The conversation turned out to be very painful. Will was agitated, immediately attacking with accusations

"Why am I the last to know everything?"

Father was embarrassed at first, but quickly took the initiative into his own hands

"Sit down!" Gardner Sr. barked, pointing to a chair.

Will obediently sat down.

"Now listen to me carefully. Do you know what it's like to come home and find out you don't have a family anymore? What it's like to have to worry about your kids every single day, every single f...ng day? If you'd grown up around these people, you'd have been killed thirty years earlier."

"You have to fight evil, Dad, not desert." Will gritted his teeth.

"Well, well. The boy grew up. Want to fight evil? Why didn't you fight when you stole other people's money, when you were organizing gambling fraud? The fight against evil begins with yourself, with your soul."

"Dad, you had no right to deprive me of a choice."

"Now you have this choice. Don't regret it. And never…never come into this house drunk again. Go to bed. We'll talk in the morning."

Head down, Will wandered into the bedroom.

Gardner Sr. went into his cabinet, where he quietly opened the safe.

Unfolding the silk cloth, he carefully took out a Gardner family heirloom – a stick that had been passed down from generation to generation since the Middle Ages.

Will woke up with a strong feeling of hangover and shame. Not daring to look his parent in the eyes, he quietly crept into the kitchen to get a sip of water.

"Good morning, William, please come into my cabinet," his father peeked out, opening the door slightly.

Sighing, Will carefully stepped over the threshold.

"I said too much yesterday." Will stared at the carpet lying on the floor.

"I'm glad you realized your behavior," his father tiredly sat down in the chair at the table. "It's time to tell the whole story from the very beginning."

Gardner Jr., with a sinking heart, sat down in the chair opposite his father.

Father unfolded the silk cloth, handing the stick to Will. "It's yours now. The first owner was the founder of our family, Wilhelm Gardner, who lived in medieval Hamburg, Germany. You were named after him, but in the American manner. He was very strong. Wasn't afraid of anyone or anything. Imagine that some Unforgivable Curses didn't work on him. A legendary figure. As the years passed, the Gardners moved around the world. Your great-great-great-grandfather Daniel, in the 18th century, ended up in the United States. He was also an ideological fighter against the dark forces. He even was in The Magical Congress. After them, there were less outstanding people in our family. As you already know, I completely gave up magic."

"Wait, Dad, how do you know that I was dying? You said yesterday that I could have been killed much earlier."

"I was watching the news about the shooting in the courtroom. No one can survive those wounds. When they found out you were missing, it all became clear. You were brought back to life. And I immediately knew who could have done it. By the way, Will, the police have already come here. Your friends called, too. No one understands anything. Everyone saw your fall, remembers you bleeding on the floor, but what happened next, no one knows. The CCTV footage of you and Eric walking down the halls and then leaving the building is gone. The police's main theory is that you were killed, your body stolen."

"I don't care about the police. It will be fun when I walk into the office effectively tomorrow. Better tell me who called? The friends who betrayed me? Alicia? Cary? Although that piece of sh…t was never my friend."

"And them too. Kalinda came. She didn't betray you. Diane realized all her mistakes. Forgive her. Don't hold a grudge."

"How do you know all this?"

"You forgot who I am."

"You didn't tell me anything about Eric's father."

"Richard Everton. We went to school together, played Quidditch." Gradner Sr. handed his son a moving photograph of two laughing teenagers in strange sports uniforms, sitting on flying broomsticks. "It's a game where you score goals on the fly. It's like a mix of basketball, European football, American football. And a little bit of baseball."

"Wow," Will looked at the photo in surprise.

"Then, during the First Wizarding War, we fought against the dark forces. There were a lot of casualties. At some point, I lost my nerves. I couldn't take it anymore. The war wasn't just in Britain. Most of the battles were there, but they were fought everywhere, all over the world. Every year the cruelty grew, then it all went overseas. Richard called me a coward, we stopped communicating. Many years later, we made up, but we were no longer close friends. He believed that I shouldn't have hidden anything from you. Evertons are characterized by maximalism. For them, there is only black and white. Eric grew up just like his father. But it's good that you met. He is a bright, kind boy. He will be a great friend to you."

"Yes, Eric saved me in every sense."

"Maybe you should think twice before starting work on..." father coughed "not quite ordinary cases. It will change your whole future life"

"After all that I've seen and learned, it is impossible to remain the same. I would rather burn than live without purpose and meaning. There is still a chance to balance the evil to prevent a third war. We must not miss it"

"I am proud of you, William. Wilhelm Gardner himself would be proud of such a descendant. Fight and you will overcome. I am sorry that you learned about everything so late"

"Sorry, Dad. I behaved like a fool"

Father and son hugged tightly.