A Web Of Magic

Magnus spent the night in Hampstead and returned to Devon the next morning. He slept much better here than in his aunt's house and he decided to do so as much as possible. The vanishing cabinet made things much easier in this regard. Thus, a new aspect was added to his routine. He would return to Hampstead whenever possible and spend time with Missy if he met her at the park. Time passed in this manner and soon it was July.

Magnus finished reading all the books in their family library. They were all just basic level books with the exception of a rare book here and there. They didn't have as many spells as he expected and were mostly just theory. In fact, the greatest number of spells he had learned was in the Household Charms book. Housekeeping became a lot easier after he learned from that one. The library only had the first-year books on Charms, Transfiguration and Potions. While they had been good reads, he was hoping to purchase the rest of the books along with the school supplies and extra potion ingredients when he visits Diagon Alley. Mrs. Weasley promised to take him there soon.

He also delved into the books he picked up from the hag's cottage. The book in hieroglyphs was a no go. He was planning on finding some dictionary for it in Diagon Alley. If not, he hoped that Hogwarts's library is as famous as his aunt made it to be. He didn't do anymore experiments with enchanting as his aunt cautioned him against using blood for magic unless he really understood what he was doing. He made some progress on the "Wonderous Widow's Cures" as he learned more Arabic, but was once again deterred due to the lack of ingredients for the potions. The curse part of the book was an eye-opener. The book was filled with all kinds of spells ranging from "mildly annoying" hexes to "just-shy-of-lethal" curses. He hid it away from eyes of Mrs. Weasley whenever she cleaned the house. She did not seem like a fan of potential dark magic books if her views on finding some of his healing notes was any indication. He had to do a lot of convincing on that one. 'I don't want to go through that again,' Magnus shuddered.

The third book, "Bonds of Flesh" turned out to be fascinating. The contents of the book dealt with something called "Flesh Magic", but it wasn't as daunting as it sounds. At first, he was confused as he thought before that it was just some skin care book. In the end, his speculation proved to be true. It was indeed just a book on skin care as it had some recipes for better skin and some massaging techniques. There was no mention of any Flesh Magic beyond the first page. He felt it had potential to be beneficial but only for a few people. Magnus is yet to understand the allure it would have to women. He didn't understand why the hag had the book but didn't use any of it on herself. 'I wonder if she actually read through the book. She wouldn't be having all those scars and wrinkles otherwise,' he though with a shudder. The hag's face popped up once in a while in his dreams and it was not pretty.

Something seemed very different today during his lessons with his aunt. The "sea of stars" that usually faded away once the lesson was done stayed put if a bit dim. His aunt looked at him solemnly and said, "There is something more to tell you Magnus."

Magnus looked at her inquisitively.

"Since you'll be buying your school supplies, you'll need money. In my bedroom underneath the flower painting on the wall is a safe. Put your hand on the flower and stroke it to open. It only opens for family members. There will be some galleons in it as well as the deed for the house and land. In the third cabinet of my vanity mirror, there is the key to our family vault in Gringotts. Don't be too shocked at what you find, or the lack thereof. There isn't much in there. Our family didn't the trust the goblins too much so they put only a little there. Still, there should be plenty in the safe to last through your schooling," Viola said the last part somewhat embarrassed.

Magnus wasn't very surprised by what she said. His parents too didn't seem to have trusted the muggle banks too much. He found a lot of muggle money stashed in their bedroom in Hampstead. He wouldn't be wanting for money at least for now. He was about to reply to her when he noticed his aunt seemingly wanting to say something but hesitating.

"What is it aunt?" he asked with a smile.

Viola gave a sigh and said," An advice if you will, Magnus. Do not follow in our footsteps. Don't do what our predecessors did. Half of our situation was our own doing. Some of them made poor decisions, including me. Owing to the blood curse and our pursuers, our predecessors decided to lay low and use as little magic as possible. While that seemed logical at the time, it also led to our magic weakening. Magic is alive Magnus and it responds to our subconscious wishes and not always positively. In our case, since we didn't deem to use it, it weakened in us. The two generations of family prior to mine were only squibs. They couldn't use any magic and they foolishly sold off things they shouldn't."

Now it made some sense to Magnus. No wonder a family as old as theirs didn't have many magical things lying around. His aunt gave a short pause and continued," We were all homeschooled you see, as per tradition. It would have been fine, but we lost many of our valuable books and precious items over time so we couldn't compare to the other wizards. Even your parents were barely better than squibs and couldn't get into Hogwarts. All of this didn't leave us with many friends. Even if we wanted to ask for help from others, we didn't have anything worth offering."

"My last advice to you Magnus is this. An offer like Hogwarts is a beacon of hope for our family. Do not squander it. It is a safe place and you wouldn't have to worry about our pursuers going after you. Not to mention Albus Dumbledore's reputation will only act as an additional safety net. Learn all that you can there. Gain some fame and friends if you can. Do not commit our mistakes and end up without allies. You are smart Magnus, I know you will do great things," Viola said with a small smile towards the end.

"Thank you, Aunt Viola, but why does this sound like a goodbye?" Magnus asked confused.

"Today is our last time together Magnus. The diary has come to an end. While I wish I could do more for you, this would have to do. Do not worry child, you will do much better than you think. Do not forget our lessons Magnus. Go out there and make us proud. We believe in you. We will always love you Magnus," Viola replied with a bright smile.

Before Magnus could process all this, the sea of stars around him shattered and he returned back. His eyes were filled with unshed tears and his heart full of longing and anger.