"Is the Elder Wand really Dumbledore's wand? I pieced it together after consulting many books," Ollivander continued. "The legend of the Elder Wand is one of the Deathly Hallows. You can read about it in The Tales of Beedle the Bard—it's all there. In short, due to various events, the wand eventually ended up in Dumbledore's hands. I once wanted to compare its power with another wand, but Dumbledore never agreed."
At this point, Ollivander sighed. "Actually, even if he had agreed, I wouldn't have been able to follow through. I can't use your wand for comparison, so I hope to entrust you with this important task."
Allen understood Ollivander's obsession, but he still felt awkward agreeing to it.
"Dumbledore is the Headmaster of Hogwarts, and I'm just a student. He turned you down, so why would he agree to me?" Allen said helplessly. He didn't think he had the status or influence to sway Dumbledore.
Unless I wait until after sixth year—when Dumbledore 'burps'—I won't get the chance to compare the Elder Wand after it changes hands. But Allen doubted Dumbledore would simply burp and be done with it.
In the original storyline, a cascade of misunderstandings and escalating plot developments led to Dumbledore falling from the tower. But now that Allen was here, a living person who could steer the plot…
That almost felt like an insult to all time travelers.
"Haha, it doesn't matter. Even if you don't succeed, I'll consider it a success. I believe you'll convince him eventually," Ollivander said with a mysterious smile.
"Uh...what makes you so confident in me?" Allen asked, confused.
"Oh, nothing," Ollivander smiled enigmatically. "By the way, I have something you might find interesting."
With an air of secrecy, Ollivander pulled out a worn piece of parchment and handed it to Allen.
Allen took it curiously. When he opened it, a single line of writing jumped out at him:
[Acromantula Lair]
Looking closer at the parchment, he saw other markings:
[Centaurs' Route Map]
[Unicorn-Infested Area]
[Gamekeeper Patrol Route]
[Ball Escaper Nest]
[Soft-Clawed Land Shrimp Habitat], and more.
Allen was both surprised and thrilled.
He studied the terrain depicted on the map. Beyond the forested regions, a castle clearly marked as Hogwarts stood out.
"Hogwarts Castle… is this a map of the area surrounding Hogwarts?" Allen asked, eyes sparkling.
"Of course. No doubt about it," Ollivander said with a smile. "I spend part of each year in the Forbidden Forest near Hogwarts—that's the most detailed area on the map—looking for wand materials. It's a little privilege I've held for years."
"So you used that privilege to make this map... and now you're giving it to me. Do you expect me to use it to threaten the headmaster by catching him in a rule violation and forcing him to agree to my terms?" Allen raised an eyebrow.
"Is that a problem?" Ollivander asked innocently. "Just a little cunning."
"That's a big problem," Allen replied, though a sly grin appeared on his face moments later. "But I like it."
Sorry, Principal Dumbledore—Mr. Ollivander has simply given me too much.
This map would save Allen a great deal of time—especially the information about the gamekeeper's patrol routes. Allen wasn't sure why Ollivander kept track of those while gathering materials, but to him, it was a fantastic bonus.
Allen felt that if he didn't break a few school rules with this map, he would be doing a disservice to the incredible gift Mr. Ollivander had just given him.
...
"Woooooooo..." The train whistle blew intermittently. At 10:20 a.m., Allen and Harry had already arrived at King's Cross Station.
The two walked across the overpass, pushing carts piled high with luggage. On Allen's cart, his crow Black and Harry's owl Hedwig eyed each other from inside their respective cages. Hedwig peered at Black with curiosity, while Black looked down on Hedwig with disdain.
Their expressions were uncanny reflections of their owners—Harry looked curiously at Allen, while Allen wore an expression of helplessness.
The reason was obvious.
Behind them was a group of wizards dressed in eccentric clothes. Due to their sheer number and outlandish fashion, they attracted a fair amount of attention from the station's security staff.
If not for the fact that the wizarding world had embedded operatives within King's Cross to control the train operations and manage interactions with Muggles, the scene might have drawn reporters.
These people, teary-eyed and visibly reluctant to part, followed the boys closely. To the uninitiated, it looked like a solemn funeral procession rather than a school send-off.
Allen was deeply annoyed by the spectacle, but there wasn't much he could do—these were his loyal customers, the very people who had supported his bonus income for two whole months. The reason for their gloom? They hadn't had their final meal today.
Allen didn't like rushing for trains. He much preferred to sit by the window, enjoying the sight of others scrambling to catch the train. Because of this habit, he hadn't prepared a final meal for his customers—and many of them were devastated.
But Allen wasn't about to change his habits just to satisfy a few disappointed diners.
In fact, now that his partnership with Hodge in the candy business had secured him financial freedom, Allen was seriously considering ending his cooking side hustle. He had only continued it out of a sense of duty—to start well and finish properly.
Now, he felt, it was time for these people to be content with what they'd received.
Harry, meanwhile, didn't see anything wrong with the emotional scene. On the contrary, he was envious. Allen had managed to build real bonds with strangers—so much so that they saw him off at the station with heartfelt reluctance.
Even the Boy Who Lived couldn't help but feel a pang of envy.
Savior Harry was envious in every sense of the word.
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