Hogwarts: Don't call me Wandmaker

Chapter 53 The Impatient Weasley Brothers
This action was so exciting for Xi Lun that he was not sure whether he heard someone shouting in the castle.

Of course, it could also be the sound of the wind, or some other sound.

Fortunately, Ciarán did not meet Filch or Professor Sprout in the end and returned to the Gryffindor common room safely.

"If you do that again, I'll tell the professor!" The Fat Lady threatened as she opened the passage to the common room.

Xi Lun pretended not to hear.

The Weasley brothers had told him long ago that the Fat Lady was just talking and it was impossible for her to tell the professor about the young wizards' night outing, as this would also cause trouble for herself.

What surprised Xi Lun was that it was already early in the morning and the lights were on in the common room.

Then Xi Lun realized that it was Fred and George. They were sitting in armchairs, fiddling with a pile of junk that they had found from somewhere.

Faced with the sudden appearance of Xilun, they were very calm, after all, they had known about it for a long time.

"We were just saying you'd be back soon." Fred turned and glanced at Xiren.

"What do you have in your hand?"

"Branches," said Xi Lun.

"You violated school rules and ran out of the castle in the middle of the night just for a branch?" George didn't quite understand.

Aren't these things everywhere? Why would I need to go out in the middle of the night and risk getting caught?
"This is a branch from the Whomping Willow." Xi Lun emphasized and walked over to sit in the armchair opposite them.

"Is there anything different?"

"It's priced at three Galleons an ounce, twice as expensive as the same weight of dragon blood."

"How much?" Fred and George stood up at the same time, even their voices changed.

"An ounce?"

"Are you sure you said three Galleons, not three Knuts?"

"That's right, it's Galleons." Xi Lun nodded, "And even if it's three Galleons, you might not be able to buy it if you want."

Siren had asked his grandfather Garrick Ollivander before, and he learned that there was only one Whomping Willow in the whole of Britain, and there were no more than ten in the entire wizarding world. Its rarity was equivalent to that of the phoenix among Fantastic Beasts.

Currently, there is only one phoenix in the UK, Fox.

So this thing is really expensive, and Xilun really can't afford it, otherwise he wouldn't have to take the risk.

As for asking the principal for permission...even his grandfather couldn't do it, let alone Xilun, a freshman.

Professor Sprout had a veto over the matter, and even Dumbledore's words were of no use—even though he had planted the Whomping Willow there.

At the same time, after receiving Xi Lun's affirmative answer, the Weasley brothers' eyes almost turned into the shape of Galleons.

"Oh..." Fred groaned, "What have we all missed..."

They knew there was a Whomping Willow in the school, but they had never paid much attention to it. Now it seems that it is actually a glittering golden tree.

Oh, no, if we calculate it based on three galleons per ounce, it would have to be a bit bigger if converted into gold.

The two looked at each other and rushed out without saying a word.

Xi Lun didn't even react. When he came to his senses and chased after them, the two had already disappeared into the dark corridor.

Why are you in such a hurry? At least let him finish what he is saying... Xi Lun returned to the common room with some trepidation.

It's impossible to stop him, I hope everyone is okay.

Siren returned to his original seat and looked at the pile of things on the table in front of him: a chipped plate, a faded old tapestry, moldy parchment... He didn't know where the Weasley brothers had found these rubbish.

After thinking about it, Xilun changed his position again and took a serious look at tonight's harvest for the first time.

The leaves withered instantly the moment they hit the ground, and now only a gray-brown branch remains. The bark is rough and hard, but it doesn't feel as heavy as imagined in the hand, and feels similar to oak.

Xi Lun gestured with his hands again. It was not very long, about twenty inches. It would definitely be enough to make one wand, but it would be a bit of a stretch to make two.

Xi Lun looked at it for a while, and since he was not sleepy at all, he simply carried out some preliminary processing on the branches here.

The first thing is to remove the rough skin. This time, Xilun did not choose to use the cutting spell. He had a better choice.

"Sieve out the impurities!"

The tip of Xilun's wand glowed with a warm yellow light, and then a breeze wrapped around the branches like a spirit snake, swirling and moving forward. Wherever the wind passed, the dust, stones and small branches on the branches were all swept away.

"Fusion into one!"

This time it was a silvery-white light. The originally rough bark seemed to be squeezed by an invisible force and gradually became flat and smooth.

Gregorovitch, the most famous wand maker in Eastern Europe, usually does not retain the bark on the wands he makes, as he believes that rough bark will affect the conversion of magic.

Ollivander is completely different from him on this point, and Siren is no exception. He believes that comprehensive integrity is far more important than a single advantage.

Using magic to completely integrate the entire branch is a time-consuming and laborious process, but it is a necessary step.

Half an hour later, the branches of the whomping willow had shrunk significantly, and the originally rough bark had become as smooth as marble.

This completes the first step.

But before Xi Lun could make any further move, he heard a rustling noise coming from the entrance of the common room.

Fred and George returned, their heads drooping, and crawled listlessly down the passage.

Yes, they crawled in, not only were they covered in dust and dirt, but George's robe was torn into a big hole, revealing the dirty blue sweater underneath.

As soon as they came in, the two men fell to the ground, gasping for breath.

"It has a really hot temper... doesn't it?" Fred tilted his head and looked at Xi Lun quietly. "You really should have told us earlier."

"Who made you so anxious? You ran away before I could say anything." Xilun shrugged.

"Who could resist this?" George said darkly. "I finally understand why the Whomping Willow is so valuable... It's even scarier than a dragon."

"You should feel lucky," Siren said. "This Whomping Willow was planted in the school and has been 'spoiled' by Professor Sprout for more than a decade. Its aggressiveness has long since degenerated by more than half. Otherwise, you would have turned into fertilizer by now."

"Stop talking." George seemed to have thought of something terrible, his face turned pale, but he felt more annoyed and regretful.

"Actually, I saw some branches break when the big guy tried to hit me on the head," Fred sighed, "but the noise from the Whomping Willow woke Hagrid."

"Professor Sprout is here too. We don't have time to pick it up, so we have to come back first."

"Wait, have you been discovered by the professor?" Xilun couldn't help but ask.

“She didn’t see us,” George said. “Maybe she thought some animal had upset the Whomping Willow.”

"I hope so." Xi Lun said, but he cleaned up everything on the table as quickly as possible and walked towards the dormitory with the branch that had completely changed.

Professor Sprout might not have seen them, but what if he did? Then the ghosts would go to each college to check the situation, and it would be too risky to stay in the common room.

……

(End of this chapter)