Chapter 27: The Knowledge of Magic Wands
Looking at Hagrid's impressive skills, Alexander initially confirmed that Hagrid was likely descended from the King of Monsters.
Standing outside Hagrid's hut, Alexander looked around boredly. The hut, made of wood, had a single room that was clearly visible through the window. Inside, hams and pheasants hung from the ceiling beams.
A large wooden table sat in the center, piled with leftover ferret sandwiches.
In one corner stood a large bed, layered with patchwork quilts. Copper pots hung from the ceiling beams alongside long, sleek, white hairs—unicorn hairs, Alexander realized.
A copper kettle simmered atop a brazier in the opposite corner, and behind the hut grew a small field of pumpkins and lentils.
Against the wall rested a pink floral-patterned umbrella. By the door, a stone bow and a pair of rubber galoshes were placed neatly.
It was an odd mix—simple and rustic, yet incredibly luxurious in some ways. Those casually hung strands of white hair were unicorn tail hairs. According to Professor Horace Slughorn, the renowned Potions Master, a single strand of unicorn tail hair was worth 10 Galleons.
For comparison, Harry Potter's entire wand had cost only 7 Galleons.
Hagrid, however, simply thought unicorn hairs were strong and practical—good for bandaging injured creatures.
But unicorn tail hair had many other uses.
First, it could be used in potion-making, such as beauty potions. Unicorn hair could be bought at apothecaries in Diagon Alley—10 Galleons per small bag. However, the amount in those bags was far less than even one of Hagrid's bunches. No wonder witches' cosmetics were so expensive.
Second, unicorn tail hair was one of the three most famous wand cores.
Wands with unicorn cores produced the most consistent and stable magic, and were deeply loyal to their first owners, even if those owners were not particularly talented.
The downside?
Unicorn core wands were less powerful than others (unless compensated by a powerful wand wood).
They struggled with dark magic.
Unicorn hairs were sensitive; they could become melancholic and "die" if mistreated, meaning the wand would have to be repaired or replaced.
Alexander suddenly felt a little relieved that his own wand did not contain a unicorn hair core.
Although wand wood could make up for some weaknesses, compared to dragon heartstring and phoenix feather cores, unicorn hair seemed a bit lacking.
You could pair excellent wood with unicorn hair, but the magical nature of dragons and phoenixes was simply on another level.
Fortunately, Alexander's wand was quite special—it was crafted from Aspen wood (an excellent wand wood) and contained an unprecedented unicorn heartstring core.
He had later asked Jack to investigate and found that this wand was one of Ollivander's early masterpieces.
Ollivander had rejected more than one potentially famous wizard who tried to claim this wand, suggesting just how discerning—and powerful—the wand was.
Even so, unicorn hair remained one of the three supreme wand cores in Ollivander's eyes, alongside dragon heartstrings and phoenix feathers.
Unlike dragons, whose heartstrings, nerves, and blood could all be used in wand-making, the unicorn was far more sacred and restricted.
Only the hair from a unicorn's tail—where magic was weakest but purest—could safely serve as a wand core.
Other parts of a unicorn's body carried strong, dangerous curses.
Phoenixes were different again—they frequently shed feathers naturally, so careful wizards could collect them from a phoenix's habitat without harming the bird.
Dragons, being so versatile and valuable, even had strict laws around their breeding.
Pure-blood wizard families had passed laws banning private dragon ownership, and dragon farms were established in Romania to control and monopolize their resources.
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The wand combination of another child of prophecy—Harry Potter—was extraordinary.
As Alexander learned more about wandlore, he finally understood why Ollivander was so obsessed with Harry's wand back in the original story.
Harry's wand:
Wood: Holly
Core: Phoenix feather
Flexibility: Supple
Length: Eleven inches
Holly is a rare wand wood, believed to have defensive qualities. It chooses owners who need help overcoming anger, impulsiveness, or dangerous situations—and often those destined for a spiritual or redemptive journey.
However, holly wands are difficult to pair with phoenix feather cores, because both materials have strong, often conflicting, magical personalities.
Successful pairings only happen in very rare and special cases—and when they do, the resulting bond is nearly unbreakable.
Harry Potter was a perfect fit.
Struggling with deep anger and self-doubt, yet brave, loyal, and willing to sacrifice himself when needed.
Excelling at defensive magic—especially the Patronus Charm, driving away hundreds of dementors at once.
Even in the seventh book, when Harry faced Voldemort directly, his wand acted on its own to protect him, unleashing a tremendous spell in defense of its master.
There's a curious superstition in wandlore that holly and oak wands are incompatible. Their owners are fated to clash.
Oak: King of the forest from the Winter Solstice to the Summer Solstice.
Holly: Reigns from the Summer Solstice to the Winter Solstice.
Interestingly, Hagrid's original wand was made of oak. Another small but fascinating detail.
Since 382 BC, there had only been a dozen such exceptional combinations sold at Ollivanders.
And even then, it was rare for both wood and core to perfectly match a young wizard's soul.
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Unfortunately, many wizards never paid much attention to wands or wandlore.
Muggle-born wizards often bought wands directly from Ollivanders, trusting his reputation.
Other wizards, even pure-bloods, sometimes chose cheaper or second-hand wands to save money for other essentials, like potions, books, or robes.
Some simply inherited family wands.
Ron Weasley used his brother Charlie's old unicorn hair wand at first, which remained loyal to its first owner and limited Ron's magic until he got a new one.
Neville Longbottom used his father's old wand until it broke during the Battle at the Department of Mysteries in his fifth year.
He then bought his own wand (cherry wood, unicorn hair)—the last wand Ollivander sold before he was kidnapped by Voldemort.
Even Lucius Malfoy inherited his elm wand (with dragon nerve core) from his father, Abraxas Malfoy.
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How powerful could a well-matched wand be?
Harry's example speaks volumes.
Neville's struggles in the early years were largely due to his mismatched wand.
When he finally obtained his own wand, Neville's abilities improved dramatically—proving that the right wand could change a wizard's destiny.
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