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𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍 𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐏𝐒 𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐘

𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐄

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The Kims' Manor, a forgotten castle secluded from both Muggle and Wizard society, earned the title of 'Keeper of the Most Magical Artefacts' over the century. A recent article in The Daily Prophet reported that fewer than one hundred artefacts had been registered with the Ministry of Magic, which they claimed to be only a tenth of the total number housed within the castle. The journalist Rita Skeeter described the lack of oversight as "one of the Ministry's many blunders". Given the Kims' public image—a "fall from grace," as she put it—Skeeter warned that resentful Squibs or oblivious Muggles could stumble upon and misuse the unregistered artefacts.

"Can you believe that high-discount banshee?" Dalia exclaimed, shoving the newspaper close to Jin-woo's face. "How can anyone tolerate this? Listen to her, 'Muggle author Edgar Allan Poe actually featured one such artefact, an ebony clock, in his book, The Masque of the Red Death'. Well, Muggles have been writing about fantastic worlds and magic for centuries. It's not surprising that one of them would get something right. Besides, he was American and from the last century! Your family wasn't even in England during that time!"

With the newspaper obstructing his view of the boiling cauldron, Jin-woo froze, his hands gripping the powdered unicorn horn to prevent a spill. "I believe you said you'd help me with the Potions exam."

Dalia sat the newspaper aside, grabbing in its stead one of Jin-woo's newly acquired heavy leather-bound books on elixirs and potions. "First, put that down—the unicorn horn's for later." She took 'One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi' and opened it around the middle. "But, talking about artifacts—"

"It's the one beside the central fireplace." Jin-woo motioned over to the row of fireplaces across the Manor's living room, from which half of them were bound and restricted to the use of the Floo Network. "That's odd... the bird's missing."

"Remember when you blew up the living room months ago?" Dalia left the open book forgotten at the top of the pile. "I imagine it broke. Your grandfather or somebody else must have thrown it away."

"I guess," he said, his attention back to his cauldron. "All right, when do I stir it?"

"About five minutes ago," she replied, stifling a laugh.

As the weeks went by, Jin-woo's anxiety about facing Hogwarts Potions classes only grew. He shuddered at the thought of it. Having barely survived his second year of Potions—with much credit to Dalia—he had no idea how he would manage if they were sorted into different houses. It was already a miracle that he hadn't blown up the potion for his home-schooled exam at the end of term; he had managed to achieve a decent Acceptable grade.

At the beginning of summer break, Jin-woo buried himself in potion-related books. Cookie hadn't dared to mention Life's Elixir again, and Dalia rarely spoke about her mother, let alone bring up her illness. Jin-woo had little to work with. By the fourth week of July, the stack of leather-bound books had grown taller than him.

Tricksy, a House Elf working in the Manor whose silence Jin-woo had bribed with cookies and scarfs, snapped him back to reality minutes away from sunrise. She had her favourite clothes on, a knee-length purple summer dress, which she had bought about a month ago, and her light blue scarf to match. He handed her a handful of his mother's cookies and gathered the books he deemed most important before dumping them in his bag.

"Time's here," singsonged Tricksy, snapping her fingers as she skipped a couple of steps, watching the stack of books set itself in its rightful place. "The sunrise's just at seven steps."

With his bag slung over his shoulder, Jin-woo held Tricksy's hand and shut his eyes. If Apparating could cause nausea, then whatever kind of Apparating an Elf could perform was undoubtedly more intense. Upon returning to the uncomfortable silence of Privet Drive, he had to lean against the fireplace for a moment to calm his queasy stomach.

"Jin's just like his father," said Tricksy while patting his arm.

There was something off that night. Although he wasn't in the best condition, Jin-woo could tell Tricksy wasn't making half the jokes she would have by that point. Her bubbly face remained rather stiff for her usual self, and she had snapped her fingers a bit too late to conjure a chair for him to rest on. He had knelt beside the fireplace, leaning on it for support as he fought his insides to keep his late-night snacks from spilling out.

"Don't think being sick will get you out of trouble." Ji-yoon appeared beside him, one hand holding a mug with pastries, the other pulling him into the chair. "How could you leave without me? Have the decency not to get caught next time. I didn't talk Grandpa into growing those vines on the outdoor wall, just to end up not using them to sneak around."

Jin-woo apologised, though he wasn't sure what he was apologising for. His sister didn't seem to mind; she shrugged it off and offered him a cookie, which he declined, much to her horror. As Ji-yoon checked Jin-woo for "a horrible fever", Tricksy chimed in with quiet chuckles and explained that he had developed a reaction to continued Apparating. This was quite peculiar to Ji-yoon, considering that both of them had outgrown such reactions by their tenth birthday.

Then, like a spark had lit up in her mind, Ji-yoon turned to her brother with a menacing look in her eyes. "Tricksy's got the night shifts at the Manor, so I'm betting all my Chocolate Frogs you were there. Why couldn't you use any of the fireplaces? Those don't make you dizzy. Actually, wait a moment, what were you doing at the Manor? It's summer break, Jin-woo. Not exactly the time to study!"

"I wasn't studying," Jin-woo quickly defended himself. "I was just searching for something."

She dug her hand into his bag, rummaging through the stack of potion books he had brought with him, which he had planned to finish before the end of the week. "If you're going to lie, at least make it believable."

Tricksy nudged his side. "Jin should tell."

"Are you in trouble?" Ji-yoon asked, alarmed in advance for whatever he had to tell her. "Who are we burying?"

"Nobody, hopefully," Jin-woo replied. "I'm trying to find something called Life's Elixir. Dalia's mother has a critical illness. It's her last hope."

"That's a healer's job," Ji-yoon said, her gaze dropping to the ground. "If Dalia's trying to look into this herself, it might mean it's something you can't get so easily."

"She isn't," he insisted, standing up and forcing himself to stay there despite his twisting insides. "I am. Cookie told me about it months ago. I've tried to research it, but nothing's come up so far."

After a moment of contemplation, Ji-yoon sighed and nodded. "Fine. But you're not doing this alone. Tell Dalia to meet us at Diagon Alley—no matter when. You'll explain everything to her there."

"I don't want to give her false hope," Jin-woo said. "What if we can't find it? Or if we do find it, and it doesn't work?"

"If Mum was dying, wouldn't we want to know there was something we could do to save her?" Ji-yoon asked. "At least trying means she won't wonder 'what if?'. Besides, if Cookie—who hasn't shown themselves to anyone in at least a decade—appeared to mention this... we might actually have a chance."

As the sunrise stubbornly remained hidden from Privet Drive, the twins settled for reading by candlelight. Ji-yoon skimmed through history books, hoping for mentions of who had last created or discovered Life's Elixir. Unfortunately, their school books only provided information up to a second-year level, which was quite limited. Meanwhile, Tricksy had to contain herself from conjuring an entire bed into the living room, as Jin-woo nodded off somewhere in the pile of potion books. Judging by the notorious bags under his eyes, nobody but him had expected he would pull through and stay awake until the morning.

The next day, he tried to make up for it by diving into another pile of books as soon as he woke up. Ji-yoon tried everything to snatch them out of his hands, frustrated that he was trying to skip breakfast to lie on the sofa reading. His conviction didn't last long. The moment Iaia Cruz stepped down from the flaming green fireplace, he was instantly on his feet. Avi Antonio followed suit, appearing in a wave of green flames that missed the stack of books by an inch.

"Oh dear, what happened in Number Four?" Iaia Cruz asked, failing to remember the customary kisses.

The twins were rather grateful for it until they realised Number Four was Harry's house. They ran to the window, peeking through the curtains to see, not far down the street, a crowd of owls all over the house. Avi Antonio laughed at it, saying that 'The Boy Who Lived' would naturally have a more dramatic acceptance to Hogwarts than other students. However, knowing the Dursleys, Grandpa Seok-jin and Grandma Ha-eun were on the verge of grabbing their wands and pay a visit to Number Four to ensure Harry got safely admitted to Hogwarts.

"I'll go check," said Jin-woo, returning the book he had left on the sofa to the stack near the fireplace. "The Dursleys don't really know me. They won't close the door on my face right away."

"Cariño," His father spoke with such a gentle tone, he had to remind himself he wasn't walking into a minefield. "You're the spitting image of your mother. They'll know whose family you come from immediately."

"Well, then I'll just have to find my way in," replied Jin-woo with little care.

"Aquí y en China that's breaking and entering. Doesn't matter whether they're Muggle or Wizard." His father pulled the curtains away, watching the calm street that had been overtaken by delivering owls. "They're leaving the house. Bags?"

His mother wrapped an arm around his father's waist, staring with contempt at the Dursleys as they got into their car in a rush. "Must be last-minute luggage."

Even though he knew he had to ignore it, Jin-woo lost his composure watching a man—likely Harry's uncle—pull his friend from the house and to the vehicle. He was soon running down the street to Number Four, which wasn't necessary, as Harry's uncle had stopped in the middle of the driveway to yell at Harry. He tapped his friend on the shoulder, whose face lit up immediately after turning around to see him.

"Slimy little—" Harry's uncle, likely having only realised of his presence, stopped to look him dead in the eye. "Get lost, boy."

"I'm Harry's friend," he said without missing a beat. "Where are you going? I'd like to have the address so I can send him letters."

Harry's uncle turned pale at the mention of the post. "You're part of the freaks, aren't you? A Kim, no doubt! We're putting a swift stop to all of this rubbish. He's not going to that buffoon's school, I tell you!"

Jin-woo minded his breathing. The heat had reached up to his cheeks, and the moment it grazed his mind, things wouldn't be pretty. Thankfully, his sister and parents arrived to calm him down, giving first their untruthful apologies to Mr Dursley. Once they expressed their worries and asked for the address to send the post to, they got yelled at just the same. That was the breaking point.

His wand was aimed high, brushing Mr Dursley's chin, which got increasingly drenched in cold sweat. "Fine, don't give us the address. See if I care."

"A ver, Mr Dursley, if I may." Their father was quick to place a hand on Jin-woo's shoulder, leading him to believe, for a brief moment, that he would have to step down and apologise. "Unless you let Harry attend school and stay with us until it starts, expect far worse than letters and owls flooding your home."

"I won't pay to have some crackpot old fool teach him magic tricks," Mr Dursley sneered. "You won't see nothing from us."

"It's great that we don't need it," their mother shot back, her expression so immersed in hatred that the twins had to look away out of fear. "We can afford to have our children study whatever they please, be it taught by a crackpot old fool or a frog dressed in a tutu. It's important to let children make their own choices." She composed herself, smiling kindly, long enough to glance at Harry without making him shudder. "Harry, would you like spending the rest of your summer break with us?"

"You can't take him!" Mr Dursley went right back to yelling, as if he had forgotten the wand that stood right under his chin. Perhaps he couldn't see it. "We got landed with him! We're his guardians."

"Vamos a ver. I think you've got it wrong, Mr Dursley," whispered their father so it would be hard for them to hear. "Call whoever you want on us. When they get here, let's see how you explain Harry's malnourished state. I mean, if we compare him to the single other child living under your roof, the difference is obvious. I wonder how long it'll be before they take away custody. And don't give me any magical, sad excuse for which you have to house him. Either you give a child a proper upbringing or you give him to a family that would raise him with love!"

Jin-woo turned to Harry, who wasn't too sure what he was meant to do. "Let's go to your room. This will go on for a bit. We can pack up your things in the meantime... if that's all right with you. I guess we haven't really asked if you wanted to come over..."

"Could you wait here?" Harry's face turned pink, his gaze going back and forth between the adults' argument and the inside of Number Four's house. "I don't have much to pack up."

"That will change," said Ji-yoon, giving Harry a slight push towards the house. "Take your time. It's been too long since our dad last argued with someone. I have to say, I missed it."

Next thing they knew, Harry shuffled into the dimly lit house and, ignoring the stairs, opened the small, white door to the cupboard under them. That not only baffled, but enraged the Kims further. Their mother had soon picked up a screaming match with Mr Dursley, and their father returned the dirty looks they were receiving from Mrs Dursley. Were they causing a scene in the middle of the street? All signs pointed to "indeed". None could have cared less. The Dursleys were lucky their grandparents chose to merely watch, since they were four 'old crackpots' with the ability to perform legal yet devastating magic tricks that could ruin their lives.

Harry, shouldering a small and worryingly light school bag for his month-long stay, walked in between the twins, returning to the familiar sight of Number Eight. Ever since Halloween, Jin-woo had invited Harry for many occasions, Christmas being one of them. However, he had never stayed for more than a few hours, as they mostly relied on the Dursleys being out of town.

The three settled into the twins' usual room, which Avi Antonio enlarged so they could fit another bed without Harry noticing. Ji-yoon claimed the new bed on the right-hand side, while the boys kept the bunk bed on the left. To his delight, Jin-woo won the bottom bunk with rather ease.

However, seeing the inside of Harry's bag had been no bit pleasant. Aside from a toy, a loose shirt that fit him like bits of old elephant skin, two worn-out belts, and trousers that would certainly fall without wearing one of those, everything else was Christmas presents from the Kims. Jin-woo hadn't the liberty of giving off many clothes, as he himself had been lacking clothing ever since the explosion. His parents had bought him some new ones, but not enough to share with Harry without it being obvious that they were shrinking them for him to use.

During dinner, Grandma Ha-eun suggested taking Jin-woo and Harry shopping. They quickly agreed to avoid any expensive—nor magical places—wanting Harry to maintain his normal life until he received his letter. They found many excuses to indulge in purchases beyond just the essentials. The twins' parents claimed it was customary to give lots of presents for birthdays, and since Harry would celebrate his upcoming birthday with them, he deserved no less. Their grandparents each contributed to a lavish set of velvet robes that Grandma Ha-eun promised to have embroidered in time for the occasion.

They returned to Number Eight before the day ended. At Iaia Cruz's request, the twins and Harry went upstairs to put away their new clothes. The wardrobe had limited space, but they made it work. Since Harry was still considered a guest, the twins were excused from helping set the table and instead stayed in their room, chatting until Òliba came to fetch them. For once, it was nice to have their meal without having to pay attention to Number Four for the Dursleys. They could eat in peace, watch Harry struggle to deny Òliba sweets she could not eat, and stay at the table chatting until well late into the night.

Just as the clock struck twelve, two loud knocks thundered against the front door, startling everyone. Before they could process what was happening, a gentle voice from the other side called out to apologise. Jin-woo, who was nearest to the door, felt his father pull him back while his mother approached to greet the visitor. A man loomed in the doorway, so tall that his face was obscured by the doorframe as he bent down to greet them.

"Couldn't make us a cup o' tea, could yeh? It's not been an easy journey..." said the man. "Pleasure o' seeing yeh again."

"Oh, Hagrid!" Grandpa Seok-jin exclaimed, absolutely delighted to see him. "It's been too long. Everything all right, I hope?"

Hagrid slouched to fit through the doorway, a posture he had to maintain until he reached the sofa. "Everythin' in order, Kim. Got summat fer Harry here—" he took a squared box from the inside pocket of his coat and presented it to Harry, who doubted to take it at first. "Not every day your young man turns eleven, now, is it? I mighta sat on it at some point, but it'll taste all right."

Inside of the box was a large, sticky chocolate cake with Happy Birthday Harry written on it with green icing. While Harry tried to find the words to thank Hagrid, the twins darted to his sides, watching the cake with curiosity. For a moment, they had expected it to speak, or perhaps move, but the cake was as still as any other regular one.

"Excuse me, who are you?" Harry asked in a timid voice.

Hagrid chuckled at that. "True, I haven't introduced meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts." Though Harry nodded to remain polite, it was obvious that it hadn't cleared up anything for him. "Call me Hagrid—everyone does. An' like I told yeh, I'm Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts—yeh'll know all about Hogwarts, o' course."

"Er—no," said Harry, losing any speck of confidence at Hagrid's obvious shock. "Sorry."

"Sorry?" Hagrid frowned. "It's yeh aunt and uncle who should be sorry! I knew yeh weren't gettin' yer letters, but I never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts, fer cryin' out loud! Did yeh never wonder where yer parents learnt it all?"

"All what?"

Harry's question almost caused Hagrid to pick up his pink umbrella and leave to Number Four. He was livid. Iaia Cruz had to restrain him before anything went south, as it was anybody's guess what could happen to the Dursleys if he got to them. Though Jin-woo hadn't met the man before, he agreed no person should waste their life away in prison for the Dursleys. A sentiment most of his family shared, as they brought Hagrid his tea—together with whatever Avi Antonio had slipped into the cup—and had him take a seat on the sofa.

"Harry," said Hagrid once he was much calmer, "yer a wizard."

"I'm a what?"

"A wizard," he repeated. "An' a thumpin' good'un, I'd say, once yeh've been trained up a bit. With a mum an' dad like yours, what else would yeh be?"

Ji-yoon leaned to whisper in Jin-woo's ear, "Could be a Squib, couldn't he?" to which he nodded. A possibility as good as any, but, of course, not for 'The Boy Who Lived'.

"I reckon it's abou' time yeh read yer letter." Hagrid took two envelopes from his coat's inner pocket, handing one of them to Harry, before turning to Jin-woo. "O' course, I brought yers as well."

Without paying any mind to his surroundings, Harry pulled out the letter from the envelope and started reading. His eyes widened the more he stared at the ink-set words on the paper. Jin-woo hadn't nearly the same reaction. The Hogwarts acceptance letter didn't excite him as much as he had once imagined—though that had been many years ago, when the wizarding world was something he could only dream of being a part of. At that moment, holding his ticket for a normal wizard life in his hands, he wished nothing else but to wake up from that nightmare.

"Everything all right?" Ji-yoon gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze. "I know it's pretty far away, but it'll be fine. You'll have Harry and Dalia there. And who knows? Maybe you'll make a guy friend your age!"

He couldn't muster to laugh. "I wish we could attend the same school."

"When will you trust that I'm fine? It's not that bad being a Muggle." Her smile fell for a split moment, enough that anybody else wouldn't have caught it, but he did. "I can still play pranks with the non-wand-required area of Gambol and Japes. If that's not a good life, I don't know what is."

Before he knew it, his lips had curved into a smile. "You're right. Wouldn't be bad if we were both Muggles. Imagine the pranks we could pull at your school."

Ji-yoon grabbed him by the shoulders, her smile long gone from her face. "Jin-woo, you're a wizard—a good, scratch that, an amazing one—and you'll do great. If you pull through Hogwarts and want to live the rest of your life as a Muggle, so be it. I'll be by your side and help as much as I can. The one thing I won't stand for is letting you turn into an Obscurial. You've got magic. Enjoy it for us."

Jin-woo copied her position, clasping his hands on her shoulders, before laughing quietly. "I'm impressed. That's the sweetest way anybody's ever told me I'll be their personal magic slave."

"If you point it out, it's not sweet anymore," she retorted, pushing him lightly as Hagrid got up to write to Dumbledore, letting him know the letters had been received and Harry would go to Diagon Alley to get his things the following day. "Mr Hagrid, sir..."

Hagrid showed her a genuine smile. "Jus' Hagrid's fine."

"Then, Hagrid," said Ji-yoon, exchanging hesitant looks with her brother, "wouldn't Harry be more comfortable with someone he knows? It's his very first year, after all. He's never gone to Diagon Alley. I don't mean that you shouldn't accompany him. But, since Jin-woo's got to go either way. Perhaps him and I could join the both of you?"

Jin-woo leaned over to her, whispering, "Since when are you this polite?" to her ear, to which she replied in a hushed voice, "Shut up".

"I s'ppose that'd be all right." Hagrid patted his legs, as if he were about to get up, but thought better of it at the sight of the low ceiling. "Mind yeh tell me yer second names? I'd ask yer first, but I can't pronounce them well."

"I'm Cristina," Ji-yoon motioned over to Jin-woo, "and he's Christopher."

"Pleased ter meet yeh." Hagrid offered his hand for a handshake, which wobbled half their arms. "Tomorrow, bright an' early, we get up ter town, get yeh lads' books an' that."

Harry perked up while turning to face Jin-woo, his mind likely having only registered what he had heard. "You're a wizard?"