Chapter 81: Luna and the Crumple-Horned Snorkack Sticker

"Big recommendation! For only five Sickles, you can make your wand stand out from the crowd!!"

At a corner of Diagon Alley, a girl with long pale-gold hair looked at the eye-catching colourful signboard before her; a flicker of curiosity passed through her silver-grey eyes, and she tugged at the sleeve of the man beside her.

"Daddy, I want to go take a look." Her voice was light and airy.

"Of course, dear." Xenophilius Lovegood said with a smile. "We're buying a wand anyway."

The two had just turned into the side alley when Xenophilius froze on the spot.

Before his eyes stretched a long queue, snaking out from the shop door, almost reaching the main street.

"Dear, did we wander into Flourish and Blotts?" He took off his glasses, gave them a vigorous rub with his robe, then put them back on.

Because a very famous wizard was holding a signing event in Diagon Alley, Flourish and Blotts had been queueing out the door since yesterday — exactly like the scene before him.

"No, Daddy, look — doesn't that say Ollivanders Wand Shop?" Luna Lovegood pointed at the small sign on the shop door in the distance.

"Ah, I see it…" Mr. Lovegood said blankly. "But since when does a wand shop need a queue?"

Although she didn't understand, Luna wanted to go inside, and waiting in line for a while didn't matter.

People kept walking out of the wand shop, and the queue moved forward bit by bit.

By now Mr. Lovegood had also noticed that the people coming out of the shop weren't all first-years — most were third-years and above, with a small number of adult wizards.

Even more striking was that every person, upon walking out the door, would immediately take out their wand, hold it up in the light to examine it closely, with an undisguisable look of joy on their faces — as if seeing a wand for the first time.

But a wizard of that age clearly couldn't be buying a wand for the first time — could they have switched to a new one?

But one person switching wands would be one thing — surely not this many people all switching? Since when did wands become a Consumable?

Full of questions, the two finally reached the very front of the queue, pushed open the door, and stepped into the narrow shop.

"Ding-ding…"

The bell on the door gave a clear, bright ring.

The shop's counter was split into two sections; on the left stood the Mr. Garrick Ollivander he knew, and on the right a young wizard he didn't recognise, who looked a little older than Luna.

"Oh, a first-year at last." Seeing the two of them, Mr. Garrick Ollivander's face immediately lit up with excitement.

He was so excited that he didn't give Mr. Lovegood's wand measurements right away — only remembering when he was measuring Luna's arm, and hurriedly making up for it.

"Mr. Ollivander, has something big happened recently?"

"What sort of big thing do you mean?"

"For instance… making a lot of people buy wands again." Mr. Lovegood said.

"Nothing like that, of course — the Wizarding World has been very peaceful." Garrick said. "But I think I understand what you mean."

"Silven, come explain."

"No problem." Silven looked at the father and daughter before him, and deftly took out a few items.

"We've just launched some wand decorations — currently stickers and dye sprays — affordable prices, very popular."

Mr. Lovegood looked at the stickers and bottles on the counter and said, "So all those people in the queue earlier were here to buy these things?"

"That's right." Silven nodded. "First-years get half off their first purchase — would you like to pick one?"

"How much?"

"Stickers are one Sickle after the discount, dye spray is five Galleons."

"One Sickle — that really isn't expensive." Mr. Lovegood nodded thoughtfully.

"And the dye spray is five Galleons." Silven reminded them, but received no response.

"Do you have Crumple-Horned Snorkack stickers?" Luna asked.

"What?" Silven turned his head, and for the first time took a proper look at the first-year before him.

Pale-gold hair, a pair of grey eyes slightly protruding, and an exaggerated carrot earring dangling from her ear.

"Crumple-Horned Snorkack." She repeated. "I saw outside that you can customise stickers of various magical creatures."

"For that I'd need you to provide a photo," Silven thought for a moment and said. "I've never seen a Crumple-Horned Snorkack — I can't just make one up from imagination."

"I've never seen one either," Luna said. "Daddy and I have been looking for it."

"That's right," Mr. Lovegood said with a smile. "It's a shame Luna's about to go off to Hogwarts, otherwise I might have taken her to the forests of Sweden to look for clues."

"Then I wish you find your Crumple-Horned Snorkack soon." Silven said with a smile.

"You've seen a Crumple-Horned Snorkack too, haven't you?" Luna walked up to Silven, ignoring the tape measure still measuring her shoulders. "Besides me and Daddy, you're the third person who's seen one…"

"No, I haven't seen a Crumple-Horned Snorkack — I already said so earlier." Silven shook his head.

"Then why didn't you argue with us?" Luna pressed on. "Everyone who hasn't seen a Crumple-Horned Snorkack argues with us and says the creature doesn't exist."

"Because someone once said, magic holds every possibility." Silven said. "I'd suggest writing a letter to Mr. Newt Scamander — he's the greatest expert on magical creatures, he's surely been to the forests of Sweden."

"That's a good idea," Luna said. "But I don't know Mr. Scamander's address — do you?"

"I don't know either," Silven said. "But it doesn't matter — maybe the delivery owl can find him."

Luna thought it over seriously for a moment, then nodded firmly.

"Okay."

"Daddy, I want to buy an owl."

……

In the end, Mr. Lovegood paid seven Galleons and one Sickle and left the wand shop… Luna had bought a unicorn sticker.

Just as the shop door was about to close, he couldn't help glancing back at the two behind the counter — especially Silven.

He had a feeling the boy was a bit odd, and his train of thought didn't quite run like a normal person's.

Sending an owl without knowing the address — how could that possibly get delivered?

It was only because Luna was kind that she didn't call him out on it to his face.

Still, an owl wouldn't be a bad thing to buy — it'd make it easier for him and his daughter to keep in touch. Hogwarts had its own messengers, of course, but your own were definitely more convenient.

……

After the two of them had left the wand shop, Garrick couldn't help but ask, "Silven, the horned beast they were talking about just now... what is that?"

The old wandmaker had dealt with magical creatures for decades, yet just now he hadn't understood a single word of what they were chatting about.

"Who knows, maybe it's some cousin of the Graphorn," Silven shrugged.

"Oh, I thought you knew."

"All for the sake of giving the customer a pleasant shopping experience, you see." Silven picked up the silver coin on the table.

Earning a bit of money isn't easy, you still have to humor little girls along the way.

……

(End of chapter)