"I don't have any talent for prophecy. I can't peer into this so-called fate."
Anton gazed out the Cabin's window with a touch of wistfulness. In a corner of the valley, Harry, Dudley, Draco, Hermione, and Crabbe were practicing magic.
Birds of a feather flocked together, as the saying went. Without anyone noticing, Ron and Goyle had drifted away from their respective trios and joined Neville. Meanwhile, the ambitious youngsters who remained gathered to study every day in a curious arrangement, even though they detested one another.
"Mr. Dursley, are you willing to trust me?"
Anton watched them through the window, a smile playing at his lips, his voice soft and distant.
Vernon paused, unsure why Anton had suddenly brought this up, but still replied with complete sincerity, "Yes, Mr. Weasley. Of course I trust you."
Anton raised an eyebrow and glanced back at Vernon. The man had become a wizard through the Top 100 Tournament's ritual magic. His emotions were amplified by his magical power, making them remarkably easy for Anton to sense.
Interestingly enough, what he felt was genuine, deeply meaningful devotion.
Just like Anton's believers.
Vernon was a believer of mine? The thought always left Anton with a peculiar expression.
Oh, of course he understood. He had transformed the Dursley family's lives so completely that he could imagine how they must see him.
"Now, I enjoy passing on knowledge and teaching people, but I didn't invite these youngsters to the Cabin for private lessons just because I had nothing better to do."
Light glimmered in Anton's eyes, and his lips curved slightly. "There's an extraordinary power that stands above fate. I don't know what to call it, but it influences everything unseen."
"Perhaps fortune? Being a chosen one?"
"In any case, we find something surprising. Throughout the