The Olivander Clan is the oldest magic wand maker in the United Kingdom, having opened a wand shop in Diagon Alley, where almost every child attending Hogwarts has bought their first wand.
His purpose here was obvious—to inspect the champions' wands to ensure they're in good condition before the competition.
This tousle-haired, elderly man stood in the middle of the room, and everyone went up one by one to hand over their wands for inspection.
"Mahogany, twelve and three-quarters inches, dragon heart string... Ah, quite a pliable wand..."
Olivander said softly, with a wave of his hand, the tip of the wand sprayed out a golden spark.
"Well-maintained, no problem, child."
Olivander handed the wand back to Olga from the Kodostorians, the red-haired lad twitched at the corner of his eye upon hearing himself called "child."
Natalia walked over briskly and handed over her wand.
Vid, Harry, and Cedric sat together while waiting, Harry looked at Cedric's shiny wand, and quickly wiped his own wand with his sleeve several times.
"I forgot to maintain it recently." Harry said with a worried face. "Too many things going on, couldn't keep up."
"Luckily, I just polished mine last night." Cedric replied with a grin.
Vid glanced at them, fingertips gently spinning his own wand, occasionally exchanging a look with Rita sitting beside him.
Olivander checked the wands quickly, soon it was Cedric's turn, followed by Harry, who seemed extra excited, taking longer than the others, and finally it was Vid.
Vid initially believed Olivander had no impression of him, after all, back then he was just a regular newcomer from Muggle Society, with a wand of no special origin.
But when Vid approached with his wand, Olivander's eyes distinctly lit up, a smile stretched across his face, deepening the wrinkles slightly.
"Oh, it's you." He first eyed the wand, then focused on Vid's face, smiling. "I remember this wand—white poplar, unicorn tail core, twelve inches long, isn't it?"
"Yes." Vid handed the wand to Olivander, saying, "Your memory is truly astounding, Mr. Olivander."
"White poplar and unicorn tail hair are common wand materials, but their combination often struggles to find a fitting owner, this wand's demands are indeed very exacting."
Olivander lowered his head to examine the wand, his slender fingers slowly brushed over the smooth shaft.
"Excuse me."
The headmaster of Durmstrang, Karkaroff, suddenly leaned forward, eyes fixed on Olivander, saying, "I recall there's a rumor, white poplar and unicorn tail hair generally favor choosing wizards pure and kind of spirit, is that so?"
Olivander lifted his head, his silver-white eyes gazing at Karkaroff, like two transparent mirrors, clearly reflecting his internal thoughts.
"Yes." Olivander replied evasively, "Wands choose wizards in their own way."
"Oh, thank you for your answer."
Karkaroff felt he had gotten the desired answer, slowly sat back down, glanced at Dumbledore, his face revealing a confident yet relaxed smile.
The other headmasters and contestants in the classroom softened their gaze towards Vid, especially the girls, their looks gentle with a hint of amusement.
Vid didn't need to master mind reading to know that the friendliness of these people was because they perceived him as non-threatening, perhaps considering him a harmless little rabbit, like a saint who repays evil with virtue.
Vid glanced at Dumbledore, noticing the old man's calm and serene expression, seemingly oblivious to the intent behind Karkaroff's question.
Only Harry's expression was subtly peculiar, but, being small in stature, nobody noticed this scene.
"The wand is in good condition, child."
Olivander gently waved the wand, cold snowflakes materialized out of thin air, falling down from above everyone's heads.
Afterward, he returned the wand to Vid, then called out to the student from Uagadou—
"Babua Okondo, your turn."
Vid put away his wand and returned to his seat, Cedric looked at him regretfully saying, "Vid, did the Sorting Hat ever consider placing you in Hufflepuff?"
Vid: "..."
He secretly ground his teeth, resting his chin on his hand, seemingly casual as he said, "No one gets sorted based solely on their wand, right?"
"True," Cedric laughed relievedly. "I've never seen anyone pursue knowledge more than you."
"Indeed, that's why I'm in Ravenclaw." Vid said with a faint smile.
Inspecting the wands took over an hour, and then came the photography session. The photographer and Rita took great pains to capture the perfect photo, the positioning alone took a long time.
After the group photo, the judges left, but afterward, Rita dragged the champions one by one for individual shots, only those who've finished could leave the classroom.
Vid was left for last, and by the time he was done, only the three of them remained in the classroom.
"Henry, why don't you shoot a panoramic view of Hogwarts? I think readers would love to see the champions dining together at Hogwarts."
Rita Skeeter swiftly sent the photographer away, then took out a scroll of parchment and a quill, asking, "Mr. Gray, could I have a few minutes for a private interview?"
Vid glanced at Henry, who was stepping out with his camera, saying, "Of course."
"Oh, as far as I know, you're much younger than most contestants, what prompted you to partake in this tournament? You know many champions have perished in the past, right?"
Rita asked like a pro.
Vid feigned pondering, only speaking after Henry had left the room, "What would you like to tell me?"
"An interview, an interview!" Rita Skeeter waved the parchment in her hand, asking, "Have you forgotten, you owe me an exclusive interview?"
Vid: "... When?"
Just as he spoke, he vaguely recalled that he might've agreed to something similar.
"Hmm?" Rita Skeeter's eyebrows shot up high, "Do I need to extract my memory to help you remember?"
"Forget it, no need." Vid waved his hand, saying, "What would you like to ask?"
Skeeter looked into his eyes, suddenly changing her mind:
"Oh, on second thought, maybe I should save this interview opportunity for when you win the championship, the exclusive coverage would be more valuable then."
"You heard what Olivander said earlier," Vid reminded her, "My wand's material is white poplar mixed with unicorn tail hair."
"Indeed, but I trust my own eyes more."
Rita handed the stack of parchment to Vid, saying, "Here's the intelligence you wanted, there's a lot of big news recently, take your time reading it."