Garrick Ollivander

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

- Harry Potter meets Ollivander

Garrick Ollivander (b. 25 September, pre 1908 ) was the proprietor of Ollivanders in Diagon Alley during most of the 20th century. Ollivander was widely considered the best wandmaker in the world, and many wizards and witches buy their wands from him.

In 1996 Ollivander was captured and tortured by Lord Voldemort. He was rescued in 1998 by: Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Dobey the House elf.. He imparted important information regarding wandlore to Harry, it helped him in his understanding of the Deathly Hallows.

Family heritage
Ollivander's family have long been associated with the profession of wandcraft. The surname means 'he who owns the olive wand' which is of Mediterranean origin, suggesting that the family emigrated to Britain from elsewhere. Mr Ollivander believes that his ancestors arrived in Britain with the Romans and set up a stall and eventually a shop, to sell newer and improved wands to British wizards who had poorly constructed wands that were unrealiable.

Early life
Garrick Ollivander was born to Gervaise Ollivander, a wizard, and his wife, a Muggle-born witch, on the 25 September, in or before the year 1907.

He attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in his youth, where he was Sorted into Ravenclaw House.

Career as a wandmaker
"Renowned wandmaker Mr Ollivander owns the wand shop Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands Since 382 BC in Diagon Alley. His shop is widely considered the best place to purchase a wand."

- Description



Ollivander grew up in the family business, and showed precocious talent in wandmaking. Soon, he developed an ambition to improve upon the cores and wand woods he made and developed a determination to pursue the ideal wand.

Before Garrick Ollivander's proprietorship of Ollivanders, wizards used a wide variety of wand cores; the customer would often present their wandmaker with a magical substance to which they were attached, and he would turn it into their wand core. Mr Ollivander believed that doing so altered the wand's temperament, and he revolutionised the way wands were crafted by having cores of immensely powerful magical substances expertly enclosed in specially selected and complementary wandwoods, with the result being that the wand would be matched to an owner that the wand itself felt an affinity for.



While there was initially substantial resistance to this new way wands were made, it soon became clear that wands made by Ollivander were far superior to any others. His methods of locating wand woods and core substances, marrying them together, and matching them to ideal owners were all jealously guarded secrets that were coveted by rival wandmakers.

Sometime into his career, in the summer of 1938, Ollivander sold Tom Riddle his wand.

Shortly before the 1984–1985 school year, Ollivander sold a wand to a soon-to-be student of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, just like he did their brother before them.

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 regarding 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 is symbolic of death. He also explained that the wand chooses the wizard, rather than the other way around. Immediately after Harry left the shop, Ollivander sent a letter to Albus Dumbledore informing him of the wand's sale.

1994-1995 Triwizard Tournament
"May I introduce Mr Ollivander? He will be checking your wands to ensure that they are in good condition before the tournament."

- Wand weighing ceremony



On 13 November, 1994 Ollivander presided over the Wand weighing ceremony during the Triwizard Tournament at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. 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. While he found no problems with any of the wands' performance, he expressed doubts of Mykew Gregorovitch's styling of Viktor Krum's wand and the use of Veela hair as a core in Fleur Delacour's wand.

Attempted robbery of his shop
In 1996, Alexandra Walker attempted to rob Ollivanders. She could not, however, and she was arrested. This event made Daily Prophet headlines.

Kidnapped by Death Eaters


Sometime around July, 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 one of the last wands he sold was to Neville Longbottom, as he disappeared the next day. Ollivander was captured by Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters and was held prisoner at Malfoy Manor, where he was forced to make a new wand for Peter Pettigrew. 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.

Skirmish at Malfoy Manor and escape


Harry Potter, his friends, and Dean Thomas and Griphook, were later captured and taken to Malfoy Manor, where they were reunited with Mr Ollivander and Luna Lovegood. While in the cellar Harry noted that Ollivander was not looking well, due to being repeatedly tortured for a long period of time. Ollivander and the others were subsequently rescued by Dobby the House-Elf in the Skirmish at Malfoy Manor. Mr Ollivander seemed to have bonded with Luna during their captivity together, and thanked her for being "an inexpressible comfort [to him] in that terrible place".

Stay at Shell Cottage
"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 eyes seemed vast in their sunken sockets. The hands that lay upon the blanket could have belonged to a skeleton"

- Description of Ollivander's appearance after his mistreatment in Malfoy Manor



Ollivander was taken to Shell Cottage, where he recovered from months of imprisonment and torture. While at Shell Cottage he was interrogated by Harry Potter who wanted to know information about the Elder Wand that Voldemort was so obsessively searching for and to have a better understanding of the unique connection that existed between his wand and Voldemort's. He later departed to Muriel's house, where he remained in hiding for the rest of the war. He later crafted and sent a new wand to Luna Lovegood, in 1998. It is unknown whether Ollivander returned to his shop after Voldemort's final defeat.

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.

Physical appearance
When first meeting him, Harry Potter described Garrick Ollivander as an old man with pale silvery eyes and white skin.<ref name="eyes" / However, after he was kidnapped by Voldemort's Death Eaters, Ollivander's appearance changed for the worse as a result of the torture and abuse he suffered at the hands of Voldemort. After he was rescued, he was described to be emaciated, with yellow skin, his facial bones sticking out, skeleton-like hands, and vast, sunken eyes.

Personality and traits
"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 expressing his interest in what powerful wizards can do with wands

Ollivander was an intelligent man, with a perfect memory when it came to his work; he remembered the details of every wand he ever sold. He seemed to become happier the more difficult the challenge to find exactly the right wand for a difficult customer was. He used a magical tape measure to help assess customers for their wand.

Ollivander had a professorial enthusiasm for wandlore and was immensely learned in it. A less savoury aspect of his personality was that his fascination with wandlore sometimes eclipsed his sense of right and wrong; he was so fascinated with what a powerful wizard can do when matched with the right wand that he became detached from the good or evil nature of their actions. A prime example of this would be Tom Riddle, who became 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 valued his own life and well-being, and 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: Garrick Ollivander, just as other Ollivander family members, was considered as the best British wandmaker.
 * Non-verbal magic: Ollivander 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: Ollivander may have been 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 strengths of different wands.
 * Wand versatility: In 1994, Ollivander used Cedric's, Fleur's, Viktor's and Harry's wands, each with successful effect.
 * Eidetic memory: Ollivander was able to recite the precise details of every wand he ever crafted or sold. This eidetic — or photographic — memory of these details borders on perfect recall, a very rare ability.
 * Business: Ollivander also possessed a good degree of business skills, being able to operate and manage his own wand shop for at least sixty years.

Possessions

 * Wand: Mr Ollivander's own wand was made of hornbeam wood with a dragon heartstring core
 * Wand shop: Mr Ollivander took over the family wandmaking business
 * Magical tape measure: He owned a magical tape measure which he used at work
 * Peacock: He kept a peacock as a pet

Harry Potter
"I think it is clear that we can expect great things from you, Mr Potter."

- Ollivander to Harry during their first meeting

Like most of the wizarding world, Ollivander heard of Harry and his defeat of Lord Voldemort in 1981. He first met Harry in 1991 and sold him his wand. The phoenix feather in Harry's and Riddle's wands came from the same phoenix, Fawkes, something that Ollivander considered "curious". However, Harry was unsure whether he liked Ollivander due to the wandmaker's fascination by what Voldemort did with his wand, despite the terrible things he did with it.

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. Harry would go on to obtain vital information about the Elder Wand from Ollivander, which would later prove instrumental for bringing about the final defeat of Lord Voldemort.

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
"He tortured me, you must understand that! The Cruciatus Curse, I — I had no choice but to tell him what I knew, what I guessed —"

- Ollivander regarding how Voldemort tortured him to procure information about the Elder Wand

Ollivander was afraid of Lord Voldemort, and referred to him as "You-Know-Who" like almost all other wizards. He was kidnapped by Death Eaters and tortured by Voldemort for information about Voldemort's wand's relationship with Harry's wand. However, despite his fear and dislike of Voldemort, Ollivander was nevertheless fascinated by what Voldemort did both with his phoenix wand and the Elder Wand.

Behind the scenes

 * Garrick Ollivander is played by the late John Hurt in PS FA, and . He was originally set to appear in the  but the character's scenes were cut from the final film and have not been released.
 * Ollivander is one of the only people before PS undefined 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. It is possible that he somehow deduced the secret sometime before July 1991, be it through mere deduction or that Dumbledore himself told him, since Dumbledore did say that Ollivander contacted him to tell him that Harry had bought the only other wand in existence crafted with one of Fawkes's feathers. He might simply have recognised the wand in the hands of Lord Voldemort.
 * Ollivander's first name, Garrick, was revealed via his shop in.
 * In, Ollivander has no knowledge of the term "Deathly Hallows", being only aware of the Elder Wand, but not of its status as one of these fabled objects. In the film adaptation, , however, he is fully aware of the legend and even provides some information about it not provided by Xenophilius Lovegood. He denies the tale having any truth, however, until Harry forces him to admit that he told Voldemort about the Elder Wand.


 * On, there is a feature called "5 things we learned from Mr Ollivander".

Etymology
Garrick is an Old English name meaning "one who governs with a spear". Ollivander is of Mediterranean origin meaning "he who owns an olive wand".

Appearances

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Notes and references
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