In Harry Potter with the recent question (How much do wands cost?), we know how much a wand costs which is 7 gold galleons. What if the young wizard family can't afford that? Like the Weasleys were always poor, that seems like a big push for them to be able to afford that much for each child's wand.
asked Jan 11, 2019 at 15:32
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Somewhat related and possible dupe.– TheLethalCarrot ♦Commented Jan 11, 2019 at 15:37
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14Then they can't afford it. A Porsche chose me, but I ended up not getting one– ValorumCommented Jan 11, 2019 at 15:49
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1Purely conjecture, but I would think wizards would be careful to not try out wands they can't afford, because surely that would be a "you break it, you bought it" situation. If a wand chooses a person as an owner, it is now irrevocably altered such that any other person who wants the wand would have to defeat the person the wand originally chose.– KaiCommented Jan 11, 2019 at 16:04
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2@Kai Harry is having wands randomly shoved at him by Ollivander, and isn't told the cost until purchase.– SkoobaCommented Jan 11, 2019 at 16:56
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4If you're really going to assume that all wands cost 7 galleons (a premise I disagree with), then a shopper is unlikely to even try to buy a wand if they don't have that much to spend.– RDFozzCommented Jan 11, 2019 at 17:37
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3 Answers
They’d likely get a secondhand wand.
Though it’s not what most wizards would consider optimal, and it wouldn’t be quite as good to cast spells with as a new wand that chose them, wizards who can’t afford to buy a wand that chose them could buy or otherwise get a secondhand wand instead.
“Most witches and wizards prefer a wand that has “chosen” them to any kind of secondhand wand, precisely because the latter is likely to have learned habits from its previous owner that might not be compatible with the new user’s style of magic.”
- The Tales of Beedle the Bard
Hogwarts students are required to have a wand, but they’re not required to have a new wand. Instead of a wand that chose him, Ron got Charlie’s old wand, so the Weasleys didn’t have to buy him a new one.
“You never get anything new, either, with five brothers. I’ve got Bill’s old robes, Charlie’s old wand and Percy’s old rat.”
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 6 (The Journey from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters)
Neville had his father’s wand when he was going to Hogwarts.
“Neville kicked aside the broken fragments of his own wand as they walked slowly towards the door. ‘My gran’s going do kill be,’ said Neville thickly, blood spattering from his nose as he spoke, ‘dat was by dad’s old wand.”
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 35 (Beyond the Veil)
Hogwarts students don’t have to buy new wands.
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1I gave you a +1 because the answer was pretty nice to read (as usual), but I wonder if OP didn't mean to say: "what happen about the wand that chose the guy who can't get it". Then again, I wonder if I should flag the question as unclear. Commented Jan 11, 2019 at 20:28
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1@Clockwork Thanks, I’m glad you like my answer! :) Maybe that’s what OP meant - I interpreted it as being about what the wizard and their family would do if they couldn’t afford the wand that chose them, rather than about what happens to the wand itself, but I don’t know for sure what OP intended to ask.– ObsidiaCommented Jan 11, 2019 at 20:36
Hogwarts covers the cost for those who can't afford the necessary school supplies. From Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Chapter 12 Silver and Opals Dumbledore's first meeting with Tom Riddle.
“Yes, sir,” said Riddle again. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking; his face remained quite blank as he put the little cache of stolen objects back into the cardboard box. When he had finished, he turned to Dumbledore and said baldly, “I haven’t got any money.”
“That is easily remedied,” said Dumbledore, drawing a leather money-pouch from his pocket. “There is a fund at Hogwarts for those who require assistance to buy books and robes.
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3Seems like a bit of a leap from "books and robes" to necessary school supplies considering there is probably a large price difference from those two to a wand.– TheLethalCarrot ♦Commented Jan 11, 2019 at 15:47
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20@TheLethalCarrot If the wizarding world is anything like the Muggle one, textbooks probably cost more than a wand does. Commented Jan 11, 2019 at 15:51
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4@TheLethalCarrot They might. However, Dumbledore doesn't say that Hogwarts has a store of second-hand/loan books and robes, he says that Hogwarts has a fund to help students buy books and robes. It might be a stretch to expand that to all school supplies, but I don't think relative cost is a good argument against that being the case. Commented Jan 11, 2019 at 15:58
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3A wand is masterfully crafted by a leading wandmaker. Books are mass produced by a press. Commented Jan 11, 2019 at 16:00
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3@Skooba The Weasleys being too proud to ask for assistance isn't out of character at all. They may also not qualify, depending on how much Arthur earns; he's probably not paid badly at all, but having seven children means you're stretching that a long way. Commented Jan 11, 2019 at 17:06
Well in the Wesley case Ron used one of the eldest boys' wand/family wand. It was said that when bill and charlie were older and gotten a job they bought their own wand. It is said that the boys in school shared several items. Using a family wand wasn't too uncommon either because Nevil used his dad's wand for the first few years.
