"That's how it happened."
In the living room, Ezio poured Snape a cup of plain black tea. He knew the Potions master wouldn't fall for anything; anyone who could be called a master had exceptional abilities.
"My father died. The only clue I have is that he may have died where the Twelve Moons rise."
"That must have something to do with those wizards you mentioned."
"You don't know anything about the Wizarding World?" Snape frowned, skeptical of Ezio's answer. It was only natural: the spearhead in the boy's hand clearly possessed magical power. "Where did you get that weapon? You know how to use it, yet you're telling me you don't know about wizards."
"It's an heirloom my father left me. Maybe one of his ancestors was a wizard, or maybe he got it somewhere else. I was adopted by him, so there are some things I can't be sure of."
"I can use it, but I don't know why."
Ezio's words were half true and half false. The hardest lies to expose were the ones where every word was true, but Ezio couldn't manage that. Still, Snape found his story reasonably believable. Ezio was being cooperative, his tone sincere, and he clearly wanted something from Snape.
Unfortunately, Snape couldn't offer any leads about "where the Twelve Moons rise." Otherwise, he would have shown Ezio his nasty side by now. If he had leverage, Snape wouldn't have shown the little bastard any mercy.
"I'll tentatively accept your story. Now, the second question."
Snape's manner turned rather aggressive.
"You must have received an acceptance letter from Hogwarts. Since you knew a professor would come here, why did you attack me without warning?"
Snape didn't want to ask, "What did you and your dead father do before this?" It was obvious enough that the boy had received professional training in some specialized line of work. If Ezio hadn't had that broken spear, Snape—prepared and with his wand in hand—wouldn't have considered him a threat. Muggle tricks weren't useless, but to wizards, they were nothing special.
After all, wizards could freely control and alter Muggles' thoughts and wills. Snape could wipe Ezio's memories with a flick of his wand. Wizards' contempt for Muggles wasn't without reason, and Snape now had all the arrogance of a wizard. He didn't think Ezio could get the better of him again.
"I never received any so-called Hogwarts acceptance letter. Otherwise, I wouldn't have mistaken you for a dangerous man who'd killed my father and tracked me down. The throwing knives I sent your way were aimed only at your joints. I never meant to kill you from the start. If I had, your head would already have been separated from your body. I wouldn't have given you the chance to speak."
Ezio spoke coldly, without giving Snape the slightest courtesy. "I planned to take you alive. I don't like killing innocents, but I'm not incapable of getting my hands dirty."
Snape's brow twitched, but when he thought it over, that was indeed how it had happened. Ezio's spearhead had been pressed against his neck. One slight movement, and he would have been decapitated. At that point, not even a potion could have saved him. Even if Merlin himself had been reborn and appeared in front of him, he would have been beyond help.
"Impossible! I only receive a report that I'm to go once the acceptance letter has been received. You must have received a letter delivered by owl."
"Owl?" Though Ezio knew about them, he still put on a puzzled expression. "You use owls to deliver letters?"
"Of course," Snape replied as if it were obvious. "Owls with magic in their bodies can deliver items with perfect accuracy to their intended recipients. That's one of their magical abilities. The wonders of the Wizarding World are beyond your imagination, boy."
"I think I know what happened."
Ezio got up and went to the window. After opening it, he let out a sharp whistle and held out his right arm. A moment later, a magnificent bird of prey landed on it.
"Neil, what did you catch earlier?"
Ezio stroked the head of the magnificent bird he'd raised from a chick, a bird whose soul could resonate with his own. It was a gyrfalcon, a species found across Northern Europe, Asia, and North America. It was 56 to 61 centimeters long and classed as a medium-sized bird of prey, with an exceptionally fierce temperament. It was no surprise that it had caught a trained owl carrying a letter. A gyrfalcon's hunting dive was more than six times faster than an owl's top flight speed.
The magnificent bird named Neil understood Ezio perfectly. He flapped his wings and hopped onto the windowsill, then took off. A little over ten seconds later, he returned carrying a skeleton that had almost been eaten clean.
"Here's the letter."
Ezio untied a bloodstained letter from the unfortunate owl's leg and waved it at Snape.
"Sorry about that. There aren't any neighbors nearby, so Neil spends all day outside. If he sees a bird approaching the house, he just catches it. But Neil doesn't hurt people. I've trained him well."
Snape's face had darkened so much it seemed ready to drip. The explanation left him with no grounds to argue, but he still keenly spotted a flaw.
"If your bird caught the owl, there should still have been a report that the letter was received." It wasn't Ezio's fault; it was a problem with the magic. But Snape still wanted to find something to criticize. "I suspect you..."
"Do wizards have any special abilities apart from casting spells?"
Ezio asked as though he didn't already know, then waited for Snape's answer.
"Yes." After a brief pause, Snape nodded. "A very small number of wizards have unusual abilities. Are you trying to tell me that you have one?"
"I can communicate with Neil telepathically. Sometimes I feel as though I've become Neil, flying through the sky and seeing through his eyes."
"Your hawk has been imbued with your magic. That's a very convenient explanation, heh." Snape gave a cold snort. The cause of the problem had been found, but he wasn't satisfied.
"Hogwarts will reconsider your admission."
Once he'd figured out what had happened, Snape turned and swept out without looking back. His torn robes made the gesture rather comical, and he noticed. So, without even leaving through the door, he Apparated away.
"Heh."
Ezio gave a cold laugh, but he didn't care about Snape's words. Now that he knew the Wizarding World existed, even if the worst happened and he couldn't get into Hogwarts, he could find another way.
He didn't dwell on it. Ezio headed for the stairs and went upstairs. Whether it was the Templar Order or wizards, he shouldn't stay in this house any longer.
Before you continue