“I know we have the movies at home…“As I was going to continue my train of thought I went online. Found a complete box set for the Harry Potter movies and pulled it out from my ptop screen…Before I let the idea of what I just did circute inside my mind, I opened the box and looked through the stack of movies. Putting the first movie into the disk reader, my ptop began to load. When it finished I set it to cast on the TV. As the movie began to py, I felt happy when I saw the logo as the movie started. It felt nostalgic.

  When the first act started, I got busy working on my assignments for next week. The week after is a break before the next set of csses so I should start next week’s assignments early. Especially if I’m going to be spending it like this. There was also the end-of-course assessment that would take pce at the end of next week. It was something the college decided to make sure online students like me were actually performing their work. As I looked at the st assignment for this term’s csses, “Stupid discussion threads, I learned…” I worked on my assignments as the movie pyed in the background.

  I continued working on my assignment throughout the movie's beginning, only looking up for the “You’re a wizard Harry” line. After, I continued my work until it arrived at Harry’s vault.

  Once the gold was on screen I paused the movie. Reaching into the ptop screen I grabbed a handful of coins. On the TV I watched my hand suddenly appear, grab a handful of coins, and mysteriously disappear as I withdrew my hand.

  Pcing the pile of gold coins down on the table I picked one up to observe. They were rge and heavy coins. As I examined the currency I couldn't help but wonder why, "Why do they use it as money?" Store of value perhaps? As far as I knew this was the only money Wizards used in this franchise. Maybe something that can be traded between the magical and non-magical?

  As my questions about why wizards used gold fell on deaf ears the movie marched along to the next scene. Hagrid took the wrapped Philosopher's Stone (Or Sorcerer Stone if you're American) from another vault. I questioned if I should take it now. But was caught in a query, if I remove it would that cause a butterfly effect? From my previous tests, an item taken from a picture would remain missing. I would assume this would remain true with a movie or a video. (I guess it’s something to try out ter).

  Next was Harry getting his wand. I wondered if I could get a wand, it was the reason I grabbed some of the gold, but I was more curious if what I was about to do would even work.

  If I could reach my hand inside and I had already been inside up to my midsection, could I enter the medium fully? I think it's a reasonable conclusion. The medium in question would have to be big enough to allow me through but I think it could work. My TV should be big enough.

  Before that, I had to get dressed or look like I belonged because a simple T-shirt and sweatpants wouldn't belong in 1990’s Britain. I had grabbed some clothes off a mannequin in an earlier scene and some I found online. I had to do some double takes considering I was bigger than usual. Once dressed, I pced my hand on the screen my hand sinking in. Next, I pced my leg into the screen feeling a slight resistance until I felt solid ground. With that out of the way, I moved my full body into the screen.

  After the initial disorientation, looking around I arrived on the street. Many people dress in witch and wizardy outfits and many with simple trench coats and more old-fashioned tweed clothing. Behind me was a rectangur-shaped ripple about the size of my TV screen. “Is this my way out?” I asked as I touched the square, at my touch, it rippled to reveal my living room. After a few moments, the ripples started to fade. With my way back settled, turning around, and trying not to make myself look more conspicuous. (I was sure I was getting strange looks).

  Looking up at the shop in front of me, "Ollivanders, Maker of fine wands since 382 B.C." beled at the top. It felt surreal to see everything from the screen now in person. As I approached the door to the shop opening the door, I was met by Harry as he was on his way out. I held the door open and received a “Thanks” before I entered myself. Once Inside the shop filled with shelves and boxes I met with the owner.

  “Hello, may I help you?" Mr. Ollivanders asked from behind the counter. I could feel him looking me over as I approached. I was also doing the same, the old man now in front of me reminded me of Einstein with his crazy hair which looks bigger in person. There was also something about his piercing bright blue eyes.

  Not wanting to stay here too long, "Yes sir, I am looking to get a repcement wand".

  "What kind of wand are you looking for"?

  "Only the best, sir," I replied, this answer seemed to be his favorite as a smile appeared on his face.

  "I believe we have what you're looking for," he said, handing me a long box.

  While I came here to get a wand, I wasn't even sure if I could. After all, magic doesn’t exist… Well, it didn’t... If I do get a want, I am curious about what I will get. I reached into the box and pulled out the wand. I took the wand and gave it a wave around. The tip of the wand began to glow a bright green color then, fireworks.

  As the firework went off Mr. Ollivander waved his wand snuffing it out putting out the ball of fire as I pced the wand back into the box. "I'm sorry, but I don't think this is the right wand for you," Mr. Ollivanders stated. "Let’s try another," he said going through the many many boxes in the store.

  We went through the same cycle of Mr. Ollivander finding a wand, me testing that wand, and something blowing up for close to 20 minutes. It's a good thing he can repair things between wands. Otherwise, the bill would be enormous.

  I think we were about two dozen tries in when he brought out an older wooden box. "Ah, this one...?" he said skeptically before opening it. Inside was a rge old earthy-colored wand with a strange runic carved pattern that swirled its length. When I picked it up, the runes started to glow. I pced the wand back into the box and looked at Mr. Ollivander.

  (I think I want this wand) I had no real want for any particur wand, but I felt drawn to this one. Mr. Ollivander nodded his head seeing the difference between this wand’s reaction and the others. "I believe, the wand has chosen. Although I am afraid to say, that I don't know the particur core of this wand. I believe it to have been made some time ago. If you want I can-"

  "I don't mind, the wand chooses the wizard after all,” I said as I paid for the wand using the gold I got from Harry's vault and left the shop.

  Outside the store, I reached out for the ripple. Which seemed to respond, entering it I returned to my apartment. While I was in the shop I noticed that the screen had followed me in. It buzzed around me like a fly.

  Once back in my living room, I marveled at the ornate wand. As I looked at the wand I started to have a question gnaw at the back of my mind. "I shouldn't be able to use magic, right?" I asked as I held the wand giving it a wave with nothing happening. There was also that strange feeling. Now it feels more like a fancy piece of wood rather than the feeling I had before. While I was in the movie there was something about this wand that drew me to it. Now it feels dull.

  In the series magic is just a thing, but only those with the right lineage (Genitics) are able to use it. To varying quality. Perhaps the world I entered wouldn't have allowed a non-wizard into that location therefore, I must be a wizard? A causality correction if you would… Could it be something more complex than I could imagine? For now, I will keep the wand inside the box. Not like It would be useful without magic.

  With the matter of the wand settled, for now, I was about to continue watching the movie. When I noticed an interesting discrepancy. Rewinding the movie, Comparing the two there was an extra 25 minutes on the TV versus the original video running on my ptop. If I interact with a video It becomes part of that video? Why is it only on the TV? I was able to watch my entire interaction with Mr. Ollivanders. It felt surreal. “Is this how actors feel when they look back at their performances?” Not minding my interacting with Mr. Ollivanders too much the movie continued without issue.

  While I watched I was starting to think about what else I could take. If I wanted a dragon I could get the baby one ter in the movie, though it’s probably a little too dangerous. And there’s no way to control… I could find a way to control it in other series. How would I feed it? “I can pull out food…but for a dragon?” As my questions about how to raise a dragon continued inside my head I finally settled on getting one or something simir elsewhere.

  The next Item on my list should be the invisibility cloak Harry gets for Christmas. Considering it's likely one of the Deathly Hallows, created by Death itself. it would come in handy during tricky situations. Especially so with the cloak's ability to hide the user from death itself.

  Though I wonder if that's true. I also wonder what that means, if you were poisoned would you survive if you just hid with the cloak? Or if you were bleeding out would the cloak save you from death? The Deathly Hallows tale might just be fiction for the three items, Elder Wand, Resurrection Stone, and Invisibility Cloak.

  Now that I consider it, now that I have a wand I didn't need to keep watching. I should be able to get all the items I want using pictures from this point. It does make me wonder if there will be a difference between taking something out of an image vs the source. For now, I’ll grab the st item from this movie. After all, it’s always better to get things from the source. I ended up fast-forwarding the rest of the movie. When I got to the end scene I paused and grabbed the stone. It felt warm to the touch.

  As I held it in my hand, “The Sorcerer’s Stone” I said looking at this red gem. I was curious about many things with this item. In lore, a Philosopher's Stone can turn metals into gold and produce a liquid that prolongs life. This was true in the Harry Potter universe; I wonder what I could use it for in other worlds?

  End

  Why do wizards use gold?

  Isn’t it funny how because of the satanic panic The Philosopher's Stone was changed to Sorcerer's Stone?