In the first Harry Potter book, readers learn that the wand chooses the wizard, meaning that a particular element of the latter Harry Potter books don’t make any sense. With seven books and eight films under his belt, the Harry Potter the franchise has a lot of tradition and, for the most part, follows a pretty logical path. However, the sheer amount of world-building within the series also means that there are sometimes plot holes that make absolutely no sense. Unfortunately, one of these gaps centers on an important part of wizarding life: wands.
One of the most memorable scenes Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone This is when Harry visits Ollivander’s house to buy his own wand. Readers will remember this Harry tries out several wands that are not suitable for him, leading to disastrous bursts of magic. It’s obvious when Harry finds from him wand though. The store is filled with magic, and in the film, a spotlight literally shines over Harry’s head. Presumably this type of scenario occurs for all wizards and witches. However, early in the series, a subtle detail calls this element of the story into question.
Ron uses a second-hand wand in the first two Harry Potter books
Why does Ron use someone else’s wand
Despite the fact that Harry has a magical moment at Ollivander’s house where his wand chooses him, this rule doesn’t necessarily apply to all wizards. In the first two Harry Potter books, it is revealed that Ron uses a second-hand wand. Apparently, the wand belongs to his older brother, Charlie, and has now been passed down to Ron, the youngest Weasley son. Following Ollivander’s logic, Ron’s wand situation is a serious problem. That wand didn’t choose him, so Ron’s ability to do magic is tainted. As the Weasleys are a pure-blood wizarding family, this misstep makes very little sense.
|
Every Weasley child |
Your birth order |
|---|---|
|
Bill Weasley |
1 |
|
Charlie Weasley |
2 |
|
Percy Weasley |
3 |
|
Fred Weasley |
4 |
|
George Weasley |
5 |
|
Ron Weasley |
6 |
|
Ginny Weasley |
7 |
Probably the reason why Ron has a second-hand wand because the Weasleys are notoriously poor. Unlike other pure-blood families like the Malfoys, the Weasleys don’t have house-elves or cushy jobs. Molly Weasley appears not to work, while Arthur Weasley works in a Muggle-centric part of the Ministry of Magic, which places him lower in the hierarchy. Consider the fact that the Weasleys have seven children and Ron’s situation is understandable. But even so, the Weasleys should have known they were hurting Ron by giving him a hand-me-down.
Ron’s first wand doesn’t make sense with wizarding world wand lore
Charlie’s wand situation doesn’t make sense either
Ultimately, it doesn’t make sense for Ron to have a second-hand wand. If the wand chooses the wizard, then each witch or wizard would have to go to Ollivander’s house and find their ideal wand. Harry doesn’t know this because he grew up with the Dursleys, but the Weasleys would definitely have this knowledge. Yet they allow their son to enter Hogwarts with a wand that didn’t choose him, putting him at a huge disadvantage. Molly clearly cares deeply about her children’s performance in school, so it doesn’t mean she would knowingly give Ron a bad wand.
In reality, nothing about Ron’s wand situation makes sense. If Ron got his wand from Charlie, that would mean Charlie would have to get a new wand. While it makes sense for wizards to have a second wand when their first one breaks, that clearly didn’t happen with Charlie. He just got a new one. Maybe Charlie started using wandless magic, allowing Ron to catch herBut even so, this raises questions about the logic of “wand chooses the wizard”. If wizards can do magic without a wand, then their relationships with their wands cannot be what important.
Ron’s second-hand wand could explain his challenges in the first Harry Potter books
What would it mean if Ron’s wand situation was on purpose?
Ron’s second-hand wand comes with problems in the book. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Ron breaks his wand after flying his father’s magic car into the Whomping Willow. Despite using Spellotape, for the rest of the novel, Rom struggles to use magic. Only later does he get a new wand that presumably chose him. While Ron’s wand breaking certainly played a role in his magical dysfunctions, it could also be that the wand simply wasn’t right for him. Notably, Ron was never the best magic user, especially at the beginning of the series.
Perhaps the wand was intended to increase Ron’s lack of confidence as a wizard and would make that clear when Ron grew up.
The problems with Ron’s wand raise the question of whether the series intentionally gave Ron a bad wand. Ron’s hand-me-down wand makes sense because of his family’s financial situation, and clearly his wand causes him problems in the first two books. Perhaps the wand was intended to increase Ron’s lack of confidence as a wizard and would make that clear when Ron grew up. However, This still doesn’t explain why the Weasleys willingly gave Ron a wand that wasn’t meant for him. Clearly, Harry Potter wand lore breaks its own rules to support certain stories.
This detail isn’t the only time Harry Potter breaks his own wand tradition
Harry Potter’s wand tradition doesn’t ruin the series
Ron’s second-hand wand isn’t the only way to Harry Potter breaks its own wand tradition. A major plot device that goes against wand logic is the Elder Wand. The Elder Wand is the most powerful wand in the world and is passed from wizard to wizard when one kills another. The Elder Wand does not choose anyone, but is forcibly taken by its user. Since the Elder Wand is different from other wands, it makes sense that it doesn’t follow the same logic, but this plot hole persists. It makes readers wonder how many wizards have had the same magical experience that Harry had.
Happily, these gaps in the Harry Potter books don’t completely spoil the story. While it can be frustrating to notice these logical issues, the magic of the story still remains solid. Harry’s trip to Ollivander’s house is equally memorable, even if the tradition it establishes is changed later in the series. However, it would be interesting to know what Ron’s early story would have been like if he had a working wand. Harry Potter it probably would have been different if he had kept the wand logic or gotten rid of wands completely.