"Creak."
The old wooden door of the wand shop was pushed open, and the raised dust drifted through the room, making people cough.
"Clearing breeze."
McGonagall raised her wand, and an invisible gust of wind blew from in front of her, instantly making all the dust disappear.
"Mr. Ollivander, you should clean your shop. It is like this every time!"
"My shop, I will... Oh! Professor, you are here?"
Ollivander appeared behind the counter accompanied by the sound of sliding rails.
His complaints about the shop's hygiene disappeared, replaced by a different demeanor as he quietly defended himself.
"These are also the ancient characteristics of the shop. You know, Professor, my shop has been here for over a thousand years. The wands made by my ancestors have always been waiting for their masters."
"You have used this excuse for decades, and I see you will continue to do so."
"Of course, Professor. My Ollivanders Wand Shop will remain open forever, serving the entire magical world of Great Britain!"
After Ollivander responded to McGonagall with a smile, he turned his head to look at Merlin.
"A new student this year? What a fine-looking young man!"
"I am Ollivander, the most famous wandmaker in Great Britain. Almost all the wands you will see after entering school are made by me."
"Of course, that is not the point. As I just said, the wand chooses the wizard, not the wizard choosing the wand."
As he spoke, Ollivander raised his hand and pulled several boxes, some brand new and some old, from the shelves through the air.
"From the moment a wand is made, it waits in its box for a wizard who resonates with it. I believe you will definitely find the one that suits you best. Pick one and try it!"
Ollivander was full of anticipation.
Merlin casually pulled out a wand.
Ollivander's eyes lit up.
"I have to say... Sorry, I forgot to ask your name."
"Merlin Hunter."
"Mr. Merlin, you really know how to choose a wand."
"Poplar wood, eleven inches, unicorn hair core. Suitable for an honest and upright young wizard, especially in Gryffindor!"
Ollivander had a smile on his face, not forgetting to glance at McGonagall from the corner of his eye.
"What should I do?"
Merlin asked.
"Try giving it a wave, like you are casting a spell?"
Ollivander raised a wand to demonstrate.
"Back when Minerva was choosing her wand, she..."
"Directly turned the chandelier into a rabbit. Ollivander, do you really have to tell this story every time?"
"Of course. After all, that was the beginning of a Transfiguration master, and it is also the glory of my Ollivander family."
Ollivander's face was full of pride and smugness.
Merlin shrugged and waved the wand as Ollivander instructed.
The tip of the wand exploded with a bang into a burst of golden fireworks, faintly resembling a lion's mane, and then truly formed a majestic lion in the air.
"Beautiful! A perfect cast!"
Ollivander shouted excitedly, his eyes filled with a bright light.
"Rarely can a young wizard choose the most suitable wand on their first try."
"Mr. Merlin, you are truly a genius."
Ollivander said as he looked at McGonagall.
"Professor, did you see that? Mr. Merlin used his magic to conjure the Gryffindor lion. A perfect cast, it is simply an arrangement by Merlin."
"Of course, I noticed."
A smile tugged at the corners of Professor McGonagall's mouth.
There was nothing that made her happier than seeing a Gryffindor lion when a young wizard tested a wand.
If there was, it would be hearing the word Gryffindor again during the Sorting test.
"Merlin, seeing your wand, let me..."
"Wait, Professor."
Merlin interrupted McGonagall and pointed to the other boxes.
"Can I... try them all? I feel like this wand isn't quite handy."
"Mr. Ollivander?"
McGonagall looked at Ollivander, sending an inquiring gaze.
It was also her first time seeing a young wizard make such a request.
"Of course, Mr. Merlin."
"I completely understand your thinking. Every young wizard wants to try more wands, even if they ultimately choose the one that matches them best."
"But you can still try them, to experience the feeling of magic not matching the wand."
Ollivander casually waved his hand, taking out several wands from the other boxes.
"Eleven and a half inches, applewood, rainbow parrot feather core. The wizard it chooses must possess sufficient biological affinity."
"Thirteen and three-quarter inches, black walnut, banshee scale dust core. Excels at casting spells of deception and transformation."
...
Following Ollivander's introduction.
Merlin picked up another wand and gave it a gentle wave.
In the next second, Ollivander's eyes widened in extreme shock.
"Oh! Merlin's beard! What is going on! Another perfect cast!"
Green magic sprayed from the tip of Merlin's wand, forming several Bowtruckles that hugged the unselected wands in the boxes to maintain them.
Even Professor McGonagall, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but change her expression.
"Nature Summoning, an ancient magic. I have never seen a young wizard able to use this kind of magic when testing a wand. Mr. Ollivander, have you?"
"No! Never!"
Ollivander stared blankly at everything in front of him, feeling a bit bewildered.
If a perfect cast meant the wand chose its master, then what did another perfect cast mean?
Having made wands for so many years, he had absolutely never encountered a similar situation.
After a long while, he could only suppress the emotions in his heart and hand over another wand.
"Mr. Merlin, try this one again!"
Merlin remembered that this was the wand that excelled at casting spells of deception and transformation.
Sure enough.
At the moment he waved the wand.
The wand boxes on the table and the table itself turned into a quiet Stegosaurus lying on the ground, its tail sweeping as it chewed the green grass in its mouth.
"Another... another perfect cast!"
Ollivander's mind went blank, completely unable to speak.
His family had been making wands for hundreds of years and had always firmly believed that the wand chooses the wizard.
Only the wizard who could best resonate with the wand could cooperate with it and establish a relationship.
But looking at it now...
It seemed like these wands were desperately showing off just to establish a relationship with Merlin?
All the wands taken out perfectly matched Merlin; this was not normal.
No! Impossible!
The wand choosing the wizard is correct, but how could they all choose the same person?
There must be another reason!
Ollivander looked at the equally dumbfounded McGonagall.
"Professor, do you know what happened?"
McGonagall clenched her fists, still feeling shocked.
She recognized the last spell Merlin had unintentionally released just now.
Combination Transfiguration.
An advanced magic that even senior students at Hogwarts would find difficult to succeed at on their first try.
Yet now it was naturally used by Merlin while testing a wand.
Even an ordinary wizard could see that his magical talent was extremely high.
But right now.
McGonagall hadn't forgotten the most important thing: buying a wand for Merlin.
"Mr. Ollivander, magic is wonderful. I can be certain that this must be related to Merlin's talent. Perhaps, he is the most talented young wizard I have encountered in recent years."
"Professor, I understand what you mean."
Ollivander nodded slightly.
"Legend has it that when Merlin created the first wand, he naturally released extremely powerful ancient magic. Perhaps Mr. Merlin has the same talent!"
"Oh, Merlin's beard, am I about to meet a young wizard on par with Merlin!"
Ollivander had a look of shock on his face.