Ownership of wands was governed by subtle laws which were not fully understood, even by those well-versed in wand lore. The most prominent rule that governed wand lore was that the wand chose the wizard that it would work for.
A wand choosing to work for a wizard was said to have given them its allegiance. When a wand had chosen its holder (e.g., when the holder had truly mastered that wand), they could be assured the best results with it.
Wands could be acquired in one of three general ways:
- By selecting a newly created wand (usually made by another),
- By winning a wand
- Or by inheriting one.
Each one of these is related to this law in a different way. We can understand this better by studying the wise words of Garrick Ollivander:
“The wand chooses the Wizard. That much has always been clear to those of us who have studied wand lore… If you are any Wizard at all you will be able to channel your magic through almost any instrument. The best results, however, must always come where there is the strongest affinity between Wizard and wand. These connections are complex. An initial attraction, and then a mutual quest for experience, the wand learning from the Wizard, the Wizard from the wand.“
This article will discuss if it is possible to switch wands with another Wizard and use their wand instead.
Can you use another Wizard’s wand?
You can use another Wizard’s wand, should you obtain it from any of the three general ways mentioned above:
#1 Fair and Square, Winning it.
One could also procure a wand by “winning” it from its master. Of course, it was always possible to simply steal/borrow another Witch or Wizard’s wand and obtain fair results with it, but its allegiance would only bend towards the new master when it was won.
The allegiance of a wand that had not been won might be noticeable to its holder, as Hermione Granger was uncomfortable using Bellatrix Lestrange’s wand.
To win a wand, one must overpower and hence defeat its master in some way. However, it should be noted that wands usually stay loyal to their original owners.
For example, even if a Wizard was disarmed or lost a fight while carrying his wand, the wand would have developed an affinity with its original owner so that it would not be given up easily. Therefore, simply disarming a Wizard might not be enough to win over a wand’s allegiance.
Wands would also not be won in practice duels as the perceived levity of the situation would prevent the wand from abandoning its defeated master. Even when won, wands would often still retain some fealty to the original owner. The only exception to this was the Elder Wand, which was “completely unsentimental” and would only be loyal to strength. In other words, when won, it switched its allegiance entirely.
It should be noted that only the Elder Wand, when “owned” by a defeated Wizard, would turn allegiance to the victor, even if they were not used or even on their person during combat, as the Elder Wand only was loyal to power/strength through the victory over its previous holder.
This was evidenced when Harry Potter simultaneously became the master of both Draco Malfoy’s wand and the Elder Wand when he defeated Draco (who was the master of both having disarmed Dumbledore yet possessed only one of them at the time).
“I overpowered Draco weeks ago. I took this wand from him… Does the wand in your hand know its last master was Disarmed? Because if it does… I am the true master of the Elder Wand.“
— Harry Potter describing how he won both of Draco Malfoy’s wands
#2 Wood is Thicker than Blood, Inheritance.
In some families, wands might be inherited, such as Neville Longbottom using his father‘s wand and Ron Weasley using his brother Charlie‘s old wand. Whilst it might seem questionable as to whether or not wands could truly be mastered via this method of attainment, it is known that wands obtained in this way (e.g., ones with a familial connection) worked a little better than wands chosen at random, so this might indeed be the next best way to obtain a wand if the initial selection was not possible.
Even if a wand did “choose” a Wizard, even if it was won or inherited by them (or some combination of the three), it was in no way a guarantee that the wand would be totally mastered. Every wand had a different personality according to its exact nature (wood, core, rigidity etc.) that it would act with and hence often sported extra conditions that one was required to fulfil before the wand would give the holder its full power and support.
A key exception to this however was Thestral hair wands – these wands could not simply be “mastered” by winning them. Thestral tail hair was a potent yet mysterious substance that would only “choose” a Wizard that was capable of facing death. In other words, only Masters of Death could wield the full powers of such a wand. Similarly, blackthorn wands required that they went through some difficult hardship with the holder before they could be truly mastered.
Some Witches and Wizards, especially those from poorer backgrounds, were left to use wands that had not chosen them but chosen a member of their family. Ron Weasley, for example, used his brother Charlie‘s old wand when he began his first year at Hogwarts.
“As established by Ollivander, a Wizard can use almost any wand, it is simply that a wand that chooses him/her will work best. Where there is a family connection, a wand will work a little better than a wand chosen at random, I think.”
– J.K. Rowling’s interview response on wands being passed down
#3 To Each Their Own, a Newly Created Wand.
Normally, a Witch or Wizard’s first wand would be a newly created or “virgin” wand, obtained from an established wandmaker, such as Ollivanders.
They would usually have to test a number of potential virgin wands before they found the one that would give its allegiance to (or “choose”) them. Although the wand cores might come from the same creature, or the wood might come from the same tree, no two existing wands were exactly alike.
Wands were often buried along or burned when their owner died.
The precise reasons for which particular wands choose particular Wizards were not clear, but certain wands seemed to have a natural affinity for certain Wizards or Witches.
It is most likely (given the similarities between known Wizards/Witches and their wands) that the Wizards/Witches with the most similar personalities to their prospective wands would have the highest affinities for them, and so be most likely to be chosen by them. In other words, the more similar the holder was to the wand, the more likely they were to be chosen by it.
“Wands are only as powerful as the Wizards who use them…”
— Hermione Granger explaining to Harry Potter wand properties
To conclude, the Wizarding world is complex, and nothing is as it seems at a first glance. Certainly not wands, the conduit to magic itself! While we do not know for certain how a wand functions, at best we know that a wand chooses to work in certain ways under specific circumstances brought upon by the owner be it the original or passer down, the means by which the wand is used, and or the environment in which the wand is presented in.
Even the most educated Witches and Wizards versed in this area of wand lore acknowledge that at best and in situations as such, some forms of magic need not be studied, only respected for the ways in which they function!
You can find out how wizards don’t need to say anything to cast their spells here.
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