Violet giggled and squealed, "Do it again, daddy!"
"Yeah, again!" Froggy said.
"Alright, but this is the last time," Tony said.
Daisy shook her head, pretending to be embarrassed by her dad, but really just as fascinated as her younger siblings.
The three kids and their dad sat at a window-seat booth in the restaurant. Out the window, they could see the cars driving through the intersection when the traffic light turned green. Most green lights were long enough to let at least a dozen cars pass through. Tony wiggled his fingers at the traffic light and said, "Presto!"
No sooner had the word left his lips when the traffic light changed from green to yellow. Only two cars drove legally through the intersection, but two more ran the red light. Froggy and Violet cheered, while Daisy shook her head and rolled her eyes.
Tony smiled at his kids, winked at Daisy, and took a sip of his iced tea. She shook her head and smirked.
A thirty-something woman with a mess of blond hair streaked with a touch of pink approached their table and asked, "Anthony Wilson?"
"Yes?"
The woman extended her hand and said, "My name is Alexis Webster. I was wondering if you have a moment to speak privately."
"Woo, dad. I'm telling mom," the kids teased. Tony shook his head and gave them a stern look.
"Not at the moment. I'm enjoying dinner with my kids. Feel free to come by the shop tomorrow, and we can talk then," he said. "Do you need the address?"
"Tomorrow, then," the woman said, and walked away.
Tony was concerned about the odd woman who approached him. Why did she know his name? He couldn't recall knowing anyone with pink streaks in their hair named Alexis. He thought back to his school friends, and could recall a few Jennifers and Michelles, but no one named Alexis. Tony wasn't anyone special, other than to his kids. He worked at an electronics repair shop in San Francisco. He didn't even offer the woman the name of the shop where he worked, much less the address. He shrugged it off when the waitress arrived with their food.
The next day, at the counter which also acted as his workbench, Tony replaced the motor of a blender when the bell above the shop's door jingled. Tony glanced up and saw the same woman from the restaurant enter his shop. He saw her watching the other couple of customers browsing refurbished toasters. She waited for them to leave the shop before she approached the counter to talk to Tony.
"Anthony," she said.
"Please, call me Tony."
"You may call me Lexi."
"Alright, Lexi. What can I help you with?" Tony asked. Ideas bounced around his head, but what she asked wasn't one of them.
"I'm one of the teachers at a private school for gifted students. Our school has a vacancy and we need a new teacher. I think you'd be perfect for the job," she said.
"You need me to teach kids how to repair blenders?"
"Not exactly," she said. She picked up an electric kettle. The frayed cord with bits of wire poking out confused her, so she set it back down.
"At the restaurant, I saw you change the traffic light to entertain your kids," Lexi said.
"Oh, that? Yeah, I was just goofing around," he said, turning pink. "And, that's just me with my kids. I'm not that great around other people's kids."
"No, it's not that. I'm sure you're fine with kids. Do you ever do anything else that seems magical?"
"I have a knack for finding things, but I wouldn't exactly call that magical. Sometimes, odd things happen, like the channel on the TV changing without the remote, but I don't know if I'd call that magical, either."
"I would," she said. "Your kids probably would, too."
"What are you getting at?" Tony asked.
Lexi glanced around to see that no one else was in the shop. "The school where I work teaches magic. We could teach you how to better control your magic in exchange for agreeing to teach for us. You'd also earn the standard wages."
"Is this a joke?" Tony asked.
"I assure you, this is no joke," she said. She pulled out a wand that was much too long to have fit inside her tiny purse. She pointed it at the electric kettle and said, "Reparo!"
The bits of wire snapped back in place and fused together, while the casing healed itself. In seconds, the electric kettle was as good as new.
"What the—?" Tony breathed.
"The school can teach you that bit of magic and so much more," she said.
"And, what if I refuse?" he asked.
Lexi wobbled her head from side to side and said, "Well, your mind will be wiped and the Department of Magical Affairs will do their best to suppress your magical abilities."
"No government is messing with my mind, thanks. And, what about my shop?"
"You can still tinker with these gadgets in your off hours. What do you say?"
"This sounds too good to be true. I can't wait to tell my kids."
"We'd prefer you keep this from them for the time being, at least until they're all older and can better handle the news. They're young and might blab to their friends. Most likely, their friends won't believe them, but you never know. It's best not."
"But, how am I going to teach kids magic, when I don't even know it myself," Tony said.
Lexi chuckled and said, "You're not teaching any of the magic classes. You'll be teaching Muggle Studies, which is teaching young wizards and witches about non-magical people."
Tony laughed. That was definitely something he could teach—how to be an average person.
"Where is this school?"
Tony closed his shop early. Lexi took Tony's hand and asked him to close his eyes. There was a sudden sensation of being squeezed, stretched, and tossed around. As sudden as the sensation started it was over, and it nearly caused Tony to lose his lunch. He bent over to catch his breath and ease his stomach. When he heard a bird warbling and felt a light breeze blowing, Tony stood up straight and opened his eyes. He was no longer standing in his shop, he was standing on a sidewalk outside a mansion.
"The Winchester Mystery House?!" he gasped.
"Uh huh," Lexi smiled.
"But, that's in San Jose. My shop is in San Francisco. How the…?"
"You'll learn that later. It's a bit advanced. Anyway…Welcome to Winchester University!" she said with a flourish.
"University? But, this is that crazy house built by that crazy gun lady!"
"Close. She was brilliant, not crazy. While her husband made guns, she made wands. Sarah Winchester founded this school for the magical arts and concealed the school within the Winchester Mansion. Tours through the house pays for tuition and covers the staff's salaries. That was another of Ms. Winchester's brilliant ideas."
"But, I've taken tours of this place a couple of times. I've never seen a single classroom."
"That's because muggles stick to the publicly visible portion of the house. The house may seem big, but the rest of it, the portion with the school, is much bigger. Come on. I'll show you around."
Instead of entering the Mystery House the tourist way, which was through the gift shop and courtyard, they entered through a door on the side behind a trellis overgrown with a flowering vine. Tony didn't think he would ever have found the door if he weren't trying to find it.
Lexi gave Tony the simplified tour of Winchester University. She stuck with the areas he would mainly be working: the classrooms, the staff room, the cafeteria, and the Dean's office. The school seemed larger when it was empty. The students were still at home for the summer and the new school year would be starting in a few weeks. Tony was told the school also had dormitories for the kids, common rooms for them to socialize, an extensive library, and a gymnasium with one of the rare, indoor Quidditch arenas built deep into the ground. The tour included the quick rules to Quidditch and a lesson in wizard terminology and slang. She ended the tour by taking Tony to his office.
Tony's trapazoid-shaped office looked like one of the rooms of the mansion, except it was furnished with a more modern desk and a couple of chairs for guests. A small bookshelf stood beneath a window overlooking the garden.
"That's basically it. The previous teacher left her lesson plan behind, which I recommend you use. Any questions?" Lexi asked.
"Too many, but I'll need a moment to absorb it all," Tony said with a chuckle.
"Oh! I have a question for you. Where do you want your door?" she asked.
"Door?"
"Yeah. The students think the teachers live at the university, but we cheat. Each teacher has a door in their office. Most doors connect the school to the staffs' homes. A few have chosen other places. But, don't tell the kids. If they knew we aren't always on campus, it might be chaos."
"Can I connect it to my shop? I would connect it to my home, but the kids don't know about this and they might wander in. Or, someone else might wander into our house. But, if the door goes straight to my shop, I could work at my repair shop during my off hours, like you suggested. That way, I can still drive to work, too."
"Don't worry about anyone else wandering through the door. If anyone other than you opens the door, they'll find themselves in a supply closet."
As Lexi conjured Tony's door, the twin teachers Iggy and Ivy Iverson let themselves into Tony's new office. Both looked at least a decade older than Lexi, had wild, brown hair, and wore thick glasses that made their eyes seem huge.
"We're the Iversons," Iggy said, waving at Tony with several bandages on his fingers. Ivy wiped her hand on her flannel shirt before shaking Tony's hand, but it was still smudged with dirt.
"Ivy teaches Thaumabotony, while Iggy teaches Thaumabiology," Lexi said.
"And that is…?" Tony asked, trying to keep up.
"Miracle flora and fauna," Iggy said. He orbited Tony and looked him up and down as if he were a new car and inspecting him for damage.
"Not magical plants and animals?" Tony asked.
"Oh no. Many things in the hidden pockets of nature have no magical ties. And, it's a miracle many of them survive," Iggy said, still goggling at him through thick glasses.
"How are you surviving?" Ivy asked.
"It's a lot to take in, but I'm managing," Tony said, keeping a suspicious eye on her brother.
"I hear you didn't discover your magical talent until recently?" Iggy asked.
"Um, about two and a half years ago. Around the time Amanda left," Tony said.
"Who's Amanda?" Ivy asked.
"My wife," Tony said, looking between the twins. He felt uncomfortable being examined.
"Fascinating. Most people discover their magical talents at a much younger age. Usually, just before puberty hits. It's interesting yours showed up now at your age," Iggy said. "And, neither of your parents are witches or wizards?"
"No. No relative that I know," Tony said.
"Interesting. Well, it'll be great getting to know you," Iggy said.
The twins excused themselves, and Tony let out a sigh of relief. They were nice, but he no longer felt like an art exhibit. While occupied with the twins, Lexi had finished conjuring the door and bonding it to Tony and his repair shop. Unfortunately, when he tested it out, the door only opened a crack before it was stopped by one of the shelves holding the shop's spare parts. Lexi managed to push open the door wide enough to poke her wand through and cast another spell. The shelves blocking the door moved aside to let them through.
Walking through the doorway, there was a slight difference in temperature. The air conditioner from the shop was slightly cooler than his new office at the school. Sure enough, a new door appeared in the back workroom of Tony's repair shop. He shook his head in amazement. Lexi used her wand again to expand the workroom another couple of feet and helped rearrange the shelves to accommodate for the door. The extra room made it a little easier to move around the backroom and get to all the supplies.
"Thanks," Tony said.
"No problem. Feel free to drop by anytime," Lexi said. "The school, I mean."
Tony sensed Lexi was nervous about something. He had an idea what she might be nervous about, but he wasn't going to assume.
"So, you're wife left you?" she asked.
"Yes, but it's complicated," he said.
Lexi lowered her head and nodded. "Oh."
"What happened to the previous teacher?"
Lexi shrugged and said, "It's complicated."
Tony had no idea what could have happened to the other teacher. When Lexi spotted the look of concern on his face, she tapped his arm and said, "I'm kidding. She retired."
Relieved, Tony said, "Well, thank you for showing me around. I look forward to trying my hand at teaching. If you don't mind, I want to wrap up a couple of things before I get home to the kids."
"Oh. Okay," Lexi said, sounding disappointed.
"I'll see you soon. When do classes start?"
"September first."
"I'll see you."
"Bye."
Tony let out a deep sigh after Lexi was gone and he closed the door to his other office. What a strange, but wonderful day it had been. He wanted to tell his kids, but agreed it was best that he didn't. He also couldn't wait to tell Amanda, but under the circumstances, he didn't want to complicate their situation any further.
Between discovering the magical world of wizardry and the first day of classes, Tony learned a lot more about his new world. He also learned more about the class he would be teaching. He wasn't too concerned with the course material. Most of the lesson plan was fairly straight forward. He would be teaching two classes: one in the morning, and one in the afternoon. The in-between time would be filled with his own wizarding lessons and keeping up the with the repairs in his shop. He was most concerned about the students taking his classes.
Most often, the kids taking the Muggle Studies class were the ones looking for an easy grade, or the pure bloods, born in a family of strong magical lineage, who were assigned the class to show them how the other half lives. Many of the pure bloods considered the class a form of punishment. Neither set of kids seemed to really want to be there. At least, this is what Tony was told by the other teachers. He figured their could be a chance they were hazing the new teacher.
On his first day, as he introduced himself to the class, one of the kids asked Tony if he was a muggle.
"I have been a muggle for most of my life, until recently, when I found out I'm not," Tony said.
"Then, you're a squib," another student told him. The classroom had a good laugh, but the humor sailed past Tony.
"What's a squib?" he asked.
"A squib is a non-magical person with magical parents," another student said.
"No, I'm not a squib. As far as I can tell, no one in my family is magical," Tony said.
Tony pointed to the student who raised his hand. "If you're not a muggle and not a squib, then what are you?"
"That's a good question. I don't know. I've been a muggle, but recently discovered I have magical abilities. And, I'm not a squib, because my parents aren't magical. I guess I'm a late bloomer wizard with latent magical talents."
"Is that really a thing?" one of the students asked.
"I don't know. It is now. How would you classify me?"
All the students sat quietly. Some looked at the others, wondering if anyone was going to be first to speak. If any of them had a better answer, they kept it to themselves.
"You're asking good questions, and I appreciate you asking them. Because I've been a muggle until recently, I'm learning just as much from you as I hope you will learn from me."
He looked around the class. He could see that some of the students were bored and didn't want to be there, but many of them were paying attention. They all made him nervous, because he figured each of them were armed with a wand, and he had none. But, despite his nervousness, he enjoyed teaching them. He considered it like teaching his own kids or their friends.
"For our first lesson, who can tell me why it is important to separate the muggle world from the wizarding world? No, really. I'm still new at this, and would really like to know."
He winked at them, and the class laughed at his half-true joke.
During the break between his morning and afternoon classes, Tony had his first lesson with Paul Forester, the school's transfiguration teacher and wand master. Paul was a burly wizard with a wild and bushy beard. He had a deep voice that made him sound intimidating, but Tony (and the other teachers) considered him more like a gentle giant.
Unlike other wizarding schools, at Winchester University, Mr. Forester taught students how to craft their own wands. By doing this, wands had a more personal touch and the students took more pride in what they made than if it were store bought. Plus, if anyone broke or lost their wand, which happened more often than you'd think, they could craft themselves a new one.
"They say the wand chooses the wizard. That's true for store bought wands, but not true for handcrafted ones. I believe it is important to teach students how to make their own, because wands are very important. Wands give the wizard focus. They often channel their magic through the wand. Without one, magic can be unpredictable, unfocused, and sometimes, uncontrollable. Do you follow?" Paul asked.
"Yes, sir. Every word," Tony said.
"Good. Now, watch me closely, and I'll walk you through how to craft your own wand," Paul said.
First, Paul had Tony pick a segment of tree branch. There were several to choose from in a pile that looked like kindling recently collected for a camp fire. Tony picked an oak branch, because he liked the oaks where he grew up. Where he lived now, didn't have as many.
Next, he picked his core from several trays of carefully separated bits of magical creatures. He picked one blonde hair, slightly greened, from a virgin mermaid, because it reminded him of the ocean. Tony loved the water, which is why he moved out to California years ago with Amanda, many years before she left.
Paul instructed Tony how to carefully thread the core into the heart of the wand with a thin and very sharp needle. Tony threaded his mermaid core through the middle shaft of his oak branch perfectly.
"I'm impressed. Most students don't get it the first time," Paul said.
"I love working with my hands to build and fix things," Tony said.
Finally, Tony learned the finishing touches. He learned how to seal the ends with the right incantation, smooth and shape his wand with sandpaper, and then apply a varnish to preserve the wood.
"Looks great," Paul said, "Now, I'll show you the proper way to hold your wand and a teach you a simple spell to try it out. Ready?"
Tony nodded.
Paul said holding a wand is similar to a conductor holding his baton. The conductor is able to move their baton with ease, yet with a firm grip, so it doesn't fly out of their hand when the music becomes animated. Instead of leading the orchestra to play music, the wizard conducts the magic to manipulate the world around them.
Paul pulled a quarter from his pocket and set it on the table in front of Tony.
"Nice form. Now, give it a wave over this coin without too much flourish," Paul instructed.
Tony gripped his wand and gave it a backhanded swish. The coin stood up on its edge and rolled with a wobble across the table before tumbling over.
"Nice, Tony. You crafted yourself a fine wand."
"I had a great teacher," Tony said, and shook Paul's hand. "I'm impressed with large hands like yours, you're able to do something as delicate as wand crafting."
"I would have become a surgeon, but I can't stand the sight of blood," Paul said.
The sunset out the window lit the room in an orange and pink light as the school's staff gathered for a meeting. The only one not present was Tony, but it was because the meeting was to discuss Tony and his progress.
"I was impressed by how well he was at crafting his wand. Such precision and care," Paul said.
"That's because he's an experienced handyman, fixing all those muggle gadgets in his shop," Iggy said, brushing aside Paul's compliment.
"I told you, he's perfect for the role," Lexi said, with a gloating smile.
Dr. Xander Quipp, the university's dean, cleared his throat and said, "Let's try not to get ourselves too worked up about our new teacher. This was only his first day of teaching."
Lexi repressed her smile and lowered her head.
Xander continued, "I must admit, he did capture his class's attention for his first day, and he seems to be a good teacher."
Iggy took off his glasses and cleaned them with his shirt. He said, "He may be an okay teacher and good with his hands, but I still say he's unnatural."
"When taking his wand for a test, he performed a nice bit of magic," Paul said.
"It's—not—natural," Iggy stressed. "People do not develop magical abilities so late in life. It—doesn't—happen."
"But, it did," Xander said.
"There must be an external factor triggering his magical abilities," Iggy said.
"It's not the planetary alignments," Mars Madison, the Astronomy teacher, said.
Walter Bond, the Potions teacher, suggested, "Perhaps he could be reacting to something in his environment."
"Thank you," Iggy said, as if Walter proved his point.
"I hate that you are treating Tony like he's some kind of lab rat," Lexi said. "Why can't you accept that he is who he is and teach him like any of our other students?"
"Because—it's—not—natural!" Iggy said, raising his voice as if Lexi was hard of hearing. The staff meeting erupted into a heated debate of theories of what triggered Tony's late-in-life magical abilities.
Xander raised his hands to quiet the room, "We are making good progress on teaching Tony how to control his magic. However, observations will continue until we can determine if there is an external cause for his abilities, and if so, is it causing any harm to Tony and his family. If Tony were to become unstable at his age, it could be extremely dangerous. Children just becoming aware of their own abilities can be unpredictable enough. Imagine what a full grown adult could accidentally do if not monitored."
Arthur White, the Dark Arts teacher, asked, "Do you think it's wise to put such an unstable person in charge of a classroom full of children?"
While the staff meeting proceeded with out him, Tony was at home eating dinner with his kids. Tony sat at one head of the table, while his kids sat along the two longer sides of the rectangular table. Violet and Froggy shared one side and faced off against Daisy on the other side. At the opposite end of the table from Tony, an empty plate setting was set out for Amanda, in the rare event that she comes home.
"I started a new part time job today as a teacher," Tony said between mouthfuls of dinner.
"What about the repair shop?" Daisy asked.
"Oh, I still do that, too," Tony said.
"How do you have time for both? I hear my teachers complaining all the time that they have no time," Daisy said.
"It's only two classes, and their not that bad. Besides, the lesson plan was already drawn up for me," Tony said.
"What are you teaching?" Violet asked.
"A class about people."
"What kind of people?"
"Regular people."
"Sounds weird," Froggy said.
"Sounds boring," Daisy said.
"It thought you'd teach people how to fix things," Violet said. "You're good at fixing things."
"I can fix a lot of different things," Tony said, glancing at the empty plate across from him, and then back to Violet. "But, not everything."
Tony tried to greet each student by name, but botched a few by either mispronouncing their names or getting the names of a few students swapped. For the most part, the students were respectful, because Tony had treated them with respect. He knew the kids who were in his class, whether they wanted to be there or not, knew more magic than he did. Also, even though he had the label "teacher", he reminded them that they were all students, which made them more equals.
"Let's see," Tony said, looking over his lesson plan, "Today we should be learning about famous muggl-olo…mugglo…mug-gle-o-lo-gists. Whew. What a mouthful. There won't be a spelling or pronunciation test on that word."
The class laughed along with Tony.
"Who can tell me what that word means?" He asked. A few kids raised their hands. "Um…Oliver."
Oliver put his hand down and said, "It's a person who studies muggles."
"Correct. Why would any wizard want to study muggles? Anyone?"
A few kids raised their hand. Tony pointed to one.
"Maybe, it's like humans studying monkeys. Like, how muggles evolved into, like, wizards," Brenda said.
"I like that answer," Tony said. He couldn't help the subtle jibe.
"Sounds boring," said one of the students.
"My kids would agree with you," Tony said.
The class laughed, again.
"You know what else is boring? Learning all these names and dates of famous mugglologists. I tell you what…Take a few days to read through the section on famous mugglologists, and there will be a quiz on it next week."
The class groaned.
"Open book," Tony added.
The class rejoiced.
"For today, let's pretend you are all mugglologists. What would you like to know about muggles? Take out a sheet of paper and write down some questions of what you'd like to know more about muggles. And, please, keep them clean."
After his last comment, there were a couple of kids scratching out questions. One student raised her hand.
"Yes, Margot?"
"Have you ever been studied by a mugglologist?"
"Not to my knowledge. I've taken a few public surveys. I don't know if any of that information filtered back to the wizard world. Now that I think about it…Can anyone tell me if there have ever been muggles who study wizards?"
A few kids raised their hands. Tony picked Dwayne, who said, "There are. The ones I've heard of are in mixed marriages. You know, a muggle marrying a witch or wizard. Usually, the muggle thinks there must be some kind of science behind the magic."
"That's one of the dangers between the two worlds. Muggles wanting to experiment on wizards to figure our how they do it. But, it's just…magic," Oliver said.
"Good answers. You're paying attention," Tony said, with a smile.
For the remainder of the class, Tony answered some of their questions about muggles or the muggle world. He reserved a few questions which he knew would be answered in a future lesson.
Tony was organizing his stack of unanswered questions from his students by placing them in the appropriate sections of the lesson plan when Lexi entered his office. She was the Incantations teacher, which was the verbal portion of charms and an artist at spell crafting.
"Ready to learn some basic spells?" she said, entering the room and pulling the chair around Tony's desk to sit closer to him.
For his first lesson, Tony struggled with the spells and charms Lexi had picked out for him. He could perform magic, but even as basic as these spells were, they were completed lamely, without much life in them
"Are you concentrating?" she asked.
"I am concentrating."
"Focus, and try again," she encouraged.
Tony tried again, but felt it was like trying to make a flashlight shine brighter when he knew the batteries were running low. No matter how hard he concentrated or focused, his magic was lackluster.
As she looked for something less challenging for Tony, she asked, "How are you kids doing?"
"These students are great. I really enjoy talking with them."
"I meant your kids. How are they doing?" she asked.
"They're great, too. Always into something," he said.
"That's great. It must be hard without their mother around," she said.
"We manage."
"I don't mean to pry," Lexi said, even though Tony sensed she really meant to, "Do you mind me asking what happened to their mother? Your wife, I mean?"
Tony stared at Lexi with his arms folded. He didn't want to get too far into his personal life, but figured Lexi was the kind of person who'd keep digging for information.
"Amanda's still out there…somewhere," Tony said, "We were married for over a decade before we had kids. But, after Freddy, our second child, was born, she grew restless. Then, after Violet, the youngest, she became even more restless. I thought it was because she was tired of being a stay-at-home mom. I've done all I can to help her, but I could tell she wasn't happy. Then, one day, she told me she felt trapped. I told her I didn't want her to feel that way. I told her to go and find herself, and when she does, to let me know. That was about two and a half years ago.
"The funny thing is, she calls us all the time, and sends us letters and postcards. She comes home for birthdays, but not always for the holidays. She says holidays make her feel too confined.
"I'd love to be out there exploring the world with her. I've even suggested it when she calls, but she just avoids the suggestion. I can tell she still loves me and the kids, especially by what she says in her letters and on the phone. I can hear it in her voice. The frustrating thing is that I have no idea when she's coming home."
Without realizing it, Tony had gripped his wand extra tight in frustration and a strong desire to be with his wife. His strong grip made the tip of his wand glow like a beacon to light the way home for his wife.
Lexi placed her hands on Tony's hand to ease his grip on his wand. He relaxed his grip and the glow faded. Lexi gave his hand a light squeeze and said, "You know, I am here for you when you need me."
Tony pulled his hand free from Lexi's.
"We're all here—all the teachers and I—when you need us," she said, and smiled.
Tony nodded. He stood up and walked to the door connecting his office with his shop.
"I think that's all the charm I can take for today. Now, if you'll excuse me," he said, and went to his shop.
The days passed, and Tony fell into a balanced schedule. He helped get his kids ready and took them to their public school. After that, he enjoyed driving into town to his repair shop. He worked on a few repairs before heading off to his own school. Even though he learned a spell to fix any of the appliances in his shop, he appreciated the comfort of working on the repairs manually, not magically, before and after his classes. At the end of the day, he picked up his kids from school. Together, they spent the evenings together, laughing and having fun. When they went to bed, his classes and the grading of papers gave him extra distractions from thinking about Amanda out there finding herself. His bedtime was the most difficult time of day when he climbed into his big bed that felt much too big and much too lonely without his wife. He fell asleep wondering when she will find herself and return home for good—if ever.
Months into the school year, the staff gathered—again, without Tony—to discuss his progress.
"His skills seem at a plateau. He performs at a mediocre level, at best," Paul said.
"He's new to magic. He's doing fine," Lexi added. "No complaints."
"If you ask me, something seems to be holding him back from using his full potential," Paul said.
"Does anyone have any information about what could be holding him back?" Xander asked.
Lexi fidgeted and looked around at her peers before finally offering, "I did find out a while ago that his wife left him."
"That could be the external factor triggering his magical abilities. Strong emotional stimuli often trigger magical results in kids," Iggy said.
"Yes, but she left him two and a half years ago. It might be what's holding him back, but it doesn't explain the catalyst for bringing out his magic. Why would he show signs of magical ability now?"
"I thought you said he was doing fine," Iggy said.
"I meant if something is holding him back."
Xander held up his hands to calm the rising storm between Lexi and Iggy.
"True, we do not yet know the source of Tony's magical abilities. If he is holding back, we need to continue our observations. If something is blocking the floodgates, I worry the levee will eventually break."
"Tread carefully when unlocking his full potential," Arthur added.
Once the kids had filed into class and were settled into their seats, Tony asked, "Who here believes in God?"
A few, but not many, of the students raised their hands.
"Do you believe in God, Mr. Wilson?" Margot asked.
"I'm agnostic. I like to keep an open mind about the universe and whether anyone or anything is in control of it. I do think it's interesting that people in the wizarding world still believe in God."
"Why shouldn't they?" Jeremy asked. He was one of the few who raised their hand.
"I could be wrong, but I thought the Bible claims that magic is a sin," Tony said.
"Oh, that," Jeremy chuckled and shook his head. "Mom says they added that to help with the split between the wizard and the muggle worlds."
"Huh," Tony said, "I would have thought that performing magic might diminish the wonder of miracles. What about Jesus and his miracles?"
"He was a wizard who exposed muggles to magic publicly," Jeremy said.
"And, look where it got him," Margot added.
The class nodded solemnly.
"Anyway," Tony said, bringing the class back on subject, "Today we are talking about muggle religion and how it affects the wizarding world."
The class groaned.
"We already covered that in history class with the witch burnings," Dwayne grumbled.
"Ah, but you're assignment today is how religion positively affects the wizarding world," Tony said.
"Oh! You mean like how God talking through the burning bush inspired floo powder communication?" Margot asked.
"Um…I don't know what that is, but...sure. Just be able to explain your example."
"As I am the resident expert in miracle creatures, Dean Quipp asked me to give you a physical examination. Don't worry. I won't get too personal. There won't be any pants dropping," Iggy said.
"I don't mind the examination, but could you tell me why?" Tony asked.
"We'd like to know the reason behind your magical latency. It typically manifests at a much younger age."
"Well, be my guest. I'd kind of like to know, too."
Iggy asked Tony to hold out his arm. Tony wondered if Iggy would draw blood. Instead of a syringe, Iggy pulled out his wand. He muttered something that Tony didn't catch and half of his wand glowed a pale green. He ran the wand over Tony's arm. His arm glowed a green brighter than the wand as it passed over.
"Interesting," Iggy whispered. He nodded to a quill on the table, and it began scribbling notes.
"What's interesting?" Tony asked.
"You saw what happened to your arm. Now, watch mine."
Iggy Pushed up his sleeve and passed the wand over his own arm. Instead of his whole arm glowing, only his veins glowed bright from within.
"What does that mean?" Tony asked.
"People say that magic is in someone's blood, which is why my veins glowed. Your arm, or rather the skin of your arm, glowed, which suggests that instead of being in your blood radiating outward, it seems to be seeping from your skin inward. It's interesting, because most people don't absorb magic. Otherwise, the magical world would have to completely avoid muggles."
"Is that a good thing?" Tony asked, concerned.
"I don't know. It's like getting a sun tan. Some sun is healthy, but tToo much might be dangerous. I have no ideas what the source could be."
"A magic tan. Huh," Tony said, and chuckled.
"Your home isn't built on anything unusual, is it? Not on a cemetery, or near crystals, or anything?"
"No. Just modern suburbia."
"What about this shop of yours?"
"It's in a strip mall off 3rd and Mays."
"No exposure to any magical creatures? Or, exotic plants or foods?"
"Nope. No pets of any kind, and my diet is very muggle."
"Curious," Iggy said. He threw his arms in the air and said, "I'm stumped."
"Tell you what," Tony said, "If you have time after my afternoon class, I'll show you around my shop. And, this weekend, I'll invite you and the staff to my house for a dinner party. You can poke around both places. I don't mind."
Froggy set the plates around the table, while Daisy set the napkins and forks. Tony brought in the plates of steaming chicken and vegetables. The family sat down to dinner with the usual chatter about their days.
"Daddy," Violet said, "You seem happier."
Tony smiled, kissed his hand, and pressed it to Violet's cheek.
"I agree, Dad. This is the happiest I've seen you since mom left," Daisy said.
"Really? You think so?" Tony asked.
His kids agreed.
"I do feel happy. I enjoy teaching my class, and try to make it as less boring as possible. And, I've made new friends with the other teachers. Which, by the way, I've invited them to come over this weekend. I've invited them for dinner."
They groaned and grumbled.
"I think you'll find these teachers interesting. And, I'd like you to be on your best behavior."
The dinner conversation steered away from Tony's happiness and teacher dinner party, but he kept thinking about how happy he felt. For once in his life, he felt like he had found his calling, or that his calling found him. He thought how it's strange that his wife was traveling around trying to discover herself, when he found himself while still at home. He wanted to tell Amanda about his new job and magical abilities, but was hesitant to tell her. He'd hate for her to find out about his own discovery before she truly discovered herself.
Iggy sat in Dean Quipp's office. Xander stared at Iggy over his interlocking fingers, while Iggy squirmed uncomfortably under the Dean's gaze.
"He what now?" Xander asked.
Iggy shrugged and repeated himself, "His magic is skin deep, not in his blood."
"Who has ever heard of such a thing?"
"I know. That's what I've been saying," Iggy said. "Yet, he can perform magic like a wizard. It's like he's half muggle, half wizard."
"Yes, but the wizarding world is full of half-and-halfs."
Xander tried to wrap his head around what Iggy had said. Iggy could see by his expression of trying to talk it out in his mind.
"Is the magic in his skin getting more pronounced as he uses it, like he's getting a sun burn from it? Or, is it diminishing, like it's fading as he uses magic?" Xander asked.
Iggy shook his head. "Neither. It's like the magic is just there."
"Is he absorbing it from somewhere?"
"I don't know. He showed me around his shop. It's very…muggle."
"Strange."
"Yes," Iggy agreed.
"What about his house?"
"Oh, yes," Iggy said, "Expect an invitation to a dinner party at Tony's house. He's inviting all the staff."
"You sound less than thrilled. Sounds like a good opportunity to poke around his home," Xander said.
"Sounds boring, if you ask me," Iggy said, crinkling up his nose in disgust.
"It should be fun. It'll give us a chance to see how the other half lives."
"If you say so."
A couple days later, Tony brought a few appliances to provide the class examples for their segment on muggle technology. Part of him worried someone might bewitch one of them before he could fix it and return it to its rightful muggle owner, but another part of him trusted his class still did not know enough magic to do anything too harmful to any of the devices. Most of the ones he brought were beyond normal repairs anyway, and he might need to resort to magic to fix them anyway.
Oliver raised his hand, and Tony pointed to him.
"I heard you work in a shop that sells these things," Oliver said.
"Close. I own the shop, and I fix machines like this instead of sell them," Tony said.
"You can fix them?" Brenda asked.
"A lot of muggle devices, like these, I can fix. Some of the more delicate electronics, I can't. Does anyone know why muggles use machines like this? Margot?"
Margot put her hand down and said, "To compensate for what they can't do magically."
"Close. They use machines like this to make their lives easier, just like people in the wizarding world use magic to make their lives easier. Arthur C. Clarke once said that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Can anyone give me an example of muggle technology that is superior to magic?"
No one raised their hands. They all looked at each other and shrugged. Finally, one person raised his hand.
"Yes, Dwayne?"
"It's a trick question. Nothing is superior to magic," Dwayne said.
"I don't know. I can think of two examples," Tony said. "How many wizards have been into space?"
There was a general muttering of agreement. No one could think of a non-muggle astronaut. Even though wizards studied the stars, not one had yet to travel beyond the Earth.
"And, what about email versus letters? Email is delivered in almost an instant, but letters take time to deliver, especially when delivered by crows or owls."
"But, we can apparate a letter to someone in an instant," Brenda said.
"Not from inside this school, and probably not in some other designated areas," Tony said.
Brenda frowned.
"Just like muggle mail, there are problems sending things, even when apparating them. The receiver might not get it, or it could get misdirected. Or, it could get mangled."
"You're mail got splinched," Dwayne said. Everyone laughed, except Tony, who wasn't sure what splinched meant.
"Muggles can send electronic mail, or email, straight to the receiver's device," Tony said.
"Yeah, but muggles need a device to get it," Brenda said.
"Plus, the device needs electricity," Oliver added.
"Oh, I agree. It does have its downfalls, but when it works, it is faster," Tony said. "Today's assignment…I want you to research the world of muggle technology. You can use your muggle-born friends to help you with this one. Write about how muggles compensate without magic by using technology. Think about how muggle-tech bridges the worlds between muggles and wizards. And, I want to see if anyone can think of ways muggles use technology to protect themselves from the wizarding world."
At the end of the day, it was Tony's turn to sit before Dean Xander Quipp in his office. Xander rolled a silver rod in his fingertips. Tony wasn't sure if it was a wand, a pen, or both. Tony found it soothing, almost hypnotic, watching it roll back and forth.
"First, let me say that I appreciate the invitation to your house for dinner. The staff don't often do that. I'm looking forward to it."
"Great. I doubt if my kids are as excited, but I can't wait for everyone to meet them. I don't know why they're apprehensive. It's not like I'm inviting over their teachers," Tony said and laughed. His laughter trailed off when Xander didn't find it as funny.
"Your students seem to be enjoying your classes," Xander said.
Tony didn't know how Xander would know that. He'd never seen the dean in one of his classes. Maybe he had talked to some of the kids. Maybe he had a crystal ball to peek in on any of the classes.
"The students are great. Many of them are very engaged in the conversations. And, they've done very well on the papers I've assigned them."
"Including the ones that deviate from the curriculum?" Xander asked.
Tony wondered how the dean knew that. He had a pang of guilt for not strictly sticking to the course material provided, but felt the students were still learning. "Oh yeah. My students get a lot to think about when it comes to muggles and wizards. They've learned in many important ways, the two aren't that different from each other. Like I said, they've been engaged in the conversations and ask great questions. We've learned a lot from each other."
"Indeed," Xander said. He set down the silver rod and crossed his fingers. "And, how are your studies going?"
"Fine. I appreciate the teachers taking the time to tutor me. I've learned a lot. I really think—."
"Some of the staff think you've been holding back from using your full potential," Xander said, raising an eyebrow.
Tony thought he did well in his classes. As well as any first year approaching classes in magic. It wasn't for a lack of trying.
"I don't think I'm holding back. I can try harder."
"Nothing outside the school preventing you from your potential?"
Tony thought about Amanda. If anything, maybe she was holding him back, because he was holding back from telling her about his new life. But, Tony didn't think it was appropriate to talk about his marriage with the dean.
"Maybe I don't practice enough at home, because of the kids. Maybe I could practice more at my office at the shop," he suggested.
"Or, maybe the shop is drawing attention away from your studies. Maybe you should give it up to focus on your magic, at least for a while," Xander said.
"With all due respect, sir, I disagree. You appointed me the teacher for muggle studies. My repair shop keeps me grounded in the muggle world. It gives me focus."
"Don't let it, or anything else, hold you back from reaching your greatest potential," Xander said. He raised a hand toward the door to signal that the conversation was finished—for now.
As Tony left the room, he turned in the doorway and said, "Thank you, Dean Quipp, for taking the time to check in on me. I'm doing fine. I'm really very happy in my role as the muggle studies teacher. Even my kids think I'm happier for it."
"You're welcome, Tony. I look forward to dinner at your place."
"I can't wait, sir," Tony said with a smile, and shut the door behind him.
On the day of the dinner party, Tony and his kids cleaned the house. Tony vacuumed the carpets, Froggy took out the trash, Daisy washed the dishes, and Violet dragged the stool around so she could dust the shelves and end tables. They all helped prepare the meal. Violet, too young to handle heat or sharp objects, took care of arranging cheese slices and crackers on one of the platters, while Froggy tried to prevent too many from arranging their way into his little sister's mouth. Daisy, who had helped her dad prepare meals since her mom left, helped chop vegetables for the dinner. Tony worked at the stove, cooking and baking the evening's meal.
At a few minutes before six, the guests started to arrive. First, Iggy and Ivy arrived. Iggy looked more muggle with jeans and a t-shirt, but Ivy looked a little odd with her t-shirt pulled over her dress's top half. Next, Xander arrived wearing slacks, a collared shirt, necktie, and his best cape. Violet and Froggy thought he might be a super hero. Arthur also dressed in more traditional muggle wear, but wore clothes more than a couple of decades too late. The rest of the staff trickled in wearing their best attempts at muggle clothes, but all having at least something slightly off. Finally, Lexi arrived looking the most muggle-like of all wearing a beautiful lavender dress. Daisy complimented her dress and wished she had one like it. Secretly, the kids all thought Tony's colleagues were weird, but they enjoyed having the company. Tony was pleasantly surprised his kids were friendly and talkative with his co-workers.
Everyone, including the kids, loved the meal. Arthur was the only one suspicious enough to examine each bite, but he also thought it was delicious. Although he caught sideways glances at the empty place setting, Xander was the only one brave enough to ask about it.
"Sorry about that. I should have explained. We always keep an empty place setting in case my wife, Amanda, joins us for dinner. Usually, her portion of dinner ends up my lunch the next day, but please, eat! Enjoy!"
After his explanation, he also saw Iggy and Xander exchanging a silent conversation between them with their eyes darting between each other and Amanda's empty plate.
When dinner had ended and everyone was full of the delicious food, many of the people broke away from the table and mingled with Tony and his kids. Froggy stayed behind at the table to talk with Walter and Ivy. Violet dragged Paul and Arthur to the playroom and introduced them to all her toys and stuffed animals. Daisy and Mars were engaged in a deep conversation comparing their favorite bands and movies. And, Lexi tailed Tony as he wound through the house checking on all his guests and kids, making sure each was taken care of. Also, he wanted to make sure none of his co-workers were talking shop around the kids.
"You started the party without me?" said a voice from the front door.
This was followed by Froggy calling, "Mom! You're home!"
Tony made his way to the front door, surprised to see Amanda in the front hall, squatting down to give Froggy a hug.
Violet flashed past him and gave her mom another big hug that nearly knocked her and Froggy over.
"Amanda. You're home," he said and smiled. "How did you know there was a party?"
"Daisy told me. I told her not to tell you. I wanted to surprise you. Surprise!"
Tony walked forward and gave Amanda a hug and kiss. Froggy and Violet had a difficult time sharing her, and tried to wedge themselves between them.
"These must be your new co-workers," Amanda said. "Do you enjoy teaching?"
"She told you that, too?" Tony asked.
Amanda nodded.
Tony looked around and found Daisy still talking to Mars, but positioned herself to hide behind him from her dad's gaze.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Amanda asked.
"I didn't know what to say. I didn't want to tell you I found myself before you found yourself."
"Tony, you shouldn't be afraid to tell me anything. I'm your wife," she said, and gave him a hug.
"I'm sorry. Usually, there's a bit of dinner left for you, but this crowd was pretty hungry."
"That's okay. I'm sorry I was late. I had this…thing," she said. Her smile faltered, but returned when she shook her head. "Aren't you going to introduce me?"
Iggy walked up to Amanda's side and sniffed at her arm and hair deeply.
"Um," Tony said, "This is Iggy Iverson."
"Hi Iggy, I'm Ama—," she said, and stuck out her hand. Iggy sniffed her hand, ignored shaking it, and walked to the window to look out into the yard. He then, walked straight out the front door.
"Okay," Tony said, and then proceeded walking his wife into the living room to introduce her to everyone else.
Lexi pushed her way forward, extended her hand, and said, "Hi, I'm Lexi. Why are you holding Tony back from reaching his full potential?"
"Ms. Wilson!" Xander exclaimed, "You owe our hostess an apology for your accusation!"
"Why should I? It's true! While she travels around doing who knows what without him, he's left behind to take care of the kids and work two jobs. The stress of that alone could be what's holding him back," Lexi said.
"If it is, it is not your place to say so," Xander snapped.
"Who do you think you are?" Amanda asked.
Although these thoughts lingered in the back of his mind, Tony agreed Lexi had a point, but he wasn't about to express them. Or, if he did, at least not in such a blunt way.
"I'm someone who knows that if he were my husband, I'd stick close to him and ask for his help. I wouldn't leave him and the kids behind to run off and have fun."
"Lexi, that's enough!" Tony said.
Lexi stepped back, but glared at Amanda. Amanda ignored her and turned to her husband.
"Is that what you think? Do you think I'm off having fun?" she asked.
"I don't know what to think. But, it's not always easy taking care of three kids by myself. Not everyday is a party. I could always use your help. But, I want you to be happy, too," Tony said.
"Oh, Tony," she said, and held his cheeks in her hands.
At that moment, Iggy burst through the front door and pointed his finger at Amanda and said, "It's you!"
"Mr. Iverson, I don't know where you've been, but our hostess does not need any more accusations hurled in her direction. I apologize, Ms. Wilson, for my staff's outrageous behavior."
"No, Dean Quipp, you don't understand. She's where Tony is getting his magic ability. Through his wife," Iggy said.
"Explain," Xander said.
"Hold on," Amanda said. "What's this about magic?"
She looked at Tony and then around the room for someone to explain. The teachers gave Tony nods of encouragement to tell his wife. The kids gave their dad a puzzled look of concern mixed with awe.
"I'm…a…wizard. I've been teaching and studying at a school of magic. This is who I am now—a wizard."
"Cool!" whooped Froggy.
"Daddy really is magic!" Violet said with glee.
"More secrets, Tony?" Amanda asked. "Tony, I—"
"I apologize again, Ms. Wilson, this time for interrupting, but I'd like to hear Mr. Iverson's explanation first. Mr. Iverson, proceed."
Iggy approached Amanda and stood beside her. "Tony, your wife has a strong musk."
Iggy wafted his hands over Amanda and breathed deeply. "I could smell it the moment she walked in."
"Gee, thanks," Amanda said, sarcastically.
To Amanda, Iggy said, "It's not bad. It really is a wonderful scent."
"Ok, fine. Please, stop wafting me."
"Sorry," Iggy said, and lowered his hands so they were in front of his chest. "Her musk must attract magical creatures. I know this, because there are at least three or four outside at this very moment. The magic is somehow absorbed from the magical creatures into her. My theory is that, somehow, the magic absorbed into her has been transferred to Tony. His body, particularly his skin, is reacting to it, almost like an allergy."
"Hmm, yes," Xander said, "The bond of love has always been a strange and powerful for of magic."
"Don't you see? It's not that Tony is holding back. She is."
"Honey, is this true?" Tony asked, taking Amanda's hand in his.
Amanda lowered her head, and nodded. "For about four or five years. At first, I thought I was going crazy what with seeing unicorns and other odd creatures I don't even know the names of. I went to a couple of doctors, but they found me to be normal."
"Pfft. Muggle doctors," grumbled Walter, the potions teacher.
"Then, a dangerous creature started stalking me. I had to protect my family, so I fled, luring whatever it was away. I'd come back when I thought it was safe, but it follows me wherever I go. I didn't want it to harm you or the kids. So, I stayed away."
"So, when you said you needed to find yourself, you were really on the run, protecting us."
"I have tried finding out what kind of creature that has been stalking me. I didn't know how to tell my doctors without sounding crazy. If I can't talk to my doctors, how could I possible tell you?" Amanda said, tears welling up in her eyes.
"You've been running long enough. It's time for you to come home," Tony said.
"I saw a couple of fuzzles and a red-tailed yink, but they're harmless. I could smell some kind of predator, but its scent isn't familiar to me. Can you describe the creature that has been stalking you?" Iggy asked.
"Well, it stands on two legs, like a person. It has bat-like wings and a lizard face, but it can take on a more human form at times. I don't know if this is a thing or not, but I've been calling it a were-dragon."
Iggy and Arthur both gasped, "A wyvern!"
The other staff members gasped, too. Tony was as clueless as his kids.
"Is mom going to be okay?" Froggy asked, concern cracking his voice.
"What's a wyvern?" Tony asked.
"They are extremely dangerous creatures," Iggy said, pushing his glasses up his nose.
"If one is stalking you, I'm impressed you've managed to stay alive for so long," Arthur said.
Violet began to cry as the gravity of her mom's situation began to sink in. Amanda scooped her up and held her close. In a soothing voice, she addressed her daughter while talking to the rest of the room, "It's okay. It's been following me, but it doesn't seem to want to cause me any harm. In fact, it seems very protective of me. I didn't want something like that anywhere near my family."
"It must be strongly attracted to your musk," Iggy said. "Now that we know what it is, we will help take care of the creature for you. Right, Arthur?"
"Of course," Arthur said, and pushed up his sleeves.
"You aren't going to kill it, are you?" Froggy asked.
Iggy knelt down and said, "My boy, I am the care of magical creatures teacher, not the killer of them."
Froggy smiled in awe of Iggy.
"How do we catch this thing?" Tony asked.
"Very carefully," Arthur suggested.
"We don't want any muggle witnesses," Paul said. He pulled out his wand and muttered a few protection and concealment spells. The Wilson kids gasped with delight seeing someone perform real magic.
"You'll also need a sturdy cage," Xander said, and conjured one out of thin air in the front yard.
In unison, the Wilson kids applauded and said, "Whoa!"
"We will need Amanda to help lure it out of hiding," Arthur said.
"We're not using my wife as bait," Tony said.
"No, Tony. It's time we face this thing together," Amanda said, and held his hand.
"We're behind you all the way," Lexi said. Amanda gave her a curious look, and gave Tony's hand a protective squeeze of jealousy.
"We're behind you, too, dad," Froggy said.
"Far behind me. You and your sisters stay in the house," Tony said. He and Amanda followed Arthur out the front door.
"I'll keep an eye on them," Ivy said. Then, to her brother, she added, "Igg, be careful. Don't do anything stupid."
"When have I ever?" Iggy asked.
"Oh, I don't know," Ivy said, "Last summer, with the razor-beaked grackle?"
"Point taken," Iggy said, "I'll be careful."
"Or, the time you tried to raise that scorpizard?"
"I said, point taken," Iggy grumbled, and stomped out the door after Tony and Amanda.
There was a wicked screech coming from above.
"That'll be the wyvern," Arthur said, looking skyward. "It probably doesn't like you holding hands. Tony, get ready to give your wife a big kiss, but keep your wand ready. Try not to get caught up in the moment. Remember there is a dangerous creature who will be very jealous of you."
"I understand," Tony said. He gazed into Amanda's eyes and smiled. He missed her beautiful smile. It was genuine. He hadn't seen her smile that way in years. Leaning into her, he kissed her firmly. They embraced in a hug. His free hand pulled her closer, while his other hand gripped his wand. He glanced between her close, closed eyes and the dark sky beyond her. In that moment, nothing was going to come between him and his wife ever again.
He heard the growl coming from behind him, a moment before he heard Arthur shout, "Now!"
Amanda's eyes popped open and immediately filled with fear. Tony let go of Amanda, spun around, and swept her behind him. The wyvern's jaw opened, exposing its sharp, curved teeth. Claws on its hands and feet reached for Tony. Out of instinct, Tony swung his wand at the approaching wyvern and said, "Immobulus!"
As if pressing the pause button on a remote, the wyvern froze less than six feet away him. He puffed out a sigh of relief. His kids cheered through the window from inside the house, and Tony flashed them a nervous smile.
With Iggy and Arthur's help, they manipulated the wyvern into the cage that Xander had conjured. Once secured, Iggy lowered his wand and said to Tony, "I'm impressed. I didn't know you knew that spell."
"I read ahead in the book," Tony admitted.
"You did good tonight," Iggy said, "Muggles are full of surprises. Maybe I should be taking your class, too."
"You're are welcome to sit in anytime," Tony said.
While the wyvern was still immobile, Paul approached it with caution. He wiped its mind to release it from Amanda's scent. Iggy and Arthur were the first to leave the Wilson family's dinner party to take the wyvern somewhere far away and release it in a safe environment.
Over the next several months, Tony finished up his first school year of teaching and agreed to return the following year to continue as Winchester University's muggle studies teacher. Even though Xander asked Iggy to continue monitoring Tony's magical progress, he used it as an excuse to observe the class from time to time. Iggy even contributed to the class conversations, which humored many of the students to see another teacher engage in talks about muggles.
Now that Amanda was home for good and safe, the Wilson family adjusted to having the whole family together again. With his wife by his side, Tony's abilities as a wizard flourished. Amanda stopped by the school a few times a week to learn more about the creatures attracted by her musk. Iggy taught her the best ways to deal with them. She even assisted in a few of his lessons.
Daisy Wilson became Winchester University's first muggle student to enroll the following school year. Although she did not possess natural magical talent like the other students, she studied hard and took her lessons very seriously. By the end of her first year, she was on par with most of her classmates. The staff at Winchester University was thrilled to teach magic to the Wilson family. Together, the staff and the Wilsons learned that natural talent may not be in the blood, but anyone can perform magic if they believe hard enough—even muggles.