Mid-August.
Two weeks had passed since the birth of the undead owl Yanhua.
One pleasantly sunny morning, Morris sat cross-legged on his bed.
Sunlight streamed through the window onto him. His breathing was steady, his chest rising and falling gently in rhythm, and an inexplicable sense of tranquility surrounded him.
"Hey, Morris," Scott's puzzled voice came from the lower bunk. "You've been in that position for half an hour. What exactly are you doing?"
Morris slowly opened his eyes, his silver-gray eyes looking especially clear. "I already told you. I'm meditating."
"But you're just sitting there without moving. Don't your legs go numb?" Scott clearly didn't quite understand.
Honestly, they did.
Morris could already feel his thighs starting to cramp.
Perhaps he should try a different position the next time he meditated.
Seeing that it was about time, he climbed out of bed, only for his legs to buckle, nearly sending him into the table beside him.
"So what exactly is it good for?" Scott pressed.
Morris gently moved his numb legs, feeling the prickling sensation as his blood began flowing again.
"It helps you concentrate more easily," he explained. "It's very useful. You could give it a try. It's simple. First, empty your mind, then..."
"Forget it, forget it." Scott curled his lip and cut Morris off.
Getting a child to settle down and stay motionless for half an hour was impossible.
Morris shrugged.
In truth, the "meditation" he spoke of wasn't merely an activity, but one of the spells recorded in the Book of the Mage.
Meditating regularly could significantly improve his concentration and directly affect the accuracy and success rate of his spellcasting.
By now, Morris's success rate with the Weakening Curse was nearly fifty percent.
That was no small encouragement to him.
He now had at least some combat ability.
At the very least, if he encountered a mugger on the street, he wouldn't be completely unable to fight back.
Judging by Harold's condition after being cursed before, the curse was quite effective, almost enough to leave an adult completely unable to move.
"I'm going out to play." Scott pulled a knife from beneath his pillow and deftly tucked it into his crotch. "Want to come?"
Morris shook his head and took two fifty-pence coins from his pocket. "Bring me back two chocolate bars. You can keep the change."
Scott's eyes lit up, and he nimbly caught the coins tossed his way. "That's our Morris. Always generous."
"Remember to buy them at that shop on the next street. I like theirs."
Scott gestured that it was no problem and bounded out of the room.
Kids really are full of energy, Morris thought.
Getting to the next street would take nearly an hour just walking.
Now, at last, he had a quiet dormitory.
Morris pulled the suitcase out from under his bed and took out his wand.
Over the past few days, he had also tried the spells in his Hogwarts textbooks.
"Lumos!"
Morris waved his wand, and a soft white light appeared at its tip.
"..."
The spell had gone smoothly.
At the sight, he rubbed his chin.
Although he had successfully cast magic again, he kept feeling that something wasn't quite right.
Why was this spell completely different from what he had learned in the Book of the Mage?
To cast this Lumos Charm, all he needed to do was make precise gestures with his wand, concentrate, and clearly recite the incantation.
Although there were quite a few small details involved, the most important thing was that casting this spell actually required no spell model at all!
According to the Book of the Mage, that should have been the most essential step in casting magic.
Could it be that they belong to two different systems of magic?
That was all Morris could guess.
Still, this wasn't a bad thing.
If he could use magic more easily, why wouldn't he?
If every spell really required constructing a spell model, that would be a real headache.
Morris opened the Standard Book of Spells, Grade One, which he had bought earlier in Diagon Alley, and began leafing through it.
It contained very basic spells, such as "Wingardium Leviosa," which made objects float, and the unlocking charm, "Alohomora."
Notably, most of their incantations had traceable roots.
They were somewhat like Latin or Greek.
This, too, was completely different from the magic in the Book of the Mage.
The incantations for the spells in the Book of the Mage belonged to no language Morris knew.
That language possessed a wondrous magical power, as though it had been created for magic from the very beginning.
Morris continued browsing the book in his hands with interest and discovered that it also provided detailed notes on the correct wand movements and key pronunciation points for each spell.
"Very convenient." He nodded slightly.
Presumably, these spells would all be easy to learn.
While Morris was trying other spells, Guantou appeared outside the window at some point.
"Where have you been lately?"
Morris brought Guantou into the room and stroked its head.
He hadn't seen this stupid cat for several days.
"Meow~"
Guantou rubbed against Morris's palm and burrowed into his arms, purring contentedly.
"Looks like you've been having fun."
Morris gently smoothed the fur on Guantou's back, and Guantou immediately narrowed its eyes in comfort.
Although Guantou was happy, someone else wasn't pleased.
Yanhua leaped out of Morris's shadow and landed lightly on the table in front of him.
"Awoo!"
It let out a strange cry, spread its wings, and took a threatening stance toward Guantou.
Disturbed, Guantou raised its head and glared back at Yanhua without backing down, a warning growl rumbling in its throat.
The two undead creatures faced off like that, leaving Morris unsure whether to laugh or cry.
"All right, all right. Go play somewhere else."
To soothe the jealous Yanhua, Morris put down Guantou and returned to studying the textbook in his hands.
The two little creatures jumped onto Scott's bed and began roughhousing.
It looked as though his poor roommate would have to wash his sheets again...
Morris silently apologized to Scott.
He stood up to close the window, but suddenly stopped.
At some point, a pair of large, round eyes had appeared outside the window and were staring straight at him.
It was an unfamiliar owl.
The owl tilted its head slightly, then tossed a letter into Morris's hands.
"This is..."
The sender written on the envelope was none other than Ezra Frick.
Morris immediately opened the envelope.
[Dear customer, the item you mentioned is not for sale. I regret that I cannot sell it.
However, if you are interested in other items, I have enclosed a sales list for your reference.
The quality of all goods is guaranteed. If you wish to make a purchase, please enclose payment with your reply, and the owl will deliver the goods.
Yours sincerely, Ezra Frick.]
After giving it a quick glance, Morris felt somewhat disappointed.
Judging by this reply, buying that skeleton would be impossible for the time being.