Garrick Ollivander
Origin: Harry Potter
Hair:
Eyes:
Species: Human
Birthday:
Parents: Gervaise & Wife
Grandparents: Gerbold & Wife
Residence: Main Street 22 (15/6)
Occupation: Wandmaker; Runs Ollivander's in Main Street 22 (15/6)
Affiliation:
Talent: Magic
Medical notes:
Sports/Instruments:
Languages:
Import Date: 5
Pets:
Garrick Ollivander (b. 25 September[1] pre-1909)[2] was a half-blood[1] wizard who 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 bought 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 Dobby. After he was rescued, he imparted important information regarding wandlore to Harry, helping Harry in his understanding of the Deathly Hallows.
Biography
Early life
Garrick Ollivander was born to Gervaise Ollivander,[11] a wizard, and his wife, a Muggle-born witch,[1] on the 25 September,[1] in or before the year 1909.[2]
The Ollivander family had 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, probably arriving in Britain with the Romans and set up a shop, to sell wands that were superior to the unreliable, poorly constructed ones fashioned by British wizards at the time.[12]
Garrick Ollivander attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in his youth, where he was Sorted into Ravenclaw House.[1] He became a fan of the opera diva Zenith Xeep and followed her career ever since he was "a lad".[13]
Career as a wandmaker
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.[12]
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.[12] Mr Ollivander believed that doing so altered the wand's temperament,[14] and he revolutionised the way wands were crafted by having cores of immensely powerful magical substances expertly enclosed in specially selected and complementary wand woods, with the result being that the wand would be matched to an owner that the wand itself felt an affinity for.[12]
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.[12]
As with other wandmakers, Ollivander made 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.[10]
Sometime into his career, in the summer of 1938, Ollivander sold Tom Riddle his wand.[5]
Physical appearance
When first meeting him, Harry Potter described Garrick Ollivander as an old man with pale silvery eyes and white skin.[6][7] However, after he was kidnapped by Voldemort's Death Eaters, Ollivander's appearance changed for the worse as a result of the torture and maltreatment he suffered at the hands of Voldemort along with his two-year imprisonment in Malfoy Manor. By the time he was rescued, he became emaciated, with yellow skin, his facial bones sticking out, skeleton-like hands, and vast, sunken eyes.[10]
Personality and traits
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.[5]
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 could do when matched with the right wand that he became detached from the good or evil nature of their actions.[5]
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".[5] 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.[10]
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.[10] 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.[10]
Magical abilities and skills
Wandmaking/Wandlore: Garrick Ollivander, just as other Ollivander family members, was considered as the best British wand-maker, and arguably the finest wandmaker in the world,[12] with an immense knowledge of wandlore. He was very knowledgeable of the different magical properties possessed by different wands, in particular relation to their woods and cores.[5][14][10]
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.[5]
Business: Ollivander also possessed excellent business skills, being highly able to successfully operate and manage his own wand shop for at least sixty years.[5]
Non-verbal magic: Ollivander had the ability to perform non-verbal spells, as no incantation was spoken by him when he produced silver smoke rings in 1994. Given the high level of difficulty required in the casting of spells non-verbally, this shows he was a wizard of very impressive magical skills.[14]
Transfiguration: He was highly skilled with conjuration, a highly difficult and complex branch of transfiguration, as he was able to successfully conjure flowers, birds, and wine in 1994.[14]
Charms: Ollivander was able to produce a non-corporeal Patronus Charm,[8][9] a mark of superior magical ability given the immense difficulty required in the casting of the spell. He was also proficient with the Knockback Jinx.[34]
Wand versatility: In 1994, Ollivander used Cedric's, Fleur's, Viktor's and Harry's wands, each with successful effect.[14]
Apparition: Like most accomplished adult wizards, he could Apparate, but failed in 1998 at Malfoy Manor due to enchantments placed on the cellar.[28]
Possessions
Wand: Mr Ollivander's own wand was made of hornbeam wood with a dragon heartstring core.[1]
Wand shop: Mr Ollivander took over the family wandmaking business, and thus was the successful owner of this shop for at least sixty years.[1]
Magical tape measure: He owned a magical tape measure which he used to measure wands before selling them to his customers.[5]
Peacock: He kept a peacock as a pet.[34]
Flipendo spellbook: He owned this spellbook which contained information on and how to cast the Knockback Jinx, which he kept in his shop.[34]