STEALING THUNDER

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

It was raining outside. The sky was dark, covered in grey clouds. The sound of rumbling thunders were easily heard. The water was pouring hard. The sound of the falling drops easily overpower any other natural sound.

The water flowed through the roof of a distinctive building, It was a grand-looking structure, the colour of white and gold adorned most of the outer visible part of it. Its look was boosted more by the existence of 4 tall pillars, gracing the front part of the manor. Through one particular window, a view of a child gazing seriously while sitting on a bed could be seen, although the view was a little blurry, for the window was drenched heavily with water.

"Lumos."

ignored the heavy noises of rain that were easily noticeable from the outside. and to no avail, my fingertip remained what it was. But, I knew I only needed just one more simple push.

"Lumos!"

For a fleeting moment, some sort of energy rushed from the core of my body, rapidly shooting and driving into my fingertip, and even if just for a splitting second, it lighted. A gasp of surprise slipped through my mouth, the sharp intake of breath filled my lungs momentarily,

I prepared myself once again. I took a deep breath and imagined the same surging feeling I felt, that fleeting emotion I felt before. Magic, magic was supposed to be all about intent, after all, where did accidental magic come from, if not from the overflowing emotions of children.

Magic, magic was versatile, there should be no limit of what it was capable of, magic raised the dead, magic burns, and it destroys. Magic protects and magic lights. There should be nothing but imaginations as the boundaries. Theoretically, I could emulate powers from the various protagonists and characters from different stories and universes as long as I discovered the intent behind it and had it reworked and applied to how magic works in this universe. Of course, I wouldn't be able to do things like that for years, probably. As much as I'd like to throw fireballs around like characters in Naruto, elemental magic was something way out of my reach for now. I was only six.

I closed my eyes. A nervous breath escaped my mouth and I tried my best to recall all the positive memories I had, particularly those related to all things magic. The memory of my first family photo came to mind, soon to be overtaken by my first floo travel, and my first visit to the family library. I pushed all thoughts out of my head aside from the imagined result of the spell I was about to attempt once more. I steadied my body and slowly opened my eyes.

"Lumos."

Something clicked inside me. Bright spots filled my eyes. There, at the tip of my stretched fingertip was a ball of light, still shining even if it occasionally flickered every few seconds. My first spell, I just casted my first spell! I'm a wizard! And for a moment there, I was completely lost in the moment, feelings of awe, happiness, relief all of them flooded myself and I was drowning in it.

I flipped my palm so that the light was now above my opened palm. I continued to stare at it like a madman while grinning like an idiot. It dimmed momentarily before turning back into an illuminating light. Bang! Sound of thunder strike was easily identified, it was quite the raging storm out there. And just like that, I lost my concentration, the light dimmed rapidly before going out in a near instant.

Knock.

A person was knocking on the door to my room. Not a moment later, the doorknob was turned and the door swung open as someone stepped inside the room.

"Mother."

"It's nothing, dear. I was just checking on you to see if the storm scares you."

"Hah! Storms aren't scary at all, and I'm a fearless wizard!"

"Yes, that you are, dear."

Thankfully, she didn't stay long after that. I was in the middle of a life-changing moment, and I'd hate it to be interrupted. As soon as the door was closed back, I returned to the book that was laid open on my bed.

The Early Guide to Greatness by Renar Macmillan

It was black in colour, and by all means, it was a plain book judging from its look, its cover was nothing more than the title and a sketch of a wand. It probably was just an unpublished book written by one of my ancestors, it was mostly scribbles and notes, not quite the finished textbook. I found it in the bottom part of the library. For nearly two years, I was mostly in and out of the library. After that ministry ball that was a total bore, my mother did fulfill her promise of arranging the use of the library for me.

"You are obviously not ready and not old enough to start learning about actual magic, dear. So, what about reading some basic books first?"

"Alright, but they must be awesome! I don't like boring books!"

We were in the library for nearly 30 minutes before finally getting a hold of the two books promised to me.

Magic for Dummies by Eustace Melkins, and An Introductory to Wonders by Emelia Shaithe.

"Now, I promise that if you can actually learn from these books, the library will be open for you in the future."

My eyes shone up with the light of a thousand suns. "Really?"

"Yes, but not without my supervision, of course."

Those books weren't that much, and Magic for Dummies was literally written for dummies, it felt like someone trying to lecture a 4-year-old! But, I did learn things from them. For instance, my theory that magic was about intention stemmed for a chapter in the An Introductory to Wonders dedicated about children and accidental magic. The author did state that accidental magic was actually one of the purest forms of magic, untainted by external desires and influences, the magic was generated by a child's feeling, and what was purer than a child's desire? The excessive emotions that were the child's were apparently the catalyst to draw the magic from the child's core in order to cater the child's desires.

But I hadn't started any attempt on casting magic until this past week. The reason was because during one of my regular sessions with the healers from St. Mungo's, Healer Aubrey had a theory about my previous comatose condition. To understand this, there were some basics that were important to know. While the book Magic for Dummies sounded silly and it was indeed written silly, there were still some real bits to pick up from it. One of it was the theory of our magical maturation. Fantastic Beasts introduced the concept of obscurus, wizard or witch with repressed magical energy, either because of physical stress or mental, mostly throughout childhood.

As unbelievable as it sounded, childhood was arguably the most important phase of our magical maturation. I connected it to their own personality development. Back in the homeworld, social studies about this kind of thing weren't rare. Knowledge of psychology led me to believe that just like how childhood shaped the base personality of a person, it must've also affected the development of their magic, the existence and creation of obscurus is enough of a proof for this theory.

So, she theorized that the spell that hit me must've damaged not just my physic, but had also forced something to happen with my magical core. According to the books, our magical core was supposed to be evergrowing, constantly getting larger as time goes, but there would be a few moments where the core would undergo a major growth. These moments happened usually only twice or thrice during a wizard or a witch's life. The first moment was mostly between the age of 8 to 12, which is why most magical schools started their education program during this age period. The second was the 'final' growth for most people, happening only after they reach adulthood (from 16 to any age).

The third one however, happened only to a select few people, people with a third maturity were definitely the brunt of the upper tier and elite class of the wizarding world, people like Dumbledore and Grindelwald who belonged to the top among the top of the list were a definite example of wizards with a third maturity. Now, the spell that hit me was lethal enough to actually kill me back then, but something stirred inside my body and reacted, so as the end result, my body was in a coma for a year. Healer Aubrey had mentioned the possibility of my magical core somehow flaring up and ended up forcing itself to extend as a defense mechanism against the effects of the spell. Because of this however, my magical growth was now uncertain, and no, it didn't mean that my magic reached the level of those of 11-years-old already. But instead, my core was now in a phase that wasn't quite developed yet nor was it still undeveloped. As a result of this, she had advised for me to not do or try any magic until my body was strong enough to adjust to the capability of my core.

And so I waited, and waited. I knew that my body was quite weaker than it should've been, for I had compared my childhood experience with the memories of my previous life. Heaps and heaps of potions and medications were quite a large part of the past two years, and it fruited at the end! For my body had been growing stronger and recovering slowly, up until just recently when I had felt confident enough to try casting a spell. In addition to that, I had also had enough with just learning stuffs from books alone. I was never the most bookish person in my previous life, I had always preferred to learn from verbal explanations and demonstrations instead. Hence my little experiment now.

I still can't believe it yet. I had just conjured a ball of light from my bare fingertip. Now, most would find it impossible for a pre-Hogwarts child to cast wandlessly. Well, guess what, wandless magic wasn't nigh impossible, nor was it a trait limited to only the strongest. It was normal for pre-teens in Africa to cast wandlessly, especially those who went to Uagadou. Uagadou was the Ugandan wizarding school, located in the Mountains of the Moon in western Uganda. It was the largest of the eleven wizarding schools, accepting students from all over Africa. Uagadou, and by extension, Africa, was famous for their talent in alchemy, transfiguration, and wandless magic. Wands were European invention, after all. And so children in Africa were never taught how to use wands, no, they channel their magic using their bare hand.

I had this plan, based on the theory that if we were used to doing things the harder way, then we'd be able to pick up the alternative way much much faster and easier. And that was why I was planning to familiarize my body with casting wandlessly for as much and as long as I could, so that when the time comes for me to start using an actual wand, I'd be able to channel magic faster and easier.

And it was no easy task. I learned the Lumos charm, the arguably simplest and most basic spell in this world in a week, a full week, seven days, twenty-four hours time seven! I must've tried to cast it for like a hundred times, more like two hundreds, actually. I nearly gave up a couple times along the line, but thankfully, I managed to get through. Apparently, the underage use of magic regulation was indeed meaningless for purebloods. I had asked my mother about it before, and she said that as long it was cast in the house area, then it'd be fine and said that it'd be useful for me in the future. During the past two years, I had been thinking about my drive and my end-goal, and choosing specializations to shape the wizard I was going to be had been a part of it. Obviously potioneering is one subject I was totally not interested in, Herbology was also out, I mean, it's plants! Healing was also an option I quickly discarded, I was never interested in medicines and healthcare anyway. Becoming an auror sounded cool, but I don't think I would want that kind of life, which meant hit-wizards were also out.

With that said, purebloods weren't that keen on taking jobs either way, my father obviously didn't, choosing to maintain family holdings and businesses instead, and neither was my uncle. The Macmillan is a rich family, a proud family whose social standing was respectable in the pureblood circle, so I shouldn't worry much about financial things, for now, at least. So at the end the goal wasn't for a profession or money, but I still had to decide what kind of wizard I'd want to be. I couldn't just tackle my way in Hogwarts and just go with the flow without any planning, I wasn't a brash Gryffindor, nor was I a main character, so no plot armour for me as a backup!

I had to excel in at least transfiguration, charms, and defense to be considered an able wizard. And the possibilities of those three subjects were truly wonderful, with transfiguration and the animation that follows it subsequently, I could theoretically create and animate a titan stone golem or something similar. Charms was also a very broad and wide subject, through which magic could conjure fake reality and illusions, capable of bewitching senses that were absolutely vital during a fight. Defense was the most broached subject in canon, what with the different professors every year, and the main character's affinity towards it. If I could excel in those subjects, I figured I could become a good duelist. Flitwick was a charms master and he too was a dueling champion! The concept of the art or sport of dueling was sadly never truly explained in the books or the films, it was mentioned in passing every once in a while but it was left pretty unclear. Becoming a duelist sounded great, and cool, and awesome! My 6-year-old brain couldn't help but become excited at the prospect. And so becoming a duelist was set as one of my goals.

With that established, now it's just the matter of planning how to deal with the canon story. I definitely wouldn't be rescuing Harry out of the Dursleys or breaking Sirius out of Azkaban and pleading for his case. Not only that it would be difficult to explain, I also had no logical motives to do so! Besides, I didn't know them at all, why should I bother and endanger myself for them? With the thought, I made my mind that I won't be interfering much with the canon story, Harry's first to third year were tame enough compared to the rest, which meant I had five years to leave the story alone. It was only after his fourth year that shit truly went done. So I resolved myself to only begin actively trying to change or interfere with events since Triwizard. Too many changes could also lose me my biggest advantage, which is my foreknowledge, so I had to thread a fine line.

I had seen what the best fighters in this world could do, and I had also seen what various characters from different works could also offer. I basically had a cheat for inspiration, and that was a good thing, because I read this book on basic dueling and its history, and it was explained how creativity was so important in a duel. But it wasn't as exciting as it seemed, for I just can't pull crazy moves from another world without actually recreating it. Yes, I'd need to learn spellcrafting for it. Spell creation was said to be a highly dangerous and difficult branch of magic. Severus Snape was one of the spellmaker known in canon. He created several spells throughout his Hogwarts years, and one of them was the famous Sectumsempra, a lethal spell that was definitely able to kill, invented by a 16-year-old.

Intent and wand-movement were one of the fuels needed to power a spell, but the two were arguably the easiest parts in designing a spell. From what of the many fanfictions I had read, some of them interpreted spell creation quite differently from each other, some mentioned the usage of runes in binding the spell and the intent, some even mentioned arithmancy! I'd need to seriously learn the basics in the future, the part of the library that was available for me at the moment didn't have any on the subject.

Anyway, back to the book in front of me, The Early Guide to Greatness, I'd have to admit that my ancestors sure knew how to pick a catchy title. It had a somewhat mysterious and intriguing aura to it, leatherbound cover in black, rough edges on its papers, and a hint of yellow smeared on its every paper. I considered this book to be one the key for my success in casting my first spell.

To cast a spell, a mutter of the incantation and a wave of wand weren't enough. One must also need the mind, and the heart. For magic is a pure thing, an embodiment of genuine emotions, the manifestation of one's true feelings. The power of the mind is a subject often overlooked for sheer display of power of complexity. While the truth is otherwise, and that a caster's mind is the key to the success of the spell.

For most people, wand is considered the most important part of spellcasting, but wand is but a tool, a device to help guide the wild and untamed magic inside a person's body. In true, a wand should not be a tool, a wand should be an extension, a wand is a part of the body. Wizards and witches had been focusing on the visible part, and the inner part of the working of magic is forgotten. It is only because of the mind's work that a wand would be able to channel magic.

During the process of casting magic, the murmur of the incantation and wand movement is but a way to help focus the intention of a spell, a device to project the visualization of the result. When the end result is clear enough, the magic from a person would be easier to take the form of the desired effect. Through this process however, the inner part of one's body is also at work, for they will subconsciously project and alter the subliminal senses and notion of a person. This is why in some cases, even for adults, the casting of magic during truly dire and urgent situations would somehow result in a surprising display of magic that could triumph and surpass their usual ability.

This is why a battle of two magic users could also be interpreted as a battle of will, a clash of opposed determinations. And why reasoning and intent are an incredibly significant part of spellcasting. To achieve the maximum result of a spell, there are two ways, the first is for the caster to be in a complete focus of a moment, where they could project and visualize the outcome of the spell in crystal clear clarity, and with the right thoughts to convey their magic, The second way is for the body to be attuned to the spell already, so that the process of the casting is already engraved and embedded in a wizard's subconsciousness. Of course, the second way is achievable only to those who had journeyed deep and long into the voyage of magic, for it required a high level of experience and disciplinarity.

The first one however, is something I had already tested enough times and drawing magic from inside your body is easier with the first method. But, it requires more than just focus, or clearing your mind, for the focus needed in magic is unique. As you must have known, magic stemmed from emotions, and so to cast magic better, one must need to master their own emotions.

Some would confuse this with the art of Occlumency, the art of shielding one's mind. It's not entirely correct nor is it entirely wrong. Mastering emotions are basically achieving the harmonization of body and mind. For emotions not to control the body, and not for the mind to be relented as a second priority. A mastery of one's emotion is manifested during the magic process in the form of harmony where their emotions are attuned perfectly with the outer part of channeling magic.

To achieve some sort of trance moment where the feelings and desires of the caster synergized with their magic, propelling it further to achieve the wanted result. Focusing on memories could help with this, especially the memories that are attributed to the feelings of the spell's effects. One of the examples of the instance is the Protego spell, the most basic shield spell for defense. In order to strengthen the durability of the shield, the caster's desire and will to protect must be strong, stronger than the attacker's harmful desire. And using memories could also be the tool to achieve said desire, memories of loved ones, or just general happy memories. This is because by using the memories, the feelings and emotions felt during the moment were subconsciously recalled back, fueling the intent behind the magic, and thus strengthening and maximizing the end result.

The book raised some interesting points, for one, it was one of the few books that mentioned occlumency. I was kind of confused though, in canon, the Patronus spell was said to be a spell that heavily relied on the usage of memory and emotions, and it was considered one of the toughest light spells, and not even all adult wizards could use the spell. But this theory had mentioned that the usage of memories in the same manner as depicted for the Patronus in the books and the films shouldn't be rare. If you try to look at it from a certain point of view though. it definitely made sense. Those cliches in most stories where the main characters seemed to defy expectations and pulled a crazy move surpassing the antagonist were mostly chalked off as plot-armour or power of friendship and bonds, or well something like that. But this logic and theory did apply to the idea behind that, after all, this is a world of magic, what ISN'T possible?

I closed the book and set my gaze towards the window from which I could see that the storm was still raging hard. I pondered whether to try the spell once again or not. But in the end, curiosity won out, I supposed.

I pictured back the memory from just a few minutes earlier, my first ever successful casting. My lip had stretched into forming a small smile as I reminisced the experience. I took a quick breath and muttered,

"Lumos!"

For a second there, it had seemed like the world was moving in a slow motion. I could trace the energy travelling through my body, coursing through my hand and my fingers. I could feel the shiver that spread into my senses. It was an intoxicating moment.

My fingers were bathed by light. Sure, it wouldn't be that impressive anymore in the long run. Rays of light seeped into my room, slowly washing away the grey that was caused by the dark sky outside. My right hand had essentially turned into an artificial flashlight. I waved my hand back and forth around the room excitedly. It was truly a magical feeling.

I was currently sitting in the dining room. My father was seated on the chair across the table in front of me, while my mother was on the other side of the table, with little Ernie seated next to her.

I took a slice of the roasted duck served in front me. Mhmmm! Mimi's cooking is as great as always!

"So, Darius. Anything interesting happens?"

"Yes, father. I managed to cast my first spell today."

I had debated the worth and measure of whether to hide my training or not. At the end, the benefits for telling them had outweighed the drawbacks. Sure, they would raise their expectations and I'd have a higher standard to meet in the future, but a challenge like that would also be positive for my growth.

My father's eyes widened in an instant while my mother's chewing was halted.

"Y-you did what?" my father said with a slightly shaky voice.

"I successfully cast a spell today. It was the Lumos charm!"

"How could you attempt something so foolish like that! You know full well the danger of doing something like that, especially without telling us, first!" this time it's my mother.

"Woah, 'Ri is so cool!" my brother said happily but he was ignored.

"Now, dear. I'm sure Darius must have a good explanation for his action. Right, Darius?" interjected my father calmly.

Although his eyes were definitely not calm!

I gulped down, hard, and said "Well, you know that I have been reading a lot of books! So I wanted to try actually doing magic for once," in a somewhat small and pitiful voice, "I thought that if I could then, you'd be proud of me!" I finished with a sad smile.

"Did you really manage to? And did you steal our wands to do it?" asked my father in a stern tone.

"No, no, father! I didn't use any wands at all."

"You didn't what!?" asked my mother in a frantic tone.

"I-i didn't use any, but I could do it, believe me!" I said in an excited manner.

"Son, you remember what Healer Aubrey said about your condition, don't you?"

"I do! But I've been really well, much better this past week! I'm sure of it! And I did manage to do it!"

The thing is, I haven't had any kind of accidental magic at all for the past two years, so my parents must've been growing concerned over my future. But the tests hadn't said anything about me becoming a squib or something, so they were hanging in kind of uncertainty. And my claim was obviously hard to believe, if only they knew how many attempts it took for me to get it right!

"Well, can you prove it, then?"

"Gerald! We shouldn't encourage him!"

"The boy said it himself, no harm done, and I'm sure you are curious, too."

I ignored the bickering between my parents and, "Lumos!"

"Awesome!" gasped my brother in incredulity.

"Da-darius! That's a…."

"Wandless casting….."

"See! I could do it!"

And so the dinner table soon descended into commotions as I was interrogated by both of my father and mother, Ernie's excitement at the discussion of magic was a help though. I calmly explained, even if I was very far from calm on the inside, about my experiment, the books I've been reading, then my little theory about wandless magic from reading a text about the Uagadou School of Magic, my continuous attempts and miserably failing for hundreds of times, until I finally succeeded casting the spell. I kept the book a secret though, and instead I spun a tale about sensing my magic when I'm happy and some craps like that.

Father was indifferent, to say the least. There's a glint of pride in his eyes, no doubt the joy and proud feelings of his heir 'mastering' wandless casting at such a young age, but there's also the traditional stern dad energy in his gaze and words. Mother was a bit more expressive than him, I was being scolded for 5 minutes on how utterly reckless I apparently was, another 5 minutes for trying to go around their back, and another 5 minutes on how she was glad that I'm okay and that she's proud of me. I was sure that two of them were also relieved about me actually succeeding at doing magic.

I have to admit, the feelings were kind of strange to me, they were new, foreign to me before all this. At the end, the two had come to a decision for my 'punishment'. I was banned from entering the library and taking books myself for two weeks, and any book that I would want to read or take had to go through them first. They would also be arranging another visit from Healer Aubrey to check on my condition. Strange thing was they didn't outright forbid me from trying to cast spells any longer, instead they had discussed the possibility of tutoring before my mother brushed the topic aside, probably to be discussed by the both of them personally, and not on the dining table.

After the discussions died down, the topic of the conversation had begun anew. Father was in the middle of talking about his new dealing with the ministry when we were interrupted by Mimi's arrival

"Chocolate fudge with ice cream, favourite dessert for young master." said Mimi as she served the new course of food at the table. I was ecstatic! What could ruin this day? A successful attempt at casting spell, no punishment, and a wonderful dessert!

It turned out to be the wrong thing to say.

"So, Darius. How would you feel about me taking you to the ministry tomorrow? You know, just to accompany me, it won't be long." said my father as my mother too looked at me with a smile.

"Mmmmm," I was confused. Obviously I can't outright deny a request like that, especially after such leeway they gave me for the casting, "Is it allowed? For children to be there?"

"Of course, it's allowed! And going out with some social interactions will be good for you."

I knew that my parents were kind of worried about my social life. Aside from my cousin David who I had met during that party by the minister, I hadn't really connected with anyone my age, no friends. And I had also seen my cousin for like only two or three times after that event, and we still weren't best buddies of the sort. He's a bit too childish for me, yeah talk about irony. But who would blame an adult that was stuck in a child body to not socialize with fellow children? Not that they knew, thank God.

I just settled with a safe answer, "Uhmm, I think it'll be great."

"Oh, oh! Can I come too, please?" whined my brother from the side.

"Nope! They don't allow runts like you in the ministry, obviously!" answered me playfully.

"But I want to go too! It's not fair!" he pouted as he crossed his arms and turned his face.

Being a brother was a certainly, illuminating experience. Thankfully, Ernie didn't behave like a spoiled or hyperactive child, so it was pretty easy to tackle interactions with him.

"You'll go too when you're older, sweetie." comforted my mother to him.

British Ministry of Magic, Whitehall, Central London, England.

"So, father. Why are you going to the ministry today?" I asked as we walked through the ministry atrium.

The atrium was a long hall with dark woods covering its floor. It had a high-ceiling, the walls were high and looked refined. The surface was gleaming with decorations, magical symbols and murals kept swirled and danced through its wall, shining in gold. On each side of the wall were a long line of gilded fireplaces. Burst of green flames were easily noticeable since it seemed that for every second, a wizard or a witch would burst in from inside the fireplace.

This was the spot of the duel between Dumbledore and Voldemort at the end of the Order of the Phoenix. The first truly major fight in the series. I slowly observed the details as we continued to walk. First of all, it was swarmed by people, it was very crowded. Like, there were a ton of people here!

"The Daily Prophet! Latest news of Wizarding Britain! Could there possibly be another Goblin Rebellion? Minister Bagnold assured that the situation is under control, but is it really?" a person was promoting the latest edition of the Daily Prophet from the sideway.

Talks and mutterings filled with the air, the people here were busy either talking with each other, or shouting at another person. It wasn't as foreign as I imagined it would be, on the contrary, this was very similar to what life was like back on Earth. It was certainly very lively, very much so like the bustling street of modern society. People were walking with their briefcases, some carrying a stack of papers, one so high that it covered their face.

"It's not that serious, actually. I'm just here to finalize the draft of the agreement between the ministry and our family regarding our magical creature holdings."

I just nodded, my mind half-lost in thoughts. Soon we passed a grand fountain located at the center of the hall. The fountain was decorated with statues of various wizards or witches who I couldn't recognize, either they weren't that famous or they were just random figures as ornaments.

ALL PROCEEDS FROM THE FOUNTAIN OF MAGICAL BRETHREN WILL BE GIVEN TO ST. MUNGO'S HOSPITAL FOR MAGICAL MALADIES AND INJURIES

As we got closer, it became visible that the bottom of the pool was filled with glittering lights of various coins, Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts, all resting at the bottom.

Above us, dozens and dozens of paper planes flew through the air. Noises of swarming papers accompanied the pouring sound created by the water fountain. I inclined my head back to look up and proceed to observe the seemingly endless flow of flying papers.

"Interdepartmental memos. It was always like this. Don't worry, you'll get used to it."

I just remained silent. Thankfully, we didn't run into anyone important or famous, so I didn't have to make do with humouring anyone. But there were some people who nodded at us as we walked through, though. Then again, father was a lord at the Wizengamot, people obviously recognize him. I kept my expression neutral while my father put on a smile, undoubtedly fake, and nodded back at those people.

Soon, we reached the end of the atrium where a set of golden gates adjourned. Just a few feet from that was a small counter with a single seat under the sign saying "Security".

"Lord Gerald Macmillan, here for a business agreement with the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. With me is my son, Darius Macmillan." said my father in a somewhat annoyed voice.

The man behind the counter who was dressed in a blue robe had his eyes widened.

"Apologize, my lord. The registrations, please."

My father took his wand out of his robe and passed it to the wizard.

"12 inches, dragon-heartstring core, 22 years of use. Have a good day, my lord." the wizard bowed his head as he gave the wand back to my father.

We continued our steps and reached the elevator, and soon we entered it. We shared the elevator with several people, there was a goblin, two people in some sort of formal garb who I assumed were aurors, and a few others. The lift then drifted back and began moving.

After a minute or two, of which I spent pondering upon the working of the ministry, we had arrived at our destination, the level two of the British Ministry of Magic, home to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. It was apparently the second largest department in the British Ministry of Magic. We walked through several office doors and hallways before finally halting our steps upon reaching the desired stop.

We had gone to the "Beast" division of the department. The department was split into three divisions; being, beast, and spirit.

"Lord Macmillan! Here to see Mr. Diggory?"

"Ah Selene, yes, I'm here to see Amos for the finalization of the draft, I hope it's all going according to the schedule?"

"Of course, Lord Macmillan. Your visit was indeed scheduled for today."

"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Gerald, Selene? You are my wife's cousin, after all. Anyway, this is Darius, my first son. Darius, this is Selene Hawkins, she was a cousin of your mother."

"Hello, my name is Darius Macmillan. It's nice to meet you." I said as I introduced myself to her, accompanied by a curt nod.

"It's nice to meet you too, Darius. I'm Selene, Selene Hawkins."

I just nodded at her reply.

"Lord Gerald, Mr. Diggory will see you right now."

My father just nodded and gestured for me to follow her as walked past a door to enter a medium-sized office.

Seated behind the desk, was a man in his prime, though he wasn't built much. He wasn't plump or fat, but he also couldn't be described as lean or muscular. He wore a rectangular glass, resting on his long nose, and he had a ruddy face, with dark blond hair that looked like a cross between golden and brown.

T-this is…

"Amos! Great to see you today."

"Likewise, Gerald, likewise. Oh, who do we have here?"

"This is Darius, my son. Darius, this is Amos Diggory, he's one my best friend, you see."

"H-hello. I'm Darius Macmillan."

"Amos Diggory, and you can just call me Amos!"

My eyes were still wide from the realization, somehow I had failed to deduce that the Diggory we meant to see was no one but Cedric Diggory's father. It makes sense! I screamed inside my head. Cedric's father was indeed introduced as a ministry worker at the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures!

"Go and sit there, Darius. This won't take long." said Amos Diggory as he motioned for me to sit at one of the chairs available at the corner edge of the room.

"Is it done, yet? Hanson didn't cause any trouble, did he?"

"Ah yes, about that, there might be some complications regarding one of the details…"

The two of them were engaged in a quite serious discussion, no doubt some difficulties had arisen from the finalization process of the draft. I observed the room slowly. It looked like a normal office, save for several magical devices laying around the place. Various piles of papers could be seen laying atop of the desks. But my gaze was drawn toward one of the frames placed at the table beside me. It was a family photo, much like the usual photo my family would take every holiday. Amos could be seen in the photo wearing a yellow dress-shirt, standing beside a beautiful woman, who I had no doubt was his wife, the woman was tall and her skin pale as snow, hair brown, and eyes green. Their hands were joined at the top of a sofa chair, it was dark brown. On the chair was a boy around my age. He had a chiselled face even for a 6-year-old, sharp features, hair brown and dark, with light grey eyes. That's Cedric Diggory, the future(?) tragic Triwizard Champion of Hogwarts.

I had been sitting for around 15 minutes. My nose buried deep in a book I had previously taken from the small bag that I carried. The bag was enchanted with an extension charm so I could fit a couple of books there. I was about to turn the page when a green flame burst in the fireplace next to the main desk. I turned my head around and I could see a head made of flame floating in the fireplace, floo call, I had seen my uncle and my father communicating through it before. The head was one of a woman, probably his wife.

"Ah, Gerald. I'm sorry but I need to go speak with my wife." he said, to which my father just replied with a nod and smile, guess they really are friends, then.

I couldn't hear much from the conversations, except for a few words like "need to go", "leave", "check", and "urgent". My father turned his head to look at me and gave me a tight smile. I just shrugged and went back to my book. Not a minute later, another burst of flame could be heard. This time though, it wasn't a call, for a person had just arrived through the floo. A boy, clothed in plain t-shirt and short pants, obviously he wasn't dressed specifically for a visit here. The boy was no other than the same boy in the frame I had inspected before.

Shit! He is the first of the 'main' characters that I encountered!

"Gerald, you won't mind if my son stays here, will you? My wife has to leave the house urgently, something from St. Mungo's."

"Of course, not. He and Darius could keep each other company!"

"Yes. Cedric, this is Lord Gerald Macmillan, he's one my best friend, he's here with his son too."

"Nice to meet you, Cedric. I would like for you to meet my son, Darius."

Cedric nodded and left the table to strode across the room toward me. I looked up from my book and stretched out a hand,

"My name is Darius Macmillan. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

He nodded and replied, "Hi! I'm Cedric, Cedric Diggory. It's a pleasure for me too."

We smiled politely and each other and he took the seat beside me. He noticed the book that I was reading.

"Woah, isn't that The Descent of Magic by Herman Elliott?" a high-pitched voice of a child asked in a most definite curious manner from beside me. "That's an advanced book! You're reading it, already?"

Huh, I guess he really is a Hufflepuff. I cocked my head to the side to meet him.

"Yep! My father gave it to me this morning since I managed to cast my first spell yesterday!" answered me.

"N-no way! You can cast magic, already!? Isn't that s-supposed to be f-forbidden?" he asked with an uncertain manner near the end.

"I most definitely can! And here' a secret, the ministry can't trace it back to you as long as you're in a house with other wizards!" I replied eagerly, eh? How did I get so damn eager to converse with a child, mayhaps it's just the natural part of the child in me that desire friends.

"That's great! I'm going to ask my dad about it later. Anyway, do you really understand that book?"

My pride took a hit there, "Of course I can understand it! It's just a collection of theories about the origin of a spell, and the ways behind the creation of it! I'm just interested in the subject."

"You want to become a spellmaker? I heard it's difficult, though.." he finished his sentence in a grimace.

"Hmmm, it's interesting, but I don't really know yet. It's very complicated."

"Eh, I'm sure you'll be able to! If you can understand the book now, then you will definitely be able to! As long as you work hard, you could achieve your dream, my dad said it to me!"

"You really think I could?"

"Y-yes, yes, I do! That's it if you don't give up on the way there, then you will be great!"

A part in me was somewhat fulfilled hearing that.

"T-thanks.." I answered, caught a little bit off-guard with the comment.

"Hey, Darius."

"Huh?"

"Do you, do you want to be my friend?" he asked in a hurry.

I jerked back my head at the question.

"Why, of course I want to, Ced!"

His face lightened up and a bright smile immediately graced his face.

"Uh, how old are you? I just turned six last week! My birthday is October the 4th!"

"Mine is next week, October the 19th. And I'll also turn six."

"That's great, we will be in Hogwarts together! Oh, what house do you want to be in? I want to be in Hufflepuff!"

"My father did say that our family is usually sorted into Hufflepuff."

"That's awesome! We will be the best of friends!"

"I'm sure of it. I know! We should exchange letters!"

Making friends with someone like Cedric Diggory would definitely be useful, he was talented and brilliant, he'd be able to challenge me and help me to be an able wizard.

He replied excitedly with his address and I, too, gave him an address. I'm sure my parents won't object with this. We went back into conversations afterwards, talking about various topics from magic theory,to Hogwarts, and family.

After more or less an hour later, my father finally finished his business in the ministry.

"Thank you for your time, Amos. I'd be leaving, then."

"It's nothing. And I apologize for the inconveniences."

"It's fine. Darius, let's go."

I stood up from my chair and turned to Cedric, "Uh, don't worry I'd definitely send you a letter!" to which the boy just replied with a smile and a nod.

The two men that were silently observing the conversation smiled and laughed quietly at our interaction, no doubt lost in nostalgia or something.

"So, my brilliant son gets a friend, huh?" teased my father as we prepared to leave the office.

"Father!" cried me out. He just laughed and ruffled my hair. I turned back and said, "Bye Cedric!"

"Bye Darius!" he eagerly replied back, standing beside his own father.

I turned my head back toward my front, and soon we walked past the door. Without realizing it, I left that door and the ministry a different person than before.

AN: So that's chapter 3. This chapter is more a transition point between the prologue that was the first two chapters and the beginning of the MC actual voyage into magic starting next chapter. Yeah, Darius won't be interfering much with the canon plot, I'm more interesting in writing about his own discovery and study of magic myself, but it won't be 75% worldbuilding or so, I'd still be using the mostly same canon as setting, just the story being more focused on Darius tinkering with magic instead, and his close ones too. Thoughts and recommendations? Reviews would be much appreciated. Truly, I only started this story because I was bored, then this story got some follows and favorites, and I was surprised! So, I'll try my best for the future.