“but you don’t use them?” said Mr. Ollivander sharply.
“Oh, no, sit down,” mentioned Hagrid rapidly. Harry seen he gripped his purple umbrella very tightly as he spoke.
“Hmmm,” stated Mr. Ollivander, giving Hagrid a piercing seem. “well, now — Mr. Potter. Let me see.” He pulled an extended tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. “Which is your wand arm?”
“Er — well, i am proper-exceeded,” said Harry.
“hold out your arm. That is it.” He measured Harry from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to ground, knee to armpit and circular his head. As he measured, he stated, “every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the equal, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are rather the identical. And of direction, you’re going to under no circumstances get such just right results with a further wizard’s wand.”
Harry all of a sudden realized that the tape measure, which was once measuring between his nostrils, used to be doing this on its own. Mr. Ollivander used to be flitting across the shelves, taking down bins.
“to be able to do,” he mentioned, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the ground. “right then, Mr. Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. First-rate and bendy. Just take it and provides it a wave.”
Harry took the wand and (feeling foolish) waved it round a bit of, however Mr. Ollivander snatched it out of his hand nearly without delay.
“Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Relatively whippy. Are trying –”
Harry tried — however he had hardly ever raised the wand when it, too, used to be snatched again by way of Mr. Ollivander.
“No, no -here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half of inches, springy.
Go on, go on, try it out.”
Harry tried. And tried. He had no concept what Mr. Ollivander used to be ready for. The pile of tried wands was mounting larger and larger on the spindly chair, however the more wands Mr. Ollivander pulled from the cabinets, the happier he gave the impression to end up.
“problematic consumer, eh? To not fear, we are going to to find the ultimate healthy right here someplace — i’m wondering, now – – sure, why not — exotic combination — holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, great and supple.”
Harry took the wand. He felt a unexpected warmth in his fingers. He raised the wand above his head, introduced it swishing down by way of the dusty air and a move of red and gold sparks shot from the top like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the partitions. Hagrid whooped and clapped and Mr. Ollivander cried, “Oh, bravo! Sure, certainly, oh, superb. Good, good, good… How curious… How very curious… “
He put Harry’s wand again into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, nonetheless muttering, “Curious… Curious..
“Sorry,” stated Harry, “but what’s curious?”
Mr. Ollivander fixed Harry with his light stare.
“I remember each wand I’ve ever sold, Mr. Potter. Each single wand. It so occurs that the phoenix whose tail feather is for your wand, gave another feather — only one other. It is very curious certainly that you just must be destined for this wand when its brother why, its brother gave you that scar.”
Harry swallowed.
“sure, thirteen-and-a-half of inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things occur. The wand chooses the wizard, keep in mind…. I suppose we ought to assume great things from you, Mr. Potter…. After all, He- Who-need to-no longer-Be-Named did exceptional matters — horrible, yes, however best.”
Harry shivered. He wasn’t certain he liked Mr. Ollivander an excessive amount of. He paid seven gold Galleons for his wand, and Mr. Ollivander bowed them from his keep.
The late afternoon solar hung low within the sky as Harry and Hagrid made their approach backpedal Diagon Alley, again via the wall, back through the Leaky Cauldron, now empty. Harry did not converse at all as they walked down the avenue; he didn’t even become aware of how so much individuals had been gawking at them on the Underground, laden as they have been with all their funny-shaped applications, with the snowy owl asleep in its cage on Harry’s lap. Up an additional escalator, out into Paddington station; Harry only realized where they had been when Hagrid tapped him on the shoulder.
“acquired time fer a chunk to consume before yer teach leaves,” he mentioned.
He bought Harry a hamburger and so they sat down on plastic seats to eat them. Harry kept looking round. The whole thing seemed so unusual, one way or the other.
“You all right, Harry? Yer very quiet,” stated Hagrid.
Harry wasn’t sure he could explain. He’d simply had the fine birthday of his lifestyles — and yet — he chewed his hamburger, trying to find the words.
“every person thinks i’m distinct,” he said at final. “All those folks in the Leaky Cauldron, Professor Quirrell, Mr. Ollivander… But I do not know whatever about magic at all. How can they assume quality things? I’m noted and that i cannot even bear in mind what i’m noted for. I do not know what occurred when Vol-, sorry — I mean, the night my mom and dad died.”
Hagrid leaned across the table. In the back of the wild beard and eyebrows he wore a very style smile.
“Don’ you fear, Harry. You can learn speedy sufficient. Every person begins on the establishing at Hogwarts, you’ll be able to be simply exceptional. Simply be yerself. I know it’s difficult. Yeh’ve been singled out, an’ that is always difficult. But yeh’ll have a first-rate time at Hogwarts — I did — nonetheless do, ‘smatter of reality.”
Hagrid helped Harry on to the educate that will take him back to the Dursleys, then handed him an envelope.
“Yer ticket fer Hogwarts, ” he stated. “First o’ September — King’s go — it is all on yer ticket. Any issues with the Dursleys, ship me a letter with yer owl, she’ll recognize the place to seek out me…. See yeh quickly, Harry.”
The educate pulled out of the station. Harry wanted to observe Hagrid unless he was once out of sight; he rose in his seat and pressed his nostril against the window, but he blinked and Hagrid had long gone.
CHAPTER SIX
THE journey FROM PLATFORM nine AND THREE-QUARTERS
Harry’s final month with the Dursleys wasn’t fun. Real, Dudley was once now so afraid of Harry he would not stay in the identical room, at the same time Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon failed to shut Harry in his cupboard, force him to do anything, or shout at him — correctly, they failed to converse to him in any respect.
Half terrified, half furious, they acted as if any chair with Harry in it were empty. Despite the fact that this was an growth in lots of approaches, it did end up a little miserable after a whilst.
Harry stored to his room, along with his new owl for organization. He had made up our minds to name her Hedwig, a name he had observed in A history of Magic. His tuition book (harry potter and the philosopher’s stone audiobook Stephen Fry) have been very interesting. He lay on his bed studying late into the night, Hedwig swooping inside and out of the open window as she pleased. It was once fortunate that Aunt Petunia didn’t come in to vacuum anymore, seeing that Hedwig saved bringing again lifeless mice. Each night before he went to sleep, Harry ticked off one other day on the piece of paper he had pinned to the wall, counting down to September the primary.
On the last day of August he suggestion he’d higher converse to his aunt and uncle about getting to King’s move station the next day to come, so he went right down to the living room where they had been observing a quiz show on tv. He cleared his throat to allow them to recognize he was once there, and Dudley screamed and ran from the room.
“Er — Uncle Vernon?”
Uncle Vernon grunted to show he was once listening.
“Er — I have got to be at King’s move tomorrow to — to move to Hogwarts.”
Uncle Vernon grunted once more.
“would it not be all proper should you gave me a lift?”
Grunt. Harry supposed that meant yes.
“thanks.”
He was once about to go back upstairs when Uncle Vernon clearly spoke.
“funny solution to get to a wizards’ school, the train. Magic carpets all got punctures, have they?”
Harry did not say some thing.
“the place is that this tuition, anyway?”
“I have no idea,” said Harry, realizing this for the first time. He pulled the ticket Hagrid had given him out of his pocket.
“I just take the coach from platform 9 and three-quarters at eleven o’clock,” he read.
His aunt and uncle stared.
“Platform what?”
“9 and three-quarters.”
“don’t talk garbage,” said Uncle Vernon. “there’s no platform 9 and three-quarters.”
“it is on my ticket.”
“Barking,” stated Uncle Vernon, “howling mad, the lot of them. You’ll be able to see.
You simply wait. All correct, we will take you to King’s move. We’re going as much as London the next day anyway, or i would not bother.”
“Why are you going to London?” Harry requested, seeking to preserve things pleasant.
“Taking Dudley to the medical institution,” growled Uncle Vernon. “received to have that ruddy tail eliminated earlier than he goes to Smeltings.”