A Web Of Magic

Mr. King led Magnus from the cabin to a tent that had sprung up who knows when. There were three more people apart from them in the new campsite. A small bonfire to the west of the cabin illuminated the area darkened by the now setting sun. In front of the bonfire sat an old African man dressed in a tribal garb with bone necklaces and what not. The remaining two, a man and a woman, were moving around the camp waving their hands. They were both dressed in brown cloaks similar to Mr. King, only less ornate. The two nodded to Mr. King and followed them as they entered the tent.

The inside of the tent was much bigger than the outside and looked like a house rather than a tent. Magnus chalked it up to magic. While he was impressed with his surroundings, he needed answers to his questions. Mr. King sat down on the cushions in front of a low table and gestured for them all to sit down.

"You must be hungry young Magnus, how about we eat before we talk?" Mr. King offered.

Magnus was about to ask for his answers but his hungry stomach protested so he accepted the offer. The lady, whom he could now see properly, had a dusky complexion and looked athletic. The man on the other hand was muscular yet shared some similarities with her which made him think that they might be related. The lady took four bowls of stew out of her sling bag which flew into position, one bowl for each. She then made a gesture with her hand and the stew warmed up giving a delicious smell.

Magnus was fascinated at the display of wandless magic but kept his questions to himself for now. He could sense a somber atmosphere around the table and decided to eat his food while he could. The stew turned out to be tasty and roused his taste buds that had gone dull due to the bland food of the past two days. They ate in silence and conversation started only when the meal ended.

"I hope the meal was to your liking. Akina here always makes great food," Mr. King said to Magnus.

"Thank you, Ms. Akina," Magnus replied gratefully. Akina gave Magnus a small confused smile.

"Ah, you see, Akina and her brother Shiza do not speak much English," Mr. King clarified.

"Then thank you Ms. Akina," Magnus replied in broken Arabic. He guessed that they spoke Arabic because they seemed to be locals. Looking at the smiles around the table, it seemed he guessed right. He looked up some basic words of greeting before coming to Egypt and it seems to have paid off.

"It seems you are well learned young Magnus. Not many foreigners learn the local tongue, especially at such a young age. Tell me, do you speak more languages?" Mr. King asked curiously.

"I always liked to learn new languages you see. It's a hobby of mine. I also speak Greek and French, courtesy of my aunt and my mother," Magnus replied truthfully.

"More knowledge is always good Magnus, remember that. You never know when you might need it. Especially something as important as languages. Now onto important things," Mr. King's tone became solemn.

"Tell us, what happened Magnus. How much do you remember?" Mr. King questioned.

The man seemed friendly enough and he seemed to know his parents, so Magnus told him everything from losing his consciousness in a hotel in Egypt to waking up in this forest in a cauldron. After finishing his tale, he waited for the questions that he knew were coming.

"So, you can't remember anything after the hotel?" Mr. King questioned.

"No, I get a headache every time I try to recall. Can you please tell me what happened?" Magnus asked sadly.

"Well, trauma does that to people dear boy. I'll tell you some details, see if you can recall anything," Mr. King offered.

"Master, he's still a child," Akina objected.

"And yet he clearly survived the hag Akina, not to mention the forest. He's stronger than he looks," Shiza countered.

Mr. King nodded and continued, "The hotel your family was in was attacked by a group of criminal dark wizards, young Magnus. They killed many and kidnapped seven children including you. The Ministry of Magic in Egypt sent us to search and rescue the children. We tracked them down and found this place at last. This is the Forgetful Forest you see, far away from Egypt and in Sudan. People outside the forest keep forgetting about it unless they have a reminder every quite often. So, we had some delays finding a guide. We are very happy that you are alive and well Mr. Webb, far better than the other children."

"Did they-?" Magnus did not complete the sentence.

Mr. King gave a solemn nod confirming his fears which sent a chill up his spine. He was indeed very lucky to be alive.

"What about my parents?" Magnus asked despite having a bad premonition, tears already swirling in his eyes.

"You are the only survivor Magnus. They tried to protect you," Mr. King replied sadly.

Magnus couldn't stop crying. He never cried much in his life. Not even when he broke his hand when he was six. But despite his maturity, he was still ten. The tears just wouldn't stop.

"Akina, send Mr. Webb to his sleeping arrangements. We will talk further in the morning Magnus. Rest for now and let it all out," Mr. King said softly. Akina nodded and carried Magnus to a room further inside the tent. Once the two of them were gone, Mr. King turned to Shiza and asked," What did you find?"

"The hag tried to do some ritual with the boy, just like the other places. They all blew up just like this one, killing both the hags and the children. He's the only survivor. But unlike the other places, there seemed to be either a lightning strike or a very powerful spell that struck the place. The burn marks and melted patterns support the theory. The Revealing Spell showed little, too much interference. The boy seemed to have been blown away to a nearby area and found his way here again. There was a dead snake on the way near his tracks. Either he killed it on his way or someone or something else did. What I don't understand is how did he survive all of this?" Shiza spoke in a neutral tone.

"There are no other magical signatures in the vicinity. It's probably some beast that killed the snake. There are many unknown creatures in this forest. The only explanation for his dislocation is accidental apparition. He is young and lacks control over his magic," Mr. King theorized.

"Looks like a Paralysis potion, mildly effective. Very impressive for one his age. Doesn't seem like he started school yet. What do you think master? Will he make a good fit for Uagadou?" Shiza gave his opinion.

Mr. King didn't give his reply immediately. He seemed satisfied with his inspection of the sticks and flicked them both while pointing away from him. One stick gave a small stream of water before turning dull while the other stick gave a small gout of flame. Mr. King gave a small smile and replied, "One-time use enchanted sticks. A budding potions brewer and an enchanter in the making. While he is impressive for his age, you know the rules Shiza. He is a citizen under the British Ministry of Magic, they'd want him back. Not to mention, he was accepted into Hogwarts. His parents sent the acceptance reply just before coming to Egypt. So, for all intents and purposes, he is treated as a student of Hogwarts. It is not within our right or jurisdiction to take him to Uagadou. Hogwarts is a fine school. I am sure Dumbledore will take care of things once he gets my message. A pity about his parents, but he has a certain strength within his eyes. I am certain he will get better.'