Vashti felt sorry for the Jimmy Kiddell guy, to be honest. She was sure he was probably a good wandmaker too, just like Ollivander and Gregorovitch, but no one gave him a chance to prove it. If his shop was still in-business, Vashti would've gone to get a wand at his place.

But anyway.

Why did certain wands have certain lengths?

She thought for a moment before raising her hand. "People aren't all the exact same height or size, so the wands shouldn't be either. It's not really a 'one size fits all' type of thing." And that was why there were different cores and woods too. Wouldn't it be weird if everyone had the exact same wand? It'd be boring, really.

Presley raised her hand, then lowered it quickly. Her answer had already been said. Presley repeating the same answer would be annying and superflouos. She wasn't going to do it. But she thought for a minute. It couldn't be because all people were different sizes. Because children got thier wands at age elven. At which point they still had the potential to grow much taller. Everyone was answering wrong, and Presley had been on the verge of doing so herself. However, she didn't know the correct answer. She she put her hand back up, this time to ask a question. She repeated her thoughts almost exactly. "But professor, it can't be the size of the person at the time they get thier wands. Most people get a wand at age eleven. They are still going to grow much taller at that point. So if it was the size of the person that mattered, all adults would have undersized wands, correct? So the length has to do with something else, but I'm not sure what." If only she'd known the correct answer, then her response would have been much more impressive. But she had no idea what it could deal with if it wasn't size, and Presley was convinced that it definitely wasn't size.

Ame looked sat quietly, waiting for the lesson to begin at then, out of no where....SLAM. She sat up, completely alert, now. She looked at the Professor's distant face and then the crumpled paper.

Why had he added that bit? She had wondered the same thing when she read it, but thought it was just a bit of a joke. She raised her hand anyway, and spoke in that calm, soft voice. "To remind us that even in the classroom, killing (purposefully or accidentally) can happen?"

The Geleto girl pondered this over and thought to herself. All of you have the equipment too..? I better be more careful, then. She looked around the classroom to see what everyone had in common. Uniforms? The couldn't kill. Bags? Not everyone had those. And then it hit her as she was tracing her wand.

AG raised her hand up high, excitement in her eyes. It was obvious--the answer. "Professor, you mean our wands. To preform actual killing curses, you need a wand!" Oh Merlin. It was the small things that excited her.

What did she know about wands? Hmmm... She knew that it made her a witch, or so she thought. She raised her hand, slowly. "Professor, I know that each wand is different and that it is customized for each witch or wizard.." She also knew that her wand worked best for her than it would anyone else.

Amethyst blushed softly. She hadn't had an idea that there was a branch of magic just for wand studies. And she hadn't had an idea that where were other wand makers than Mr. Ollivander.

Amethyst did have a clue. But that wasn't going to stop her from guessing. Ame raised her hand softly and spoken.. "Does it have anything to do with Age or height, professor?" She'd not quite understood as to why when she got her wand, she was measured, but maybe this lesson would help her figure that out.

Should wandlore be in the subject of History of Magic? Supposably it does have some history behind it...

Victoria didn't have to think long before raising her hand, "Isn't that why they measure you for?" said Victoria, half asking and half making a statement. "They meausre your arm, your height to see which wand length will fit you best. You shouldn't have a half giant getting a wand that's only seven inches. And you shouldn't have someone who's four feet high getting a sixteen inches wand. Basically, the length of the wand helps you get the right flexibility." said Victoria as she thought about the little annoying floating tape measures. Merlin's Beard, were they were annoying!

Anna thought. "Probably it depends on the proportions of what made the wand, professor?" She was not sure of her answer, but decided to continue "Maybe it is from this and depends the strength and energy of a wand, which is suitable to the wizard?"

"Not exactly, but that's a good guess." It was the guess that did make the most sense after all.

Scabior nodded. "Yes correct. That is one of the most common reasons as to why a person would receive a certain wand length. "

Hadn't he JUST said this? Or maybe not?"Yes. The length is one of the factors that determines the properties of to the wand. The wand core, and the wand wood being the other two factors."

"Yes correct." He nodded.

"No. No. It has nothing to do with power. Everyone gets their wands at 11 years old and I doubt one 11 year old is more powerful than another" Scabior shook his head. No. That simply was not how it worked


"I doubt it." Dash said shaking his head. "Many of powerful people have had short wands. But you have brought up a good point. Is it the wand that holds the power or the wizard."


"The persons height has a very small factor to the actual length of the wand."

Length of the wizard or witch? He raised a brow."Not quite sure what you mean by that." Scabior said slowly.


"Well it's not mathematical. Wizards generally don't work in that sense." He chuckled. "But it does have to so with another measurement other than your height."


"A wizards height is a very small contribution to the wand length." Very. Very small. "Which is why the measuring tape also measures other stuff and does not solely base your wand on your hight so you do not outgrow your wand." Hopefully that answered her question.


"That is correct. Designed to fit that wizard or witch." He nodded.


"You heard right. Some large wands tend to go with people with large personalities and same with short wands however this is not always the case. Also, height does play a small factor." Very, very small. Like he had said before. "And you are measured when you get your wand so the wand maker is able to get an idea of how tall you might be and also your forearm measurements."


"Yes. As the wand is the one that choses it's owner, generally it picks someone that will fit it as well. Characteristics play a part as well." He didn't know everything about wands but he knew enough.


"Not exactly. Wands are not at all adjusted for the owners height. You might be 4 foot tall and have a 13 inch wand." Though, it was highly unlikely.


He sighed. "Personality yes, but successes? No. You can not simply base a persons success on their wands and we'll go over that."


"Yes! Height and forearm measurements together have a lot to do with the wand length however they are not the only factors. " Good guess, good guess.


"Exactly. Forearm length and the height. Both important factors." He nodded.

Sigh. AGAIN."No Miss Greingoth, not exactly. But don't be discouraged we will go over that." The idea of a wizard's power that is.


Oh. He had not even thought of the! "Perhaps! That could very well explain everything about wand lengths however sadly I do not know everything there is to know about Wandlore so I can not tell you if you are right or not. But very good thinking."


"That's not exactly correct." He shook his head.


"Yes, good job." Scabior gave a small smile.


"Good guess but no. Wizards tend to get their wands at age 11. And I am pretty sure that their size changes over the course of their lifetime so if that was the cast then every time their size changed they would have to get a new wand." That would be a waste really.


"The wizard's height plays a factor, which is why if the wizard grows they do not outgrow the wand because other things also play a factor as well. However the wood and core haven't been know to really have anything to do with the length of the wand." Did that make sense?


Who had asked about the wood? Not him. Scabior made a face. He hated when people got to carried away. "It hasn't been know to be proportionate to the core no. But forearm length does play a part." He said stiffly.


"It woud be awkward. But some small wizards do in fact have long wands." He shrugged.


"That is a good guess. However I doubt it. The magic flows if the wand is small or not." Good guess though.


"Height plays a factor." It wasn't completely determined by the height.


Scabior tapped his hand against his desk."You are correct. Those factors are taken into account"


Well...obviously"Yes." He replied dryly.


"It has to do with the person the wand chooses however what they actually will be good at? I think that is unknown." At least by people like him and not wand makers.


"Again, the wand length might not have anything to do with what subject they would be good at." Not the wand length only.


He was about the sigh again before the girl continued to talk"Yes...personality plays a part." That was better.


"Could be. But I am pretty sure that it is less symbolic. More along the lines of ...fitting to the certain witch or wizard." He nodded.


"Yes, you are right. Wand lengths do have to be different or loads of people would have the same wand." Just imagine...


"The mesure of the wizard plays a factor." It did.



"I think the wood and the core more so reflect the types of magic you are best at..but I am unsure of that so you might be right." Scabior felt no shame at all in admitting that he didn't know something. It was impossible for him to know everything.


"That could be a factor. But I really do doubt it. Wandmakers might just cut the cores...you never know." Scabior shrugged.


Pause. Dash turned his head, staring at the Slytherin girl for a few seconds before finally opening his mouth."Yes...yes Miss Salazar...you are correct." He nodded, still slight surprised.


"That is correct, yes." The simplest answer really.


Blink. "I would prefer if you wouldn't tell me what something cannot be Miss Black. After all I am pretty sure that you are not experienced in Wandlore." He hadn't asked for negative comments or people telling him what it COULDN'T be. He has only asked what they thought it COULD be.


"It has nothing to do with age, but height does play a small factor." He nodded.


He blinked, completely distracted by her example."And where would you even see a half giant?" He raised a brow. REALLY now, normal examples could do.

-------------------

Scabior cleared his throat. Ready to go into full on lecture mode. Hopefully no one was sleeping at the moment? "So, wand lengths range, they can be as short as 8 inches, or as long as 16 inches." Yes. A 16 inch wand. "They also increase or decrease in values of 1/4 an inch." Got it? Yeah. "Anyways, their are three basic factors if you will, that the wand length relates to. There can be more of course, however these are the most basic ones that the foundations rest upon. The height of the wizard, the length of the forearm, and finally the wizard personality." Scabior pulled out his wand from it holster, and gave a flick toward the board, writing the four factors down before he held his wand up to show the class.

"My wand, right here is 10¾. Practical for me. For anyone else? Maybe not. Now, I can guarantee you that at 11 years old, when I got this wand, my forearm was not as long as this wand." No. And he was fairly normal for an 11 year ol. "And obviously I was not this tall." A six foot tall 11 year old? Yeah..right. "So you might be wondering what is the point then that my arm was measured then? Well the height and size of the wizard has a direct relationship with their perfect wand. The relationship is of a magical nature and more about finding the right balance of characteristics than a particular size of wand. So the measuring of the height and forearm and more about balance rather than about size." Was he making sense? Hopefully. All the points really did just tie together.

"Now, the actual magical balance of the wand. That is a little more difficult to understand but simply put it refers to balancing the relationship between the core, the wood and the quality." He wasn't going to linger on this. But he did expect everyone to write this down.

"And lastly, the wizard or witches' personality. Generally, if a person is outspoke, loud, and has a really big personality, their wand length will tend to be longer than others. And if they are more shy, quite, or even maybe missing something in their life, their wand will tend to have a shorter length." He looked around the class. Were you all writing? You better be. "However nothing is guaranteed. A person could very well have a big personality and a short wand, because that is just how the balance of the wand works." He was slightly worried that people would be confused. "Just remember height and forearm measurements are about finding balance, while your actual personality determines the length of the wand however these two might butt heads resulting in like a shorter wand for a more outspoke person."

Wand length? Check.

"Any questions so far?" He paused, waiting for a second as he looked around the room. The length was probably the most complicated part of the wand. "Anyone know the reason as to why we need a core for our wands?"

The girl had read up on wandlore a little bit in her earlier years when the idea of becoming a wandmaker was still a passion in her heart and mind, however, she'd lost interest and most of the information she'd learned. Why did she lose interest again? This stuff made you think, and wasn't one of those boring jobs where you sat at a desk doing whatever your boss told you to do.

Perhaps she should re-think her career choice again.

She had many questions, yet she was certain the professor didn't have time for them all or would get irritated rather quickly. She did raise her hand for the next question about the core though. "Perhaps to make it easier for us to use magic with the wand. Something that may be connected to our personality or something so it's easier to...well, connect with the wand."

Blink.

Did ANYONE catch all that? That was a BOATLOAD of information, Professor Scabior. Waaaaay too much. Turn it down a notch, mkay?

And BESIDES, what did that have to do with History? Sure, Ellie found wands to be pretty interesting. Interesting enough to have attempted to pay attention during Professor Scabior's rambling, but....she was not taking wandlore lessons. She didn't need another subject for her mum to worry about an OWL for.

Anyway, she'll play along for now. Wand cores. "Well, that's what makes it magical, right? I mean, any Muggle can go to a....Walnut tree, for example, and snap a twig off it and wave it around. But they can't easily pluck a Phoenix feather or Unicorn hair or...Dragon Heartstring." Which was icky, by the way. She was every so grateful she didn't have one of THOSE in HER wand.

Kourtney grinned as the professor responded to her answer. Definitely feeling better now. She jotted down notes about the lengths of wands and how they related to the witch/wizard. This actually was rather interesting. Perhaps she could get a few books from the library on wandlore or ask the librarian if she knew anything.

Laying down her quill, she raised her hand. "I think the core of the wand works in conjunction with the wood of the wand. Just holding a stick made of a certain type of wood, like oak, does nothing for a witch/wizard. It's the core itself, combined with the wood, that allows the activation of the wand's power."

Eino listened attentively to everyone's answers and then to the Professor's elaboration. Wands were complicated business, and Eino had never really thought much about it. he couldn't even understand why he had the wand he had, so if this class could explain why that was, he would be very happy. If it didn't, he wouldn't mind it either. When the professor finished by asking them if thy had a question, his hand shot high in the air. Yes, yes he did have a question. "Is it possible that a wand chooses its master for his or her potential and not his or her current power?" Not exactly what he wanted to say. He knew the answer to that... Well, he thought he did. Anyway, that would explain a longer than average wand choosing a shorter than average person. Perhaps that wizard would go through an unexpected growth spur that the wand was aware of, but not the wizard. That would also suggest that wands knew what their masters would be like, or at least what they wanted them to be like? Anyway, onto cores.

He listened carefully to everyone answers, then raised his hand and shared his own. "Could it be that the core is what translates our magic into... well, wand magic? Or perhaps something that allows us to easily exteriorize our, umm, inner magic? I mean, we can perform magic without wands, the instruments are to greatly facilitate the use of magic." He wasn't very sure of what he was saying now.

Louisa was scribbling points and notes as Scabior went on and ooooonnn about wand lengths. Once taking a rest and while she rotated her wrist to relax it, her eyes fell on her wand on the desk before her. It was kind of.. tall, and yes she did miss something in her life. She missed a real father. Heh. But that meant she was outgoing and such, right? Yay for that.

His next question, though, was difficult. Why do they need the core? Louisa raised her hand uncertainly, "I think it is the object that adds the magic to the wand." But.. wasn't there wandless magic and people doing magic without cores and hairs of other magical creatures? A confused look took over Louisa's face before adding, "Or.. it maybe helps the magic in witches and wizards to be arranged, defined or useful." But that was just her thoughts on the subject.

Victoria crossed her arms furiously. Seriously? He was the HISTORY OF MAGIC teacher and he had never heard of a HALF GIANT? "How about the half giant that was Harry Potter's friend..." HUH?? She was sure he had once carried a wand. Victoria's not a history expert, AND SHE KNOWS!

Then, after listening to A WHOLE LOT of information in ONE SHORT MINUTE, Victoria raised her hand once again. "Isn't the core how the magic is produced? That's where the power comes from right?" answered Victoria.

Sky looked up from her note taking as the question was asked. Well, that seemed easier to answer than the earlier questions. "The core is how our magic is channeled. You could go outside right now, pick up any branch and wave it, but it wouldn't even spark because it wouldn't have a core," she answered. Really, it was that simple.

Well, Marilyn was listening...and a lot of what was being said made sense...but this talk about wand cores? Hmm...

Raising her hand, "Because it helps power a wand?...and helps to decide what wand might go best with each individual person? Maybe?

Well, it sounded good, anyway...

Selina rose her hand timidly. She was still not exactly clear on the whole wandlore thing. It was not exactly something she had ever studied or cared to study about. "Well sir, I know that different wand cores assist with different types of magic. Like some are better for charms while others are better for defense spells. Also the different cores also are an inkling into a person's personality. So maybe that could be a connection...?" Sort of.

Tori had a good guess! Yay! She wriggled around in her seat happily before she recognized the onset of a full-blown lecture, judging by Scabior's tone. The girl readied her parchment and quill and starting jotting notes down the instant he started talking.

So, wand length was kinda proportional to personality, height, and the length of the forearm. Totes magotes what she had said. No questions from Tori, cuz this was pretty common sensical.

Now then. "The magic and like, power of the wand is contained inside the core, professor," Tori answered with a flip of her hair. "It just like completes the wand!" Duhhhhh!

Presley ducked her head. She thought she'd been making an astute counter argument to the majority of the other answers. Apparently this Professor would prefer she didn't do that. Presley didn't make the same mistake twice, but it was still embarrassing to be called out on something she hadn't known she'd done wrong.

Thankfully, he didn't dwell for too long on her incorrect comment but moved on. "Perhaps the core is there so that we have a magical iten through which to harness our magical output?" She could have phrased that better, but once it was out, there was no calling it back. It made sense, but it could have made more sense. You needed a core to help control magical output. There. That was better, if not correct, and Presley was fully ready to admit that it may not be correct.

Scabior understood what the young girl was saying but he shook his head. "No. Not exactly. But good guess."

"Absolutely correct Mr. Gert!" That was the basic point of the wand core. He didn't know what else to add because that was it.

Professor Scabior nodded."Right..to a point! It's more of a connection of the wand with our magic."

"Exactly." He nodded. "The core and also other magical charms are what contribute to making the wand...magical."

"Yes! Good job. The core basically is the activation along with multiple charms and spells." Not that he knew any of them.

Scabior liked when people knew what they were talking about and didn't go overboard. "Perfectly said. Perfect." Honestly, he had half the mind to just steal her answer and repeat it back to the class.

"That actually is possible. In fact that actually how it is. The wand chooses the wizard based on their personality as well as their potential. When the wand core, wood and length are factored in the wand does not simply look at who is the weakest or who is the strongest. It looks at who has the ability to go far in perhaps a certain subject." Did that answer his question? Hopefully it did and didn't confused him too much.

"You are babbling..but you are correct so I'll allow it." The Ravenclaw made sense in a babbling sort of way.

"Always stick with your first answer. They tend to be the right ones." What he meant by that? Her first answer was right. Her second was just confusing.

Clear, Hagrid. "Name another half-giant. Go on then." He stared at the girl. Simply waiting.

"And yes. It is how magic is channeled."

"Well it could spark..spark and set itself on fire..if you were mad enough." Just a note really. "But yes, you are correct."

"Right! Because the core is the base of the magical properties it does actually decide why the wand will go to a specific person" Good point! He liked it.

"You are on the right track. However wand cores don't really have to do with a person's personality. I will get to that." He nodded. It was a good guess though.

"Correct. It completes the wand and basically makes it magical." Yes, yes. Maybe there was actually hope for this one?

"Exactly. That is exactly why the core is there."

-------------------

"As most of you have noted the core is the actual part of the wand that channels our magic. When you do a spell, the magical energy is projected through the core and out the wand. This works because cores are from magical creatures. In essence..the core is basically what makes the wand chose the wizard because it is the magical part of the wand" It probably was a mixture of the core and the charms put on the wand but...he would leave it at that. Cores were much easier to explain than the lengths.

"As I said before the most popular cores because of the Ollivanders are phoenix feathers, unicorn hairs, and dragon heartstrings. These are not the only cores but they have been made popular because The Ollivanders have found that these three tend to channel magic better and therefore results in using the wizard's full magical potential."

"Who knows anything about the wand woods?" He looked around. Really, the core was the easiest thing to explain and the woods sat somewhere in the middle.

Eino couldn't help it but to blabber when he was excited about something. Usually, it was projected as an endless chain of questions, but other times he just couldn't say exactly what he was thinking because he wasn't all that sure what he was thinking. But Professor Scabior seemed to understand his own thoughts better than he himself, so he was content. After taking out notes and letting out a heavy sigh, he raised his hand. "They aren't magical on their own, but is it possible that different cores react with the wood, making it magical?" Just like rats tail in potion. It's not a magical ingredient but together with other ingredients it became magical. Maybe it was the same for wands.

Wand woods? Why had Sierra never thought this in-depth about her wand before? Hmm... She guessed that was what class was for--to get you to thinking. "Well, certain types of wood symbolize different things," she pointed out, her hand in the air. "Holly, for example, comes from the name holy and is said to repel evil. So maybe, since the wand chooses the wizard, things like what the wood symbolizes represent what a person has done or might be capable of." She shrugged then added, "It's what Harry Potter's wand was made of." Which made perfect sense when you looked at his history.

Harlow raised her hand, "Well wand woods differ from different parts of the world. Like in Africa zebrawood is a more common wand wood. But only a few trees around the world can be made into wands. If Bowtruckles are nesting int he trees that is usually a sign that the wood is suitable for wandmaking." She explained.