FeIt was indeed strange.
The glowing red "rope" looked only about two or three inches long, yet it could connect the ten-inch wand body from end to end—not in a straight line, but snaking through the air. Harry saw clearly that the cross-section of the wand was engraved with various symbols, all glowing faintly red.
He had no idea how much time had passed—maybe minutes, maybe hours—when the glowing "rope" finally reached the end of the split wand. The body, which had been snapped in two, rapidly fused back together.
"Is that... done?" Harry asked, his voice dry as he swallowed nervously.
"Almost," Robert said without turning his head. His eyes were fixed on the wand. At the same time, he waved a hand. "You'd better step back. I don't know if it'll explode this time."
The moment he spoke, Harry and the others stumbled backward. Neville and Seamus nearly collided, mostly because their legs were numb from standing too long.
At that point, they were seriously considering leaving. But before they reached the door, a harsh scraping sound cut through the air.
Creak. Creak. Like someone sawing wood.
To their horror, the wand suddenly floated into the air and started to shake violently.
In a trance, Ron saw the shadow of a strange creature.
It was no taller than twenty inches, its grayish-brown skin as rough as bark, and most notably, it wore a scarlet hat that looked soaked in blood.
The creature let out a shrill roar and swung a wooden club violently.
"Crack!"
Someone slapped Ron hard on the shoulder, jolting him awake.
"Run! It's a Red Cap!" he shouted, reaching out to grab Harry.
"What are you talking about? What Red Cap?" Harry yelled, confused, as Ron yanked him so hard he almost fell.
With no better idea, Seamus and Neville jumped in to help restrain the flailing Ron.
Together, they managed to subdue him.
They were back in their familiar dormitory. Through the walls, they could faintly hear laughter from the common room.
"Where—where's the Red Cap?" Ron rubbed his eyes and looked around in confusion.
"What Red Cap?" Harry let go of Ron's arm. "There's nothing here. What's gotten into you?"
"But I clearly saw..." Ron rubbed his eyes again. "Did I imagine it?"
"You didn't imagine anything," Robert said calmly, drawing everyone's attention.
He looked at Ron thoughtfully, then turned to the wand on the table.
"It's surprising. I thought it would explode, but it completed the fusion. You saw the true form of the wand core."
He picked up the wand and inspected it.
Holly, Red Cap nerve, ten inches
Status: Perfect
Properties: Curse success rate +5%; Blasting Curse success rate +10%
By Merlin's beard...
Robert's grip on the wand tightened slightly.
Two properties. The bonuses were small and didn't even warrant individual names, but still—two positive attributes!
Robert glanced at Ron again. After a moment's thought, he held the wand out.
"Want to try it?"
"Ah?" Ron blinked. "Me?"
"Yes," Robert nodded.
Ron didn't hesitate. He jumped up, wiped his sweaty palms on his robes, and took the wand.
He had dreamed of having a new wand.
Even though this wand technically wasn't his, at least it was new.
"Try it," Robert encouraged.
"Try what?"
"A spell. The one you're most familiar with."
"Oh," Ron licked his lips and cleared his throat.
"Daisies, sweet butter, and sunshine.
Turn this broken table yellow."
Buzz…
A flash of light shot out, and the brown table instantly turned bright yellow.
"Oh my goodness!" Ron slapped a hand over his mouth, eyes wide in disbelief. "It actually worked!"
Harry looked just as stunned. He had seen Ron try the same spell on the train. Back then, nothing had happened.
Why had it succeeded now?
"Looks like you're a good match for that wand," Robert raised an eyebrow. "Want to buy it? I'll give you a great discount."
"How much?" Ron's eyes lit up.
"Seven Galleons," Robert said. "That's the new student price."
The light in Ron's eyes faded. He set the wand back on the table reluctantly.
"I don't have any money. Not even seven Sickles," he muttered, face flushing red.
"I'll pay for you!" Harry said at once. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of shiny gold coins.
He had plenty—piles of it in Gringotts. Buying a wand for Ron was nothing.
"No! You don't have to!" Ron quickly grabbed Harry's arm, face going even redder.
"And... I already have a wand. I don't need another one."
If he hadn't kept sneaking glances at the table, Harry might've believed him.
But Ron refused, no matter what, and Harry couldn't force him.
"It's okay, I'll keep it for you," Robert said, taking the wand. That ended the awkward standoff.
"I'll put it in Ollivander's later. You can buy it anytime."
"Okay!" Ron nodded eagerly, licking his lips.
"You must keep it for me," he added urgently.
Seeing Robert agree, Ron perked up again. He apologized for the commotion, along with Harry, Neville, and Seamus, and they left the dormitory.
The celebration outside wasn't over yet. They still wanted to grab food and drink some Butterbeer.
Only one person remained.
Robert took the wand out again and reflected on what had just happened.
He was too familiar with the shaking frequency and the sharp sounds from earlier. It had been the classic signs of an imminent explosion.
Yet at the last moment, all abnormalities vanished.
Even more astonishing, Ron had seen the Red Cap—the actual creature linked to the wand core.
That kind of resonance only happened when a wizard and a wand had an incredibly high compatibility during wand-making.
It was almost unheard of under normal circumstances.
Wandmakers always worked alone in quiet, undisturbed places. Other wizards weren't supposed to be nearby.
But Robert's case had been unique.
He hadn't expected success at all. He had only wanted to reassure his classmates—and justify his decision to live alone.
He wanted them to understand how dangerous his work was. That it could explode at any time. That his solitude was for their safety.
He'd thought it all out.
But he hadn't expected it to succeed.
After failing for a month, he had finally made a working wand.
"Because of Ron?" Robert muttered, remembering the words he'd heard a thousand times before.
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