A Web Of Magic

The next morning Magnus sat on his back porch and practiced some of his charms. Once he was done, he picked the book given by Mr. King from his side and tried to unravel its secrets as he usually did every day. As always, there was no result. 'Why is this so difficult? There should be a simple way to use the book. Mr. King won't make it so difficult right? I'm barely eleven! He shouldn't expect advanced magic from me, right?'

Magnus decided to go for a different approach. He was able to find one particular charm in the Book of Household Charms that was useful in finding lost and hidden objects in a house- the Revealing Charm. While he did practice it, he never saw its effects as they were no hidden objects around him. He pointed his wand towards the open book and whispered, "Revelio".

At first nothing seemed to happen. But then words revealed themselves slowly on the pages of the book. Magnus was very excited. He finally solved the mystery of the book! He read the contents revealed on the book.

"If you are able to read this Magnus, then it means you have passed your first magical maturity. It starts at different ages for different people. Early or late it doesn't make one better than the other. It's just another trait like hair color. Now this book will teach you the basics of magic as we do in Uagadou, very different from that of Magical Britain. Your Ministry doesn't like losing its control over its wizard populace so do be careful. You'll understand more as you grow up. The book will test your knowledge and reward you appropriately. Use it wisely."

'Magical maturity? What is that? Am I not supposed to cast the spell? Well, whatever. It still worked. Hmm, now why wouldn't the Ministry want this knowledge to spread? Is it because it'll become difficult to monitor magic use without wands?' he deduced. While he didn't know if it was the whole reason, he was pretty sure that at least it was one of the reasons. He turned towards the next page,' Magnus shrugged and continued to read.

"A theory of Wandless magic:

Wandless magic requires one to be in tune with their own magic. This may take days to months or even years depending on the mental discipline and resources of the person. Most cannot feel their own magic despite being able to use it. While there are many ways to get in tune with their magic, the best method I found is through meditation. The other methods do provide quicker results and are most widely used, even in Uagadou, but such methods have their downsides. They can never reach their full potential and their magic is always weaker than it could be. Yet their speed and ease of use makes them very attractive to most and most are happy with that much. The major downside of the meditation method is the time it takes. Even the most talented need months to achieve any tangible results. Here I shall discuss meditation…"

The book went on about different forms of mediation and how different methods work for different people. The best method is apparently one that is of his own making as meditation is something very personal. No more words appeared in the book and it said that the next content will only appear once he became attuned with his magic.

Magnus put the book aside and tried to follow the instructions from the book. He sat in a lotus position and closed his eyes as he took a deep breath. Few moments later his breathing became slow and drawn out. He didn't know how much time had passed when he woke up. 'Damn, I fell asleep!' he facepalmed. His plans of flinging spells from his fingertips will have to wait a long time by the looks of it.

It was July 19th. Magnus woke up groggily. He had a late night yesterday trying meditation and brewing some Pepper-up Potions so, he woke up later than the usual. He slowly went about his daily habits. When he was shampooing his hair, he suddenly remembered that it was his birthday. Many thoughts passed through his mind in an instant and no, the tears were due to the shampoo. He quickly finished up and decided to take a day off from his usual studies and brewing.

Mrs. Weasley wouldn't be coming today and he's on his own. He did improve his cooking to an acceptable level so he was fine on that front. He made himself some eggs, toast and orange juice. Once he was done, he lay on the sofa in the backyard patio and closed his eyes. He tried to prevent his mind from straying towards sad thoughts and memories. A cool morning breeze blew over him and he slowly entered a trance.

Magnus didn't know how long he was that way. By the time he gradually woke up from his trance, the sun was high up in the sky. Magnus felt calm and collected. A drifting piece in his mind finally seemed to click in place, but he didn't know what that entailed. 'Alright, no more moping about. They wouldn't want me to be like this. Happy thoughts only,' he cheered himself. He got up from his place and looked around. Everything looked more colorful than before. It would be a pity to waste the day away. There seemed to be something blinking at the edge of his vision, but he chalked it up to the weird glow he usually saw around some objects.

He locked up the house and decided to spend the day away in his house in Hampstead. A quick step through the vanishing cabinet and he was off to his destination. The familiar house and surroundings brought some warmth to his heart. He felt like his parents were always there with him spiritually in this place. He cooked himself some food and ate some ice cream.

When he was about to leave the house, he checked the mailbox out of habit. Most were junk or no longer applicable so he threw them in the trash. One was from his school asking him about his absence, but that was out of date as he already sent them a letter saying he would be transferring schools. He couldn't be bothered to go to the school and tell them in person. The muggle social services would just interfere with his life. He didn't want that. The last package he found brought a smile to his face. It was a birthday gift from his friend Missy. She was on a vacation with her family so she sent his present early by post.

"Dear Magnus,

I wish you a happy and a wonderful birthday. I am visiting...

Oh, and mum and dad also send their wishes. Hope we'll meet soon"

Magnus felt guilty after reading the letter. He had all but forgotten about her. The fact that he would be spending more time in the wizarding world from here on made him give up on his muggle life subconsciously. 'I didn't tell her I would be changing schools. Oh well, nothing much I can do about that now. If I meet her again, I'll properly tell her. I should send her a present for her birthday too,' he justified himself. Something blinked into existence at the corner of his vision.

[Impact Points +1]

'What??'