Voldemort's Wand

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 47614

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Trish in AZ" <pschmiedl at e...> wrote:
> While we are on the topic of wands I have a question. I tried to look
> in archives to see if this was brought up, but could not find anything.
> In PS/SS Mr. Olivander says, "the wand chooses the wizard" and the tail
> feather from the same Phoenix was in Harry's and Voldemort's wand. If 
> in fact, if it is the Phoenix that belonged to Gryffindor why would 
> that wand chose Voldemort?
> Trishofavalon


bboy_mn:

Tried to post this once before but I was on another computer and for
some reason it didn't work. So here it goes again.

I think people are taking 'the wand chooses the wizard' thing a little
too literally. The wand doesn't choose the wizard based on an
intellectual or moral decision; it's a matter of compatability.

My theory is that the wand and the wizard must be in harmony, they
must have a sympathetic resonance. Think of the example of an opera
singer who breaks a glass by hitting a certain note. When the singer
and the glass find a resonant harmony, the whole becomes greater than
the sum of it's parts. The combined resonance is enough to shatter the
glass. She may sing another note with even greater power, but it
doesn't shatter the glass. She may get a glass that is more fragile,
but unless she and the glass have that harmonic resonance, the glass
doesn't break. The extra power is only generated when the two, singer
and glass, are matched. I think this same principle applies to wands.
Harry kept trying wands and trying wands, and when he finally tried
the one that he had a natural sympathetic harmony with, the result
were VERY noticable. Clearly that one combination demonstrated greater
power.

So when the wand chose Voldemort, it wasn't making an intellectual or
moral choice, it was simply a common resonance between the two.

So how does that make the wand choose the wizard? Well, it does so
because it precludes the wizard from chosing the wand based on
intellect or analysis. A wizard can't say I like light honey oak and
I've always like unicorns, so I choose a oak/unicorn wand. Certainly
he can do it, but there is little or no likelihood of a correct match
based on this method. So you 'meet' wand after wand until you find a
wand that 'likes' you. Likes you in the sense that the two of you are
in harmony with each other. 

Harry has Holly/Pheonix this time. His next wand, the one that matches
him or chooses him, may be Holly/Dragon Heart or it may be Oak/Pheonix
Feather, and it may be longer or shorter. 

Now there is a likelihood that once you have been matched to a wand,
it's easier for Ollivander to match you to a second one. He
understands the characteristics of all the components, and that allows
him to make an educated guess. 

That's my view on 'the wand chooses the wizard'.

bboy_mn