Book 1 Questions -- wands

[Miles]

No: HPFGUIDX 146825

Donna wrote:
> With the wand being extremely important in doing magic, I'm wondering
> if it
> is wise to intentionally hand down used wands to the children to
>  learn with. Mr. Ollivander states, "...you will never get such good
> results with
> another wizard's wand."  And, twice he states that the wand chooses
> the
> wizard.   (US version, SS, Ch 5)

Miles:
IMO, we should see Ollivander's statement as an opinion, not as a matter of
fact.
It is true, he is a great expert for wands, no doubt. But opinions of
experts have a general problem: they tend to overextend the importance of
their own expertise.

Let me try an analogy - cooking. Ask a cutler - he will say that good knifes
are most essential for any cook, and that the knife influences the cooked
meal very much. Ask the producer of pots&pans - no doubt that he will
highlight the importance of the cookware for any cooking. Ask the grower of
olive trees...
But if Paul Bocuse would use my pans, my olive oil and my knifes, while I
can cook in his kitchen - well, you can imagine what meal you would like
more.

So, it is quite natural that a wandmaker and dealer for new wands will be
very convincing when he is talking about the necessity for any wizard to
have a wand for himself. But as far as canon shows us, every wizard can do
even advanced magic with a borrowed or inherited wand. Yes, there may be
differences in performance - but these differences won't be too important in
everyday situations and for the average wizard or witch.

Miles