A wand with a core of phoenix feather.
Over the centuries, a variety of cheap materials have been used as cores of a witch or wizard's wand. Such examples include the hairs from a kelpie (a shapeshifting water demon native to Britain and Ireland) and a Veela (a race of semi-human, semi-magical hominids).
However, Garrick Ollivander, arguably the best wand-maker in the world, selects a wide range of wand woods but only three cores: unicorn hair, dragon heartstring and phoenix feather. His research has concluded that these rare and costly materials-when combined with several unique wand woods-will indefinitely produce the best wands.
Unicorn Hair
While this core does not generally produce the strongest wands-although the wand wood may enhance its power-wands that have unicorn hair in them are the least flamboyant, decreasing its susceptibility to fluctuations and blockages. Advantages of this core are that it usually produces the most consistent magic, and that it is the most faithful to its owner of the three cores. A wand with a core of unicorn hair is harder to turn to the Dark Arts than dragon heartstring and phoenix feather, a factor that many witches and wizards like.
Dragon Heartstring
This core is the most flamboyant of the three, and often produces the strongest wands. Dragon heartstring usually favours ambitious spell-casting and as a result the wand is more likely to turn to the Dark Arts than any other core; however, a wand that has this core will not do so of its own will. Dragon heartstring wands generally aren't sensitive to moving on from previous owners, but bond strongly with the current owner. This core produces wands that are most prone to accidents, being quite temperamental at times.
Phoenix Feather
This core is the rarest of the three, as it comes from an elegant yet detached creature which is seen as one of the most exotic in the wizarding world. Phoenix feather wands are capable of the greatest range of magic, although this means that sometimes they will act of their own accord. Wands with this expensive material as their core are the pickiest of all the cores in choosing the most suitable owner, and allegience is often hard-won.
For more information on wand cores visit: