A Web Of Magic

Magnus settled down for the next month and didn't go outside besides visiting the Weasleys once in a while. He's cooking on his own so he's not as dependent on Mrs. Weasley as he was before. She still invited him often to have a meal which he accepted occasionally. If he went whenever she invited, he'd be sitting there for all the meals every day. For most of the time he learned honestly from Merlin's book and Slytherin's notes. He used his points generously whenever he got stuck on something and made good progress.

He also incorporated some running and body-weight exercises into his routine to increase his body stat. He left out weights for when he got older. While his interface didn't show any increase for his body stat, he's pretty sure he made some improvements as he could feel his increased strength. He didn't worry because he figured out by now that his interface didn't show decimal points for his stats. He'll likely see an increase when it increases by a whole number.

He finally got started on Enchanting and even gained the school on his interface. Enchanting was very different from just charming an object. For one, it was more permanent and it cost more magic as well as good control to enchant an object. It also depends on the material you are enchanting. Some materials take enchantments more easily than the others. Thus, there is a whole lot of material and magical theory that he had to study. It only gets more complex when multiple enchantments are involved. Magnus was very fascinated with the subject and took an instant liking to it. His goal for now was to make something like a broom that wizards used for flying. He planned on using a surfing board instead of a broom. He never liked brooms as they felt uncomfortable and most importantly, didn't look cool enough. That's another reason for him not liking quidditch besides the stupid rules.

His deal with the two shops in Diagon Alley brought him constant money. His gains stabilized at 100 galleons of profit every two weeks. He's looking forward to selling some of his other creations to the shops soon. His goal was to eventually open his own shop in Diagon Alley soon. That would cut down on the costs and bring him more profits in the long run. To get his own shop, he would need the Ministry permission. Renting in a decent location would cost at least 100 galleons a month and the price for buying one had too many zeroes in it for his liking. At the rate he's earning money and with his plans to increase his income with his new products, he might be able to afford one by next year.

Today Magnus was reading Merlin's book on his porch. He was just taking a quick look at everything the book had to offer without going into too much detail. Thankfully, it wasn't one of those annoying types of books that showed advanced content only when you completed the basic content. While he didn't completely go through the whole book, there was a theme that he was noticing as he turned each new page. Most of the spells, while being very useful and powerful, were all auxiliary spells without any offensive capabilities. A majority of these spells were all disguise and escape type. He wasn't disappointed at the lack of offensive spells as these were very unique and the theories behind them highly intriguing. Some of them could be downright terrifying when used properly.

There was one technique that instantly caught his attention. It as a ritual called "Black Star." It was a ritual that helps you locate your Host star and disguise it. Host star in divination is very important. It is said to be the source of your divination and also a form of your identity. It should be kept a secret for if it is leaked, then you can be easily tracked and your divination can be interrupted. Magnus's aunt mentioned it to him briefly without going into too much detail as she herself didn't know much about it. Their family literature on the subject had been lost. One of the main reasons they could be tracked apart from their blood was the information of the host star of one of his ancestors was leaked to the enemy. Now members of the same family have their host stars located close by. If one of them is known, then the others could be inferred at a high cost. Merlin's ritual has a way to mask this.

'I suppose it shouldn't be a surprise. Merlin apparently possessed prophetic powers according to some stories. He was also very skilled at illusions. That fits the theme of this book. This is exactly what I need. This should help prevent them from divining my location so easily next time. Hmm, the blood tracking could also possibly be prevented using some of the methods in Slytherin's notes. That could possibly work. Let me see what's required for the ritual. Hmm, the materials aren't too pricey. Should cost around 80-100 galleons. I need to perform it once a year for it to have effect. It needs to be performed under the lightless sky. Hmm, what day is that? I need to find out the exact day. Might need to go through some astronomy books. I knew this porch was lucky,' he mused with a smile.

His good mood didn't last long. The reason was the letter he received at the end of June. It was from the Ministry. It started with congratulating him about his award and achievements. Since he was so successful now and earning his own money, he was no longer deemed a "dependent." Thus, he is no longer eligible for the orphan fund that he had been allotted by the ministry. Even Mrs. Weasley who was his guardian wouldn't be receiving her funds anymore. The ministry hopes that they can use it to empower another child that is in dire need of these benefits. They wanted him to understand that he could always approach them for help.

Magnus didn't care for the measly 100 galleons the ministry used to give him. He could earn that in two weeks easily. He always knew that it wouldn't last long so he never put any hopes on it. But what he wanted to know was why did they want to cut it off right now? What changed? He wouldn't believe that the ministry is so poor that they cannot afford to give funds to both him and Mrs. Weasley. Someone must be pulling the strings behind the scenes.

'How did they know I'm earning money now? Did the shops leak any details? That doesn't seem likely. They gain nothing by doing that. Did the goblins let something out? We don't have anything against each other so why would they risk me pulling money out of their bank? So, it shouldn't be the goblins. I don't think my enemies would do something as simple as cutting off the orphan fund. There must be another third party involved. Who is that and why are they doing it? More importantly, is their target me or the Weasleys? This doesn't affect me much, but Mrs. Weasley will lose out the money. I heard it's not a low amount. Should be a few hundred galleons. That's a lot for their family. Now who would benefit from depriving them of money?' Magnus felt that a new player has entered the field. Someone is paying unwanted attention to him and he's going to find out who. They won't get away easily from messing with him. Not anymore.