At the time of writing this, Ollivander’s one-chomp has been supplying the wizarding community with the finest ones money can buy for nearly 24 centuries, having first opened its doors as far back as 382 BC.
I know, I know, this date does seem a little far-fetched, but rest assured that it has been confirmed as canon.
It was during that year that the original Ollivander, the ancestor of Garak Ollivander, was thought to have come from a Mediterranean country in Roman times and set up a stall in what would eventually become Diagon Alley.
Revolutionizing Wand Making
The Ollivander family quickly revolutionized wand making when they publicly forsook the traditional wand-making process. Prior to their innovation, witches and wizards procured their own wand core. Ollivander believed that this process produced wands that were inferior in quality and performance, which led to the family procuring all wand components for future customers.
At this point, the Ollivander of the time began his quest to discover the finest wand cores and the wand woods that best complemented them. From this point onward, the purchaser would no longer select a wand of their choosing, and instead began the tradition of the wand choosing the wizard.
In theory, this is a nice idea which ensures that each witch or wizard is paired with the wand perfect just for them. It also portrays the Ollivander family as genuinely caring for their customers’ best interests in the name of passionate wand making.
A Darker Perspective
But I think there’s a lot more to this business model than meets the eye. I believe I have some compelling evidence to suggest that there are some seriously dark undertones to the wand industry.
Join me today as we dismantle the single longest-running business in wizarding history. Let’s dive in.
Before the original Ollivander came along, the wand-making process was, by modern-day standards, a little antiquated.
Customers would bring all manners of ingredients to wand makers to be woven into their wand and used as their wand core, and the possibilities were seemingly endless. But this is where the Ollivander family really disrupted the market and set themselves apart from other wand makers, introducing a process whereby the witch or wizard would be selected from a number of wands that were already made.
This was a revolution in the wand-making world, making a huge difference in the efficacy of wands in general. However, things still weren’t quite up to the modern standard; you see, the materials still weren’t quite right.
The Quest for Quality Cores
Early in my career, as I watched my wand maker father wrestling with substandard wand core materials such as kelpy hair, I conceived the ambition to discover the finest cores and to work only with those when my time came to take over the family business.
This I have done. After much experimentation and research, I concluded that only three substances produce wands of the quality, to which I am happy to give the illustrious name of Ollivander: unicorn hair, dragon heartstring, and phoenix feather.
Each of these costly and rare materials has its distinct properties.
In this quote from the most recent Ollivander, Garak, he explains that he only utilizes three primary wand cores: Phoenix, Unicorn, and Dragon.
Though Ollivander is fully aware of the presence of other available wand core materials, he opts to stick with Dragon, Phoenix, and Unicorn, because they are, allegedly, the most reliable and allow him to consistently make powerful wands.
An Ulterior Motive?
At the surface level, it’s hard to question Ollivander’s approach. He comes from a long line of wand makers, is the expert in his field, and his family has supplied the wizarding world with honest and reliable wands for thousands of years.
And it stands to reason that the most powerful and rarest creatures would provide the most powerful ingredients with which to create wands. I mean, why not? But here’s the thing: I think that Ollivander has an ulterior motive.
In his statements, Ollivander gives us the impression that he chooses these select few materials because he is motivated by creating the most powerful wands. However, I believe that Mr. Ollivander has another thing on his mind—money.
Ollivander’s ancestors may have revolutionized the wand-making process when they introduced the idea of the wand choosing the wizard, but they also distinctly changed the wand purchasing process. Where previously a witch or wizard could save a few Galleons by bringing in their own materials, this option was no longer on the table, and the customer was instead forced to purchase an all-in-one solution.
Nobody batted an eyelid at this because, at the end of the day, Ollivanders did produce impressive wands. But this did generate more revenue for the Ollivander family—they had employed the perfect marketing strategy.
Garrick’s Ambition
Because so many witches and wizards received a good product over the centuries, this business model functioned exactly as intended. However, when it was Garrick Ollivander’s turn to take over the family business, he set his sights much higher—he wanted to take the family business to the next level.
This is why Ollivander implemented the three core system, whereby customers were forced to purchase wands constructed from core materials extracted from the rarest and most powerful creatures. This system, in turn, allowed Ollivander to charge even more for the wands he sold in his shop.
There were no longer any cheap options—it was Dragon, Unicorn, Phoenix, or the door—and that’s why it became harder in recent times for wizarding families to afford wands for all of their children.
The Case of Ron Weasley
Case in point, Ron Weasley. Prior to the introduction of this system, there were many other wand core materials available from a variety of wand makers. These include Vela, Basilisk, Wamperscat, Thunderbird, Snallygaster, Jackalope, Rugaru, Thestral, Troll, Ditney, Horned Serpent, White River Monster, Bone, Shell, Coral, Kurupira, and of course Kelpie.
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg, and I find it hard to believe that beyond his selected three, no other wand core is worthy of the Ollivander name. But here’s where the theory gets a bit darker.
Narrowing down his wand cores to the rarest and most powerful three introduced a new problem—sourcing ingredients. After all, it’s known as though there are tons of dragons, unicorns, and phoenixes running around offering up their body parts.
Many wand cores are derived from parts of animals that are regenerative and or cause no harm, but with some of the more extreme ingredients like dragon heartstring, it’s reasonable to assume that this object is taken from a dead dragon, since the heart is a vital organ and relies on it.
The Source of Ingredients
Phoenix feathers and unicorn hair are not nearly as extreme but are still exceedingly hard to come by. This becomes increasingly concerning when we consider the quantities at which Ollivander would need to procure these ingredients.
Just how many dragon heartstrings, unicorn hairs, and phoenix feathers is Ollivander hoarding? And this of course raises the question of how on earth he gets all of these ingredients.
Theory 1: Hagrid’s Connection
Take a seat, because it’s about to get a lot less innocent, folks.
When it comes to procuring unusual ingredients and bits of rare creatures, there’s only one man, or rather half-giant, that comes to my mind – Rubius Hagrid. Throughout the books, Hagrid consistently demonstrates an uncanny ability to acquire and handle rare and illegal magical creatures.
Because of this, many have begun to speculate that Hagrid may be secretly wealthy from his involvement in the black market trade of magical creatures and materials. Dragon eggs? Hagrid’s got them. Three-headed dogs? No problem. The fact that Hagrid is able to consistently acquire new and illegal creatures could indicate that he has black market connections.
A Clue from the Books
There’s also the fact that he’s somehow able to purchase these creatures. Therefore, it stands to reason that Hagrid would be the perfect connection to supply Ollivander with phoenix feathers, unicorn hairs, and dragon heartstrings.
Before you go into a full-blown meltdown, hear me out because I have some pretty compelling evidence. One of the biggest clues comes from a passage in the books where it’s mentioned that Hagrid had a whole skein of unicorn hairs just laying around.
He was looking up at the ceiling from which a number of brass pots hung, and also a long silky skein of bright white hair.
That’s never unicorn hair, Hagrid! Oh yeah, said Hagrid indifferently. Gets pulled out of their tails, they catch it on branches and stuff in the forest, you know.
But my dear chap, do you know how much that’s worth? I use it for binding and bandages and stuff if a creature gets injured, said Hagrid, shrugging. “It’d stand useful, very strong, see?”
But I think Hagrid does indeed know its value, and that his indifferent attitude in this exchange may have just been his attempt at brushing the subject aside in the hopes that no further attention would be placed on it.
I think that skein of unicorn hair was getting prepared to be delivered to Ollivanders. There’s also the questionable moment where Hagrid has dragon meat in his hut.
“You’re not going to eat that, are you, Hagrid? Looks poisonous.” “It’s supposed to look like that, it’s dragon meat, and I didn’t get it to eat. That’s better. It helps with the stinging, you know?”
Pair all of this with the fact that Hagrid spends an unusual amount of time with dubious characters in Nocturne Alley, and I think we’ve got something worth considering.
Theory 2: Charlie Weasley
While Hagrid is likely quite a good source for procuring phoenix feathers and unicorn hairs, I suspect that dragon heartstrings would be a little harder for him to come by.
So now the question is, who do we know from the Harry Potter books that has direct access to dragons? Why, Charlie Weasley, of course.
While I would never accuse Charlie, a dragon conservationist, of harmful or exploitative practices, I do think that it’s possible he may have harvested the heartstrings of dragons that died by natural means.
This would explain how someone like Ollivander could consistently acquire such rare materials without engaging in illegal or unethical practices himself. Charlie’s involvement would also ensure that the supply was both controlled and of the highest quality, contributing to Ollivander’s reputation for crafting some of the finest wands.
Given Charlie’s character and his passion for dragon conservation, I suspect that he may have justified the exchange by believing that the dragon heartstrings would go to a good cause, helping witches and wizards through their wands.
In return, Charlie could have received financial support for his work or even protection for the dragons under his care, ensuring their safety from poachers and other threats.
The Bigger Picture
After all, dragon poaching is quite a big problem in different parts of the wizarding world; the Romanian longhorn, for example, has a dwindling population, largely due to the value of their horns. This has made them a common target for poachers.
This also happens to be a dragon native to the country where Charlie works.
The horns of this breed of dragon are highly valued as potion ingredients, and as a result, its numbers have fallen in recent years.
Perhaps sourcing heartstrings from already deceased dragons and selling them to Ollivander allows Charlie to reinvest this money into his dragon conservation efforts, ultimately doing more good than harm.
There’s also the possibility that Ollivander simply sources his materials from unknown black market dealers or poachers.
Considering the centuries-old legacy of the Ollivander family business, it’s plausible to assume that they may have developed covert relationships with less reputable individuals to ensure a steady supply of rare, magical ingredients.
Conclusion
However, how Ollivander may source his ingredients, one thing is certain—the wizarding world turns a blind eye. The Ollivander family has an impeccable reputation synonymous with excellence in wand making for centuries, and I suspect that their craftsmanship is so revered that people are willing to overlook, or perhaps remain willfully ignorant of, the methods behind it.
In this way, the Ollivanders have woven themselves into the fabric of the magical community, becoming nearly untouchable. The wizarding world knows that without Ollivander’s wands, the magical community would be far less capable and far less powerful.
And that’s it for this theory! What do you think? Do any of these theories hold merit or am I being unfair to old Ollivander? Let me know down in the comment section below.
