The Ollivander Family, Britain's oldest wandmakers, owned a shop in Diagon Alley where almost every student attending Hogwarts had purchased their first wand.
His purpose in being here was clear: to inspect the Champions' wands and ensure they were in good condition before the competition.
The disheveled, white-haired old man stood in the middle of the room, and everyone approached him in turn, handing over their wands for inspection.
"Mahogany, twelve and three-quarter inches, Dragon Heartstring... Ah, a rather flexible wand..."
Ollivander's voice was soft as he gave a light flick, and a golden spark shot from the wand's tip.
"Well-maintained, no problems, my boy."
Ollivander handed the wand to Olga of Koldovstoretz. The red-haired boy's eye twitched slightly at being called "my boy."
Natalia walked over briskly and handed him her wand as well.
Wade, Harry, and Cedric waited together. Harry looked at the gleaming wand in Cedric's hand and quickly rubbed his own wand back and forth with his sleeve a few times.
"I completely forgot to clean mine lately," Harry said, looking distressed. "Too many things going on, I remember one thing and forget another."
"Luckily, I just polished mine last night," Cedric grinned.
Wade glanced at them, his fingers lightly twirling his own wand, occasionally exchanging a look with Rita, who sat beside him.
Ollivander inspected wands quickly. Soon it was Cedric's turn, then Harry's. He seemed instantly excited, taking much longer to inspect Harry's wand than anyone else's, before finally getting to Wade.
Wade had thought Ollivander wouldn't remember him, since he had just been an ordinary new student from a Muggle background, and his wand wasn't particularly special.
But when Wade walked over with his wand, Ollivander's eyes noticeably brightened, and a smile spread across his face, seemingly deepening his wrinkles.
"Oh, it's you," he said, first looking at the wand, then turning his gaze to Wade's face with a smile. "I still remember this wand—Poplar Wood, Unicorn Tail Core, twelve inches long, isn't it?"
"Yes," Wade said, handing the wand to Ollivander. "Your memory is truly amazing, Mr. Ollivander."
"Poplar Wood and Unicorn Tail are common wand materials, but their combination is often difficult to match with a suitable owner. Wands like this actually have extremely demanding requirements."
Ollivander lowered his head to examine the wand, his slender fingers slowly stroking its smooth shaft.
"Excuse me."
Karkaroff, the headmaster of Durmstrang, suddenly leaned forward, his eyes fixed on Ollivander. "I recall a saying that Poplar Wood and Unicorn Tail generally prefer to choose wizards with pure and kind hearts. Is that true?"
Ollivander looked up, his silvery eyes gazing at Karkaroff, like two transparent mirrors that could clearly reflect his inner thoughts.
"Yes," Ollivander said, not quite answering the question directly. "Wands choose the wizard in their own way."
"Oh, thank you for your answer."
Karkaroff felt he had gotten the answer he wanted. He slowly sat back, glanced at Dumbledore, and a confident, relaxed smile appeared on his face.
The other headmasters and contestants in the classroom also looked at Wade with much softer eyes, especially the girls, whose gazes held a gentle, smiling warmth.
Wade didn't need to be a mind reader to know that the friendliness of these people was because they perceived him as non-threatening, probably seeing him as a harmless little bunny, like a saint who repays evil with good.
Wade glanced at Dumbledore, seeing that the old man still maintained a calm and peaceful expression, as if he hadn't grasped the intention behind Karkaroff's question.
Only Harry had a subtly strange expression, but being short, no one noticed this moment.
"The wand is in good condition, my boy."
Ollivander waved the wand lightly, and some icy snowflakes appeared out of thin air, falling from above everyone's heads.
Then, he returned the wand to Wade and called the student from Uagadou—
"Mr. Papua Okondo, it's your turn."
Wade put his wand away and returned to his seat. Cedric looked at him regretfully and said, "Wade, did the Sorting Hat ever consider putting you in Hufflepuff?"
Wade: "..."
He secretly gritted his teeth, propped his chin, and said, seemingly casually, "Nobody gets sorted just based on their wand, do they?"
"You're right," Cedric said with a relieved smile. "I've never met anyone who loves pursuing knowledge more than you."
"Yeah, that's why I'm in Ravenclaw," Wade said with a half-smile.
The wand inspection took over an hour, followed by a photoshoot. The photographer and Rita tried every way to get a perfect shot, and just figuring out the standing positions took a long time.
After the group photo was taken, the judges left. However, Rita then dragged the Champions for individual photos, and only those who had finished their solo shots were allowed to leave the classroom.
Wade was kept until the very end. By the time he finished, only the three of them were left in the classroom.
"Henry, why don't you go take a panoramic shot of Hogwarts? I'm sure readers would also like to see the Champions dining together at Hogwarts."
Rita Skeeter, with a few words, sent the photographer away. She then pulled out a roll of parchment and a Quick-Notes Quill and asked, "Mr. Gray, may I have a few minutes for a private interview?"
Wade glanced at Henry, who was about to leave with his camera, and said, "Of course."
"Oh, from what I understand, you're much younger than most of the contestants. What motivated you to participate in this tournament? You know many Champions have died in the past, don't you?"
Rita asked in a seemingly proper manner.
Wade pretended to think, and after Henry left, he asked, "Is there something you want to tell me?"
"An interview, an interview!" Rita Skeeter waved the parchment in her hand, making a rustling sound, and asked, "Did you forget you still owe me an exclusive interview?"
Wade: "...When?"
As soon as he spoke, he vaguely remembered that he had indeed agreed to something similar.
"Hmm?" Rita Skeeter raised both eyebrows high. "Do you need me to extract my memories to help you recall?"
"No, that's alright," Wade said, waving his hand. "What do you want to ask?"
Skeeter looked into his eyes and suddenly changed her mind:
"Oh, I've thought about it. I should save this interview opportunity for when you win the Champion title. That exclusive report will be far more valuable."
"You heard what Ollivander just said," Wade reminded her. "My wand is made of Poplar Wood and Unicorn Tail Core."
"Yes, but I trust my own eyes more."
Rita handed the stack of parchment to Wade and said, "This is the information you wanted. There's been a lot of big news lately, so you can take your time reading it."
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