In addition to being the Headmistress of Fiddleheart Academy of Witchcraft & Wizardry, Professor Hobbliknob is also one of the most well known and sought after wandmakers in the Americas. On her way to becoming a master wandmaker she studied the wand artistry of Garrick Ollivander, known for making the wands of both Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort. Soon however, Hobbliknob began to develop her own wandmaking techniques that have won her a firm place in the rich history of master wandmakers.
Mr. Ollivander was a great innovator. He placed great importance on wand cores is recognized for favoring the use of phoenix feather, unicorn tail hair and dragon heartstring. He also put great stock in the type of wood used in wandmaking as has been the tradition for thousands of years.
Headmistress Hobbliknob has created a method of making wands that differs greatly from the esteemed Ollivander but offers additional benefits such as added longevity and stability of spellcasting. Although traditionally, the type of wood was considered to strongly determine the "personality" of the wand, Hobbliknob discovered that the location of the tree from which the wandwood is procured is of equal, if not more, importance in this regard. For instance, wood from a maple tree growing near a river is going to have measurably different qualities than a maple tree growing at the foot of a mountain.
Additionally, her wands are not hollowed out to create a receptacle for the core. She has found that maintaining the integrity of the solid wood protects the wand from breakage and allows for the magical energy of spells to be more consistent and stable. This does not mean that there are no additional magical components added to the wandwood. Hobbliknob wands are embellished with various stones which focus the power of the wand and make the qualities of each wand unique. When making a wand, Hobbliknob "listens" to the wandwood to determine the type and quantity of stone that will harmonize with the raw wand. The stones are affixed and finally the wands are painted in varying shades of color mixed with crushed fairy wings (certain fairies shed their wings annually) to add to their power and artistic flare.
Fiddleheart students will learn many of these wandmaking skills in Beginning Wand Making. Additionally, all new students receive a wand that has been made by Headmistress Hobbliknob with the help of her apprentices.
About Kirstin Hara
Kirstin Hara, MA, CHHC, is otherwise known as Headmistress Hobbliknob of Fiddleheart Academy. Kirstin started working with chidlren and teens after graduating from Northwestern University.
Originally a professional dancer, dance educator and choreographer, Kirstin spear-headed a modern dance program for young dancers at Dance Center Evanston where she worked for almost a decade. For 6 years, she worked as the Assistant Director of the dance department of the National High School Institute's "Cherubs" program at Northwestern University. At this highly regarded pre-collegiate program, she taught a wide variety of classes including dance improvisation, choreography, whole foods nutrition and shiatsu massage.
She has since transitioned from dancing to life coaching and counseling. Though she works primary with adults in her private practice, she continues to be involved in the lives of young people through her MoonGirl monthly girls' groups and REALgirl empowerment workshops.
She is also the mother of two fantastic witches, ages 7 and 11, who bring magic to her life on a daily basis.
In her role as Headmistress, she intends to infuse her Defense Against the Dark Arts classes with skills from her life coaching practice and to share her love of the creative arts in Beginning Wandmaking.
If you wish to learn more about Kirstin andher life coaching and counseling work, you can go to http://www.kirstinhara.com