A Night of Magic

Late at night, the light in the second-floor window of No. 19, Tibby Avenue was still on.

Albert was rapidly reading through the book's contents. He also raised Rapid Memory to Level 2, greatly improving his memory. Ordinary people did not possess such an ability; at the very least, none of them could match Albert when it came to memory.

Just moments ago, Albert had discovered another unfamiliar skill: Wizard Bloodline, Level 0.

Ordinary experience could not be used to level up this skill. It could only be raised with skill points.

This was the first time he had encountered such a situation. After hesitating for a moment, Albert still raised Wizard Bloodline to Level 1.

After upgrading the skill, Albert found that he learned magic more efficiently. Or rather, his magical power had grown stronger. He mastered Lumos more quickly, and after barely ten minutes of practice, he had raised the skill to Level 1.

That meant Albert had initially mastered the spell. Even without deliberately concentrating, he could use it with ease.

Should he put all his skill points into it?

Albert hesitated. Skill points were hard to obtain, and he needed to save some for himself.

However, after wavering again and again, when he finally put in his remaining two skill points, he discovered that he could only raise it by one level.

What a rip-off!

After raising Wizard Bloodline to Level 2, Albert did not feel any other changes.

Was it a passive skill?

Albert felt a little frustrated, but he did not regret it. He left his room and began trying the Unlocking Charm.

With his wand in one hand and Standard Book of Spells, Beginner open in the other, Albert lightly flicked his wand twice according to the gestures taught in the book. The motion was somewhat like a backward S, and it felt rather awkward.

After a few more attempts, Albert locked the door from the inside, then cast Alohomora on his own doorknob.

Albert reached out and twisted it several times, but the lock did not open.

He had failed.

Though the failure was expected, there was still good news. Another Unlocking Charm had appeared on his panel, except this time it had no experience.

"Albert, what are you doing?" A girl's voice sounded from behind him. Nia, dressed in pajamas, appeared at the end of the hallway.

Albert turned to look at his sister. He knew exactly how she felt right now, as though she had caught a thief sneaking snacks.

"Why aren't you in bed?" Albert asked.

"I can't sleep!" Nia complained. "You're so sneaky. You really were practicing magic in secret."

Albert felt a little embarrassed, but that was indeed the truth. It was like being caught sneaking... ahem, sneaking desserts. He felt somewhat guilty.

"I want to play too!" Nia stared fixedly at Albert's wand.

"But this isn't a toy." Albert shook his head. He would not let his sister use this wand.

Children had the least self-restraint and acted entirely on their own whims. No one knew what sort of trouble she might cause.

Of course, that was assuming Nia was also a wizard.

After all, Albert himself was a wizard, so there was a high chance Nia was one too. That was why he would not let her casually try using a wand, at least not now.

"You're so sneaky. Aren't you playing with it yourself?" Nia complained, like a child whose toy had been taken away.

"Aren't you going back to sleep?" Albert changed the subject.

"No, I can't sleep."

"Then I'll tell you a story." Albert took out his key, unlocked the door, and went back inside.

"Albert is so sneaky," Nia muttered, but she still picked up Tom and entered Albert's room.

The moment Tom entered the room, he began sniffing everywhere, seemingly searching for an owl. He had a strong objection to the birdcage by the window.

"All right, Tom. Shira went out to hunt." Albert picked up the shorthair cat and rubbed its belly. Then, not forgetting, he put his wand into the drawer and locked it, slipping the key into his pocket as though guarding against a thief. Albert knew his sister's personality far too well.

"Ugh! Do you really have to guard against me like I'm a thief?" Nia pouted unhappily.

"Do you think I don't know you?" Albert rolled his eyes at Nia. "If you got hold of that wand, wouldn't you blow up our house?"

"I wouldn't!" Nia said stubbornly.

"Who knows whether you would or not? Don't forget how you got those scratches on your arm." Albert had no intention of testing it. "Don't make promises to me. I don't want you to suddenly lose an arm one day, or worse, lose your life."

"I wouldn't," Nia said, somewhat guilty.

Back then, it really had been a similar situation. Not long after Tom had arrived at their home, she had been scratched because she treated him roughly. She still remembered Albert getting angry and scolding her harshly.

That was the first time Nia had ever seen Albert angry.

"Don't forget the lesson." Albert asked, "Do you still want to hear a story?"

"All right!" Nia leaned against a cushion, stroked Tom's fur, and quietly listened as Albert told her a fairy tale. He had become quite skilled at it. He used to do it to practice speaking and improve his English. After all, he was not truly English at heart. Though he had absorbed the language and culture after crossing over, he still lagged a little in that regard.

It was worth mentioning that he had also picked up another foreign language. He had even used experience to raise his French to Level 1. Albert being considered a genius was not without reason.

"Albert, do you think I'll be able to use magic in the future?" Nia suddenly asked.

"Probably. If I can use magic, then Nia should be able to as well," Albert comforted her.

"That's because you're a genius. You learn everything so quickly."

"What does that have to do with being a genius?" Albert was speechless. "We're brother and sister. If I can do it, you should be able to as well."

"But Grandpa can't. He said everyone in his family could, except for him," Nia murmured. "And Dad can't either."

Herb had been innocently caught in the crossfire.

"Even if you can't use magic, you can still do other things," Albert comforted her.

"You're so sneaky. You can already use magic, yet you're still saying that to comfort someone else. Tom, hit him." Nia grabbed Tom's paw and placed it against Albert's face.

As the night grew deeper, Nia gradually fell asleep without realizing it.

The door was pushed open, and Daisy and Herb, both dressed in pajamas, entered the room. They looked helplessly at their sleeping daughter.

"She's finally asleep." Herb picked up Nia and carried her back to her room.

"Goodnight, Albert. Get some rest soon, and don't stay up late. You can read the book tomorrow." Daisy kissed Albert on the cheek and whispered, "Your father and I won't oppose your decision."

"Goodnight." Albert stifled a yawn and nudged Tom. The fellow merely lazily rolled over, seemingly unwilling to move.

"Fine then. Goodnight, Tom." Albert pushed the cat aside, adjusted his pillow, found a comfortable position, and lay down to rest. He was already very tired too.

Still, magic really was a marvelous thing.