As soon as exams were mentioned, Ron's expression lost the boldness he had earlier.
Naturally, his reaction drew teasing and jokes from the Weasley twins.
"What are you all blocking the way for?"
Molly came out of the signing area, carrying a large stack of books—six sets in total, including Harry Potter's.
"Sorry, Mrs. Weasley. I think I'd better carry my own books,"
Harry Potter immediately stepped forward to take his set, and the Weasley boys also reached out to collect their own.
"Ginny's books will stay with me, dear."
Molly Weasley could finally relax a little. Holding such a huge stack of books while queued among a crowd of well-dressed witches had been quite the ordeal. If it weren't for getting Gilderoy Lockhart's autograph, she wouldn't have bothered joining the crowd at all!
"I'll be at the Ministry today. I'll be expecting your visit anytime."
Lucius Malfoy gave a slight nod to Regulus Black in farewell—it was clear they had already come to a general agreement.
Then, he called Draco and left Flourish and Blotts.
"Sorry for keeping you all waiting. Hermione, have you bought your books? Ginny, are yours ready? As for you boys, I'm sure you don't need me to worry about you. Why are you all looking so disheveled? Is it that hard to use a wand? Arthur—clean-up spell!"
With a flick of Regulus Black's wand, a charm swept over the entire Weasley family, instantly making them as clean and tidy as Harry was. Honestly, he didn't understand the Weasleys' approach—must they really present themselves differently from the other pure-blood families just to show their support for Muggles?
"Oh! Thank you, Regulus. I actually just forgot,"
Arthur Weasley explained awkwardly.
"Ginny doesn't have her wand yet?"
Regulus Black noticed that Ginny wasn't holding a wand—not even the box—so it was obvious she hadn't gotten one.
"Mum spent all the money on textbooks. This year's books are especially expensive."
The ten Galleons Regulus had given to Ginny had been used by Mrs. Weasley to buy textbooks. Only Harry had received a free set.
"I see. Well then, Arthur, Molly—I'll take Ginny to get her wand. Girls deserve a bit more special treatment. Hermione, does your wand need maintenance? You should come too."
After a quick word, Regulus Black prepared to take Ginny and Hermione with him.
"That won't do. We can't just let you buy it for her!"
Arthur refused immediately without even thinking. If someone else bought everything for your child, wasn't that just a slap in the face?
"Please be sure to entrust Ginny to me."
Regulus Black insisted, and then took Ginny and Hermione out of Flourish and Blotts, heading toward the wand shop.
"He talks like he's reciting wedding vows."
To break the awkwardness, Arthur Weasley laughed cheerfully. After all, what could he do—he had no money!
In truth, Arthur Weasley, as a full official at the Ministry of Magic, had a decent income. The problem was the Weasley family had too many children and didn't really know how to run any profitable ventures. Most importantly, Arthur Weasley's hobbies were incredibly expensive.
To create a flying car, he had first exchanged Galleons for British pounds to buy an old vehicle—a vintage car. Then, during the modification process, he needed a large number of materials only available in the wizarding world, so he exchanged pounds back into Galleons. After repeating this back and forth several times and adding in the costs of the modifications, it was a miracle the Weasley children hadn't starved. That was entirely thanks to Molly.
Later, the Weasley twins even passed this story on to Ginny, making the little girl blush furiously.
Ollivanders Wand Shop was still as cramped, crowded, and worn-down as ever. Yet every young visitor eventually found the one wand meant for them among the hundreds and thousands there—though not without a bit of playful mischief from Mr. Ollivander.
"You're Regulus Black—I remember you came in not long ago... at the start of last term, for wand maintenance."
Ollivander's memory of selling Regulus Black four wands had long since been modified. All he remembered was the wand maintenance visit, after which Regulus had been arrested by Aurors from the Ministry.
As for those four wands, Ollivander couldn't recall for the life of him who he had sold them to. But the records were accurate. After suspecting that his memory had been tampered with, he simply put the matter out of his mind. Running his business was more important. As for those who wanted secrecy—let them have it, so long as they paid in full.
"This is Ginny Weasley, a new student at Hogwarts this year. I've brought her to buy a new wand. Hermione, you remember her, right? Last year's new student—please do a maintenance check on her wand as well, and give us a full maintenance kit."
Regulus Black gently pushed the two little girls forward. Ollivander, putting on his glasses, first accepted Hermione's wand.
"Fourteen inches, vine wood, with a dragon heartstring core. The wand's been used with care—not much damage, but regular maintenance is still necessary."
Using his unique technique, Mr. Ollivander ran his fingers along the wand and removed some of the minor damage. Then he took out a maintenance kit from behind the counter. The materials in each kit were tailored to suit different wand woods.
"That'll be thirteen Sickles."
Ollivander looked at Hermione and Regulus Black with an inquiring gaze.
"I'll cover it all. Just tally everything at the end."
There was no way Regulus Black would let the little girls pay for themselves—especially when he was the one who brought them.
"Thank you, Regulus."
Hermione tugged him down slightly and stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek.
"But of course! Your gentlemanly manners are truly admired by young ladies."
Mr. Ollivander, ever the businessman, was never stingy with compliments—especially after witnessing such a scene.
"Now then, Miss Ginny, are you left-handed or right-handed?"
"Either works! Let's say left-handed."
"Don't worry, we'll find the wand that suits you best."
And so began the traditional disaster scene at Ollivander's Wand Shop. Of course, everything would be restored afterward.
It was even more thrilling than a movie—winds, snow, lightning, birds flying wild, venomous tongues and insects scattering everywhere. After trying over thirty wands, Ginny finally found the one destined for her.
Thirteen and a quarter inches (about 31 centimeters), yew wood, vampire bat nerve core—extremely powerful.
Because of its toxic sap, yew is often associated with magic and death. When the outer part of a yew tree dies, new growth sprouts from within, which is why it's known as the "immortal tree." It also symbolizes the cycle of reincarnation. Celtic druids regarded yew as a sign of eternal life and immortality.
When Ginny grasped the purple wand and gave it a wave, the entire shop seemed to plunge into darkness. Illusory bats, formed of magic, flooded the room and hovered in the air—they were not physical creatures, but purely magical projections.
Magic flowed steadily into the wand, and then out again in a unique form—it could manifest as flowers, light, fire, or any other "phenomenon," depending on the individual.
Watching from behind, Regulus Black couldn't help but think: no wonder Ginny would go on to specialize in Bat Hexes! Though he didn't know what her original wand had been like, this one was clearly the best match for her.
Back when Regulus Black first got his wand, what "phenomenon" did he experience? As soon as the wand touched his hand, a black fountain erupted—an overwhelming surge of black water that nearly flooded Ollivander's shop.
He remembered Sirius had been there too. Drenched like a wet dog, he stormed out in anger, completely ignoring their mother's shouts. Regulus and his mother had to cast "Scourgify" and "Energize" charms before leaving the shop themselves.
What a foolish brother he was.
Having lived three lives, Regulus Black had obtained four wands from Ollivander's shop—each one corresponding to a unique system skill. The effects were something only he could sense, which was why no outward signs appeared. He remembered Ollivander had seemed a little disappointed at the time.
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