November 12, 1990.
Tunbridge Wells, Kent County.
The Massimo family home.
The morning sun rose over the city.
Under its pressure, the night darkness retreated.
Not all the forest dwellers had woken up yet, and the morning dew had not yet disappeared, but the Massimo household was already full of life.
It was as if no one had slept at all.
The mother of the family was busy in the kitchen.
The father was reading the weekly news digest.
The son was sitting in his room, reading a book.
A family idyll.
The only thing disrupting the picture was the slight impatience on the faces of the older generation of the family.
Suddenly, a knock came at the door.
It shattered that picture and created a new one.
*
*
*
*From the perspective of Thomas Massimo.*
As soon as the knock sounded, I knew the moment had arrived.
The moment we had been waiting for as a family for eight years was right here on our doorstep.
And who knows whether it was for better or worse.
A representative from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had arrived.
I slowly put the newspaper down on the coffee table and went to open the door.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Sara, nervously squeezing a kitchen towel in her hands, peeking out from the kitchen doorway.
I smiled at her, trying to be reassuring, and walked out of the living room.
If only someone could give me some confidence and calm.
Approaching the door, I took a deep breath and exhaled, trying to calm myself, then opened it.
My first thought was that I had been deceived.
I didn’t see anyone.
Just an empty street.
Only the sun, the wind, the street, and me.
Was this some kind of childish joke?
Hearing a polite cough from below, I lowered my gaze.
What I saw shocked me.
Standing in front of me was a very short man.
A dwarf?
His height could not have exceeded one hundred and forty centimeters.
His appearance could be called cute.
His smiling face, a slightly large nose with half-moon glasses, and eyes that seemed to sparkle with childish mischief.
His colorful, old-fashioned clothes were tastefully chosen and suited him incredibly well.
His gray, slightly curly hair was being ruffled by a light breeze.
A kind, grandfatherly type.
Hearing the cough again, I realized I had been staring at our guest for an inappropriately long time.
Slightly embarrassed, I lowered my head apologetically and asked, “Good morning.
May I ask why you have come to our home?”
The little man’s smile seemed to grow even wider.
“Good morning.
My name is Filius Flitwick.
I am a professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
This is the Massimo residence, am I correct?”
“Yes, sir.
That’s right.
My name is Thomas Massimo.
I am the master of this house.
Please come in.
My wife will call Kael shortly.
You’re here to see him, correct?”
“Correct.
I am here to see Mr.
Kael Massimo.
I have the honor of being his escort into the Wizarding World.
But I am here not only for him, but for you as well.”
Closing the door behind our guest, I told Sara to call Kael and led our guest into the living room.
I hope everything will be fine.
*
*
*
*From the protagonist’s perspective.*
Sitting in meditation, I was rereading the book on runes for the umpteenth time.
It was the only book I hadn’t given enough attention to over the past eight years.
And I must say, that was a big mistake.
Though runes only work in the Harry Potter world, the advantages they offer are simply incredible.
The simplest examples are artifact creation and rituals.
In both of these sciences, runes play a key role.
Even wands are created using runes, though exactly how is unknown.
A mystery shrouded in darkness.
But runes are not only used in those sciences.
Yes, as it was said, spells can be composed in different ways.
First, weaving a web.
Second, a mini-ritual.
And third, the most complex but also the most effective method, creating spells based on runes.
In the first method, wizards weave spells like a web.
This is the second most complex method of spell composition.
Not the most popular.
As a rule, it is used only by masters of Charms or very powerful wizards.
When casting spells, wizards act like spiders, weaving their own unique pattern from mana.
In the second, the most common case, wizards give each action the meaning of a ritual.
For example, the ordinary Levitation Charm.
In this spell, everything is a component of a ritual.
The correct wand movement is part of the ritual, like a dance.
The correct pronunciation is also a part.
The correct intention is the most important part, because without the correct intention, no ritual will work.
If any of this is incorrect, the spell won’t work, or an explosion will occur, as in the first Harry Potter book.
Only with experience can you abandon some or all of the actions and cast spells with sheer willpower.
This is the prerogative of very powerful and usually very skilled wizards.
Because by the time they become powerful and skilled, their will has developed to such an extent that they can perform magic by will alone.
Yes, it’s probably incredible, rewriting the standard world around you with the sheer power of thought.
And in the third method, runes act as commands to the world, like key phrases in a programming language.
The wizard writes a program in which he specifies the goal and the method of performing the action.
And the price, of course.
Where would we be without it?
Using runes, you can interact with the world much more deeply.
After all, the most ancient runic alphabets are the “language” of the world.
And it’s more convenient for us to speak in a language we both understand, isn’t it?
This is true not only for people but also for the world.
A knock came at the door, and my mother’s voice came from behind it.
“Kael, your guest from the Wizarding World has arrived.
Come downstairs.”
“Okay, Mom,” I answered.
“I’ll be right down.”
Putting away all the balls I use to develop my mana control, I got ready and went downstairs.
Entering the living room, I immediately noticed our guest.
He was drinking tea with my father and making small talk about the weather.
English etiquette.
Judging by his height and slightly eccentric behavior, which manifested itself in a childlike reaction to new faces when my mother and I entered the living room, this was Filius Flitwick, the Head of Ravenclaw.
The house of intellectuals and loners.
“Hello, young man.
Allow me to introduce myself.
My name is Filius Flitwick.
I will be your escort into the Wizarding World,” the professor said.
“Good morning, Mr.
Flitwick.
My name is Kael Massimo.”
“Very good.
While we have time, you may ask any questions you have.
I’m sure you have many,” the professor replied with a knowing smile.
“You’re right.
I have a few.
First, can my parents come with me to shop?
Or is that forbidden?”
“Unfortunately, no.
You see, Kael, ordinary people simply wouldn’t be able to see everything on the shopping street.
That’s why they aren’t taken along.
Of course, you could bring them, but all they would see is an empty alleyway.
Did I answer your question?”
As soon as he answered, Sara and Tom looked dejected.
They still didn’t want to let me go, or at least see the world I was about to enter.
“Understood.
Quite.
Then my second question.
Why do wizards hide if ordinary people can’t see magic?”
“It’s simple.
They can’t see magic, but they can see magical creatures.
For example, dragons and unicorns.
People notice these things.
They also see the effects of spells.”
He drew his wand and waved it.
After that, the chair he was sitting on flew up into the air.
A second wave, and a small flame appeared at the tip of his wand.
A third wave, and everything returned to normal.
“Diagon Alley, the place where we’ll be shopping, is hidden by a spell that prevents ordinary people from entering.
So your parents won’t be able to go there.”
“Thank you for the detailed answer.
I have one more question.
The letter included a whole list of necessary items, like clothes and cauldrons.
Can we pay with ordinary pounds?”
“No.
That includes all the items on the list.
You can exchange the necessary amount at the wizarding bank.
Yes, we also have banks in our world, for wizarding currency.
Wizarding currency consists of coins.” He reached into his robe pocket and pulled out three types of coins.
“This is wizarding currency.
Gold, silver, and bronze.”
“If you have a single currency that’s different from ours, then you don’t answer to the Queen?”
“What makes you say that, young man?”
“Well, you have your own schools, your own currency, your own shopping areas independent of state power.
So you’re completely autonomous, am I right?”
“Haha, you’re quite clever, I see.
But I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you.
There is no conspiracy theory.
We answer to the Ministry of Magic.
The Ministry consists of various departments, you’ll learn about them yourself if you’re interested, and they all answer to the Minister of Magic.
And he, in turn, answers to Her Majesty.
Everything is as it is with ordinary people, don’t you think?”
“But how can that be?
We have different currencies.
That a priori makes you an independent…”
“State within a state?
No, that’s not the case.
All wizards’ money is kept with the goblins, and they answer directly to the Queen.
It is the Queen and her subjects who rule both the wizarding world and the world of ordinary people.
After all, Her Majesty herself is a witch.
And far from the weakest, I might add.
Did I answer your question?”
“May I ask one more question?
What about education?
How long does it last?
How often can I leave the school grounds?”
“I thought you’d never ask.
Well, compulsory education is five years.
After that, you take your O.W.L.s, which are like final exams.
Based on your results, you can choose to continue your education with a specialization in a particular profession, or you can go free.”
“What about higher education?
Don’t you have higher education?”
“Why, yes, we do.
After graduation and passing your exams, you can go on to study at the Guilds.
But that’s a topic for another conversation.”
“Thank you, I understand.
Mr.
Flitwick, how soon will we leave for our shopping trip?”
Flitwick smiled slightly and said, “You can call me Professor Flitwick.
After all, I will be your teacher at Hogwarts for at least five years.
As for your question, yes.
We can leave right now.”
Saying this, he jumped up from his chair and began saying goodbye to my parents.
While they were exchanging pleasantries, I went upstairs, changed my clothes, and was ready to leave.
After promising my parents not to get into any trouble, the professor and I stepped outside.
“Professor, what do you teach?”
“Charms, I teach Charms.
And I am the Head of Ravenclaw House.”
“Head of House?”
“Another time.
After all, we have the whole day ahead of us.”
“Okay, one last question for now.
How will we get to Diagon Alley?
You said ordinary people can’t see it.
We can’t take a taxi.
So how?”
“Simple, Kael.
We’ll Apparate.
Ordinary people call it teleportation.
So we’ll teleport.”
“Teleportation?
Really?”
“Yes, exactly.
But we call it Apparition.
Get used to the wizarding world, young man.
After all, you’ll be living in it.
But I must warn you, it will be very unpleasant the first time.
So be prepared.
When you’re ready, grab my hand and don’t let go.
Got it?”
“Yes, sir, Professor.
I understand.”
I nodded, took a deep breath, and grabbed his hand.
He nodded back, smiled, and we disappeared.
Only the crack of Apparition marked our presence here.