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"Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard’s wand."
Garrick Ollivander describing wands and cores to Harry Potter[1]

A wand core is a magical substance nestled within a wand's wood, extracted typically, though not always, from a magical creature.

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A wand created with a core from a beast can retain the character and magical skills of that creature. For example, a wand created with the hair of a Thunderbird also has its ability to sense supernatural danger and will fire spells of its own accord pre-emptively.[2]

Known wand cores[]

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