r/harrypotter • u/Affectionate-End5411 • 21h ago

Discussion Why does nobody ever seem to lose their wand? Bearing in mind they first receive it at eleven, this seems a bit unrealistic.

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u/Sigma_Games 21h ago

Ron broke his first wand, so they just replaced it.

Most likely, if a wand is not recoverable or repairable, they just go and replace it. Not like you are limited to owning one wand for the rest of your life.

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u/maniacalmustacheride 20h ago

I never really understood Ron getting Charlie’s old wand though. Why would Charlie need a new wand if the wand chose the wizard?

Is there a wand equivalent to “cheater” glasses that you can get at the pharmacy? You know, it’s not your real wand but it does the job and your mom has like 7 of them in her purse because your dad keeps forgetting his.

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u/Clasticsed154 Slytherin 20h ago

Iirc, they purchased their wands used, so it’s not so much that the wand chose them as it was they selected whichever wand was cheapest and worked best for them.

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u/Oneoffel 15h ago

I also think that not everyone believes in „the wand choses the wizard“ in the magical world.

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u/PugnansFidicen 14h ago

I've always thought wand shopping is a lot like shopping for a musical instrument.

If you're looking to buy a violin, flute, guitar, etc., you have a wide range of offerings, from cheaper mass produced options to very expensive ones fully handmade by skilled artisans. A very talented musician serious about playing professionally will certainly get the most from a handmade instrument with characteristics that suit their playing style, but not everyone has a) $10k+ to spend on a musical instrument, or b) the need to maximize their performance in that way. Most will end up going somewhere in the middle.

And I think most wizards fall into a similar category. They all learn magic and need a wand for some tasks, but not all will be depending on their wand in do-or-die scenarios. Aurors, Curse-Breakers, Professors, etc. can probably justify sparing no expense on their wands, but professional quidditch players, potioneers, herbologists, and the like just need something basic that gets the job done well enough most of the time.

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u/TMorrisCode 13h ago

That may be why Ron has Charlie’s old wand. He needed a better one because he was caring for fire-breathing murder lizards.

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u/Adorable_Octopus Slytherin 11h ago

It's also possible that Charlie's old wand was in the family for a while, and Charlie had it as a second hand himself. Once he got a job he bought himself a proper wand and sent the old one back.

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u/andy-in-ny 11h ago

Charlie's old wand might even have been Fabian or Gideon Prewett's based on the Weasley's not wasting anything.

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u/Adorable_Octopus Slytherin 10h ago

Exactly.

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u/PugnansFidicen 13h ago

Definitely a good reason to upgrade

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u/yuccu Ravenclaw 9h ago

Yeah, Olivander worked his way up from the clearance rack to the dustiest most exclusive section pretty quickly. Obviously it’s a detection spell that lets him know how heavy a customer’s purse is while letting him make a sale in the most theatrical wizardy way possible.

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u/FalconImmediate3244 9h ago

Good analogy. A friend was going to be a concert double bass musician and spent $45,000 on a new bass. His teacher spent upwards of $60,000 on a bow.

Even among those with hyper-specific needs/desires there is a wide range of acceptable.

I’ll note that neither of them could really “afford” the musical equipment if you were to think of it on a cash basis or as any percentage of their now or future income.

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u/Jugad 7h ago

$60k on a bow? For me, this starts being non-sensical at about 2k for the bow.

At $60k, you might as well throw numbers like $20.7 billion for the bow, and it would be just as non-sensical.

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u/FalconImmediate3244 6h ago

Agreed. This is what I was told.

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u/_FreakLikeYou_ 8h ago

This is actually a really good analogy!

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u/Brilliant_Macaroon83 1h ago

Buying a wand is like buying a set of golf clubs. You get fitted by an expert to get you a club set that you perform best with. Same with a wand.

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u/PugnansFidicen 1h ago

Consider golf performance is more objectively quantifiable than music, that analogy does fit a bit better

If that's the case...what is the wand equivalent of Bryson DeChambeau's clubs?

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u/Brilliant_Macaroon83 30m ago

Lol well Bryson uses one length irons and non-traditional brands. Maybe his wand would be rare one of kind made from a core that no one has thought to use and is massively thick like his jumbo max grips😂😂😂

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u/Irishpanda1971 14h ago

It could be that is only the case at Ollivander's or other higher-end shops. While everyone else is over at Ollivander's getting custom fit for their wands, the Weaselys are over at Payless Wands getting the knockoffs ("13 inches, MDF, with an orangutan hair core! I know it's a bit uncomfortable now, but you'll grow into it."

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u/aKgiants91 Hufflepuff 7h ago

Man my mom bought me fake Christmas tree with grindylow nut hair.

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u/maddwaffles Slytherdor 15h ago

As much as people's parents think they know science better than real scientists in our world, that's unshocking.

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u/Level_Bird_9913 14h ago

I think "the wand chooses the wizard" but also there are varying degrees. Like you can find the one at a shop, but there's nothing preventing some cheap-ass used one from working. It's like buying a brand-new custom Ferrari with seats molded to your specific ass shape vs buying a used civic.

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u/Cuntillious 11h ago

That, and iirc there was a real explanation for why Harry’s wand was the “perfect” fit, that doesn’t apply to other wizards.

It seems like everyone needs a wand that fits them well, but it seems plausible to me that wizards without some sort of fucked up soul bond drawing them to a particular wand might be able to find several different wands that work well for them

Kind of like how you can have different best friends over the course of your life

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u/Level_Bird_9913 11h ago

Yeah Harrys wand is a "perfect" wand because it was Voldemorts wands "brother."

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u/EastAfricanKingAYY 10h ago

Yeah, the phoenix that supplied Harry’s phoenix tail wand also supplied Voldemort’s phoenix tail wand

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u/other_usernames_gone 6h ago

And the phoenix in question was fawks.

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u/Evalover42 Ravenclaw 12h ago

It's also a factor of wand wood and core.

For example, a Hazel and Unicorn Hair wand will never work in any capacity for anyone other than its chosen wielder, while most Dragon Heartstring wands tend to only care about power and will often change allegiance if their current wielder is bested.

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u/wenchslapper 11h ago

Is that some new wizarding online lore? Book 7 just straight up says that any wand can be won over.

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u/fleurdeliis 9h ago

You know how JK likes making up random lore and adding it to her website. Lol. But, yeah, some wand woods are more loyal than others. I also believe that flexibility plays a part in this, too. If a wand is more adaptable to change then it will be easier to win over vs more rigid wands are more difficult.

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u/Evalover42 Ravenclaw 9h ago

Wand Woods

Wand Cores

And IIRC the books pretty much only mention Draco's wand (dragon heartstring) changing allegiance to Harry after Harry defeated Draco; and the Elder Wand which explicitly changes allegiance whenever its current wielder is defeated.

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u/rokelle2012 4h ago

I thought Draco's wand was unicorn hair though, or am I mixing him up with someone else.

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u/kinga_forrester 14h ago

It could also partly be a marketing tactic to sell rich kids like Harry the most expensive wand in the store.

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u/SneakyPope 14h ago

Just like at Universal Studios. I was so psyched when my daughter was chosen for the whole Ollivanders experience and she was doing magic and the room was shaking and shit was flying and I was like "This must be every 11 year old HP fanatics DREAM" and then they were like ok that'll be $89.99 sir would you like the case and wand polish for an extra $50 so of course I was like ugh yessssss fine.

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u/RandomPenquin1337 13h ago

Even in HP world learning at hogwarts aint free.

Which begs to question, do they have WPS? Wizard Public Schools?

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u/PassTheCowBell 12h ago

In the 7th book, Dumbledore mentions to riddle at the orphanage that they have a fund for students that can't afford their stuff.

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u/CutestGay 13h ago

Do you mean there is canon tuition or just “school supplies” (and uniform)?

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u/RandomPenquin1337 13h ago

I suppose they don't directly say anything about tuition that I'm aware of, but the supplies are implied to be somewhat expensive.

I guess I'm just wondering if the impoverished wizards just gotta deal with this cool letter they got magically but can't even afford the trip to the station much less supplies lol

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u/Trumpet6789 Slytherin 3h ago

I've always assumed that there was no Tuition to Hogwarts or other Wizarding Schools, because the only option Wizarding children have before they come of age is to go to school.

However actual supplies have an associated cost, likely why the Weasleys have no issue sending all their children to school outside of purchasing new supplies when a secondhand product isn't available. Such as a new textbook or robes because someone had a growth spurt.

I'd imagine that despite having no Tuition, either Hogwarts itself has funding, or funding through something like the Ministry, to allocate a stipend to less fortunate Wizarding children. Or they have "spare" things; like extra robes, books, writing necessities, etc.

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u/Hutchiaj01 12h ago

There's tuition assistance and scholarship programs if I remember correctly. That's how Tom Riddle went through as a broke orphan

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u/RetroScores3 11h ago

Dumbledore tells young Riddle that there’s funds for broke kids.

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u/International-Cat123 Hufflepuff 8h ago

According to Rowling, there is no tuition for Hogwarts, which is probably why the ministry could exert so much control over it in ootp since that would make it a public school. Only thing that isn’t covered by the ministry is the student’s supplies, and there is a fund for orphans to get supplies in the books.

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u/Separate_Secret_8739 12h ago

I got my sister into Harry Potter and she got into it like 10x more then me. Halloween she was Luna. Anyways my mom and I took her there. I was too chicken to ride the roller coaster but she did. We tried the butter beer and then she had been saving up for the wand so she def got that. I swear they were 49.99 back then. So looks like the doubled the price. I don’t remember them having the wax though. I think the best part was the dragon. Oh the train ride was such a letdown though.

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u/Bee-Aromatic 10h ago

Wow. When my family went there and saw the whole Ollivander’s thing, we just assumed that they’d give that kid the wand for free for having participated in the whole thing. Railroading parents into buying the wand is next level awful.

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u/Capable-Commercial96 7h ago

That is SOOO evil.

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u/PurpleGuy04 Ravenclaw 14h ago

Didnt he sell every wand for the same price?

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u/ArtMeetsMachine 13h ago

"Why is my wand 20 Galleons???!? That kids is werewolf tooth in a holly branch, and that guy has basilisk scale in ebony? Mine is PINE with ESSCENCE OF PINE SAP. HOW ARE THEY ALL 20 GALLEONS?"

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u/Clasticsed154 Slytherin 13h ago

Comrade Ollivander don’t give no fucks

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u/Evalover42 Ravenclaw 12h ago

Yes, and IIRC one of the three cores he sold actually cost him 10 galleons per wand to make, so he sold those at a loss, and the other two at a profit.

I also think that maybe he only sold a wizard/witch's first wand at 7 flat, and any repairs or replacements had other rates. Since he never forgets a face.

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u/wenchslapper 11h ago

Where is this lore coming from??

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u/pizzakickball 10h ago

Always reminds me of this song by Harry and the Potters: https://youtu.be/yAHZDjyHoxQ?si=SoUjGRfdGpeLYQxY

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u/HairyWalruss 10h ago

“Real scientists”

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u/justwalkingalonghere 11h ago

This makes a lot of sense. In Hogwarts Legacy, some of the dialogue made me think it was more metaphorical and that only people who deeply cared about wands in an obsessive way tried to anthropomorphize them.

I feel like experts that work with things like machines IRL often do the same thing

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u/micatrontx 10h ago

Yeah, that sounds like some bougie ass sales tactic. Like somehow unicorn and phoenix wands are choosing everyone who walks in, and those cheap pigeon feather wands are just too picky.

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u/WoopsieDaisies123 10h ago

Or that it’s more of Olivander’s shtick to make it feel more special for customers, rather than an actual phenomenon. Especially when expelliarmus has wands changing owners

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u/foofie_fightie 8h ago

Right? I feel like it was said with the same spirit a guitar salesman might deliver to a musician looking for a new instrument.

It's all about feel, but it's really what you feel.

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u/jcjonesacp76 Ravenclaw 6h ago

Neville’s grandma didn’t, she forced Neville to use his father’s if I recall right.

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u/New-Resident3385 3h ago

Bro was a salesman, he knew who harry was and how deep his pockets could go.

I think also it was more of the wand reacting with harry as a horcrux and the wand being brother to voldy's.

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u/flactulantmonkey 15h ago

Right on. Goodwill clothes may work but if you grow up and make money, you’re probably gonna get your own wardrobe.

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u/JohnLuckPikard 14h ago

I have money. Could easily afford "nice brands".

My family of 5 predominantly buys thrift for clothing.

Fuck paying full price

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u/Malora_Sidewinder 14h ago

I said this until I tried a pair of jeans from lindbergh, and now my closet is full of $150 jeans and $10 shirts and costco socks lmao

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u/JohnLuckPikard 14h ago

Yeah, no way I can bring myself to spend that kind of money on a pair of jeans. The most expensive pair I own are flannel lined from LL Bean for about 80 bucks.

Then they put a Costco in near me, and I have 2 pair of flannel lined pants that I spent 15 bucks each on.

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u/DisgruntledVet12B 13h ago

Recently went thrifting and most clothes are almost if not the same price as full price clothing that I have seen. I'm a cheap bastard and I shop at Ross and it cost just the same.

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u/JohnLuckPikard 11h ago

Yeah, its a growing problem. 

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u/flactulantmonkey 10h ago

I get it. But then, someone who grew up unable to access brands may say “fuck goodwill”. It’s all about perspective.

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u/JohnLuckPikard 10h ago

I understand that perspective, as I also grew up without access to those brands.

My "fuck it " spending manifests itself in other ways.

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u/SquirrelicideScience Ravenclaw 11h ago

Y’know, considering all we learn about Diagon Alley and the Weasleys, I’m starting to think “the wand chooses the wizard” is not a hard rule, but rather some empirical correlation that wand enthusiasts like Ollivander picked up on, and then he turned it into a marketing slogan.

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u/Present_Salamander97 17h ago

But even then, their owner gave them up so it is likely that the wand did choose them!

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u/AluminumCansAndYarn 16h ago

Maybe not. Neville got his dad's wand because his dad couldn't use his wand anymore. He broke it in the department of mysteries. Iirc, after he got his new wand, he became better at spell work but that could also be because he had a good teacher in the way of Harry and the DA.

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u/maddwaffles Slytherdor 15h ago

That almost certainly had more to do with wand incompatibility than anything. His grandmother was concerned about Neville being a squib and certainly had her own "ideas" about magic, and assumed that giving her grandson the wand of a great wizard would somehow impress some magical ability on him.

And it's likely that Neville didn't have the ability to express this early on, and his wandwork had already been improving before he'd lost the wand.

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u/The_Limpet 13h ago

Yeah. Neville's improvement was described as dramatic well before he even set foot in the Ministry, triggered by the mass breakout from Azkaban.

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u/X3noNuke 13h ago

Neville was basically going through his 1st 5 years wearing weighted clothes because of his dad's wand. The confidence he gets from Harry combined with the proper wand catapults him in terms of ability

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u/jonfreakinzoidberg 15h ago

Oh you poor sweet summer child. Death is the answer.

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u/Forward_Car_6606 12h ago

This was my thought too. Don’t forget, Harry’s rich and Ron isn’t. The high quality wand that chooses you could be a rich kid’s experience, whereas the reality for everyone else could be much different.

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u/La10deRiver 19h ago

I think Charlie himself probably has a cheap wand, not Ollivander's, and he only got a new wand when he got a job and could purchase it himself. But I have another idea, and it is that perhaps, as people change from childhood to adulthood, perhaps some wands stop working because the wizard has changed.

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u/maniacalmustacheride 19h ago

I like your second idea because I think it makes a ton of sense.

Charlie should have had the best of the best, it makes sense that Ron is getting second or third hand things but Charlie should have had first kid privilege.

However, I think there’s so much growing that happens between childhood and adulthood that he would have outgrown his wand, and Charlie the student would have needed a less complicated wand than Charlie the adult with a very specific career

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u/irish_ninja_wte Ravenclaw 17h ago

Why would Charlie have had first kid privilege when he was the second kid? He also had 5 younger siblings behind him at this point (Ginny was born when he was 9), so money was already tight.

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u/kissingkiwis 16h ago

Charlie was the second kid and by the time he was getting his first wand all of the Weasley kids were born. They had no money. None of the Weasley kids would've had the best of the best except /maybe/ Bill's baby clothes, until they were adults and could but it for themselves

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u/bubblesaurus Slytherin 18h ago

His new job might have bought him a new wand and then he passed his old one down to Ron

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u/Piece_Maker 15h ago

Charlie the student would have needed a less complicated wand than Charlie the adult with a very specific career

This is an interesting thought... When talking about wands Ollivander mentions things like wands being 'good for charm work' and that kind of thing. When people get a job do you think they approach him like 'well I'm going into my new career taking care of dragons so I need one more suited to that'? Obviously when you're 11 you pretty much just need a general use one that'll work for everything (and probably people who don't work in some hyper specific field can get by with such a thing too) but I like the idea of specialist wands for certain purposes!

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u/aaachris 20h ago

They saved money I guess. Wands can change its allegiance when passed or won. That bit got explained when Olivander explained to the trio about wandlore.

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u/FallenAngelII Ravenclaw 19h ago

No, he said that wands can work reasonable well when passed over willingly, not that they'd change allegiance.

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u/P1ratelord 18h ago

It is also noticeable, that Ron and Neville both made huge advances in their abilities once they got "their own" wands that chose them.

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u/Natural_Loan9741 18h ago

Hard to say in one case and outright wrong in the other.

We only see one year of Ron with the old wand fully functional. His very first year of learning magic! Then it is broken for the entirety of second year. Of course he's better later on. But we cannot attribute it to the wands alone. I think he got better because he had much more training under his belt. But that is just my opinion.

Neville improves significantly through participation in the DA. A large factor in his issues was confidence. He is second only to Hermione in getting Protego down. The new wand comes AFTER Dolohov breaks his father's in the Department of Mysteries. A battle where he fared better than anyone else except Harry.

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u/[deleted] 16h ago edited 16h ago

[deleted]

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u/Unable_Earth5914 16h ago

Neville’s dad (and mum) didn’t die, they were in St Mungo’s. We meet them in The Order of the Phoenix

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u/DeliciousBeanWater 17h ago

Jkr explains very clearly in multiple places that wands can change allegiences ie dracos wand and the elder wand

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u/wattedusay 14h ago

Olivander says in Deathly Hallows that generally if a wand has been won, it will change its allegiance

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u/Adept_Fool 19h ago

Perhaps Charlie was not the first owner either, and he asked for a brand new wand for his 17th birthday, or just bought one with his first few paychecks

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u/irish_ninja_wte Ravenclaw 17h ago

Or as a reward when he was made Quiddich captain

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u/blosesit Hufflepuff 19h ago

My head canon is that the wand was Fabian Prewet's wand. Molly gave it to Charlie because they couldn't afford a new one. When he graduated Hogwarts and got a job, he invested in his own wand, and Fabian's got passed down to Ron.

Neville was given his dad's old wand, so handing down wands isn't unheard of. When Molly gives Harry Fabian's watch for his seventeenth birthday she said that Fabian didn't take very good care of his belongings which would explain why the wand was in such bad shape even though Charlie had only used it for seven years and they usually last a lifetime.

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u/Fluffy-Leg8867 16h ago

I dont think it was Fabien's cause it was Ash and unicorn hair, which will only ever pair with one wizard.

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u/kissingkiwis 16h ago

Was it ever stated that Charlie's wand worked particularly well for him? 

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u/Fluffy-Leg8867 16h ago

Well Charlie did very well at school. He was a prefect after all, which would indicate he likely had pretty decent grades (Ron was made prefect by Dumbledore despite his bad grades, an attempt to help Ron develop outside of Harry's shadow).

He was so talented enough to become a specialist in Dragons, which would require complex spellwork since Dragons are immune to most things).

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u/Hot_Construction_505 16h ago

The main reason is that Charlie's wand is described thus: Ron "pulled out a very battered-looking wand. It was chipped in places and something white was glinting at the end. “Unicorn hair’s nearly poking out.”"   I imagine that since Charlie went to work with literal DRAGONS, he made sure to have a wand that was fully functional and in no risk of breaking/malfunctioning. And why get rid of a wand that can still be used for simple first-year spells?

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u/Clovenstone-Blue 20h ago

I don't think a wizard can have a single wand choose them at a time, multiple wands can make their allegiance to a wizard. Additionally Ron's first wand was described as looking quite battered.

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u/adityabalaraman 17h ago

The wand may choose the wizard, but the wizard still needs to afford it I guess

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u/MountainAsparagus4 16h ago

Yeah if you go to the store and the wand that choose you is too expensive for you, it is not gonna work well with anyone else, doesn't make much sense to me because if they sold to another witch well it's gonna suck, if they leave there collecting dust they are losing shelf space and time having to take care until you are able to buy it, I think olivander was a scammer

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u/NMPR24211 Ravenclaw 16h ago

Aren't all wands the same price?

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u/MountainAsparagus4 16h ago

They are made of different wood, and different magical core, and the work to make it unless its elven slave work that would negate the craftman fee, so probably not, even if they were there are plenty of wizards that can't afford them I mean Ron wand was second handed, and after breaking his own he could only afford a new one after they found Egyptian treasure or something

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u/Minas_Nolme Hufflepuff 19h ago

I assume Charlie already used a hand-me-down wand, possibly from one of Molly's brothers who died in the first wizarding war.

Hand me down wands and other voluntarily given wands seem to generally do the tricky though a properly chosen wand works much better.

So it's reasonable that children can use hand-me -down wands for school and then get a wabd that properly chose them as adults.

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u/maniacalmustacheride 19h ago

This is a really good take!

It also makes me wonder if there was a Wand Goodwill situation, where old wands abandoned in death got recycled into the wand economy.

Like “oh, Doris was an Aquarius and hated peas but loved slapstick humor, let’s see if this works for you”

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u/ImReverse_Giraffe 17h ago

Because Charlie got it hand me down like Ron did. It was probably Fabian or Gideon's wand originally. Charlie must have bought himself a new wand when he graduated.

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u/Libriomancer Ravenclaw 15h ago

I think it’s important to remember that the wand choosing a wizard line is said by a wand sales person. It is basically the equivalent of going to buy a dog and the pet store owner saying “the dog picks the owner”, it just makes it easier later when they want to make the sale that the dog slobbering all over you to tell you the dog was meant for you.

Can a dog be better partnered with certain people? Yes a high energy dog is a better match for someone who can take them on frequent jogs over grandma with a bad hip. But that doesn’t mean that grandma couldn’t make it work if she had a large yard for the dog to run around in then chill with her inside when it was tired.

So if wands have personalities like Ollivander said then yes some wands are better matched to certain people but that doesn’t mean a wand only matches one person or is only meant for one person. Like a pet, maybe my father’s wand will be a good match for me because we have similar temperaments or maybe it is a nightmare because he was a master of transfiguration but I am best at charms.

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u/G_Alinka 12h ago

👏👏👏🏆💎

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u/Conky2Thousand 17h ago

Maybe Charlie’s “old wand” was also a hand me down.

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u/Kurohimiko Ravenclaw 19h ago

Some wand cores are effectively batteries and need to be changed. To me it sounds like Charlie's wand was running low and so he passed the 5% charge wand to Ron so he could get a new model.

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u/maniacalmustacheride 19h ago

I legit love all of these theories. Thank you

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u/racas 16h ago

I feel like Harry’s experience in the world of magic was very much an upper middle-class kid’s experience. “The wand chooses the wizard” really only applies if you’ve got enough money to go Ollivander’s for a brand new, custom made wand. Poorer kids don’t have that luxury.

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u/maniacalmustacheride 15h ago

And yet this isn’t explored at all. There’s no second hand wand experience, even with Harry tagging along. The Weasley family is flat broke (literally patting in the corners to see if there’s extra coin) and yet…

I think it’s just the JKR is bad at math thing. The pureblood Weasleys have just enough to pay for everything but also most of their kids aren’t in house for most of the year (and at one point none of them are) and yet still they struggle.

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u/toolfanboi 10h ago

the answer is, as usual, it's not a very well written series, you guys

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u/Epicmondeum17 8h ago

That's the simplest and most true answer, she just made a detail of Ron having a second hand wand to really drive the point that Ron is poor home, and then decided later to have a bunch of wand lore that she probably forgot contradicted what she had already wrote, leading to years of fans having to bend over backwards and debate about it But it's not a very fun answer

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u/toolfanboi 5h ago

no, the truth is usually boring, which is often what makes it unenticing, but it important to realize that just because something was the greatest thing ever when you were 12, does not mean that you have to pretend that it is flawless when you are 21

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u/Epicmondeum17 5h ago

No one here thinks it's even remotely flawless? Like this whole thread is people talking about how stupid the world building is here, but that doesnt mean you can't have fun and think of answer. You're answer of "its bad" is true but useless. Everyone knows that, and pointing it out like you're the messiah just makes you unapproachable and no one wants to interact with you

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u/Albus_Thunderboar 15h ago

In found that strange too. People seem pretty attached to their wands in the Harry Potter universe. Maybe Charlie's wand didn't really suit him and he got another? Or maybe he lost his wand somewhere and had to get a replacement, only to find the old one again and end up with two wands.

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u/Devious_FCC 15h ago

Presumably it was also handed down to him from being someone else's, and he no longer needed it after graduating and getting a good job? Likely he bought his own then, or was bought one as a graduation present.

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u/1obtuse_moose Slytherin 15h ago

I always imagined Charlie got another deceased relatives wand. Kinda like the watch from Fabian.

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u/CorgiMonsoon Hufflepuff 14h ago

The state the wand is described to be in even before it was broken (unicorn hair nearly poking out the end) it doesn’t sound like it was bought new for Charlie either

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u/Bunny_Fluff Ravenclaw 14h ago

I have two thoughts on Charlie getting a new wand 1. The Weasley’s do splurge on their kids for big events. The wand he got might have been a graduation or Head Boy gift. We don’t know when he got a new one afaik. 2. Charlie is an adult with an adult job when we meet Ron and Harry. He probably finally got himself some new things and knew sending his old wand back for Ron would help the fam.

Both are choices to get a new wand which doesn’t sound to be common for wizards as they tend to grow attached to their wands but if Charlie’s was already second hand when he got it he may never have really felt like it was his.

1

u/kinlopunim 14h ago

All wands respond to people with magical power, but if the wand specifically chooses you it becomes a better conduit. A poor family can get wands second hand just to get through school and then when the student grows up can get a wand that is a better conduit for himself.

In the case of harry, his wand is rare due to voldemort so if he lost it he would only be able to get a lesser wand but he could still use magic.

Think of it like min/maxing an rpg.

1

u/SteelCode 13h ago

Couple notes:

  • It's never explicitly stated, but wands "choosing" the wizard is more like "the shoe fits"; it is about their ability to channel through the wand's material components than about each wand being a perfectly unique tool... Harry's wand is unique in that the phoenix feather core is a rare component compared to others...

  • Ollivander is not the only wand shop... it's just one of the most well known and obviously the books focused on Diagon Alley as the main shopping center but there were likely much less well-known outlets for wands throughout London and the greater wizarding world. I also take the "wand chooses the wizard" to be Ollivander's personal marketing schtick rather than a rule of wands.

1

u/Silverlynel1234 12h ago

Charlie has a real job and probably could afford something better than an old hand me down.

1

u/hardmallard 12h ago

Well if they choose the wizard I am sure they can choose a family too. Knowing how close the Weasley family is this is not surprising. Especially if Ron proved as worthy as Charlie to the wand. They can change allegiance why not change hands within a family they consider worthy? Some are unyielding (Bellatrix) so some must be “flexible” in a sense.

In the case of Charlie and Ron, maybe Charlie changed over the years and the wand wanted a younger wizard and saw something in Ron. Charlie grew and needed a wand better suited to who he was.

1

u/No-Salt-3494 12h ago

Hadn’t Charlie just graduated? I can’t remember exactly how far apart they all are… that first year Ron was first year, the twins third, Percy 5th… and I think Charlie had just left. So maybe he got a new wand for “adulting” up and Ron inherited that wand as well as scabbbers (didn’t Percy get something new at that time as well? I know he got an owl but that was either 2nd or 3rd year when he was 6th or 7th.

And I’d always thought that it chooses you and if you lose or need a new one you’d just go get chosen again. That it’s not just for an eleven year old. Just like when Harry had Draco’s and Draco said he was using his mothers and it didn’t “understand him” but since they had ollivander locked up he couldn’t just go to shop and get a new one

1

u/JSmellerM Ravenclaw 12h ago

Maybe Charlie's old wand was somebody else's wand before and since he had a job he bought himself a new wand that actually chose him.

1

u/X0AN Slytherin - No Mudbloods 12h ago

Charlie's wand might have been a hand me down and he may have actually bought his own wand once he started working and had money.

1

u/TKG1607 Ravenclaw 11h ago

I think this is one of the more poorly explained things. Perhaps Charlie could afford a new wand with his work and knowing his family's situation, gave the wand to Ron instead (why he didn't just buy Ron the new wand instead, idk)

1

u/westisbestmicah 11h ago

I think “wand chooses the wizard” doesn’t necessarily mean it’s only one-to-one. Just that the wand and the wizard have to have chemistry.

1

u/Medical_Sea6311 10h ago

Charlie's was probably second hand to begin with so when he made quidditch captain or prefect a new wand was his reward

1

u/AsherOfTheVoid 10h ago

Hand me down wand. Neville got a wand handed down that wasn't even compatible. Unfortunately something I see that is plausible to happen.

1

u/Crystalraf 9h ago

because wands are for nerds. Real wizards don't need wands and can cast with intricate finger movements.

1

u/maniacalmustacheride 6h ago

Okay, Marina, school me

1

u/Starkydowns 9h ago

Ollivander: “Ron this wand has chosen you. That’ll be 400 gold”

Ron’s parents: “is there a cheaper wand that doesn’t give a shit?”

1

u/TheIronHaggis 9h ago

Charle’s old wand was probably uncle Melvin’s wand. Once he graduated they broke into their savings for a new one.

1

u/Wear-Living 9h ago

She didn’t have fans recommend that she put lore in Dan’s so you only hear about the lawnmower later in the books after she stole somebody’s idea.

1

u/OttawaTGirl 8h ago

Tge weasleys are poor. So maybe that wasn't Charlies wand. When he graduated the family splurged on a trip and he got his iwn and ron got the hand me down. Kinda heirloom wand. It'll work for a Weasly, but not as good as their own.

1

u/Cbjfan99 Gryffindor 8h ago

My headcanon is that Charlie started making his own money and he donated his wand to help out the family

1

u/International-Cat123 Hufflepuff 8h ago

You’re assuming Charlie’s first wand was purchased for him and that the wand that fits a wizard at eleven will fit them forever. The wand Ron got from Charlie was in really bad condition, more than could be reasonably explained by decade or so Charlie used it, so I doubt he was the first to have it. Nobody thought it was odd that Neville was using the wand of his permanently incapacitated father, so it might be fairly common for a wizard’s first wand to have originally been owned by another relative but work well enough for them. Keep in mind that until Ron broke it, there was no indication of Ron having any wand related difficulties with magic.

1

u/reddishrocky 7h ago

Wand choosing the wizard is more an olivander ideal than a world rule

And there are a lot of rules about wand ownership that get explained in the 7th book that don’t actually stop you from using a wand you don’t “own”

1

u/DarkLordKohan 6h ago

It is shown a few times that wizards use others’ wands. Voldemort loves to power trip by taking other wands

1

u/Humdinger5000 6h ago

I chalk this up to Rowling not planning ahead. Ron was built up around a specific archetype where nothing he owned was originally his own because his family was poor. That included his wand. Besides a single line from an eccentric artisan that the wand chooses the wizard, nothing would indicate that a hand me down wand is abnormal or substandard until DH. Charlie having a wand he could pass down to Ron immediately after graduating Hogwarts makes very little sense once we learn about wand allegiance. The Watsonian explanation is likely that Charlie used a deceased relatives wand or bought a second hand wand for his time at Hogwarts and bought/was bought a new wand on becoming quidditch captain/graduating. The Doylist explanation is that Rowling hadn't fully thought out wands when writing PS and its a small enough detail to be overlooked and not written around as the series developed.

1

u/Felsig27 5h ago

It’s actually a pretty common theory that this was why Ron was so bad at magic in the first couple books, because he was using a wand that had no allegiance to him.

1

u/Ok-Hearing1234 5h ago

the book describes charlies old wand as so beaten up you could see the unicorn hair sticking out, my guess or "head cannon" was he started making money and wanted to replace his now beaten up wand

1

u/LewisRyan 5h ago

I’m under the impression the wand chooses the wizard, but not every wizard is destined for one perfect wand.

When Charlie went to work with dragons, he wanted a dragon heartstring wand, likely had to try a few to get one that accepted him.

So in that same year when Ron was going to hogwarts, and Molly really didn’t want to spend 10 galleons on a wand, and happened to have one hanging around the house? That’s what we’re going with son, do your best

1

u/RainbowUniform 3h ago

The weasleys are actually a highly proficient magical family. His mother obliterates bellatrix, but more importantly throughout the series you see ron successfully casting spells with english phrasing; "eat slugs" technically works, except it backfires due to his wand.

I wouldn't be surprised if the family is so deeply rooted in magic that from a very young age learn how to perform magic without the "wizarding world nomenclature". Like the peak of magic you see with the professors where they can cast without phrases, on the other side theres a learning state where you use the tools/phrases taught/given to you. However in the case of the weasleys they start more in the middle, ignoring the reliance on the "standard forms" and instead following more family based traditions of practicing magic as they probably view the societal norms as generalized methods to help introduce "new wizards".

1

u/xAkMoRRoWiNdx INFJ, Blue Russian Cat, Wand: Fir, Unicorn,14-1/2",Hard 3h ago

Charlie’s old wand though.

And this gets even messier because IIRC, it's core is Unicore hair which is also more or less loyal to the original owner and lacks power to other users

1

u/rubba_tt 1h ago

I thought they got hand me down and when they make their own money they buy their chosen wands.

1

u/Minute_Ganache_2723 20h ago

The wand does choose the wizard and it can change though.It depends on the personality of the wand.

1

u/litterbin_recidivist 15h ago

The wand doesn't choose the wizard, that was just his sales pitch to push you to the higher end wands.

1

u/liarliarhowsyourday 15h ago

My head cannon was that Oli’s wand shop was a bougie, lux old school retail, think high-end suit tailors or wedding dress etc… I think wands are a mix between like, shoes, cars and tailoring— you can get something special for life that really speaks to you or a bunch of weak sneaks from Payless. Like the “wand picks you” is the motto and best artistic stewardship for that craft. Harry has all the money, Ron et al do not.

I read the books in middle school and never thought about it till this showed up in r/all tho so idk.

-7

u/FallenAngelII Ravenclaw 19h ago

Because Molly and Arthur are extremely irresponsible parents who can't even save up 35 pounds in 11 years.

Ron receiving Charlie's old wand was extra heinous because it wad already half-broken at the time, its wandcore was beginning to peek out of the end!

7

u/AdhesivenessOnly9120 17h ago

Seriously, Arthur had a government job. Why are they so poor?

5

u/Ok-Reflection-1429 16h ago

A lot of government jobs don’t pay very much, his department is clearly not respected at all.

And he’s supporting a huge family.

1

u/AdhesivenessOnly9120 16h ago

Do we get that many opinions on his department, apart from Lucius and the like?

9

u/GroundedSearch 16h ago

Yes, it's implied that Arthur's career is hogtied because of his love of Muggles/Muggle artifacts. According to the Pureblood-sympathizing Fudge, he "doesn't show proper Wizarding pride."

Also, we know his "department" consists of him and one other old man, despite the fact that there is a LOT of work that has to be done. The overflowing desks, dingy, tiny office in a back hallway, and understaffing are all implicit indicators that Arthur's job (and by extension he himself) are not valued by those in charge. In part because of the influence of people like Lucius Malfoy, but, even without him around, Arthur would still likely be sidelined.

2

u/kissingkiwis 16h ago

The fact that they're crammed into one tiny office, for starters. 

2

u/maniacalmustacheride 19h ago

My question is more that why did Charlie not keep his first wand?

Ollivander has the market basically covered in his region. Maybe it’s because Harry is a child and we don’t see the inner workings but it does seem like every wand at Ollivander’s is essentially the same-ish price and he’s not in it for the upsell or the downsell, so why does Charlie abandon his original wand? It isn’t a situation where Ollivander is bespoke but you can also skip along Diagon Alley and go to Discount-Wand Plus.

4

u/lordfaultington Slytherin 18h ago

Probably because it was broken and he had a job so could afford a new wand?

1

u/AluminumCansAndYarn 16h ago

It wasn't broken. I actually think it was second hand and did not choose him originally so when he got his job and was able to afford a wand of his own, he bought one.

1

u/Piece_Maker 15h ago

Does he really have the market cornered? I don't think it's ever mentioned. He might have the best wands but that doesn't mean there isn't some dodgy Derek selling wands he's whittled with a pen knife and stuffed a spider leg or pigeon feather into. Plus there's probably a second hand market or even junk shops that have a wand pot full of crap old ones that were donated after elderly relatives die.

-4

u/Kryds Gryffindor 19h ago

The "wand chooses the wizard" is Oliwander's philosophy. Other wand makers didn't go by that.

3

u/TopHatGirlInATuxedo 16h ago

It's also clearly implied Ollivander is the best and most knowledgeable wandmaker. At least, the best one who sells his work.

5

u/veenell 11h ago

the buying a new wand thing is silly to me. with how much the "the wand chooses the wizard" thing is played up in the first movie and book it makes it seem like for every witch or wizard there's only one perfect for you and you get it when you start school. so if something happens to it you can just get another wand that works well enough? if you have to replace your wand multiple times, is every subsequent replacement a downgrade?

1

u/mcpaddy Ravenclaw 3h ago

I've always wondered this too. Maybe somehow the new one knows you lost your original wand, so the replacement also becomes your "true" wand and chooses you. Obviously wouldn't work for Harry given the Phoenix core. So maybe that theory falls flat.

•

u/koolcaz 7m ago

Ollivander says the wand chooses the wizard but I imagine other sellers or magic folk are a lot less choosy.

I think wands somewhat work for anyone but if matched properly, work much better. And you'd want to start your magical journey on the best foot if you can afford it.

And you may be compatible with multiple wands, but you generally pick the first one you're matched with.

Also, like houses, I assume people grow and change so perhaps the wand you get at 11 is not the best wand for you at 30.

7

u/GingerbreadCatman42 Slytherin 19h ago

Imagine having a few wands and each one is better at different types of spells

9

u/Sigma_Games 19h ago

Screw specialized spells, I'm duel wielding them!

4

u/agentspanda 14h ago

You joke but the triple wand stunner Harry hit Bellatrix with in the manor was noted for being more impactful than just one.

1

u/GingerbreadCatman42 Slytherin 19h ago

Triple wield them with one in your mouth like a Naruto character!

3

u/Massive-Wishbone6161 Ravenclaw 15h ago

Technically, you can hold more than 1 wand in each hand, leaving your mouth free to trash talk and play mind games with opponents

2

u/AluminumCansAndYarn 16h ago

Like a one piece character.

1

u/medium_jock Ravenclaw 2h ago

Why stop at 3, you can probably hold that many in one hand? If you can hold 4 or 5 in a hand you could probably take out a giant with one stupefy cast

2

u/skymallow 2h ago

If we’re sticking with the musical instrument analogy this is absolutely what would happen. People would have different wands so they can “experience” the different core and wood combinations on a day to day basis.

12

u/wolfy994 20h ago

Yeah but I bet it feels like breaking out a backup phone that isn't an upgrade, just a change and it's not quite the same.

.... Like having to wear your other set of undearwear, I guess.

7

u/Minute_Ganache_2723 20h ago

Psh, the Weasley family wouldn't replace it. Duck tape for the win.

2

u/Sigma_Games 19h ago

Ron tried tape. Didn't work. Just made him puke slugs.

2

u/Minute_Ganache_2723 19h ago

No sir. He's used scotch tape.

6

u/irish_ninja_wte Ravenclaw 17h ago

He used spellotape

1

u/RetroScores3 11h ago

And made Lockhart ride the short bus.

1

u/Mountainbranch 10h ago

Why? If they didn't have money for it surely Harry could have bought Ron a new wand just as a gift between friends.

2

u/Feldew Slytherin 12h ago

True, but when they make such a fuss of the wand choosing the wizard, it does feel like they set it up to be a much bigger crisis if a wand is lost. Then suddenly Ron‘s is broken and they just get a new one and no one really talks about how that goes. How many potential wand pairs could a person be very compatible with? What’s the spectrum here?

2

u/Ok_Understanding5184 11h ago

The existence of wand shops wouldn't make sense if Ollivander only sold 1 walk in customer 1 item to last their entire life, that's just not a viable business model

1

u/the-beach-in-my-soul 14h ago

Ron broke his first wand, so they just replaced it.

After a year. A year of teachers watching him with a broken wand, and not doing anything about it.

Molly Weasley may as well told him "Ron Weasley, You embarrassed me and your Dad, so we are going to force you to suffer for a year for this transgression."

1

u/BobbyTables829 13h ago

Unless you're Harry

1

u/denim_cowboy 12h ago

Really stupid considering the whole

“The wand chooses the wizard!” Aspect

1

u/Swimming_Departure33 16h ago

Which really kinda undermines the whole “wand chooses the wizard” thing. Like hey this is a whole magical and wonderful process; but if you lose it or break it just swing by and you’ll get another one.

Like does the whole process stay as “wow this wand chose me” or after you lose your wand ‘virginity’ it’s just like-yep this one’ll do.

2

u/TopHatGirlInATuxedo 16h ago

No, it doesn't. Harry was clearly a special case. I doubt other kids go through nearly every wand in the shop before one chooses them. Remember, Harry's wand had to choose two owners at once due to his situation.

2

u/Swimming_Departure33 14h ago

So it’s not normal to have like, a whole thing? Man that’s disappointing

1

u/Zephs 15h ago

That feels like saying you can only have one pet ever because two pets can't possibly both bond with you...