Hope of the Whole Family

Anton was extremely busy.

On top of the old wizard's research courses, which ran Charms and Potions in parallel...

He had a whole family to take care of.

Nagini the giant snake needed feeding every day. Sometimes he also had to undo the charm on her door and let her out for a little exercise. She couldn't stay cooped up in her room all the time.

Pedro the Goblin was still unconscious, so Anton could only find a doctor to keep him on a glucose drip. Of course, that required a Confundus Charm, too.

The old wizard sometimes drifted into the neighbors' homes and scared the wits out of them. Anton had to knock on their doors and cast the Memory Charm, which he wasn't very good at.

Then there was Lupin, who was doing better and better. His personal charm was blossoming, and he seemed full of energy.

But Anton still had to take Polyjuice Potion every so often to haggle with the old foxes at headquarters and the France branch. He also had to personally visit some very important big-name clients to close the most important deals.

And on the night of every full moon, Anton was absolutely indispensable.

Anna also needed him to talk her through things. This quiet, proud girl spent every day holed up in her trunk, tinkering with the enormous magical machine that was now ten meters tall.

Every so often, he had to bring her out to get some sunlight. Of course, the timing had to be different from Nagini's.

Besides that, he had to scold the restaurant delivery guy and tell him to stop showing up late every single day. He also had to bring the dry cleaner's proprietress an exquisite birthday gift to thank her for looking after them so attentively.

He was only a ten-year-old kid, worrying over a whole family like this.

It was just too hard.

But it was all worth it.

Lupin had gained confidence and drive. Anna had grown a great deal taller over the past few months. Nagini's wounds had healed completely, and Pedro hadn't died.

And as for Anton himself, after all this time spent studying, he had finally achieved his first breakthrough.

That night, he gathered the family with a smile.

He drew the curtains over the hall's floor-to-ceiling windows, lit the candles, and looked at the old wizard, Lupin, and Anna with a smile.

He set a box on the little round table and opened it gently. Inside was a chubby little bird.

"Scientific name: Anglaquai Spore Cluster. Potion name: Color-Changing Windbird."

"Its defining feature is..." Anton picked up the bird. It quickly turned the same color as his fingers. Its translucent body even tricked the naked eye for an instant, making it seem as if it didn't exist at all.

He flicked his hand lightly, and the plump bird flapped its wings and flew around the hall. As the background changed, it shifted through different colors, blending into its surroundings.

Anna's eyes filled with delight. "What a cute little bird."

It was indeed chubby, and looked a lot like an Angry Bird. Kids loved that sort of thing.

Lupin was just as astonished. "I've never seen a bird like this."

The old wizard cackled beside them. "That's because this potion is incredibly expensive and extremely hard to catch. Most people have never even seen one, let alone Lupin, who's so poor he can't afford to eat."

The old wizard was as malicious as ever.

Anton picked up a piece of black cloth and covered a purple crystal on the table. At once, the bird vanished from everyone's sight.

"Wow, it's gone!" Anna looked around curiously.

Lupin raised his wand. "Show yourself!"

But nothing happened.

Anton explained with a smile, "Except under the invisible light of a Molopi Pavilion crystal, this creature—which looks like a bird but is actually a clump of spores—is invisible to the naked eye. A revealing charm can make it show its true appearance, but it's naturally invisible."

He pulled the cloth off the crystal. The bird was perched on the chandelier's frame. It still looked like a chameleon, but they could make it out, if somewhat indistinctly.

"Next..."

"Time to witness a miracle!"

Anton shut his eyes and waved his wand, making an extremely complicated series of gestures as he muttered an incantation. At last, his entire figure disappeared into thin air.

"Wow!" Anna cried out.

A chubby little bird circled the chandelier before landing on its frame, where it stared face-to-face at the other bird.

Then the plump bird flew down and landed in Anna's palm, playfully pecking at her.

Anna giggled.

The bird took flight again, changing rapidly in midair until it finally became a red-haired boy.

"This is my new magic."

Lupin stared at him in disbelief. "An Animagus?"

Anton grinned and wagged a finger. "This isn't Transfiguration. I imitate the magical image of this magical herb with the magic inside me, and then I take on its form. I call it the Biomimicry Charm."

"Cack, cack, cack." The old wizard laughed smugly. "Anton came up with this himself. Let's give him a round of applause."

"Of course, it was my guidance that enabled him to find his own path, building on Fiennes's work in magical Potions."

Anna and Lupin joined in the applause.

But Anton looked serious.

"I'm showing you this today not because I want you to know how amazing I am."

"Did you notice anything about the charm I just used?"

Anna and Lupin looked at each other. The old wizard looked just as baffled.

Anton waved his wand, and the little bird was pulled down onto his hand. He pointed his wand at himself, then at the bird.

"I turned into a potion, then changed from the potion back into myself."

As he spoke, he looked at everyone expectantly.

In return, he got a group of children staring back at him with question marks in their eyes.

Anton sighed. "Didn't you notice? This transformation is reversible!"

"It ignores bloodlines, species, even the traits of living things. It has nothing to do with any spell, either."

Anna still looked completely lost, but Lupin's breathing had turned ragged. He stared at Anton nervously. "You mean..."

"Haha, Lupin, you finally caught on!" Anton snapped his fingers.

"This is just the beginning. The spores are relatively simple, so I was able to imitate them successfully. But if I keep researching, I'll eventually be dealing with far more complex fields."

Anton looked steadily at Anna and Lupin.

"Even Blood-Cursed Werewolves and Werewolves."

At the mention of Blood-Cursed Werewolves, Anna looked bewildered, clearly having no idea what they were. Still, she looked proud of Anton.

Lupin strode over and grabbed Anton by the arm. He swallowed hard. "You mean...?"

"Yes!"

Anton's voice rang out. "If I keep going down this path, I can turn Werewolves back into humans. I can turn Blood-Cursed Werewolves into humans."

He let out a deep breath. "But it'll take time. I don't know how long it'll be before I can do it."

Lupin trembled all over, his eyes brimming with tears. He pressed his lips together, but his mouth kept quivering.

"I..." His voice was hoarse.

His words came out choked with sobs. "I can wait! Even if I grow old and my hair turns completely white, even if I can no longer walk, even if I only have one day left to live, I still hope to become a whole and complete human being and be buried in the ground."

He was on the verge of tears.

At last, the reserved older man let out a loud shout, as if releasing decades of pain he had bottled up throughout his life, then rushed back to his room.

The door shut. They could barely make out the muffled sound of him crying.

Everyone fell silent.

The old wizard clicked his tongue in sympathy, then glanced at Anna's and Nagini's rooms and said in a hushed voice, "You little rascal, you've given everyone hope. You can't let that hope be shattered. That would be too cruel."

Anton looked at him earnestly. "I will do it!"

His words rang with conviction.