Chapter 19: Wasn't It Supposed to Be the Wand Choosing the Wizard?

After Ollivander tidied up the shop, which had been thrown into chaos while helping Tom select his wand, he turned to Lewin.

“All right, your turn. Are you left-handed or right-handed?”

“Right-handed.”

“Good. Please stand still while I take some measurements...”

The familiar process began once more.

After gathering the necessary data, Ollivander dove back into the piles of wands. When he emerged, he held seven or eight wand boxes in each hand.

“It's quite remarkable, actually. You two are very similar... At least five of these were tried by your friend just now.”

Ollivander set down the wand boxes and looked at Lewin and Tom with keen interest.

At this moment, Tom sat on the bench, eating his ice cream.

Hearing Ollivander’s words, Tom furrowed his brow.

“What do you mean by that?” Tom asked.

“It means you share many traits,” Lewin replied.

“Exactly! So some wands suit both of you,” Ollivander said with a smile.

Suddenly, Lewin asked, “So... if I used Tom’s wand, would it suit me as well?”

“Ha! It might fit perfectly!” Ollivander responded cheerfully.

“No! That’s my wand; don’t even think about it!” Tom quickly tucked his treasured purpleheart wand into his pocket.

“Don’t be so stingy, Tom. What if some special circumstance arises and you need to lend me your wand?”

“Don’t hold your breath!” Tom covered his pocket and viciously scooped a large chunk of ice cream with his spoon, as if digging into Lewin’s head.

“Haha, you two really are close. This reminds me of old friends...” Ollivander chuckled.

Tom glared at Ollivander in anger. “I’m not close with him.”

“Ollivander, he’s still sulking over the ice cream; let’s not bother him,” Lewin said with a smile.

Ollivander returned to business. “Very well... Let’s start with these five wands your friend just tried.”

He handed Lewin a sandalwood wand.

“Buzz!”

As soon as Lewin gripped the wand, it emitted a dazzling white light.

“Ah! Excellent! This wand suits you perfectly!” Ollivander exclaimed joyfully.

He had not expected that while Tom struggled so much to find a wand, Lewin—who shared similar traits—would succeed on the very first attempt.

Ollivander had been prepared for a tough second round.

Tom opened his mouth wide, staring fixedly at Lewin’s back.

Why was Lewin chosen by a wand so quickly?

Comparing the two, Tom felt a sting recalling how long it had taken him to find his suitable wand.

Yet, Lewin showed little happiness; instead, he examined the wand thoughtfully, which puzzled Ollivander.

“You’ve found the perfect wand, so why don’t you look excited?” Ollivander asked.

“True... it looks fine, but I still feel it’s not the most suitable for me,” Lewin looked up and said.

“Oh, if you say that, the wand in your hand might be displeased. Remember, wands choose the wizard, not the other way around,” Ollivander’s expression grew serious.

“No offense, Mr. Ollivander. I just think... since the wand chooses the wizard, shouldn’t I give the other wands a chance to observe me? After all, as you said earlier, these wands all suit me well; it’s just a matter of which one chooses me, right?”

Ollivander nodded slowly. “All right, you have a point. Very well, try them all.”

He had no objection; since the wands were already out, it was no trouble to let Lewin try.

Tom, seeing Lewin wanting to test more wands, curled his lip and finished the last bite of his ice cream.

He thought Lewin was simply wasting time...

“This wand is made of black walnut with a dragon heartstring core...”

“Buzz!”

Before Ollivander could finish, the black walnut wand in Lewin’s hand glowed with golden light!

“Ah?” Ollivander’s mouth fell open, forgetting his words.

He had never seen anyone encounter two consecutive wands exhibiting magical phenomena during trials.

Only when a wizard receives a wand extremely suited to them does such a reaction occur.

But how could two such wands exist for the same wizard?

“Hm... still a bit off. Can I try a third?” Lewin returned the black walnut wand.

“Oh... of course, of course...” Ollivander hurriedly presented a third wand.

By now, Ollivander was eager to see if a third wand would also show unusual signs.

He even forgot to introduce the wand.

This time, the wand did not glow.

But the moment Lewin held it...

Swish!

The wand tip pointed at a wand box, which suddenly transformed into a squeaking white mouse!

“Oh, Merlin! This wand is even more suited to you than the previous two!” Ollivander exclaimed.

Only now did he realize Lewin’s earlier words were not exaggeration—that the first two wands were not the best fit.

“Still a little off...” Lewin returned the pale yellow wand.

Ollivander had no objections and handed over another wand.

Indeed, the phenomena continued—sometimes glowing, sometimes altering objects, sometimes conjuring fog indoors, sometimes causing items to float, even sometimes making Lewin himself levitate...

The bizarre and inexplicable events left Ollivander stunned for a long time.

Meanwhile, Tom sat behind, watching the spectacle, feeling his purpleheart wand now seemed less appealing.

After an unknown duration, Ollivander’s counter was piled high with wands.

The flickering lights made passersby outside think a thunderstorm was raging inside the shop...

After a while, Lewin held a reddish-brown wand eagerly and asked, “What wood is this wand made from?”

“Oh... that one is beech wood, with a dragon heartstring core, twelve and one-third inches, very flexible...”

Suddenly, Ollivander paused, astonished to find that this wand showed no magical phenomena in Lewin’s hand.

Lewin tapped the mouse that had accidentally appeared earlier.

“Swoosh!”

The mouse instantly turned back into a wand box.

“How... how is this possible? This wand shows no special effects in your hand, yet it seems even more compatible with you... no! It must be the most compatible one yet!” Ollivander felt his previous understanding shaken.

“That’s because it’s a bit shy... I can sense it,” Lewin said, handing over the beech wood wand. “I’ll take this one.”

“Ah... of course, of course...” Ollivander seemed somewhat distracted.

“Sorry for the mess I made here,” Lewin apologized.

“Oh, it’s nothing... nothing at all...” Ollivander finally began to regain his composure.

Tom suddenly asked, “Hey, didn’t you say the wand chooses the wizard? Why does it look like he’s choosing the wand now?”

“Sigh... it seems my knowledge of wandlore isn’t as deep as I thought,” Ollivander sighed.

“The wand chooses the wizard...” He looked at Lewin and continued, “But the wizard also chooses the wand... Merlin, I have never seen such a thing happen before!”