Mister Harry-James-Potter's Wand

> Harry had waved what felt like every wand in the shop, until at last he had found the one that suited him — this one, which was made of holly, eleven inches long, and contained a single feather from the tail of a phoenix. Mr Ollivander had been very surprised that Harry had been so compatible with this wand. "Curious," he had said, "curious," and not until Harry asked what was curious had Mr Ollivander explained that the phoenix feather in Harry's wand had come from the same bird that had supplied the core of Lord Voldemort's.
>
> Description of Harry Potter's wand, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

**Harry Potter's wand** was 11" long, made of holly, and possessed a phoenix feather core. This was described by ***Garrick Ollivander*** to be an unusual combination of wand core and wood. The feather was donated by Fawkes, Albus Dumbledore's phoenix.Template:Wand
It was revealed by Garrick Ollivander that Tom Riddle's wand core also came from Fawkes, making the two wands "brothers". Harry's wand was described as being "*nice and supple*".
Harry's wand was broken in 1997, but was repaired by him after the 1998 Battle of Hogwarts. Usually the repair of a wand is impossible, but with the use of the Elder Wand it was achievable. It can be assumed that Harry continued to use his wand after this, as he was incredibly fond of it.

## History

### Purchase

> The wand chooses the wizard. That much has always been clear to those of us who have studied wandlore... These connections are complex. An initial attraction, and then a mutual quest for experience, the wand learning from the wizard, the wizard from the wand.
>
> Ollivander explaining wands' connections to wizards, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

 File:Harry gets his wand.gif
Harry obtained his wand from Ollivander, at a price of seven ***Galleon***s, just before his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He had tried out many other wands first with little success, but felt a warm feeling upon being handed the holly wand. Despite his wand being brothers with Lord Voldemort's wand, noted by Ollivander after Harry's wand had been chosen, Harry generally did not put much thought into this connection at first, regarding the relationship as something that the wand could not help, any more than he could help being related to his aunt ***Petunia Dursley***.

### Use at Hogwarts

> ...there's no point pretending that you're not good at Defence Against the Dark Arts, because you are. You were the only person last year who could throw off the Imperius Curse completely, you can produce a Patronus, you can do all sorts of stuff that full-grown wizards can't, Viktor always said... Harry knew how to do stuff even he didn't, and he was in the final year at Durmstrang.
>
> Hermione Granger regarding Harry's magical abilities, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

 File:Stag Patronus.png  Harry wielded this wand throughout his Hogwarts career and demonstrated his growing magical skill, particularly in Defence Against the Dark Arts and duelling. Harry has also performed powerful magic with this wand, such as the very advanced Patronus Charm (at age thirteen),

#### Stolen

When Harry entered the Chamber of Secrets and confronted a fragment of Lord Voldemort's soul via his diary Horcrux, the manifested soul took the wand that Harry dropped when he rushed to an unconscious Ginny Weasley, and used it to write his full name in fiery letters and then reorganised them into the phrase "I am Lord Voldemort". Harry reclaimed the wand once he destroyed the diary.

#### Brother wands

Template:Dialogue a-b-a-b

When Lord Voldemort returned and forced Harry to duel him in the ***Little Hangleton graveyard***, the rare magical effect of *Priori Incantatem* was triggered. Their wands recognised each other as "brothers" and refused to attack one another.

A battle of wills began, and Harry's wand forced Voldemort's to regurgitate its spells, resulting in the emergence of the spirits of: Harry's parents, ***Bertha Jorkins***, ***Frank Bryce***, and the recently murdered ***Cedric Diggory***. After Harry broke off the connection, they lingered for a while to hinder Lord Voldemort and the ***Death Eaters***. This gave Harry enough time to escape.

## Wandlore

 File:HBP-Photoshoots-harry-potter-22934533-1868-1400.jpg
Holly is one of the rarer kinds of wand woods; traditionally considered protective, it works most happily for those who may need help overcoming a tendency to anger and impetuosity. At the same time, holly wands often choose owners who are engaged in some dangerous and often spiritual quest.

Harry's wand was well suited to him, in a lot of ways a perfect match. Harry had a notorious temper, that at times made him somewhat terrifying to his friends. He also was shown to be impulsive, making many decisions on the fly. Harry faced a spiritual and dangerous quest when he, Ron, and Hermione went a hunt for Voldemort's Horcruxes. This quest tested his limits and shook the faith he had in himself and those around him, but at the same time made him a stronger individual.

Holly is one of those woods that varies most dramatically in performance depending on the wand core, and it is a notoriously difficult wood to team with phoenix feather. The wood’s volatility conflicts strangely with the phoenix’s detachment. In the unusual event of such a pairing finding its ideal match, however, nothing and nobody should stand in their way.

Harry's wand contained a phoenix feather core, along with the previously mentioned holly wood. Harry was able to perform extraordinary feats with his wand and displayed a relentless determination, proving true the statement that nothing and nobody should stand in the way of this unusual paring of core and wand ***wood*** with its rightful match.

## Other wands

Harry Potter owned several different wands up until the end of the Second Wizarding War, though only his holly and phoenix feather wand was considered truly his. Other wands included:

 File:HermioneGrangerWandNN8411.jpg   | Vine, dragon heartstring, 10¾"
 Snatcher's wand
 File:Blackthornwand.jpg   | ***Blackthorn***, 10", core unknown
 Draco Malfoy's wand
 File:Draco Malfoy Wand.jpg   | Hawthorn, unicorn hair, 10"
 Elder Wand
 File:The Elder Wand.JPG   | Elder, thestral tail hair, 15"
 Voldemort's wand Template:Comment File:Lord Voldemort's wand.jpg   | Yew, phoenix feather, 13½"

## Behind the scenes

 File:Harry Potter's wand WU.png
* In Template:DH, when Harry, Ron, and Hermione are captured by the Snatchers in the forest, Greyback searches Harry and it is just seen that he finds his broken wand and throws it away.
* For film adaptations, Harry's wand measured approximately 14 inches long, as opposed to 11 inches in the books.
* In Template:PS and Template:COS, Harry's wand is a smooth wand (similar in design to Draco Malfoy's wand or Lucius Malfoy's second wand) unlike the tree-trunk style wand in movies 3-8. Director Alfonso Cuarón offered actors Daniel Radcliffe (Harry), ***Rupert Grint*** (Ron), and ***Emma Watson*** (Hermione) a selection of new wands to choose from, that would reflect their character's personality better. Designers liked Daniel's choice of a tree-trunk style wand, as it was more magical. It can also be said that they are smooth in the beginning because they're rather new, having only served their masters for some months and later transformed to match their masters. This theory can be supported with reference to Garrick Ollivander's statement that wands "learn" from wizards and vice versa.
* Harry's wand is #963 according to Template:PS when Garrick Ollivander chooses this wand off the shelf.
* Holly wands are said to be suited to wizards who need assistance overcoming anger issues, and those engaged in a dangerous and spiritual quest. Harry Potter dealt with overcoming anger in his adolescent years, partially caused by a shared connection with Lord Voldemort through the fragment of soul Voldemort accidentally left inside Harry. He was also prophesied to be the one to kill Voldemort, and engaged in a ***year-long hunt for Horcruxes*** in an attempt to fulfil this prophecy. Ollivander also noted that a mix of holly and phoenix feather, if properly matched, would result in a nigh-unstoppable wizard.
* In the films, Harry's wand is made from a medium-dark wood despite holly being a pale wood.
* When Prince William visited Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden he participated in a short duel with his wife Kate Middleton and used Harry's wand to do so.
* The wand is part of the Wizarding world franchise logo.
* J.K. Rowling's drawn design for Harry's wand in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child included a reference to "veins" on the handle.

### Author's comments

J. K. Rowling has explained her choice of holly for Harry's wand wood:

"*It was not an arbitrary decision: holly has certain connotations that were perfect for Harry, particularly when contrasted with the traditional associations of yew, from which Voldemort’s wand is made. European tradition has it that the holly tree (the name comes from ‘holy’) repels evil, while yew, which can achieve astonishing longevity (there are British yew trees over two thousand years old), can symbolise both death and resurrection; the sap is also poisonous. Some time after I had given Harry his holly-and-phoenix wand I came across a description of how the* **Celts** *had assigned trees to different parts of the year and discovered that, entirely by coincidence, I had assigned Harry the ‘correct’ wood for his* **day of birth***. I therefore decided to give Ron and Hermione Celtic wand woods, too... I liked having a hidden connection between Harry, Ron and Hermione’s wands that only I knew about (until now, anyway).*"
## Appearances

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## Notes and references

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1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `PS5`
2. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `COS17`
3. ↑ Harry Potter Wand with Ollivanders Wand Box at The Noble Collection
4. ↑ Pottermore - Behind the scenes: How the wands were made
5. ↑ https://www.pottermore.com/news/a-guide-to-the-wands-in-the-new-wizarding-world-logo