======Wand Cores======
=====Object Information=====
  * **Type:** [[Magical Component]], [[Wandlore]] Ingredient
  * **Sources:** Magical substances taken from a variety of magical creatures, most notably the [[Phoenix]], [[Dragon]], and [[Unicorn]].
  * **Makers/Suppliers:** [[Wandmaker]]s, such as [[Garrick Ollivander]] and [[Mykew Gregorovitch]], are responsible for selecting and inserting the core into a [[wand]]. The creatures themselves are the ultimate source of the material.
=====Description and Appearance=====
A wand core is a magical substance placed within the length of a [[wand]]. This core is the component that channels a [[witch]] or [[wizard]]'s magic, giving the [[wand]] its particular power and character. The type and quality of the core are fundamental to a wand's performance.
According to the esteemed [[wandmaker]] [[Garrick Ollivander]], the finest wands have cores of powerful magical substances. His personal philosophy led him to exclusively use three materials he dubbed the "supreme cores." Different wandmakers may use other substances.
Known core materials include:
  * **[[Phoenix]] Feather:** A tail feather from a [[phoenix]]. These are exceptionally rare and produce wands capable of the greatest range of magic.
  * **[[Dragon]] Heartstring:** The heartstring of a [[dragon]]. [[Wand]]s with this core are typically the most powerful and capable of flamboyant spells.
  * **[[Unicorn]] Hair:** A single hair from a [[unicorn]]'s tail. These cores produce the most consistent magic and are known for their faithfulness to their first owner.
  * **[[Veela]] Hair:** A hair from the head of a [[Veela]]. [[Ollivander]] considers these to be temperamental, though some wandmakers use them. The [[wand]] of [[Fleur Delacour]] contains a [[Veela]] hair.
  * **[[Thestral]] Tail Hair:** An exceptionally powerful and tricky substance. The only known [[wand]] to contain this core is the [[Elder Wand]]. This was a deduction made by [[Harry Potter]], as [[Ollivander]] himself stated he had never worked with it. (DH36)
  * **[[Basilisk]] Horn:** The [[wand]] of [[Salazar Slytherin]] contained a fragment of [[Basilisk]] horn. (Pottermore)
  * **Ilvermorny Cores:** The four houses of the American school of magic, [[Ilvermorny]], were named for magical creatures whose parts could be used in wand cores, including Horned Serpent horn, Wampus cat hair, Thunderbird tail feather, and Pukwudgie arrows. The wandmaker [[Isolt Sayre]] used Horned Serpent horn for the first wands made in North America. (Pottermore)
=====Magical Properties and Usage=====
The core is the true heart of a [[wand]], and its properties define the wand's "personality." As [[Ollivander]] explained to [[Harry Potter]], the pairing of a core with a specific wandwood creates a unique instrument that must then choose its ideal user. The characteristics of the supreme cores are as follows:
  - **[[Unicorn]] Hair:** Produces the most consistent magic and is the least subject to fluctuations and blockages. They are the most faithful of all wands and are difficult to turn to the [[Dark Arts]]. Their primary weakness is that they are not the most powerful, and they are prone to "melancholy" if seriously mishandled, meaning the hair may 'die' and need replacing. [[Cedric Diggory]]'s and [[Ron Weasley]]'s second [[wand]] had unicorn hair cores.
  - **[[Dragon]] Heartstring:** Produces wands with the most raw power and which are capable of the most flamboyant spells. [[Wand]]s with dragon heartstring cores tend to learn more quickly than other types. While they can change allegiance if won from their original master, they do not bond as strongly as a unicorn hair [[wand]]. They are also the most prone of the three cores to accidents, being somewhat temperamental. The wands of [[Hermione Granger]], [[Viktor Krum]], and [[Bellatrix Lestrange]] all contained dragon heartstring.
  - **[[Phoenix]] Feather:** The rarest core type. They are capable of the greatest range of magic, though they may take longer than unicorn or dragon cores to reveal this. They show the most initiative, sometimes acting of their own accord—a quality that many witches and wizards dislike. [[Phoenix]] feather wands are always the pickiest when it comes to potential owners, for the creature from which they are taken is one of the most independent and detached in the world. Their allegiance is hard won and they are difficult to tame. The wands of [[Harry Potter]] and [[Lord Voldemort]] shared a core from the same phoenix, [[Fawkes]].
=====History=====
The use of high-quality, potent cores is a relatively modern development in British [[wandlore]], largely attributed to the [[Ollivander family]]. Prior to their influence, it was common for customers to provide their own magical substance, which could be of questionable power or compatibility, such as [[Kelpie]] hairs or [[Kneazle]] whiskers. [[Garrick Ollivander]]'s father revolutionized the craft by insisting that the core and wood must be matched by an expert [[wandmaker]] for superior results.
Other cultures and wandmakers, like [[Mykew Gregorovitch]], developed their own traditions and preferences for core materials, as seen with [[Viktor Krum]]'s hornbeam and dragon heartstring [[wand]]. The history of cores is intertwined with the history of [[wandlore]] itself, reflecting different approaches to magic across the world.
=====Role in the Story=====
Wand cores are central to the entire narrative of the *Harry Potter* series, primarily through the "twin cores" of [[Harry Potter]]'s and [[Lord Voldemort]]'s wands.
  * **Twin Cores and [[Priori Incantatem]]:** The most significant plot point related to wand cores is that Harry's and Voldemort's wands both contain a tail feather from [[Dumbledore]]'s [[phoenix]], [[Fawkes]]. Because of this, the wands are "brothers" and will not work properly against each other. When forced to do battle in the [[Little Hangleton]] graveyard, they connected and initiated the rare magical effect known as [[Priori Incantatem]], or the Reverse-Spell Effect. This forced Voldemort's [[wand]] to regurgitate the last spells it had performed, allowing echoes of Voldemort's victims, including [[James Potter|James]] and [[Lily Potter]], to appear and protect Harry.
  * **Voldemort's Pursuit of a New Wand:** Voldemort's failure to kill Harry was attributed to the twin core problem. This misunderstanding of [[wandlore]] led him to believe that he simply needed a different [[wand]]. His quest for a more powerful [[wand]] that did not share a core with Harry's directly led him to hunt down and claim the [[Elder Wand]]. He kidnapped [[Ollivander]] to force him to explain the connection between the wands.
  * **Wand Allegiance and Power:** The characteristics of different cores explain the behavior of various wands throughout the story. Hermione's powerful dragon heartstring [[wand]] served Harry reasonably well after his own was broken, but Ron notes that a [[wand]]'s allegiance is to its master. The unique [[Thestral]] tail hair core of the [[Elder Wand]] helps explain its immense power and its reputation as the most powerful [[wand]] in existence.
=====Behind the Scenes=====
  * In the film adaptation of //Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2//, it is [[Ollivander]] who identifies the [[Elder Wand]]'s core as [[Thestral]] tail hair. In the novel, [[Ollivander]] professes ignorance on the matter, and it is Harry who deduces the core material. (film)