Opening the Door to Freedom

Opening the Door to Freedom

Bell had read the novel "Harry Potter" in his previous life, but that had been many years ago, and he himself could not remember whether he had finished the entire series.

After thinking carefully, Bell realized he only had vague memories of the plots from the first and second years. Even Bell himself could not be certain whether those memories were accurate. Only one thing was certain: after he enrolled in the future, something would happen at Hogwarts every year.

However, Bell did not care much about that. The world before his eyes was real—of that, Bell was absolutely certain. Perhaps in reality, Voldemort had already been dead for good.

Although he did not know why certain aspects of this world matched what had been described in the novel from his previous life, Bell would not think he had entered the world of a book, nor would he consider himself the protagonist. As he had said before, Bell did not care about his life in this lifetime. He merely passed each day with an indifferent attitude.

"Lim, do you know Voldemort?"

Feeling rather bored, Bell casually picked a topic.

When Lim heard her Young Master's question, she widened her eyes in shock. Bell was worried just looking at her that her eyeballs might fall out.

"Y-Young Master, that name... cannot be spoken!" Lim said in the trembling, shrill voice unique to House-elves.

"Oh? Why?" Bell asked unconcernedly.

He seemed to remember that wizards did not dare say Voldemort's name, and there did seem to be a reason for it, but he could not recall what it was.

"Lim does not know either, but everyone says so."

"All right... Then do you know Harry Potter?" Bell asked again.

"Yes, Lim knows. Everyone says Potter defeated the Dark Lord, causing the Dark Lord to lose his power. Everyone calls Harry Potter the 'Boy Who Lived.'"

"So how did Potter defeat the Dark Lord? As far as I know, he should be several months younger than me."

"I'm sorry, Young Master, Lim does not know. Lim asked other House-elves too, but no one knew. But Dumbledore said Potter defeated the Dark Lord, and the Dark Lord really did disappear, so everyone believed Dumbledore."

Unable to answer Bell's question, Lim felt deeply guilty. Looking utterly dejected, Lim gazed pitifully at Bell, hoping her Young Master would not blame her.

Seeing Lim like that, Bell smiled unconcernedly. "Don't worry about it. I was just chatting."

"So the Dark Lord is dead?"

"Many people say he is not dead, that he will definitely return someday. But the Ministry of Magic issued a statement saying he was dead. So Lim does not know whether he is truly dead."

The information Bell learned from Lim basically matched his memories. That was... not interesting at all!

Learning a foreign language was an incredibly boring, tedious activity, and it also drained both mental and physical energy. For Bell, who was still a baby, studying for a while would leave him exhausted—so tired he was about to fall asleep!

So, during breaks from that task, Bell also worked on the second task on his list: gaining control over his own magic.

Although Bell did not dislike staying home, he did not want to truly remain trapped in his room for his entire life. Not wanting to go out and being unable to go out were completely different concepts, okay?

In order to gain his freedom as soon as possible, Bell carried out his magic-control training every day.

Bell's training results were remarkable. After the first week of training, his parents... had been forced to strengthen the Sealing Barrier.

Through Bell's unremitting efforts, he successfully opened the door to freedom! The wall had been blasted apart...

Hehe

Naturally, Bell's parents wholeheartedly supported this behavior. Never mind one wall—even if he tore down the entire castle, it would not matter!

Yes, Bell lived in a castle. When he first learned this, Bell had been utterly stunned. Was his family some kind of great noble house?

However, since he had never left his room, Bell did not know what his family's castle looked like or how large it was.

After learning that his family was not the sort of ordinary wizarding household commonly found in villages, Bell became somewhat interested in his family's circumstances. He even had Lim find records concerning the family and thoroughly investigated his own family's background.

Time swiftly reached the fifth year after Bell's birth. Bell had grown from a little baby into a big baby.

Over those five years, Bell had not taken a single step outside his bedroom. Every day, he played with toys in his room, read and learned words, and chatted with House-elves.

Even the most interesting toys became dull after five years, so Bell threw out all the toys that had once filled his room.

Now, his room was piled full of books. After becoming tired from training his magic control, Bell would usually choose to read or listen to House-elves tell him fresh bits of news to pass the time.

After several years of reading and studying, Bell had now completely mastered the common knowledge of the wizarding world. At the same time, he had become proficient in basic magical knowledge, such as the traits of various Magical Creatures and the effects of different Potions.

And if there was one change over these past few years that delighted Bell the most, it was discovering that his terminal illness had somehow healed on its own! He no longer wanted to stay shut inside the house forever—!

o(>_<)o

Today—on this very day, not long after Bell had celebrated his fifth birthday—he finally succeeded in controlling the magic within his body as easily as moving his own arm.

"Lim!" Bell called toward an empty spot in the bedroom.

With a crack, the House-elf Lim appeared before Bell. She was Bell's personal steward, responsible for arranging every aspect of his daily life. Compared to Bell's parents, her bond with Bell was even deeper.

"What are your orders, Young Master?"

"Yes. I want you to call my parents over. I can already control my magic properly, and there won't be any more rampages, so... let me out already—!"

Bell felt as though he was about to go mad. He did not care where he went; he simply did not want to stay in this room any longer.

Recently, his depression had caused his appetite to increase by half. If this continued, his little belly would surely start bulging.

"Really!? Young Master."

Lim's already huge eyes opened even wider.

"That's wonderful! Wonderful! You can finally go outside!"

Lim shrieked and began to cry.

"All right, Lim, don't cry."

Bell patted Lim on the back and comforted her. "Go call my parents quickly. I can't wait to get out."

At this moment, Bell's heart was filled with a long-forgotten excitement.