Nothing Is True, Everything Is Permitted

"Are you not a wizard?"

Only after the flustered boy had gone did Harry belatedly realize what he meant. "I mean, aren't you from a wizarding family?"

"Of course. Is there something wrong with that?"

Ezio glanced down at his clothes. "Wizards don't dress like this, do they?"

"Neither do ordinary people." Harry suddenly smiled. "But you're really amazing. You can learn magic just by reading a book."

"Spells taught before fourth year are all very simple. As long as you say the incantation correctly and move your wand the right way, you can master them after a little practice."

Ezio made it sound easy, and the truth was, it really was. "You could try it yourself." He pulled a book from his pocket. The title, The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1, was printed on its cover.

"Like this?" Harry took the first-year Charms textbook. He had looked through Hogwarts textbooks before, but he hadn't dared practice magic at his aunt and uncle's house. He'd found the name Hedwig, his owl, in his History of Magic textbook.

"You can try Lumos and the Levitation Charm. They're beginner spells for getting used to casting. If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me."

"That's great!" Harry said happily. He pulled his wand from his pocket and eagerly began to try.

"Lumos!" he recited quickly. The spell was printed in the first section of the book's first chapter. He remembered the incantation without even opening the book.

But the tip of his wand only flashed faintly, then went dark.

"The pauses and emphasis are in the book. The wand movement is a firm, light tap forward. If you picture the light in your mind while casting, it'll be easier. The same goes for the Levitation Charm. You can imagine that you've already made something float."

"Good idea!" Harry said with a nod. He closed his eyes and pictured it. After a moment of concentration, he opened them and recited the incantation as the book instructed. "Lumos."

A white magical glow lit up at the tip of his wand. Harry's excitement was plain to see after his first successful spell.

"Pretty simple, right?" Ezio put away the Household Magic Compendium he'd been reading and switched to another book.

"It really isn't hard. I think I can even control how bright it is!"

The light at Harry's wand tip grew brighter and dimmer, and he grinned from ear to ear.

After fiddling with his wand for a long while, Harry finally turned his attention elsewhere. Seeing Ezio reading again, he tilted his head to look at the cover.

"Hogwarts, A History?" Harry asked curiously. "I don't remember seeing that in our textbooks."

"Yeah, it's a book for extra reading. I bought quite a few. I also learned about you from a recent history of the Wizarding World."

"You must have been a really good student at school." Harry suddenly felt nervous in the presence of a top student.

"No, quite the opposite. I've always studied at home. I've never spent a single day at school." Ezio shook his head. Giovanni might have been a fool who burned the food whenever he cooked, but he knew a great deal. He was a professional in the assassin business, but if he'd gone to university, he could have been a wonderful professor. "My father was my teacher. He taught me a lot."

A trace of envy flickered in Harry's eyes, then faded, leaving a hint of complicated emotion. He suddenly felt that the two of them were a little alike.

"Your dad must be really impressive." Harry looked up and gave him an encouraging look. He didn't know why he was doing it. Maybe he hoped Ezio could move past his sadness.

"Of course. He raised me all by himself. He might have burned the food whenever he cooked, but I know he tried his best." Ezio couldn't help smiling. Familiar images seemed to flash through his mind.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know..."

"Don't keep apologizing, Harry. It's a bad habit." Ezio waved a hand. "We need to be clear about our goals and know what we want to do. For example, I came to Hogwarts to study magic and grow stronger. I also need to gather clues. One day, sooner or later, I'll uncover the truth."

When Harry nodded, Ezio continued, "What about you, Harry?"

Harry fell silent, his feelings tangled. He couldn't give a clear answer, even to himself. He knew Voldemort had killed his parents, but he'd never known their love, so he didn't know what it meant to feel the wrenching pain of losing them. He knew he ought to hate Voldemort, but he didn't know how. That hatred still had no clear shape in his heart, and he'd learned the truth about his parents' deaths only a month ago.

"Maybe you'll figure it out someday, but there's something I want to say." Ezio had more or less guessed what Harry was thinking and understood why. But it wasn't what Ezio wanted for him.

"What?" Harry asked curiously.

"If you don't even dare avenge your parents and family, then there's little difference between being alive and being dead. Unless your parents never cared for or loved you, once you understand why they died and why you survived, you may find an answer of your own."

"Is... that so?"

Harry was still trying to make sense of it. He couldn't understand these things yet. After all, he was only an eleven-year-old boy who had just left his foster home, not an adult with a fully formed outlook on life and values.

"Take your time. You don't need to rush into it now." Seeing that Harry was lost in thought, Ezio dropped the subject. Some things were better left unsaid. Harry had to work them out for himself; he'd understand after seeing it with his own eyes.

"Have you thought about which House you'll be sorted into when you get to Hogwarts?"

"What House?" Harry asked blankly. He had no idea about any of this.

"Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. They're Hogwarts' Four Houses. Every student is sorted into one when they arrive at Hogwarts, and the Houses are named after Hogwarts' Four Founders."

"Godric Gryffindor was an outstanding dueling master, so Gryffindor House favored young wizards who were brave and had a spirit of adventure."

"Rowena Ravenclaw was a wise scholar. Ravenclaw House favored bright minds. If you have a thirst for knowledge, Ravenclaw is a good place for you."

"Helga Hufflepuff was kind and loving, qualities many wizards lack. Hufflepuff House may seem to accept any young wizard, but it won't take you if you don't have kindness in your heart."

"Salazar Slytherin, in my eyes, was a true wizard. He pursued power and didn't care what others thought of him. He had clear goals of his own. Victory—or success, you could say—was what he pursued. Though he has the worst reputation of the Four Founders, Slytherin is still the House I most want to join."

"Why Slytherin? I thought Voldemort was in Slytherin." Harry asked, puzzled. "You're so clever. Wouldn't Ravenclaw be a better fit?"

"Why do we study, Harry?" Ezio looked him in the eye. "We study so we have enough knowledge to face the challenges ahead. We study so we have the power to accomplish what we set out to do. Knowledge is a tool, not an end in itself—unless you want to become a fool with nothing in your head but academic research."

"Oh. Right. Yeah, that would be awful." Harry nodded once he'd thought it through. He could hardly imagine himself becoming a bookworm. It sounded miserable.

"That's why I choose Slytherin. I know what I have to do. One day, when I uncover the truth, I'll kill the man who murdered my father with my own hands."

"I've been preparing to take my revenge for a long time, Harry."

Under Ezio's gaze, Harry shifted his neck uneasily.

"But killing people is against the law, Ezio," Harry said quietly. He was still a good boy who followed the rules.

"If the law can't give me fairness and justice, then it means nothing to me. I haven't seen the Ministry of Magic do anything about this. Maybe the people responsible are high-ranking Ministry officials."

Ezio spoke in a low voice. "Nothing is true, everything is permitted." (Nothing is true, everything is permitted.)

"We can't live forever in a world boxed in by rules set by others. How would that be any different from being puppets?"

"We need to gain the power that will set us free. Every one of us is an independent, free person."

"If Voldemort didn't exist, would you have a mom and dad who loved you, Harry? I have only one father, but I know he loves me, even though he never says so."

"Taking revenge for him is the only thing I can do for him as his son."

Ezio's voice lowered. He had no other resources in the Wizarding World, so if he wanted to do anything, he had to put himself in the game.