Proper Wand Care

A wizards wand from Alivan’s is not just a piece of wood wrapped around a magical element. It is the extension of that wizard’s mind and arm that allows a wizard to control and direct their powers. Unfortunately, many a wizard, young and old, neglect their wands and administer poor wand care… Please read on!

Introduction

In the following article, fellow wizards will discuss wand care. You will find various tips, and informative dos and don’ts that will help keep your wand as powerful and effective as the day you brought it home from Alivans. Throughout this article, remember my words," A wand is individual to each wizard, from magical core, to wood, to the filthy prints around it. The first is essential, the second is aesthetic and the third is disgraceful." Your wand reflects you, now let’s see if we can help you project the right image!

Polish, Polish, Polish

The first thing that anyone will notice about your wand is its wood exterior: oak, maple, mahogany etc. are all common woods used in the art of wand making. Because your wand spends most of its time in your pockets (business wizards), your kitchen counter (stay at home wizards), rolling around your desks (students), and in your hands, it is no wonder that your wand will eventually become the victim of multiple scratches, abrasions, not to mention loads of nasty finger prints. Your wand will require polishing! Now, the quick-fix many wizards (especially students) like to use is to grab a handful of their robes and wipe their wand clean. Although this may seem effective, it is but a temporary solution, and does nothing for scratches and abrasions. That is why we recommend the use of WAND CREAM. We believe the Alivan’s Wand Care Kit includes the best choice for an essential wand cream! Other things may lead to cracks that will eventually cause irreparable damage to your wand’s magical core and in essence ruin what was otherwise a perfectly functional wand.

We are often asked what is the best way to apply wand cream. Although this is an easy process, we must admit that by applying a small amount to a soft cloth or sponge and gently stroking the wand in the direction of the wood leads to maximum absorption and protection. The scratches and abrasions will disappear in seconds and your wand will resist fingerprints for up to 8 days. Much more effective than a handful of your robe don’t you think? We recommend using a quality wand cream every 2-3 weeks.

Wand Storage

It’s late…do you KNOW where your wand is? In the pockets of your robes? Tsk, tsk! Just as you need rest at the end of a long day, so does your wand. Your wand core was once a part of a living, breathing, magical entity: never forget that. Too many wizards leave their wands lying around which can not only be dangerous in the case where young children may be around but it is in the long term bad for your wand. Your wand should retire every night to a cool, dry place. Say, for instance, the ACTUAL BOX you purchased your wand in! That box wasn’t just for transportation home, it is meant to serve as a simple and easy way of wand storage. It is HOME…so to speak.

Why the big fuss you say? Well it is believed that a wand’s magical element loses its powers at a regular rate as it is exposed to air and airborne contaminants. Many house witches who have a tendency of leaving their wands in their apron pockets or out on the kitchen counter notice that after a few years, they need to pronounce their incantations louder and louder or articulate their words greatly as their wands’ cores are becoming useless. We recommend that you save yourself this hassle by placing your wand back into its box at the end of the day.

What To Do When Wand Meets Core

Yes, it’s almost impossible, strange, odd and nearly unlikely, but what do you do when you’re about to duel a really evil dark wizard, and your wand begins to act strange? What do you do when you and your opponent send spells at each other at the same time, and the spells connect your two wands? This is the result of a shared core by you and your opponent, and has only happened twice in history.

The first time was in 1457, when Petric Malloy challenged his half brother, Martin Pronce to a duel. This duel resulted in the loss of conscience in both parties due to a bad Consci spell. Instead of knocking them both out of consciousness, the caster of the spell (Dina Sanwood cast it after seeing the two go at it) pronounced it wrongly and this resulted in generation after generation of Malloy’s and Pronce’s that were very mean. What do when this happens: Don’t panic, simply do what the ghosts out of your opponents wand tell you to do – and if the ghosts are coming out of your wand prepare to duck because you’re the bad wizard!

Keep The Wand Flexible

Like many other kinds of equipment, a wand left idle can become stiff and unwieldy. The magical energy that flows from the will of the wizard or witch through the wand can become clogged and stale. The wand is like an extension of the owner’s will. It should feel as natural to use the wand as it is to use one’s arm. The best way to assure that the desired relationship between the wizard and the wand will continue to grow as a living entity is to use the wand regularly.

Here are some of the more common symptoms from lack of use and what they may mean:

1. The wand develops a hum or vibration. This can become so severe that the wand becomes difficult to hold. The wand may have come into conflict with another wand made with a similar substance inside. Sometimes, after VERY extreme battles or confrontations, a wand may continue to hum or vibrate. The best solution when this happens is to take the wand to an expert and have it’s energy cleared out.
2. The wand seems to lose power. The wizard can perform spells but it takes more effort than it should. It could be that the wizard has become lackadaisical and perfunctory in his performance of magic. If the will isn’t single-minded in it’s concentration, it is not likely to evoke a powerful response in the wand. Another possible cause of this problem could be that another wizard has been handling the wand and diluting its power. A “priori incantatem" spell would be useful in ascertaining if this has happened.
3. The wand backfires on the wizard and the spell is directed to him instead of towards the person it was supposed to be directed to. Make sure your wand is in top physical condition. Protect the wood against harm and make sure there are no holes in it which expose its inner substance.

Besides keeping the wand in top functioning condition and in alignment with the wizard’s will, daily use will alert the wizard to any early signs of malfunctioning so the problem can be addressed before it reaches crisis proportion.

Wand Theft

Wand theft or use of another’s wand without their permission is a very serious offense and holds the penalty of 3 years in the worst of wizard prisons. Remember a wand is only as good as its user, and each wand is specifically designed for that one person only. Some of the greatest disasters on earth – such as earthquakes, great fires, and floods – have been caused by many a thief’s inability to control the power of their purloined wand.

Despite the dangers and consequences that wand theft poses, a black market for wands has developed in the past century. There is great money to be made in selling wands to other magical creatures who are curious about the power of witches and wizards. In the following passage you will learn what to do in case of the theft or loss of your own wand.

What To Do In Case Of Theft Or Loss Of Wand

1. Contact the Ministry immediately and report the missing wand along with its characteristics (length, wood type, magical elements) and where you had it last.
2. Don’t Panic and go out and buy a new wand right away. If you are in dire need of magic, it is better to go out and use a temporary rental wand for at least a week before buying a new one. Sure it won’t be as good as your own wand, but in two out of three cases the missing wand is found and the thief apprehended. Give the Ministry time to do its job.
3. Keep all other members of your family on wand lockdown. The person who stole your wand might be after theirs too.

Prevention of Wand Theft is easy. Don’t leave your wand unattended and don’t wave it about, flaunting it to any waiting thief to snatch up. You might want to invest in a wand guard, a spell that prevents others, excluding yourself from using your wand. It is a little pricey, but in the long run, worth it. Also, available at a cheaper fare are a few wand booby traps which sound alarms such as howls or sparks when a wand is touched by another person.

Proper Handling Of Your Wand

It is most important that you always handle your wand in the proper way, or it will, no doubt, lose magical life, become broken, or worse.

You should ALWAYS hold your wand at the right end. Accidents will occur should you become careless with which end you grab your wand, and you might end up turning yourself into a kangaroo or worse. See next line for an explanation of ‘worse’.

‘Worse’ would be hitting yourself in the face with a nasty hex or curse. I do not think I need to elaborate.

Your wand is a very important part of your magic. Without a wand you can do very little, if any, hocus pocus. I like to consider my wand a living powerful creature, and I hold the highest respect for it. You would do well to take a leaf out of my book, and do the same.

Your wand will always protect you. It will never fail you as long as you handle it properly. Here are just some of the things you should NEVER do with your wand…
Use it for duels.
Pick or scratch any part of your body.
Use it to find things lost in the sand.
Kill anything from the bug family.
Toast marshmallows on the end of it.

Remember, your wand is a part of you. You should respect it as you would yourself. Handle and treat it in a proper fashion, and you will always be able to count on it to execute perfect magical spells.

May all your spells be good ones.
ALIVAN’S

**This article reprinted with permission from the HOL Slytherin Library.**