Harry Potter's Invitation to the World
by Vickie Ewell
Chapter Chapter 18 – Harry Gets His Wand (HP Chapter 5)
In Hagrid’s opinion, Olivanders was the only place for wands, so that was where he took Harry next. “Yeh gotta have the best wand.” A magic wand was what Harry was actually looking forward to owning.
While a wand is an instrument of power – the power works through the wand in a master/slave relationship – many people associated the power itself with the instrument. Currently, Harry believed the same. To him, the wand was the power, rather than the love within himself.
The symbols associated with Olivanders were the name of the shop in peeling gold letters over the door and a single wand that lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window. Olivander was old and tired. His eyes shone like silvery moons. It was as if the balanced perfection that was once his had slipped a bit. He had become more passive in his old age.
“I thought I’d be seeing you soon. Harry Potter,” he said. “You have your mother’s eyes.” Olivander remembered the day Harry’s mother was in his shop buying her own first wand. He remembered the size, 10-1/4 inches long, that it was swishy, and made of willow.
The willow is a female symbol associated with the moon. It loves water. As a material, willow is extremely flexible and adaptable. It can bend in extreme poses without breaking. Willow trees root easily, grow to great heights, and thrive in challenging situations, but comparatively, they do not live very long. The willow was sacred to Osiris because it sheltered his body after he was killed.
Harry’s father favored a mahogany wand. James’ wand was 11 inches, only slightly longer than Lily’s. It was pliable, but it had a little more power. It was an excellent wand for transfiguration. Harry obviously didn’t know what transfiguration was, but he didn’t question it. Mahogany was a straight-grain wood that resisted wood rot and was generally without blemishes. Its color, a reddish-brown, darkened over time, but took on a nice red sheen when polished. The Mahogany tree is known for its ability to withstand lightning strikes.
Even though James favored a mahogany wand, Olivander made it clear to Harry that “it’s really the wand that chooses the wizard…” Wands have consciousness.
Olivander also sold Voldemort his wand. It was 13-1/2 inches and extremely powerful. Olivander expressed regret for that act. “If I’d known what that wand was going out in the world to do….” So even Olivander did not understand the force behind a wand. He only understood wands themselves.
Hagrid’s wand was 16 inches, longer than Voldemort’s, and a bendy oak. It was broken into pieces when Hagrid was expelled from Hogwarts, but Hagrid still had all of those pieces.
The oak is considered the mightiest of all trees. It is full of wisdom, strength, and courage. The Celtics would access the etheric plane by opening the oak door. Despite Hagrid’s generosity, the oak tree had a tendency to attract lightning. Hence, Hagrid’s presence in Harry’s life was preceded by a bad storm. Overall, the oak tree represents everything that is true, wholesome, and noble. An oak tree is King.
Olivander asked Hagrid if he still used the pieces of his wand, but Hagrid quickly told him no. Harry noticed that Hagrid was gripping his pink umbrella tightly, so we know that Hagrid was lying. Olivander knew it too. He gave Hagrid a piercing look, but turned to the task at hand: finding a wand for Harry.
While physically measuring Harry, Olivander told him that every one of his wands came with a powerful core. They used unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and heartstrings of dragons causing each wand to be as unique as the animal who gave it. Since the wand chose the wizard, a wizard will not get very good results by using another wizard’s wand.
Olivander’s first choice for Harry was a Beechwood wand with a dragon heartstring. He believed it was perfect for Harry, because it was small but flexible. Yet, when Harry waved it around, Olivander grabbed it out of his hand. Harry didn’t have a dragon’s heart. That’s why the wand chooses the wizard; wands are wiser than men.
Olivander next had Harry try several other wands, one at a time, but none of them were the right match. None of them had chosen Harry for their master. Not until Olivander produced a wand with a most unusual core combination: holly and phoenix feather. It was 11 inches, longer than the first wand Harry tried, but supple. This wand warmed Harry’s fingers and shot a stream of red and gold sparks out of the tip.
The wand had chosen Harry, but Olivander was surprised. He remembered every single wand he had ever sold to anyone. The phoenix who sacrificed his tail feather for Harry’s wand gave only one other feather, and that feather lived in Voldemort’s wand.
Olivander called the feathers brothers since they came from the same source. That makes the wands brothers too. “I think we can expect great things from you, Mr. Potter.” His opinion of Harry was linked to the fact that Voldemort had done great things as well. Terrible things…but great.
Harry didn’t comprehend what Olivander was telling him. Like most folks, he thought in terms of black and white, good and evil. He didn’t yet understand the purpose for impure forces. Evil was seen as bad, not great. Harry wasn’t sure whether he liked Olivander, or not. The idea of a connection between him and Voldemort scared him. That didn’t fit into the nice little box of reality that Harry had created for himself.
The wand cost him seven gold Galleons, the same price as The Philosopher’s Stone. That’s not surprising since when the wand chose Harry, it shot off sparks of perfection. The wand will play a key role in Harry’s transformation.
Hagrid and Harry retraced their steps back down Diagon Alley, back through the wall, back through the Leaky Cauldron, which is now empty, and up another escalator. Hedwig was still asleep, and Harry was very quiet.
As Hagrid and Harry eat hamburgers, Harry tried to find the words to explain what he was feeling. Like ground up hamburger, he was holding a lot of pieces that didn’t seem to fit. “Everyone thinks I’m special…but I don’t know anything about magic at all. How can they expect great things? I’m famous and I can’t even remember what I’m famous for.” Harry didn’t remember what happened the night his parents died, as he’s spiritually still asleep.
In reality, Harry had come to the spiritual world with an unknowing mind. For an 11-year-old boy, that’s almost unheard of. An unknowing mind is uncommon for adults, and even more rare for a boy who’s about to enter puberty, although it’s a part of the Path. At some point, we all have to arise to an unknowing mind. We have to let go of our tendency to know everything, our need to be right.
Hagrid assured Harry that everyone who entered Hogwarts started at the beginning. The keyword here is EVERYONE. No matter what we’ve accomplished in our previous lives, we have come into this life naked and ignorant. We have our basic mechanical programming, but we have also acquired many new spiders: the beliefs, attitudes and suggestions of our present family, our ancestors, and our friends as well as the faults and inadequacies of the current collective consciousness.
Everyone who entered Hogwarts, started again at the beginning. That’s why the process is often referred to as remembering. What we’ve learned and accomplished before will come easy for us. What we haven’t is where we will hit a brick wall. For Harry, his brick wall was his temper and judgmental attitude, his male forces and energies. That’s what he will stumble over as he goes through the seven levels again.
Hagrid put Harry on the train that would take him back to the Dursleys. School didn’t start until the first of September. He handed Harry his train ticket for King’s Cross Station, and assured him that if he had any trouble with the Dursleys, he could just send a letter to him through his owl. “She’ll know where to find me.”
As the train pulled out of the station, Harry wanted to watch Hagrid until he was out of sight, but that didn’t happen. Harry blinked, and Hagrid was gone.