Broken Wands (was Bella's wand )

[Mike]

No: HPFGUIDX 183769

> zanooda:
> 
> That's what I thought too - that DD fixed Hagrid's wand using
> the Elder wand.
>  <snip>
> OTOH, in PS/SS, when Ollivander found out that Hagrid still
> had the pieces of his wand, he asked him very sternly: 
> "But you don't *use* them?" (or something like this :-))
> Doesn't it mean that it's *possible* to use the pieces?
> Why couldn't Harry use his wand's pieces then?

Mike:
How's this one, can't you just picture it:
Young but massive Hagrid comes sauntering into Ollivander's shop with 
his little father in tow. Ollivander takes one look at the half-giant 
kid and knows immediately that none of his stock wands are going to 
work. So he takes Rubeus's measurements and tells him he'll be making 
him a special wand and to please come back in a week.

Well, Ollivander can see right off that this wand is going to be 
treated with some rough handling. He goes out and gets the strongest 
piece of suitable oak that he can find, then magically strengthens it 
even further, just like they magically strengthen the flying brooms. 
He makes the wand so it will bend but not break.

In due course, Hagrid gets accused of openning the CoS and the 
Ministry officials show up to mete out his punishment. This being a 
tradition laden society, it's tradition for the wand to be broken by 
hand by the person carrying out the punishment. 

Well, this guy takes Hagrid's wand in his hand and tries to snap it 
like any other wand. Nothing, no go, the wand won't break. He swings 
it at the door jamb, figuring that'll do it. Nope, still in one 
piece. Getting frustrated, he takes it over his knee. But all he gets 
out of that is a bruised knee. The wand's still holding up just fine. 
He pulls out his own wand to break it with magic, but his supervisor 
standing there stops him. "Brokewood, you know we don't do it that 
way", his boss says as he grasbs the wand away from Brokewood. The 
boss then sets the wand on the hard ground, one end propped on a log. 
He stomps on the middle and hears a crack. Picking up the wand he can 
see a fracture through the middle, even though the wand is clearly 
still in one piece.

The boss figures that this is going to have to do. Stating, "That's 
done it", he tosses the wand aside and declares the deed done. Of 
course Hagrid waits for all of them to leave and goes over to 
retreive his wand.

The story makes it way back to Ollivander. A wry smile creases the 
corners of his mouth as he satisfyingly thinks to himself, "Now 
that's an Ollivander wand, by Merlin."

So when Hagrid says he's "still got the pieces" in PS/SS, Ollivander 
knows good and well that the wand is likely to still work; that there 
really weren't pieces per se, there was one fractured but still 
continuous piece.

Mike, who had a fun time picturing the exchange between the young 
Hagrid and Ollivander, and could picture Hagrid wreaking havoc in 
the small shop as he tries out his new wand. Talk about your 
uncontrollable magic ;-)