Robert was distressed. Last night, he had made a bold decision—one that came after slapping his own head in frustration. He would build a new home, a shelter against the wind and rain, for the poor Voldemort fragment.
In other words, he wanted to make this Voldemort fragment into a wand core.
Robert knew that this decision was extremely risky; even a small misstep could end with him becoming a snack for the Dementors. But what if he succeeded?
This idea had been lingering in his mind for a long time—perhaps since he was seven years old. That was when he first discovered that he could make many impossible materials into wand cores. And naturally, he thought of Voldemort. Then, one lazy afternoon while sunbathing with a full stomach and no responsibilities, another peculiar question had popped into his mind.
Before his resurrection, was Voldemort considered a wizard or a magical creature?
Originally, this was just a hypothetical musing, something to entertain his mind. Robert never seriously expected to find an answer. But now, the opportunity to test his theory had unexpectedly arrived—he had acquired a fragment of Voldemort.
Who could resist that?
Besides possessing unique methods and insight into crafting wand cores, Robert had one other major advantage:
He was a Hogwarts student.
That's right. This identity—one that almost all British wizards shared—was also his greatest source of confidence. If anything went wrong, he could run straight to the Headmaster and confess. Surely, Dumbledore wouldn't stand by and let a first-year student get dragged off to Azkaban by Aurors?
Admittedly, it was a bit shameless. But as long as it worked, it was still better than becoming roommates with Dementors.
And if he succeeded, he'd essentially be forging a new method to destroy Voldemort—a legitimate contribution to the wizarding world.
So, after hesitating for precisely one-third of a second, Robert made up his mind. He would try it. His first step was to choose a suitable wand body for the fragment.
Only when he began did he realize that this part was far harder than he had imagined.
First, he wove a net bag out of unicorn tail hair, placed the fragment inside, and suspended it in mid-air. Then, he carefully arranged various wand body materials around it.
But when he checked the setup the next morning, all the materials—including a prized piece of Whomping Willow—had been destroyed. Some were frozen solid, others had withered or corroded beyond recognition from the fragment's dark influence.
Robert's heart ached. That was the last remaining piece of Whomping Willow branch. Although it wasn't long enough to make a standard wand, it was still an incredibly rare and precious material.
Fred and George had almost been beaten half to death just to help him get it.
As a result, Robert sat in gloomy silence the next day while the rest of the school buzzed with discussion about Harry's recent heroics.
Somehow, the entire battle between Harry and Quirrell in the underground chamber had spread like wildfire across Hogwarts overnight. Even during yesterday's Quidditch final, many students hadn't watched the match; instead, they huddled in the stands, excitedly chatting about how Harry had defeated Quirrell.
Nobody brought up the two hundred points Harry had lost earlier in the term. Instead, gifts and sweets poured into the School Hospital for him.
Ron, too, was enjoying the spotlight. He told the story of how he had won the life-sized chess game at least eight times a day—and never once tired of retelling it.
"I honestly don't get what's so boastful about all of this," Robert muttered, listening to Ron brag once again in the common room.
Fred and George, recently discharged from the hospital wing, walked over to Robert.
"I've already heard five different versions," said George. "Each one more ridiculous than the last. You'd think the chess pieces were thirty feet tall."
"Mmhmm…" Robert replied absentmindedly.
"Should I try snake wood?" he thought to himself, still mulling over the failed experiment.
Voldemort claimed to be the Heir of Slytherin, and Slytherin's original wand was said to be made of snake wood. From that angle, it seemed like the fragment might be a perfect match.
But that was only a theory.
Snake wood was rare—far more difficult to obtain than Whomping Willow. The piece Robert had received was only twelve inches long. Even cutting off a small segment for testing required significant hesitation.
And most importantly, he wasn't sure if snake wood could endure the biting cold radiating from the fragment.
"Maybe I should ask a ghost how to handle this…" he muttered aloud.
"What was that about a ghost?" Fred asked, raising an eyebrow at Robert's quiet murmur.
"Ah, nothing," Robert shook his head. "I was just thinking—when you pass through a ghost, you feel really cold, right? I wondered if there's a way to fix that."
The Weasley twins visibly shivered at the memory.
They had experienced passing through ghosts before, especially during classes. It felt like jumping into the Black Lake on a snowy day—pure, bone-chilling cold.
That sensation had inspired them to invent something they called "Chilling Cloaks," but unfortunately, the sales had been dismal. Even during the hottest summers, wearing one made people tremble.
"Don't waste your time thinking about it," George said. "That kind of chill is just part of what ghosts are. Not even a Warming Charm helps. Best way to deal with it is to put a fireplace on the ghost."
"A fireplace would warm them up?" Robert asked, curious.
"Nope," Fred smirked. "But it'd make them easier to spot from far away—so you can run."
A fireplace… noticeable…
Wait.
Robert's eyes suddenly lit up. He abruptly stood and bolted past the twins, racing back to his dormitory.
He remembered something.
He, too, had a "fireplace."
One he could attach to a ghost.
"Found it!"
Five minutes later, Robert emerged triumphantly from his trunk, holding a piece of ancient wood carefully wrapped and hidden at the very bottom.
It was a thirteen-hundred-year-old piece of dragon blood wood, one of the gifts his grandfather, Garrick Ollivander, had given him before he started school. Robert had always been reluctant to use it.
The fragment of Voldemort had such unusual properties that it was almost impossible to find a matching wand body with the same affinity. So why not try something with the exact opposite nature?
Dragon blood wood grew in dragon nests—nourished for centuries by dragon fire. It naturally repelled ghosts. In fact, Robert had kept it hidden precisely because of that. Carrying it around at Hogwarts would make him a public enemy among the castle's many ghosts.
But at this point, he had no other choice.
First, he would perform a basic compatibility test. Robert snapped off a small piece of the dragon blood wood and placed it next to the suspended Voldemort fragment. After hesitating, he grit his teeth and broke off half an inch of the snake wood, placing it on the opposite side.
Done.
He rubbed his hands together and left the dormitory, giving the materials time to react.
If this still didn't work, he would have to consider letting a unicorn charge it again—hoping to reduce the "Voldemort content" in the fragment and dilute its influence.
But for now, he would wait.
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