Dumbledore at a Loss, and Going "Home"

Dumbledore had not felt this baffled in years, but Will's questions that evening left even the greatest wizard of the age utterly stumped.

"Professor, if Transfiguration is fundamentally about changing matter, can it change matter at the microscopic level?"

"If I turn water into bread and eat it, then keep the transformation going until I've digested and passed it, will I actually get the nutrients?"

The first questions were not too difficult. The Wizarding World had always had its share of fanciful thinkers. But Will's next questions made Dumbledore wonder whether age had finally caught up with his hearing.

"If I use Transfiguration to turn a lump of earth into uranium-235 and plutonium-239, will they be radioactive?"

"If they are, and a wizard gets sick from the radiation, will the illness disappear when the transformation ends?"

"If the transformation ends after they undergo nuclear fission, will they still be radioactive?"

Heaven help him. The 110-year-old legendary wizard had learned about the Muggle world, but not in anything like this much depth. In some respects, Will's questions were asking rather a lot of an old man.

In the end, Will did not get the answers he wanted. The earlier questions had earned him some experience, but his crucial questions remained unresolved.

He could hardly blame Dumbledore. This one was entirely Will's own doing.

The next morning, the Castle at Hogwarts rang with young wizards' laughter. It was the first day of the holidays, after all.

Students heading home had packed their luggage and were beside themselves with excitement. Even those staying behind were delighted: a whole month without classes or homework, free to play as much as they liked.

At breakfast, Professor McGonagall had to patrol the Dining Room to keep some overexcited young wizard from causing trouble.

Sylvia was spreading Shakshuka and tomatoes over a piece of bread when a long spray of sparks erupted from the Gryffindor table. Will soon heard the names George and Fred. It seemed the two were up to another prank.

Just then, Will sat down beside Sylvia with a plate of Full English Breakfast.

"What took you so long? Breakfast is almost over." Sylvia handed Will a glass of milk, looking puzzled.

"Just a little errand. You'll find out later." Will began eating at his usual unhurried pace, despite the time.

After breakfast, the students streamed out of the school. This time, they had to carry their own luggage, since the House-elves did not know which compartments they would sit in.

Will, Sylvia, Hermione, and Neville shared a compartment again.

Unlike the awkward silence at the start of term, the four were now good friends, and the mood was much more relaxed.

Will still spent a fair amount of time reading, but they talked easily throughout the journey.

He even took several food containers out of his trunk.

The other three knew what was coming. What they had not expected was for Will to have prepared six dishes.

"I asked the House-elves in the Kitchens to make all this this morning." Will passed out cutlery to the others.

"So that's what you were doing this morning." It suddenly made sense to Sylvia.

Will could seem distant much of the time, but he really did know how to look after people...

[Someone has developed a fondness for you. Charisma Experience +1]

[Someone has developed a fondness for you. Charisma Experience +1]

[Someone has developed a fondness for you. Charisma Experience +1]

Will's lips curved into a smile. Experience acquired!

The train passed one Muggle town after another. They ate the food from Hogwarts Kitchens, shed their wizarding robes, and changed into winter coats.

Because it was winter, dusk had already fallen by the time the train pulled into Platform Nine and Three-Quarters at King's Cross Station.

"Everyone, line up! Go through one at a time! Don't draw the Muggles' attention!" A gaunt old guard stood by the exit.

The young wizards grumbled. It was getting late, and they were all eager to get home. With no choice but to wait, Will pulled another book from his Book Trunk, cast Lumos, and resumed reading.

It took a long time for everyone to leave the platform. Will and Sylvia emerged through the solid wall together, then waited for Neville and Hermione behind them.

All three had family waiting nearby.

"You must be young Behrens." An elderly woman in a thick green coat approached Will.

"Will, this is my grandmother," Neville said.

"Hello, Mrs. Longbottom." Will greeted her politely.

"What a well-mannered boy. Neville has told me quite a bit about you. He says he's learned a lot of Charms, thanks to you, young Behrens." Neville's grandmother took his hand, but Neville drew it back shyly.

He had spotted a Gryffindor girl.

"You must be the friends Neville made at Hogwarts. Such lovely children."

Sylvia and Hermione greeted Mrs. Longbottom too. Before long, the others' parents had joined them.

They even began chatting among themselves.

But they soon noticed that no one had come to meet Will.

"Will, where's your family?" Sylvia asked, taking his arm.

"Oh, none of them could come. I'll take a Taxi home." Will did not tell them more, not wanting to invite too much concern.

"Would you like me to give you a lift, young Behrens?" Mr. Granger was a refined-looking man. "Who would have thought? You and Hermione were classmates for six years, and now you've both gone to Hogwarts."

"No need. I'm used to it. Thank you, Mr. Granger." Will declined with a smile. "I'm used to it. Well, see you all later. I'll write to you."

"Goodbye, Will," all three said.

A little over thirty minutes later, a Taxi stopped outside a house whose snow had not been cleared. Will trudged through it and entered the empty, silent house. When he turned on the light, he found a layer of dust over everything.

London's air quality really left much to be desired.

Will snapped his fingers, and the dust vanished. He had used Scourgify.

He had avoided using his Wand because of the Trace.

The Trace was meant to detect magic used by underage wizards. As Will understood it, the Ministry of Magic linked the Department of Magical Transportation's Floo Network monitoring system with the Improper Use of Magic Office's records database, creating a nationwide monitoring network.

But the system had a technical flaw: it could not distinguish the caster from an adult wizard present at the scene. When Dobby used magic, the Ministry mistook it for Harry's; when Mr. Weasley cast a spell in front of Harry, no alarm went off.

More importantly, it was poor at detecting Nonverbal Spells and Wandless Magic.

Professor Flitwick had told Will all this, incidentally. He hoped Will would practice more Wandless Magic and Nonverbal Spellcasting outside school.

Will lit the fireplace, and warmth began to fill the room. After casting several household spells, he soon had it as warm as spring. He then magically sealed every door and window in the house before finally settling down to rest.