Spells and Professor McGonagall's Letter

Silan disliked noise.

So ever since he turned ten, he had stopped living in the dormitory with James, Kini, and the others.

Mrs. Hazel gave him the dusty attic, letting him clean it up and live there by himself.

Of course, he did not need to handle something like cleaning the attic personally.

After all, the other children were more than willing to serve him.

He returned to the attic, sorted through the things he had bought in Diagon Alley, and found his spellbook.

The Standard Book of Spells: Grade 1

This book, written by Miranda Goshawk, was essential reading for first-year Hogwarts students before enrollment. It recorded several simple and practical spells.

Such as [Alohomora], [Incendio], [Lumos], [Reparo], and small spells like the [Levitation Charm].

Magic itself was a word full of fantasy and power, and thus held an enormous natural appeal. The moment Silan opened the spellbook, he was engrossed.

With the boost from the trait entry [Spell Inspiration], he learned these simple spells very quickly.

Theory guided practice.

After memorizing the incantations and key points of these spells, Silan took out his wand and prepared to practice.

A wand was immensely important to a wizard. It could even be called a wizard's second life.

Even the most skilled wizard would struggle to use someone else's wand properly. That was why McGonagall had said, "There are no secondhand wands."

Other than some poor family with too many children, or Neville Longbottom keeping one to commemorate his father, few wizarding families would "pass down" wands.

The wand in Silan's hand was ebony, twelve inches long, with a Dragon heartstring core. It was exceptionally rigid overall.

Wandmaker Ollivander had searched for quite a while before pulling this wand from a spot near the ceiling.

In his words, this wand was highly peculiar. It looked quiet, pitch-black, and steady on the outside, but once it cast magic, it would unleash astonishing power.

He had been rather surprised that this frail-looking little fellow with his pale face had been chosen by such a wand.

In the end, Ollivander could only remind him to use it carefully.

For safety's sake, Silan first tried some harmless spells, such as [Lumos] and [Reparo].

Thus, over the next few days, fluorescent light constantly flickered in Silan's attic, accompanied by the frequent sound of things breaking.

[You have completed a spell study session]

[Spell Inspiration: Proficiency +1]

[Spell Inspiration: Proficiency +1]

"James, how much stuff did you get?"

"Not much. A few radios, a broken iron. Oh, and a busted television. What about you?"

"Kini and I collected quite a few broken toys. These things are worth money, and they sell well too."

"Smart Kini!"

Several children from the orphanage carried the junk they had bought at dirt-cheap prices into Silan's attic.

Silan had stopped telling fortunes recently. Instead, he had them take money around the streets to buy broken items: radios, irons, televisions, toys, even worn-out clothes.

When these things were brought back, they were battered beyond use. Yet the day after they were moved into the attic, they would become gleaming and good as new.

The children would then take them out to sell. Their prices were far lower than those in shops, so there was never any concern over finding buyers.

In only a few days, they had made a fortune.

James directed people to carry the freshly restored goods down from the attic before walking over to Silan.

"Silan, this is the money we made these past few days."

"Keep it. You'll be in charge of it. Remember to give half to Mrs. Hazel and have her buy more bread for you all. Of the rest, you and Kini each take one fifth. Divide the remainder among everyone else according to how much work they did. Just like I taught you."

"Yes."

"Oh, and don't give them all the money at once. Hand it out slowly."

"Understood. Silan... will you come back?"

Tall and fat, James was not good with words. He hesitated before asking.

"Don't worry, James. I'll come back," Silan said.

Having received that answer, James breathed a sigh of relief, scratched his head foolishly, and went downstairs.

Ever since Silan had learned [Reparo], he had thought of making money by collecting broken things, repairing them, and reselling them.

Ordinarily, this would violate school rules.

But... he had not officially enrolled yet. The school rules could not touch him.

Moreover, he operated discreetly, only "starting a business" on a small scale in several nearby blocks, so he had not drawn any attention for the time being.

The clever Kini had long been waiting beneath the attic. When he saw James come down, his gaze flicked toward the money in James's hand, and a flash of greed passed quickly and secretly through his eyes.

"How did it go?"

"Silan said he'll come back."

Hearing that, Kini glanced at the attic and suppressed the thought that had surfaced in his heart.

Never mind that Silan was still here. Even if he really left, so long as he planned to return, Kini would not dare pull anything.

In Kini's eyes, James was a brainless oversized idiot who stubbornly clung to his principles, all brawn and no brains. The other children were fools who understood nothing beyond eating, drinking, and relieving themselves. He alone was a rare intelligent person.

As for Silan... he was an unfathomable monster.

He still remembered the first time he had met that fellow.

Though handsome, Silan had looked so weak that a gust of wind could knock him over. At the time, Kini had thought, Another fool.

Yet this "fool" had taken only half a month to shatter Kini's dominance over the orphanage. Not only had he turned James into his diehard supporter, he had also won over every other child. Still, Kini had to admit that Silan was truly formidable.

After establishing absolute authority in the orphanage, Silan had not monopolized their already scarce supplies. Instead, he had earned more money and improved everyone's living conditions. Even Kini could not help being convinced by him.

After all, nobody had a grudge against money.

The Burrow.

Molly Weasley waved her wand, making the ingredients she had just chopped leap automatically into the pot, while shouting upstairs.

"Arthur, Percy, Fred, George, Ginny, Ronald! Get up already! It's the first day of school today."

Fred and George scratched their heads in perfect sync, then hesitated when they reached the door side by side.

"Who went out first last time?"

"Forgot."

"Then I'll go first."

"Doesn't that sound like something you said before? No, I should go first this time!"

Ron looked at his equally bleary-eyed father and yawned. "Someone who didn't know better would think you were Mum's child too."

"Oh, of course I'm your mother's darling too."

"Please, Dad, my teeth are aching," Fred and George said in unison.

Percy stroked his chin in front of a mirror. After all, he was a prefect now. He had to maintain the dignity of a prefect.

Ginny, meanwhile, tilted her head against the door, wondering why she had to wake up so early when she did not even need to go to school.

The noisy family gathered around the dining table.

Arthur read The Daily Prophet while eating a sandwich. Fred and George teased Ron, who was sighing over the school supplies left over from his brothers, then they both imitated Percy by stroking their chins and saying in strange voices, "Call me Prefect Percy!"

The youngest, Ginny, was combing her hair.

Breakfast was served.

Before anyone had time to eat, they saw an owl slam into the window with a bang.

"Maybe Errol wants breakfast too."

Percy muttered helplessly, got up to take the letter, and glanced at the envelope.

"Mum, it's for you."

Molly wiped her hands and took the letter, giving it a look.

A letter from Hogwarts? But school had not started yet.

Somewhat puzzled, Molly opened the envelope and first glanced at the signature: Minerva McGonagall.

That only made her more confused.

"George, Fred, did you two get into trouble at school again?"

"Which incident are you talking about, Mum?" Fred and George asked in unison.

Molly glared at them both and began reading the letter.

Aside from the greetings and pleasantries, the most important part of the letter was a question: had her brother Fabian Prewett dated a Muggle girlfriend more than ten years ago?

It was a rather strange question.

Because Professor McGonagall had not asked whether he had, but whether it was true.

Compared to the vague former wording, the latter sounded more like she had obtained some information and was trying to verify it without being certain.

But why was Professor McGonagall asking about this after more than a decade?

She was not someone who casually pried into other people's privacy.

Especially not the private affairs of someone who had passed away.

It was far too abnormal.

If possible, Molly did not want to recall what had happened ten years ago.

It had been a nightmare for her. Her two brothers had died in the war without leaving behind any descendants, nearly ending the Prewett family name. Every time she thought of it, her heart ached as though it were being cut apart.

"What's wrong, Mum? Why are you crying?"

"It's nothing. The wind indoors is too strong..."

"Where would wind come from indoors?"

"Enough, hurry up and eat. You still have to get to the station soon. You can't be late on the first day of school."

Molly wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes and put the letter away, intending to deal with it after seeing the children off to school. Yet the contents of the letter continued to linger in her mind.

Could it be that my brother had a girlfriend back then and left behind a child? she thought.