the snow hadn't cleared in a long time and the deepest spot was deep enough to reach their knees.

The streets were very desolate and all the stores were not open.

Only one small store opened its doors. An old wizard with two large, pale silver eyes was sweeping the snow in front of the store. Stamping golden letters above the door read Ollivanders: Makers of fine rods since 382 BC.

Seeing Mr. Ollivander, Ivan was very surprised that nothing had changed since he last saw him.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Ollivander!" Everyone rushed forward to greet.

"Good afternoon everyone, nice to meet you!" Ollivander looked up, his pale pupils slid across the five faces, lingered the longest on Ivan and Harry, and eventually fell on Sirius, "Sirius Black, it is a great pleasure to see you again. It's been over twenty years since I last saw you, and I didn't think there would be such an opportunity..."

"Oh, yes, I thought I had no chance to return to Diagon Alley." Sirius said cheerfully, "You've seen the latest reports! With the help of these three children, I have been proven innocent."

"Of course, of course!" Ollivander said happily, "Ebony, 30 centimeters long, good for transfiguration, right?"

"Yes, but that wand had broken when I was captured by the Ministry twelve years ago." Sirius pulled out a wand and said grimly, "That's a good wand, but it doesn't feel as good as the other one."

"Of course it's not easy; it resists your power!" Ollivander leaned closer and whispered softly, "This wand doesn't belong to you. I don't know where you got it from. It is my grandfather's work, very old craftsmanship, elm and dragon ribbing, a bit tough. In those days, dragon materials were very rare, and only the wealthiest families of pure-blooded wizards could afford to buy them....".

Ollivander took the wand from Sirius and looked at it carefully, talking about how good and how old it was, as if he was appreciating a work of art.

"Mr. Ollivander?!"

"Oh, yes!" Ollivander handed the wand back to Sirius. "This wand is great, but it doesn't fit you! If you can, I suggest you choose a wand from my store. "

"I don't think that's necessary. I'm not a young wizard anymore. I can handle any wand with dexterity." Sirius said proudly.

"What a pity!" Ollivander continued. "You know, it's the wand that chooses the wizard, and using someone else's wand affects your strength."

"Mr. Ollivander is right. You should change your wand." Ivan followed and persuaded him; he knew the importance of the wand to the wizard.

For wizards, using someone else's wand can be extremely difficult, affecting the power of their spells and the transmission of magic. Powerful wands can even resist the will of the user, going against them completely.

In the original book, for this reason, the elderberry wand in Voldemort's hand resisted the use of the killing curse against its true owner, Harry, and eventually died unknowingly.

So did Sirius, who, in the original book, had been on the run, and could not possibly choose a wand himself. He had to use this wand that belonged to one of his ancestors.

When he faced Bellatrix, he lost his life, perhaps because he couldn't use his true strength with that wand.

Yes, to face the dangers we will face in the future, it was very necessary to change this wand.

"Sirius, since Mr. Ollivander and Ivan said this, go change your wand..." Harry said with concern.

"No need, I can control this wand!" Sirius stubbornly replied.

"That's only temporary. As time goes on, it will affect you more and more." Ollivander whispered, "The core of this wand is the nerves of a dragon. You know, dragons are powerful creatures, and they don't obey at will..."

Hearing Ollivander's words, Harry was quick to shout, "Sirius!"

"Okay, okay, I can come back later when I have time!" Sirius patted Harry on the shoulder and said quietly, "Don't you remember the boys? We're going to the store now, and we're going to the hospital to see the Weasley boy after that. We can't afford to waste time here."

"It won't take long. We can wait for you at the store." Ivan pointed to a very ramshackle house near the wand store and said, "I saw the sign - it's number 36 Diagon Alley!"