Notification from the Magic School

The little knife Moon used for woodcarving was clenched in his hand. He now vaguely regretted not bringing his slingshot; it had been his best weapon against animals that stole hazelnuts.

But even if he had both the slingshot and the knife, they might not have been much use.

A cat with a five-slot bar—even if it was the same size as an ordinary cat—was not something Moon believed he could defeat.

But he could not run, because Bouncy was still inside the bridge culvert. He did not know whether cats liked eating black-furred, long-nosed creatures with a hoarding habit.

The tabby cat noticed Moon's unease as well. Its checkered eyes blinked once, and it approached with elegant steps.

Moon unconsciously took two steps back.

"Looks like you really do have the talent to become a wizard."

The tabby cat spoke!

And after speaking, it turned into a person!

A very stern-looking woman dressed in a black robe and a pointed hat.

Seeing something so bizarre, Moon reached out and braced himself against the nearby stone pillar. He tried hard not to retreat, because the Regent's Canal was behind him.

"Don't be afraid, child. I only came to ask why you didn't reply to the letter."

"A letter? What letter?"

"An acceptance letter from Hogwarts. Don't tell me you never received it. I don't want another family like the Dursleys this year!"

At her reminder, Moon suddenly remembered. He really had received a strange letter ten days ago.

A letter delivered by an owl. He had thought it was some sort of prank, since he did not know anyone in this world.

He had even opened the letter, but he could not recognize some of the words. After roughly looking it over, he had casually left it inside the bridge culvert.

"Um... um..."

Moon was still nervous. He had never seen such a stern-looking woman before.

"You may call me Professor McGonagall."

"Uh, all right, Professor McGonagall. You said it was an acceptance letter?"

"That's right, an acceptance letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

A magic school!

Upon hearing those words, Moon's mouth fell open in shock. Then, without saying a word, he swiftly darted back into the bridge culvert.

McGonagall was startled by Moon's sudden action as well.

"Slow down, child!"

If being called a "half-baked spirit-sensitive" for four years had changed Moon in any way, the greatest change was his determination to prove that he was not half-baked.

Now, there was a talking tabby cat that had turned into a person, along with an acceptance letter from a magic school.

Moon knew this was his last chance, and he had to seize it tightly.

"Please wait a moment, Professor!"

Moon's voice came from inside the bridge culvert, followed by the sounds of rummaging through boxes and belongings.

Before long, he crawled back out holding a parchment envelope.

"Found it! This is it."

Moon held up the envelope and smiled happily at McGonagall, as though he were clutching something even more important than his own life.

McGonagall lowered her head and glanced at the emerald-green ink marks and Hogwarts' distinctive crest on the envelope, then nodded.

"That's right. I see you opened the letter. Why didn't you reply?"

"I... I don't recognize some of the words."

Moon spoke very softly, looking so awkward as though he had committed some terrible mistake.

"I really don't know what these Muggles are doing, letting a child wander around alone without even giving him an education..."

McGonagall had originally wanted to criticize the Muggles' poor administration, but then she seemed to think of something, and her expression became unnatural.

"All right, child. I'll read it to you."

Taking the envelope Moon handed her, McGonagall cleared her throat:

West London

Regent's Park

Under Regent Bridge

Mr. Moon Scarlet, recipient

McGonagall first read out the address on the envelope. She wanted Moon to know that Hogwarts' letters did not get delivered to the wrong place.

Then she quickly opened the letter and began reading:

Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Albus Dumbledore

(Chairman of the International Confederation of Wizards, First Class Wizard of the Order of Merlin, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot)

Dear Mr. Scarlet,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Enclosed is a list of required books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1. We await your owl no later than July 31.

Deputy Headmistress

Minerva McGonagall

"All right, now you know what the letter says, Mr. Scarlet. So, do you choose to attend Hogwarts?"

So that was what the words in the letter meant. Before Moon could react, McGonagall spoke again.

"Of course, if you choose not to attend Hogwarts, I can recommend other schools as well—Beauxbatons or Durmstrang."

"No, no! I'll go." Moon quickly waved his hands and looked at McGonagall.

"Good. On behalf of Hogwarts, welcome, child."

"But Professor McGonagall, how do I get to Hogwarts? And how much does the school cost?"

In Xilin, learning magic required paying a considerable amount of tuition. Back then, Uncle Neil had worried that he could not afford it, though later there was no longer any need to pay.

Since he was going to Hogwarts now, Moon asked directly. He did not know whether the money he had saved over two months would be enough to support his study of magic.

"To get to Hogwarts, you need to go to London's King's Cross Station on September 1 and take the eleven o'clock train from Platform Nine. As for tuition, room, and board, they are all free. However, you must purchase the items on this list yourself."

McGonagall handed Moon the list of school supplies and books enclosed with the letter.

"

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

〔Uniform〕

First-year students require:

1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)

2. One plain pointed hat for day wear (black)

All students must have the following books:

"The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1," by Miranda Goshawk

"A History of Magic," by Bathilda Bagshot

〔Other Equipment〕

One wand

One cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

Students may bring an owl, a cat, or a toad.

Parents are reminded that first-years are not allowed to bring their own broomsticks.

"

Moon had to infer the meanings of some words on the list from the surrounding context.

But looking at the length of the list and the dense writing on it, Moon knew the expense would not be small.

As Moon stared worriedly at the shopping list, McGonagall looked around at the terrible living conditions here.

"Professor McGonagall, where can I buy these things?"

Moon did not know what sort of shop sold such things. At any rate, he had never seen any related shops near Regent's Park.

"You need to go to Diagon Alley. It is the busiest shopping street in the entire wizarding world. Here is a shopping guide, as well as a ticket to Hogwarts."

As McGonagall spoke, two yellow parchment slips—one large and one small—flew out from her black robe and landed steadily in Moon's hands.

Moon was captivated by the charm of magic once more.

"Of course, Mr. Scarlet, if you agree, the school also has financial assistance—"

McGonagall had only gotten halfway through her sentence when a gray-and-white mottled owl suddenly flew down from afar and landed on a stone pillar.

"Oh, excuse me."

McGonagall skillfully removed a letter from the owl's leg. After patting its head, the owl flew away.

She opened the letter and read it quickly. Moon noticed that McGonagall's expression had clearly darkened.

"How could they do this? The Dursleys actually moved to a deserted island. It seems I need to have a serious talk with Dumbledore."

McGonagall clenched the letter tightly and looked at Moon. "Child, if you need anything later, remember to have an owl deliver a letter to me."

After saying that, McGonagall muttered something under her breath and vanished from the spot.

By the time Moon reacted, all that remained before him was the empty river surface. He hurried to the stone pillar and shouted.

"Professor, but I don't have an owl!"

Moon's voice was loud. He hoped Professor McGonagall had not gone far enough that she could not hear him.

But after waiting half an hour, he returned helplessly to the bridge culvert.

Although Professor McGonagall had hurried away before finishing what she wanted to say, Moon was not too disappointed.

Bouncy heard Moon return as well and crawled out from the hole in the wall.

"Squeak?" (one chirp)

"That's right, there's something tasty today. But Bouncy, I have good news for you. We're going to Hogwarts to learn magic!"

"Squeak?" (two chirps)

"Of course it's true. To celebrate, I even bought you dried mealworms."

"Squeak~" (three chirps)

"I'm definitely the one who treats you best. But if I'm going to Hogwarts, I still need to buy some necessary school supplies..."

"Squeak squeak!"

"Bouncy, that's not right. I earned that money, and I even brought you a present."

As he spoke, Moon took a toy magic wand with a star on its tip from his cloth bag. It was covered with sparkling sequins.

Moon had picked it up near the zoo entrance. From the moment he first saw the toy, he knew Bouncy would definitely like it.

Sure enough, when it saw the toy in Moon's hand, Bouncy's already tiny eyes instantly lit up.

It climbed up Moon's clothes, trying to snatch the toy.

But Moon was far quicker at switching the toy from hand to hand than it was at climbing.

"No. You need to hand over those pennies."

Seeing that Moon's attitude was firm, Bouncy reluctantly returned to its hole and began carrying out bright yellow pennies.

"Not enough!"

"Still not enough!"

Moon did not know how many times he had shouted that. Only when Bouncy stood at the opening of the hole, squealing loudly in protest, did he hand over the toy magic wand.

But before giving it to Bouncy, he casually switched on the wand.

Click.

The magic wand shone brighter, and Bouncy became even happier.

Moon, meanwhile, weighed the bag in his hand and found that the coins were still a little too light.