"It would be a risk to do so, not only for the integrity of the creator but also for the integrity of its owners and the people around them… I made that mistake and nearly ended a person's life because of a simple error," – says Alphonse as he looks directly into Ollivander's eyes in a defiant manner.
"Come on, Alphonse, don't be like that. Back then you were just a child and nothing bad happened, it wasn't your fault" – Ollivander stresses to Alphonse.
"What exactly happened?"
"Come along and we'll show you," – says Ollivander as he turns around and heads once again to the back of the shop.
Upon arriving at the back of the shop, the wand-making area can be seen. Some boxes with wands also filled the space, making it a bit uncomfortable to walk around.
"This is what happens when you don't control the wand properly," – Ollivander points with his finger to a spot in the yard.
Reaching the yard, a small crater can be seen in the ground, though grass had already grown back over it.
"At that moment I was with a close friend of mine, playing around throwing sparks of light with no risk of anything happening. Everything was fine until Mr. Ollivander decided to test us with the wand… a terrible idea for an adult. When my friend tried the wand, nothing much happened. The wand didn't react, it didn't cast any spell, something completely opposite to when I held it in my hands…" – Alphonse falls silent for a few seconds.
"No one believed a wand could have a will of its own. Without even uttering a spell, its tip lit up and began firing projectiles of fire… one of them striking the other boy…" – the uncomfortable silence returns – "Alphonse was paralyzed, so much so that even though the wand stopped its attacks, he didn't let go of it. I, on the other hand, had to help the boy who was screaming in agony while his leg suffered mortal wounds."
"And what happened to your friend, Alphonse?"
"… I never saw him again after that. He didn't return to the academy after that day; it's almost as if he disappeared from the earth. That's why I don't want you to have that wand. I don't want you to get hurt."
Alphonse is right, this is very risky, but if I don't take it, I won't be able to fulfill my purpose… Iolita approaches once more and proceeds to place her head on the tip of the wand.
The tip of the wand lights up again, this time with an intense purple, a purple that illuminates the entire place. For a moment, I thought the wand had harmed Iolita, but on the contrary, a purple gem appears on Iolita's forehead.
Moments later, my skin begins to burn and, just like Iolita, a gem of the same color appears on my wrist.
Alphonse rushes to snatch the wand from my hands, and though he manages to, the wand flies right back to me.
Alphonse tries several ways to keep the wand from returning to me, but all in vain; no matter what spell he uses, it always comes back. To the point where, in his final attempt, the wand quickly hides itself inside my pocket to avoid any direct attack from Alphonse.
"It's useless, Alphonse, it has already chosen him," – says Ollivander as he places a hand on Alphonse's shoulder.
Furious, Alphonse pulls his hand away from Ollivander's, reproaching everything that just happened. Taking my hand, Alphonse proceeds to pull me out of the shop as quickly as possible.
"Alphonse, stop, we haven't paid."
Alphonse ignores my words and keeps going, ignoring Ollivander just the same.
"Alphonse, that's an order, stop!"
I had never raised my voice at Alphonse until now. His surprised face immediately changes to one of sadness as he looks at me and at the gem embedded in my wrist.
"I'm sorry, my lord… I acted improperly, and I let my emotions get the better of me. We'll pay and leave," – says Alphonse as he takes out 20 galleons and places them on Ollivander's counter.
"Alphonse… that's not necessary, consider it a gift for all that has happened," – says Ollivander in a calm and sweet tone.
"A gift? This is almost a curse for the boy. Believe me, if anything happens to him, no wall or spell will be able to protect you from what will follow." – says Alphonse, never taking his eyes off Ollivander.
Ollivander lowers his gaze and, without thinking twice, proceeds to kneel down and place his head on the floor.
"I'm sorry, Alphonse, I truly was excited to see you again after so long. After what happened years ago, you never came back. I thought you hated me, and that broke me for a long time, because I considered you like a son…" – says Ollivander without raising his head.
The people around us don't stop staring at Mr. Ollivander and Alphonse. Even more surprising than seeing Ollivander act this way is the fact that, given the pride of his family, no one would ever think he'd bow his head to anyone.
Even Alphonse's face shows great surprise, his eyes wide open.
"I thought I could make up for my mistakes with you, for the harm I caused you at such a young age… and through my recklessness I made another mistake, hurting someone you love…" – Ollivander continues.
Alphonse clenches his fists upon hearing those last words.
"I know that boy will be a great wizard, as great as you, maybe even greater. That's why I wanted to give him something worthy of the student of the person I cherished most throughout my life… I truly am sorry, it was never my intention to hurt you or young Dion." – Ollivander finishes, his voice breaking.
Silence fills the place. The only thing that breaks it are Alphonse's footsteps approaching Ollivander. Alphonse kneels down and places his hand on Ollivander's shoulder, gently helping him back to his feet.
Their gazes meet once more, and Alphonse proceeds to hug him tightly.
"Thank you… I needed to hear that from you. All this time I thought you only ever cared about wands," – says Alphonse in a mocking tone, trying to ease the tension of the situation.
"Hahahaha, you truly are still the same noble and strong boy I was always proud of," – says Ollivander as he quickly wipes away a tear from his eyes to avoid the rest of his customers seeing him.
After a long talk between Alphonse and Ollivander, things were settled, giving way to a worthy farewell between mature men. On the way back, Alphonse couldn't stop looking at the gem on my wrist.
Upon returning home, Alphonse used some basic healing to clean the area around where the gem was embedded.
"My lord… I apologize for my behavior earlier. I didn't take your opinion into account and I grabbed your hand too forcefully, dragging you out of the shop." – says Alphonse, his gaze downcast as he cleans the redness around the gem to avoid infection.
"Don't worry, Alphonse, I also made a mistake by raising my voice at you. But now everything's better, so the best thing we can do is rest; difficult days are coming before I leave for Hogwarts."
A small smile forms on Alphonse's face.
"That's right, I have to help you with that wand to avoid problems at the academy, so prepare yourself for training every day until the very last one."
(Next day)
After breakfast, Alphonse and I went to the backyard to practice with the new wand. It wasn't easy, because despite being such a "powerful" wand, some spells were difficult to cast, at least the high-power ones. The common, beginner spells came out even easier than I thought, some of them I didn't even have to recite—just thinking of them was enough for the wand to cast them, almost as if the wand was reading my mind.
I tried several times to hit some targets that Alphonse set up in front of me, but the blasts were so powerful that they veered off, exploded prematurely, or sometimes didn't reach at all. Yet even so, Alphonse kept telling me:
"Trust yourself, don't pressure yourself, I know you'll succeed."
Words that served as a mantra, helping me finally cast a more complicated spell properly for the first time… Well, partly. The idea was to throw a fireball at a kind of scarecrow. The impact was direct, of course, but… instead of catching fire, the scarecrow ended up exploding, leaving no trace of it behind.