Wand

A wand is a tool used in the Harry Potter universe to channel magical powers. Most spells are done with the aid of wands. It is possible to do magic without a wand, but is very difficult and requires much concentration and power. Only advanced wizards can perform magic without the use of wands.

Materials
Generally, wands are long, thin rods of wood with a magical substance embedded into their core. The woods used are Cherry, Holly, Hornbeam, Mahogany, Maple, Oak, Rosewood, Willow and Yew. The cores that have been documented so far are Phoenix feather, Dragon heartstring, Veela hair, and Unicorn hair. Another important characteristic of a wand is its length. Wand lengths can range from very short to very long.

Wand and Wizard
In almost all documented cases, the wand chooses its wizard. This is due to the unique character of each wand, which must match that of the wizard, as the wizard will not be able to perform magic if his and his wand's characters conflict. When trying out different wands, an aspiring wizard may cause some damage when he encounters wands that don't get along with him.

A popular but unconfirmed theory suggests that the wand's length is directly proportional to the wizard's height: the longer the wand, the taller the wizard, and the shorter the wand, the shorter the wizard. Examples of this have been found, as in Dolores Umbridge's short wand, and Ron Weasley's long one.

Makers
There are many makers of wands, but the best known, and most experienced in Britain is Ollivander, who has been making wands since 382 BC and runs a shop in Diagon Alley, London. Regretfully, Mr. Ollivander has been missing since 1996[HP6], and a replacement has not yet been found.