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Chapter 24 – The Wand, the Phoenix, and the Ten-Thousand-Galleon Regret
Darren, of course, had no idea that Dumbledore was somewhere sighing over his "wrong" choice of wand.
Wrong? If he had known, he would've laughed out loud.
Please—how could a mighty Eastern dragon lose to a bald, half-plucked turkey?
The more he held the Dragon Reverse-Scale Wand, the more he liked it.
Light brown, smooth to the touch, it pulsed with restrained power. Ollivander had definitely downplayed it.
The old man's claim—that the wand belonged to someone "too rigid and easy to break"—didn't fit him at all. Darren wasn't some self-sacrificing saint with "the heart of the world." There had to be something more behind this wand… maybe hidden inside that book, Journey to the West.
He'd been itching to get back and test his new toys anyway.
"Paggie," he said suddenly, "send me home. I just remembered the cakes—if we don't eat them soon, they'll go bad. We can buy the rest tomorrow."
"Good little master, you're so kind!" Paggie sniffled, moved as always.
Darren humbly accepted the compliment and let the elf Apparate him back.
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A hot bath, a soft Gryffindor bed, and a mountain of pastries later, Darren finally had peace. While Paggie delivered the cakes, he began taking stock of his recent haul.
First: the phoenix egg.
He picked it up, squinting. How exactly did one hatch a phoenix? Break the shell? Toss it into a fire? Phoenixes weren't afraid of flames, right?
Before he could do something stupid, the system chimed in.
> [Ding! Host's blood can hatch the phoenix egg.]
> Oh? And here I was about to eat it, Darren muttered.
He pricked his finger and let a drop of blood fall onto the shell.
Crack.
The egg split open—and a small, completely bald creature crawled out.
"Chirp… chirp…"
Darren stared at it. "…"
Was this thing really a phoenix? It looked more like a sickly turkey. He briefly considered handing it to the kitchen for soup.
The chick, oblivious, rubbed against his hand affectionately and then nudged its broken eggshell toward him—as if offering it.
Darren hesitated, then curiously snapped off a piece and popped it into his mouth.
Crunch. Sweet. Delicious. Like chocolate mixed with biscuits.
He immediately grabbed another.
The little phoenix froze, horrified. Its human was eating its shell. Its nutrients! With a panicked chirp, it scooped up the rest and swallowed the pieces whole, glaring at him with righteous outrage.
Darren grinned shamelessly. "Got any more? I could eat that all day."
"Chirp!" the phoenix pecked his finger in protest. That's for me, you freak!
"All right, all right," Darren laughed. He could tell what it meant. "You need it more than I do."
He paused, studying the tiny creature. "So, you're a girl then? Hmm… how about Carol—for happiness? I hope you'll always be happy too."
> [Ding! Holy Father Value + 50.]
"Wait—what? I can earn points from naming pets now?" Darren chuckled, half amused, half resigned.
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When Carol finally dozed off, Darren turned to the Dragon Reverse-Scale Wand.
Journey to the West, dragons, sticks… there had to be a connection.
"Ruyi Golden Hoop Staff… Ruyi…" he murmured, pointing the wand. "As you wish—appear before me, spirit of the staff!"
Nothing happened.
He scratched his head. Right. Still in the dormitory gourd.
Then the system chimed again.
> [Ding! Congratulations, Host. Ruyi Wand activated.]
Can transform into any wand wood or change its core at will. After acquiring Master-Level Transfiguration, wand may transform into living forms.
Darren blinked. "Wait, what?! You mean my wand is the system?"
> [Ding! Congratulations, Host. Hidden Easter Egg discovered. Character Panel unlocked.]
He groaned. "Next time, system, just give me the prize instead of making me buy it for ten thousand galleons!"
But the system ignored him, as usual.
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[Character Panel]
Name: Darren Potter
Talent Points: 0
Potions Talent: 6
Dark Magic Talent: 9
Transfiguration Talent: 4
Divination Talent: 2
Spell Talent: 5
Animal Affinity: 3
Plant Affinity: 4
Items: Ruyi Wand (Dragon Reverse Scale), Phoenix Carol
Abilities: Occlumency, Mundungus's Stealing Ability, Perfect Memory, Controlled Silence (Obscurus)
Title: A Wand That Cannot Be Lost
Holy Father Value: 740
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(Author's Note: Yeah, I know some readers hate stat panels, but I needed to tidy up what Darren's collected so far. Even I start losing track sometimes. Don't worry—this will only pop up occasionally.)
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