Garrick Ollivander

"The wand chooses the wizard, Mr. Potter. It's not always clear why. But I think it is clear, that you will do great things."

- Ollivander to Harry Potter

Garrick Ollivander (b. 25 September, in or prior to 1921 ), usually known just by his surname, "Ollivander", is the proprietor of Ollivanders Wand Shop in Diagon Alley. Ollivander is widely considered the best wand maker in the British wizarding world, and many wizards and witches buy their wands from him.

In 1996, Ollivander was captured and tortured by Lord Voldemort. Ollivander was rescued in 1998 by Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Dobby.

Early life
Garrick Ollivander was born to Gervaise Ollivander, a wizard, and his his wife, a Muggle-born witch, on the 25th of September, presumably in or before the year 1921. He came from a long line of wandmakers who began making wands in England in 382 B.C.. He attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was Sorted into Ravenclaw.

Career as a wandmaker
His shop sign said his family has been making wands since 382 B.C. Ollivander is a well-known and respected wandmaker and is said to provide nearly all first-year students attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with their first wands, a minority preferring to buy elsewhere.

Sometime into his career, in around 1938, Ollivander sold Tom Riddle his wand.

Harry Potter's wand
"Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember.... I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter.... After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things — terrible, yes, but great."

- Ollivander to Harry about his wand

Ollivander supplied Harry Potter with a wand, and as he did so, he told Harry a few facts about wands. He explained that a wand has a core, in Harry's case a Phoenix feather. He told Harry that the body of the wand is made from a choice of different woods with different magical properties. Ollivander said he made a similar wand using another feather from the same phoenix, but using a different wood. Harry's wand is holly, which symbolises protection, rather than Voldemort's yew, which suggests poison. He also explained that the wand chooses the wizard, rather than the other way around.

1994-1995 Triwizard Tournament
As a very recognised wandmaker, Ollivander was asked to inspect the wands of the champions in the 1994-1995 Triwizard Tournament before the competition started, to make sure they were all working properly.

Attempted robbery of his shop
"ALEXANDRA WALKER CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED ROBBERY AT OLLIVANDER'S."

- Daily Prophet headline.

In 1996, Alexandra Walker attempted to rob Ollivander's shop. She could not, however, and she was arrested. This event made Daily Prophet headlines.

Kidnapped by Death Eaters
"Oh no - not Ollivander's, everybody got their first wands from here."

- Hermione Granger upon discovering Ollivander's shop abandoned.



In 1996 Ollivander was kidnapped by Voldemort's Death Eaters, leaving behind an empty, locked up shop and no signs of a struggle. It is believed that the last wand he sold was to Neville Longbottom. It was later revealed that Ollivander was captured by Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters and was held prisoner at Malfoy Manor. He was tortured by Lord Voldemort for information regarding the twin cores of Harry Potter's wand and his own. Ollivander told him that he merely needed to use a wand other than his own to face Harry Potter.



After using Lucius Malfoy's wand and seeing its destruction when faced with Harry Potter and his Phoenix wand, Voldemort rounded on Ollivander for an explanation of why Harry's wand acted as it had. Although he had no answer to give since no wandmaker had ever witnessed such an event, Ollivander was tortured again by Lord Voldemort and questioned about the most powerful wand in existence, the Elder Wand.



Harry Potter and his friends were later captured and taken to Malfoy Manor, where they were reunited with Mr. Ollivander, Dean Thomas and Luna Lovegood. Ollivander was subsequently rescued by Harry and his friends and was taken with them when they made their escape from Malfoy Manor with the aid of Dobby, the house-elf. He seemed to bond with Luna during their captivity together as he says that she was "an inexpressible comfort [to him] in that terrible place".

"The wandmaker was lying on the twin bed farthest from the window. He had been held in the cellar for more than a year, and tortured, Harry knew, on at least one occasion. He was emaciated, the bones of his face sticking out sharply against the yellowish skin. His great silver eye seemed vast in their sunken sockets. The hands that lay upon the blaket could have belonged to a skeleton"

- Description of Ollivander at Shell Cottage, showing his mistreatment in Malfoy Manor

Ollivander was taken to Shell Cottage, where he recovered from months of imprisonment and torture, and then departed to Muriel's house, where he remained in hiding for the rest of the war. He later created and sent a new wand to Luna Lovegood.



Study of the Elder Wand
As with other wandmakers, Ollivander makes it his business to study the mystifying Elder Wand in depth, such as its history and distinctive characteristics. Unlike Hermione Granger, he believed that the Elder Wand was not a myth or tale, and showed great enthusiasm with the powerful object despite the fact that it was dangerous and has had a bloody history. When held captive by Lord Voldemort, he was forced to relate all information he had known about the powerful wand. He also revealed that the last person rumoured to own the wand was Gregorovitch, a foreign wandmaker, though he did not believe the rumour and thought that Gregorovitch spread it to boost his business. The same information was also related to Harry Potter after he and his friends rescued him from the Malfoy Manor.

Personality and traits
"An old man was standing before them, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop."

- Harry Potter meets Ollivander

Ollivander is an intelligent man, with an excellent memory when it comes to his work; he remembers the details of every wand he ever sold. He seems to become happier, the more difficult the challenge to find exactly the right wand for a difficult customer. He uses a magical tape measure to help assess customers for their wand.

He has a professorial enthusiasm for wandlore and so is immensely learned in it. A less savoury aspect of his personality is that his fascination with wandlore sometimes eclipses his sense of right and wrong: he is so fascinated with what a powerful wizard can do when matched with the right wand that he becomes detached from the good or evil nature of their actions. A prime example of this would be Tom Marvolo Riddle, a.k.a. Lord Voldemort. Even after the First Wizarding War, Ollivander remembered him as having done "great things" with his wand - "Terrible, yes, but great". An even more extreme example was during the Second Wizarding War, when Ollivander, having just been rescued from a year of imprisonment and torture at Voldemort's hands, was briefly enthralled by the thought of what Voldemort might do when matched with the Elder Wand.

However, Ollivander still values his own life and well-being, and he divulged information to Voldemort whenever threatened with death and tortured by the Cruciatus Curse. The wandmaker feared the Dark Lord's wrath, and begged for mercy when informed that his (Ollivander's) advice about using another wand was incorrect.

Magical abilities and skills

 * Wandmaker: In Great Britain, the Ollivander family members were considered the best wandmakers in the country.
 * Non-verbal magic: Ollivander may have had the ability to perform non-verbal spells, as no incantation was mentioned when he conjured smoke rings in 1994.
 * Apparition: He could Apparate, but failed in 1998 at Malfoy Manor due to enchantments placed on the cellar.
 * Transfiguration: He is skilled with conjuration, a difficult branch of transfiguration, conjuring flowers, birds, smoke rings, and wine in 1994.
 * Duelling: It is quite reasonable to say that Ollivander was a skilled duellist in his time due to his ability in wandlore and ability to identify spells easily. His knowledge of Wandlore would also have assisted him as he is familiar with the weaknesses and strengthes of different wands.

Harry Potter
Ollivander heard Harry when he defeated Lord Voldemort in 1981. He saw Harry in 1991 and made his wand. Its phoenix feather and Tom Riddle's wand was from the same phoenix, Fawkes, and Ollivander was surprised when he saw this.

Ollivander's relationship with Harry Potter grew after the Skirmish at Malfoy Manor when Harry rescued him from imprisonment and during their subsequent stay at the Shell Cottage.

Luna Lovegood
Ollivander also developed a close relationship with Luna Lovegood, for she was a comfort to him during their imprisonment in Malfoy Manor. Ollivander later repaid her kindness by creating a new wand for her.

Lord Voldemort
Ollivander was afraid of Lord Voldemort, and referred to him as You Know Who like almost all other wizards. Later he was kidnapped by Death Eaters. Voldemort tortured Ollivander by Cruciatus Curse to learn about his wand's relationship with Harry's wand.

Behind the scenes

 * Ollivander comments that he remembers every wand he's sold. This might indicate a form of photographic memory.
 * Ollivander is one of the only people before Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone who knew Voldemort's real name. He said in the first book he knows that Voldemort's wand caused Harry's scar. While this is not stated in any explicit way, the very fact that Voldemort has only ever had one wand (except for his use of the wand of Lucius Malfoy and the Elder Wand very late in life) would ensure that Ollivander would have sold him a wand at age 11, when he still used his former name.
 * In a 2009 interview, John Hurt, who portrayed Ollivander in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, confirmed he would reprise his role in both Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows films.
 * Ollivander's first name, Garrick, was revealed via his shop in Pottermore.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game)
 * Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4
 * Harry Potter LEGO Sets
 * Pottermore

Notes and references
Ollivander Олливандер Ollivander Olivander