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wandlore - Could Harry Potter Have Given Draco Malfoy's Wand Back?


So, regarding wandlore. . . could Harry Potter have given Draco Malfoy Draco's hawthorn wand back to Draco without the allegiance of the Elder Wand switching from Harry to Draco?


We know that Draco Malfoy became master of the Elder Wand when he disarmed Dumbledore on the Astronomy Tower in Half-Blood Prince. Subsequently, Harry became master of the Elder Wand when he defeated Draco by physically taking Draco's wand from Draco while the trio was being held captive at Malfoy Manor in Deathly Hallows. Because Harry wrestled Draco's hawthorn wand from Draco, the hawthorn wand switched its allegiance from Draco to Harry, and the Elder Wand followed suit, for if one disarms another witch or wizard, one masters ALL wands that witch or wizard controls. From Deathly Hallows, pages 493 - 499, US Hardcover, the following information is given regarding wandlore and wand allegiance:



  • In general, where a wand has been won its allegiance will change.


  • Wands may be at least partially sentient: "The wand chooses the wizard." (Please see my thoughts on whether a wand is at least partially sentient here)

  • A person can still use a wand that hasn't chosen them to channel magic, although it may not yield the best possible results.

  • Subtle laws govern wand ownership, but a conquered wand will usually bend its will to its new master.

  • A conquered wand will better do a witch or wizard's bidding than another wand.

  • It is not necessary to kill the previous wand owner to take true possession of a typical wand.

  • Ollivander is unsure whether the allegiance of the Elder Wand must pass to its new master through murder.


Given this, would Harry have been able to gift the hawthorn wand back to Draco without the allegiance of the Elder Wand switching back to Draco as well? Or would the allegiance of the Elder Wand switch to Draco regardless of how Draco regained ownership of his original hawthorn wand?



Answer



The laws of wand allegiance are not universal and depend on the type of wand:




  • The Elder Wand (Threstal hair core) is extremely fickle and responds readily to power, with zero loyalty to its previous owner. The allegiance of this wand is won very easily using brute force, but never peacefully (For instance, Snape killing Dumbledore with Dumbledore's consent wouldn't make Snape the master of the Wand.)

  • Unicorn hair wands are very loyal; in fact they are the most faithful and don't care much about skill or power. They generally will always be attached to its original owner, regardless of current allegiance.

  • Phoenix feather wands are also very loyal because they are very picky when choosing their first owner. It can be quite difficult to win their allegiance because of this.

  • Dragon heartstrings wands are more similar to the Elder Wand; they appreciate power, so it is easier to win their allegiance from their previous owner.


We are lucky though, because Draco's wand has a unicorn hair core! So it's pretty much established that, despite it currently responding to Harry, it is still faithful to Malfoy and would "remember" him. I think we can safely speculate that Harry need only give Draco his wand back and that would be more than enough for the wand to accept Draco. And since this is a peaceful exchange, it wouldn't affect the Elder Wand's allegiance at all.


So the answer is: we don't know if Harry returned Draco's wand, but established canon very easily allows Draco to get his wand back peacefully.


(the wand core info comes from Pottermore)


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