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53. Returning Home
🕑 Added 2025-05-23 00:47:34 +0000 UTC“Here, Sango, send this letter to our favorite DADA teacher,” said Christian. As he watched the bird fly away, he muttered, “I should probably buy Quirrell a Christmas present, but what?” he thought momentarily and decided to send anything, considering he would probably be the only student sending him a present. Christian had already made a list of whom to send presents to and what, so he only needed to add him.
He returned to his room and saw the trio heading to the library. “Still looking for Nicolas Flamel?”
“We wouldn’t have to do all this work if you just told us.”
“It’s good for you guys to read more books,” said Christian before changing the topic. “Are you sure none of you want to come to my house for Christmas?”
“No, we’re fine.”
“Alright.”
Christian took the train the next day, and his mother came to pick him up. As soon as he descended, he rushed into her embrace.
“Look how thin you are. Are you not eating properly?”
“I miss you so much,” said Christian.
“I miss you, too. Now, tell me everything you’ve experienced.”
Christian told her everything, from the first day of school to the present; he talked about his classmates, his three new friends he made under strange circumstances, his teachers — including his poor relationship with Snape– and even showed her his bag of holding. The only thing he did not mention was his secret relationship with Quirrell, as he did not want her to intervene and stop receiving direct teaching from the Dark Lord.
In just four months, he had learned so much about dark magic and how to counter it, and he even learned a few powerful dark charms as Voldemort attempted to corrupt him. Christian can honestly say the most extensive progress he made in school was in Defense Against the Dark Arts. After all, Voldemort has no reservations about teaching him, unlike the other professors.
By the time Christian finished talking, they had already returned home and were drinking tea. “That’s everything.”
“It seems like school life agrees with you,” commented Tiara, who suddenly became quiet. “What about your father’s artifact — have you translated it yet?”
“No, it should take some time,” replied Christian, not telling the complete truth. He had already translated the runes in the front. All 15 small disks contained the runes for body, soul, mind, fire, water, wind, earth, wood/plant, lightning, space, time, darkness, light, life, and death.
The back seemed to contain a story about the creation of Heaven and Earth, and based on the story, he needed to rearrange the front 15 disks in the perfect place. However, the story was more difficult to translate as many runes or symbols could have different meanings or interpretations; some words were not in the Rune Dictionary and must be inferred, and some words might not even fit with modern language.
“Is that so?” said Tiara, secretly sighing in relief.
“Why don’t you tell me about your expedition?” asked Christian, trying to change the subject.“How is it going?”
Tiara’s eyes immediately lit up. “We might have found proof of the existence of Camelot.”
“Really? From what I know, wizards denied the existence of King Arthur or Camelot.”
“How could they not?” sneered Tiara. “Do you think they will accept that one of the greatest amongst them believed in integrating wizards and Muggles?”
“True, with those words, you should understand the possible trouble that comes with proving the existence of Camelot.”
“I do,” she nodded. Camelot should have existed somewhere in the Late Medieval Period and would have been a place that integrated wizards and Muggles. Some people might use its existence to challenge the International Statute of Secrecy, claiming that even the great Merlin did not believe we should isolate ourselves.
Grindelwald was still alive, and his followers or descendants might consider this an opportunity for their return. Of course, given that Grindelwald seemed to have changed and redeemed himself, that’s unlikely.
“Don’t worry about this. If Camelot is real, it will merely make a short splash in the wizarding world before fizzling out,” commented Tiara.
“You’re probably right,” nodded Christian. “By the way, where is Aunt Eleanor?”
“She’s very busy, rarely home.”
“It seems the plan is working.”
“More than you think.” Tiara snapped her finger, and a magazine flew into her hands. Christian saw the front page, and it was his aunt, pausing all beautifully and cheekily. The title was about how Massive Dynamic is the fastest-growing corporation in the world.
“She looks thin and tired,” he commented.
“The company just started, so, understandably, she will be super busy. Things should calm down after a while.”
Christian nodded. He wanted to see her, but he guessed that was not possible. “What about Aunt Arielle and Uncle Sullivan? Did he get that promotion?”
“They are fine, and he did; he’s now the Deputy-Head of Macussa’s Auror Department.”
“Deputy-Head? That should be the second in command.”
“Correct, and it also means he has a chance at the position once the head retires.”
“I’m glad for them. Is it possible for him to allow Aunt Arielle to get her wand back?”
“I’m afraid that’s not possible. The magic congress in the US is very strict about such a thing. Anyway, she doesn’t need it.” Tiara knew her sister was talented and trained by their grandmother. And after so many years of relying on handweaving magic, she’s probably way more proficient than her.
“Fair point. So, are we going to see them for Christmas?”
“Yes, they are coming here,” nodded Tiara.
“That’s good news. I hope Aunt Eleanor can take a break and join us for Christmas.”
“Don’t worry, she won’t miss Christmas,” said Tiara before changing the topic. “What’s your plan for the vacation?”
“Plan? No plan. I wanted to relax.”
“Maybe you should use this rest time to plan your next project?”
“Project? Are you suggesting I write another book?”
“No, you don’t have to take on such a large project, but you could publish a book about the Mind Palace. That would take less time and effort.”
“Hmmm. That’s a good idea. However, isn’t it too soon?”
“It’s been a few months, and your previous build momentum has subsided. Now, it’s the perfect time to remind the world of your existence. We wouldn’t want the world to think you were a one-hit wonder.”
“You have a point,” nodded Christian.
“You don’t have to be stressed about it. You can rest during this break and start working after returning to school. Now, why don’t you tell me about the new entries in your journal? I know there should be new and interesting ones.”
“Of course…”
They talked for hours, even through dinner. Eleanor showed up for a short thirty minutes to see Christian before leaving. The two finally stopped talking by bedtime and made plans for a magic lesson/revision/overview tomorrow afternoon.
While showing and caring for his hygiene, Christian’s mind shifted to his next project, as his mother suggested. After sitting on his bed to meditate, he suddenly paused:
‘Why does this suggestion feel so sudden? Like she wanted to distract me.’ He immediately had a lightbulb moment as he realized his mother’s intention — to distract him from his father’s artifact by shifting his focus to something else.
Christian smiled wryly because the idea of doing a new project was stuck in his head, and he could not remove it.
‘Hmph, I’ll show you I can do both,’ he thought before meditating and reviewing Jim’s memories. Christian suddenly opened his eyes: he had a great idea for his project. He wanted to plan things out immediately, but controlled himself and slept. He had plenty of time, and there was no need to hurry.
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