5

The Dark Lord has forced Mr. Ollivander to make a wand specifically for Peter Pettigrew. Does Mr. Ollivander do that service to ordinary paying customers?

I am asking this because the question How does a wand choose its new owner if the wand was created for the owner? seems to assume this. But we only see a wand sold once, to Harry Potter, and it isn't custom made to him.

(Note: this question previously said that Mr. Ollivander was forced to make a wand for the Dark Lord himself. That was my mistake. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows chapter 24 is clear enough that Ollivander was forced to make a wand for Peter Pettigrew. The Dark Lord, meanwhile, intended to get the Elder Wand, after he figured that ordinary wands will no longer be enough for him.)

Improve this question
6
  • 1
    Didn't he make one for Luna or something?
    – ibid
    May 17, 2017 at 9:52
  • 5
    Ollivander made Luna a new wand after Dobby took them away from Malfoy Manor. There's nothing to say that Ollivander does this on a regular basis, or as a business practice. Having said that, all the wands in his shop he makes himself, so he's clearly capable of doing so.
    – DisturbedNeo
    May 17, 2017 at 9:57
  • 2
    Ollivander also makes a new wand for Peter Pettigrew, which he described as "brittle"
    – fez
    May 17, 2017 at 17:18
  • 1
    When does Voldemort get Ollivander to make a wand for him?
    – ThruGog
    May 18, 2017 at 6:43
  • 1
    @ThruGog Never. I read the book wrong. He makes one for Peter Pettigrew, like fez says.
    – b_jonas
    Dec 19, 2017 at 0:27

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
2

I think the only known instance of this is when he makes Luna a wand (EDIT: and Wormtail) because he no longer has access to his shop because it never actually says Voldermort forced him to make a wand, one of the 3 (can't remember who) instead says, "What does he need Gregorovitch for as he has Ollivander tied up to make him a wand" (not actual quote, just the gist of it). However, he clearly can make wands because he has made all the wands in his shop.

Improve this answer
2
  • I think you're right. In Hallows chapter 24, Ollivander says he was forced to make a wand for Peter Pettigrew, not for the Dark Lord. (The Dark Lord wanted information about the Elder Wand instead.) I'll edit the question.
    – b_jonas
    Dec 19, 2017 at 0:24
  • Good point about Peter @b_jonas
    – 13ros27
    Dec 19, 2017 at 7:53
3

I would say Yes, it is fair to assume that some people custom ordered wands from Ollivander's Wand Shop; however, it would be limited to the vast minority of picky and rich customers as the average witch/wizard would happily accept whichever wand was in stock that best suited/chose them (Ollivanders wands are quite varied and very well received after all).

All canon instances of people getting a custom wand did not have access to his main stock, however it does show the motive as to why some people might make a custom order. In each of these cases, the person already had another wand they had grown up with that for one reason or another they couldn't/wouldn't use anymore, and the limited wands available were significantly different to what they were used to, in these cases Ollivander making a new wand that was very similar to what they were used to was a far better fit.

We learnt from Harry's wand purchase that compatibility varies in terms of how well your wand suits you. This is shown by Ollivanders comments at how Harry's wand was a particularly good match, implying others may not match so well with their designated wands; Now, imagine a rich brat who lost their wand and the when testing the wand that best chose them, they find that it still feels a bit odd, and they can not cast charms quite as well as they used to. It is quite probable that they might ask Ollivander to make one that was the same as their last wand, (obviously it wont be exactly the same, but I mean they demand another 10", Hawthorn, unicorn hair wand if Ollivander doesn't have any of that specific type in stock.

An argument against this could be that any specific new wand will be very unlikely to choose the witch/wizard however, I think it is quite the opposite. Admittedly there is not so much known about why and how wands choose wizards but here is my reasoning. Firstly, multiple wands can choose one person, Harry even had 3 that had chosen him at one point. Extending on this, I would even say that there is a difference between ownership of a wand, and the wand choosing/showing that it is compatible with a particular witch/wizard, as it is not a 1:1 relationship with one wand that will choose you in the world, simple mathematics show that it is quite common to find a compatible wand. So if you have a wand of the same type as your old one that is specially made by Ollivander to suit you.. well lets just say I would be damn surprised if it was not suitable.

99% of customers are probably going to be more than happy with whichever wand Ollivander finds that best suits them. However, if we consider the feeling of missing the familiarity of your first wand, it is quite reasonable to assume that there would be some more rich/perfection seeking customers may make a custom order for a wand with the same parameters as their old one, and any shop owner who gets enough requests like this would be foolish to not make it an option, albeit a more expensive one.

Improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.