Chapter 234: Annie's Wand
Under William's persuasion, Hermione decided to start by engaging with Hogwarts' house-elves to change their mindset.
She also planned to send a suggestion to Dumbledore, which might help improve the elves' living conditions.
A week later, the school sent their letters for the new term, including a list of required books.
It seemed Gilderoy Lockhart had struck a partnership with Hogwarts, as seven of his books were on the required reading list.
He had listed nearly all his publications as mandatory for students.
William doubted Lockhart would stay at Hogwarts for seven years.
Setting aside a certain notorious curse that wouldn't allow such luck, Lockhart's correspondence revealed more of a businessman's spirit than a professor's.
His decision to join Hogwarts was likely to boost book sales and further his fame.
A man like that wouldn't stay beyond a year, as prolonged teaching might impact his income.
Of course, after leaving, he would probably publish My Year at Hogwarts to cash in on another wave of profit.
What surprised William most was that Lockhart had graduated from Ravenclaw.
This marked the third consecutive Defense Against the Dark Arts professor from Ravenclaw. William couldn't help but feel that Dumbledore had it out for their eagle house.
…
A few days later, William, Hermione, and Annie went to Diagon Alley.
The three stood before a large fireplace.
Annie grabbed a pinch of sparkling powder from a porcelain jar, stepped toward the hearth, threw the powder into the flames, and confidently walked in, shouting, "Diagon Alley!"
In an instant, she disappeared.
Floo Powder, invented by Ignatia Wildsmith, a Ravenclaw graduate, had since become a government-regulated monopoly.
Now only one authorized producer, Floo Puff Co., existed in Britain. Any unauthorized sales were illegal.
To suppress the market and prevent piracy, its price had remained unchanged for a century—two Sickles per scoop.
Much like a certain eternally consistent soda price.
Soon after, Hermione and Annie also left through the fireplace. William followed, throwing a pinch of glittering powder into the flames.
He felt like he was being sucked through a giant hose, spinning rapidly.
The roaring in his ears was deafening.
Moments later, he emerged from a stone fireplace in a wizarding shop.
Diagon Alley bustled with people moving in throngs.
The crowd was so dense that William had to hold onto both Hermione and Annie's hands to prevent them from getting separated.
"What should we buy first?" Hermione asked, looking up.
"A wand. My first wand!" Annie exclaimed eagerly.
William nodded and led them toward Ollivanders.
Although Ollivanders wasn't the only wand shop in Diagon Alley, it was the one most people trusted.
When the trio entered, the bell on the door jingled softly.
Cedric, perched on a ladder, was inspecting old wands accumulated over the years, preparing to clear some inventory during the summer break.
Mr. Ollivander sat nearby, sipping tea.
"Welcome!" Cedric greeted them with a warm smile.
To be fair, Cedric would face stiff competition from Ollivander if he ever wanted to open his own wand shop.
Then again, with his good looks, he could attract those rich female customers. Some might even buy dozens of wands at once.
The only problem was that, quality viagras weren't cheap.
William, too, had drawn many Hogwarts clients using his charm. After all, everyone had a few female classmates with interesting backstories.
Making money? Nothing shameful about that!
Ollivander stood up. "Welcome, Mr. Stark. Good to see you again.
"I still remember the wand you purchased two years ago, it feels like yesterday you were here.
"Twelve and three-quarter inches, cherry wood. indeed, a wonderful wand for spellcasting. I'm glad to see it brought you the Merlin Award."
He turned to Hermione. "And Miss Granger, your vine wood wand—such wands almost always find their way to those with lofty aspirations and extraordinary vision."
With impressive memory and eloquence, Ollivander showered compliments that left every customer feeling on top of the world.
Finally, Ollivander looked at Annie.
"Now then, Miss Stark, let's see." He pulled a long silver-engraved measuring tape from his pocket.
Ollivander worked quickly, calling Cedric to bring out wands. Yet, none of them seemed to satisfy him.
"Oh, such a picky customer!" Ollivander launched into his well-practiced speech.
William and Hermione exchanged knowing glances. Ollivander had done the same when they purchased their wands.
"A picky customer, indeed. But not to worry, there's always the perfect wand here somewhere… Ah! A unique combination: cedar wood, thunderbird tail feather, eleven inches, flexible."
When Annie held the wand, her fingers grew warm. She raised it above her head, and an electric arc shot through the air, crackling with energy.
Cedric placed Annie's wand into a box, wrapped it in brown paper, while Ollivander muttered, "What a coincidence… what a coincidence…"
Annie looked at him curiously.
"I remember every wand I've crafted," Ollivander explained, "The core of this wand comes from a thunderbird named Frank, Newt Scamander's pet.
"Frank once helped capture the Dark Wizard Grindelwald.
"My dear child, I imagine you too will achieve great things."
Annie's eyes sparkled with stars, and she immediately set her sights on capturing the first Dark Lord.
When she grew up, she planned to hand Grindelwald over to the great Dumbledore for safekeeping.
Little did she know, that might not be the best idea. Dumbledore might resort to excessive interrogation methods involving whips, handcuffs, candles, and binding…
Cruel, indeed!
William wasn't thinking that far ahead. He was busy observing Ollivander's sales technique.
The old wandmaker was a hidden marketing genius. His performance left young wizards believing they were destined heroes.
No wonder Ollivanders was Europe's top wand retailer, he clearly had a knack for persuasion!
If Ollivander had been a Muggle businessman, he might have hyped a single wand into an artifact capable of bending reality itself.
…
After leaving the shop, William took the girls to replenish potions at the apothecary and then to Madam Malkin's to get robes tailored.
As they completed their errands, Diagon Alley grew even more crowded.
The trio sat outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, enjoying strawberry chocolate sundaes.
"You two rest here for a bit. I'll be back soon," William said after finishing his ice cream.
"Where are you going?" Hermione asked curiously.
"I need to pick something up," William replied, heading off.
He was going to collect an item he had ordered from Borgin and Burkes.