Buy This

With Halloween practically right around the corner, there are probably many of you who are looking to put together that perfect Harry Potter costume. Perhaps you just want a magical gift for yourself or for a diehard Potter fan in your life. Either way, you can't go wrong with an authentic Harry Potter wand from Whirlwood.

There are a lot of replica wands floating around (Noble Collection being the foremost among them) but this is as close as you'll get to shopping at Ollivander's. Not only are they actually handmade of wood as opposed to resin, but they're also filled with unicorn hair, phoenix feathers, tarantula legs, crystals, and all the other totems that power up a wizard or witch's wand. If you're lucky enough to meet the Whirlwood gang in person, you can give the entire line a swish and flick. Otherwise, you'll have to visit the website where you can find wands replicating those found in the movies (Hermione's is absolutely lovely) or copying the description found in the books. You diehard fans will know the difference. Oh, and speaking of diehard fans -- you lovers of Robert Pattinson will find a Cedric Diggory design made just for you.

If you ever read my posts and think "I don't know about this geek stuff, Elisabeth seems awfully cool," this Sunday actually found me at the Whirlwood shop doing a lot of swishing and flicking. The above wand was the one I kept going back to, and the Mr. Ollivander on duty said "That's the one for you. I see the connection." The original owner of the wand? Voldemort. Such is the power of the Dark Lord that I actually left the wand behind only to find it waiting for me the next morning thanks to my sister and her boyfriend who felt I really ought to have it. I've been practicing my Unforgiveable Curses ever since.