"How Very Curious"

Early on in his adventure, Harry Potter comes across Mr. Ollivander while shopping at his wand store.  I consider Mr. Ollivander a curious man in more than one sense. Mr. Ollivander comes across as a strange man who lacks boundaries. After the initial “Hello” Mr. Ollivander almost immediately brings up Harry’s mother and how they have the same eyes. While this may not be creepy for a family friend or even someone charming you just met, this comes from a “pale man” with “pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop.” Yet, Mr. Ollivander pushes on, inquiring on about something he is intrigued by. Mr. Ollivander also shows a lack of physical boundaries, touching the scar on Harry’s forehead.

Perhaps the best display of Mr. Ollivander’s curiosity is the way at which he picks out Harry’s wand. He is happy to share his knowledge with Harry, explaining how wands work. As Mr. Ollivander is picking out wands, he gets happier and happier as they keep getting denied.  Finally, Mr. Ollivander’s curiosity get the best of him and he tries the wand that is the brother of the wand that gave Harry his scar. When he realizes that the wand is the right match, he gets overjoyed and starts muttering how curious the whole thing is.  Mr. Ollivander’s joy in his curiosity lends an insight into his thirst for knowledge and unusual circumstances. Mr. Ollivander has been waiting for years for Harry to come into his store. The whole time he was probably curious as to how Harry and his wand would match up. When he finally got his answer, he was overjoyed that such an odd occurrence actually happened.