Ollivander
From Harry Potter Wiki
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| Ollivander | |
|---|---|
| Biographical information | |
| Blood status |
Half-blood or pure-blood. [1] |
| Title(s) |
Owner of Ollivander's Wand Shop |
| Physical description | |
| Gender |
Male |
| Hair colour |
White |
| Eye colour |
Pale silver |
| Family information | |
| Family members |
Dead ancestors which started wand making in 382 b.c. |
| Magical characteristics | |
| Affiliation | |
| Occupation | |
| . | |
- "Hold out your arm. That's it. 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 same, just as no two unicorns, dragons or phoenixes are quite the same."
- —Ollivander to Harry Potter[src]
Mr. Ollivander is the proprietor of Ollivander's Wand Shop in Diagon Alley. Ollivander is widely considered the best wand maker in the British Wizarding world, and many Witches and Wizards buy their wands from him. In 1996, he was captured and tortured by Lord Voldemort. Ollivander was rescued in 1997 by Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Dobby.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early Career
It is unknown how old he is, but in conversation with Harry Potter, he discusses making a wand for Lord Voldemort, who would have received his wand around 1937, making him older than Dumbledore. His shop sign said his family has been making wands since 382 B.C..
It is known that other recognized wand makers exist in other countries. Ollivander is asked to inspect the wands of the champions in the Triwizard Tournament before the competition starts, to make sure they are all working properly.
[edit] Harry Potter's wand
Ollivander supplies Harry Potter with a wand, and as he does he tells Harry something about wands. He explains that a wand has a core, in Harry's case a phoenix feather, and the body of the wand itself, made from a choice of different woods with different magical properties. We discover that Ollivander made a similar wand using another feather from Dumbledore's phoenix, but different wood. Harry's wand is Holly, symbolizing protection, rather than Voldemort's Yew, suggesting poison. He also explains that the wand chooses the wizard, rather than the other way around. Thus, he considers it remarkable that the wand suited to Harry is the 'brother' to the one Voldemort uses.
[edit] Kidnapped by Voldemort
In 1996 Ollivander was kidnapped by Voldemort, leaving behind an empty, locked up shop and no sign of a struggle. It is believed that the last wand he sold was to Neville Longbottom. It is later is revealed that Ollivander was captured by Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters and is being held prisoner at Malfoy Manor. He is tortured by Lord Voldemort for information regarding the twin cores of Harry Potter's wand and his own. Ollivander tells him that he merely needs to use another wand other than his own to face Harry Potter.
After using Lucius Malfoy's wand and seeing its destruction when facing Harry Potter and his Phoenix wand, he rounds on Ollivander for an explanation of why Harry's wand acted as it had. Although he had no answer to give since no wandmaker had ever witnessed such an event, Ollivander was tortured again by Lord Voldemort and questioned about the most powerful wand in existence, the Elder Wand. Harry Potter and his friends are later captured and taken to Malfoy Manor, where they are reunited with Ollivander, Dean Thomas and Luna Lovegood.
Ollivander is subsequently rescued by Harry and his friends and is taken with them when they make their escape from Malfoy Manor with the aid of Dobby, the house-elf. He seems to have bonded with Luna during their captivity together as he says that she was "an inexpressible comfort (to him) in that terrible place" and admits that he'll miss her with her admitting the same thing. He later creates and sends a new wand to Luna.
[edit] Personality and traits
- "An old man was standing before them, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop"
- —Ollivander[src]
Ollivander is an intelligent man, with an excellent memory when it comes to his work; he remembers the details of every wand he ever sold. He seems to become happier, the more difficult the challenge to find exactly the right wand for a difficult customer. He uses a magical tape measure to help assess customers for their wand.
[edit] Known wand sales
| Owner | Wood | Length | Core | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cedric Diggory | ash | 12¼" | unicorn hair | This wand was "pleasantly springy"; hair from particularly fine male unicorn (seventeen hands high), which nearly gored Mr. Ollivander with its horn after he plucked its tail hair. |
| Lily Evans | willow | 10¼" | unknown | This wand was "swishy" and "nice for Charm work". |
| Hermione Granger | vine | 10¾" | dragon heartstring | This wand was confiscated when the trio was captured by Snatchers in 1998. |
| Rubeus Hagrid | oak | 16" | unknown | This wand is "rather bendy"; snapped in half when Hagrid was expelled from Hogwarts during his third year - the pieces are almost certainly hidden in Hagrid's pink umbrella. |
| Bellatrix Lestrange | walnut | 12¾" | dragon heartstring | This wand is described as "unyielding"; passed into the possession of Hermione Granger after the Battle of Malfoy Manor in 1998. |
| Neville Longbottom wand #2 | cherry | 13" | unicorn hair | May have been one of the last wands Mr. Ollivander sold before he disappeared in 1996. |
| Draco Malfoy | hawthorn | 10" | unicorn hair | "Reasonably springy"; this wand passed into the possession of Harry Potter after the Battle of Malfoy Manor in 1998 until Harry came into possession of the Elder Wand and mended his first wand. |
| Harry Potter wand #1 | holly | 11" | phoenix feather | Nice and supple; "Brother" to Voldemort's wand - the core tail feathers are both from Fawkes; broken in December 1997 while fleeing from Godric's Hollow; repaired with the Elder Wand in May 1998. |
| James Potter | mahogany | 11" | unknown | This wand was "pliable" and "excellent for transfiguration". |
| Peter Pettigrew | chestnut | 9¼" | dragon heartstring | This wand was "brittle"; owned by Pettigrew only since Ollivander had been kidnapped of 1996; passed into the possession of Ron Weasley after the skirmish in Malfoy Manor in 1998. |
| Tom Marvolo Riddle a.k.a. Voldemort | yew | 13½" | phoenix feather | This wand is "brother" to Harry Potter's wand - the core tail feathers are both from Fawkes. |
| Ron Weasley wand #1 | ash | 12" | unicorn hair | Ron's brother Charlie's old wand; severely damaged in September 1992 after a run-in with the Whomping Willow. |
| Ron Weasley wand #2 | willow | 14" | unicorn hair | Purchased with his father's winnings from a Daily Prophet draw. |
[edit] Behind the scenes
- Ollivander comments that he remembers every wand he's sold. This might indicate a form of photographic memory.
- Ollivander is one of the only people before Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone who knew Voldemort's real name. He said in the first book he knows that Voldemort's wand caused Harry's scar.While this is not stated in any explicit way the very fact that Voldemort has only ever had one wand (except for his use of the Elder wand very late in life) would ensure that Ollivander would have sold him a wand at age 11 when he still used his former name.
- In a 2009 interview, John Hurt, who portrayed Ollivander in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone confirmed he would reprise his role in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.[2]
[edit] Appearances
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First appearance)
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game) (PS1 and GBC versions only)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film) (cut in the final edit)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film) (Possible)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (film)
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes and references
- ↑ According to the first book, his family manufactured wands from 382 B.C., indicating that the Ollivander family is a wizarding family.
- ↑ Tribeca Film Festival 2009 - John Hurt talks Harry Potter, Confirms His Return
