“Here you go.” Luke handed the book back with a smile.
“I’ve written a blessing for you: Luke Kirk wishes Hermione Granger eternal happiness and joy!”
“Thank you,” Hermione replied happily.
“Could you come over here for a moment? There’s something I’d like to ask you.”
“What is it?” Hermione asked curiously as she followed Luke to a quiet corner of the bookstore.
“Look at this pen.”
As he spoke, Luke used his telekinesis to make the pen float above his palm.
“Ah!”
Hermione quickly covered her mouth and looked around nervously.
After making sure no one had noticed, she whispered, “How did you do that? Sometimes things float around me too, but it doesn’t happen very often. I’ve asked my mom and dad why it happens, but they never tell me.”
After hesitating for a moment, she continued.
“I thought I was the only one like this. I even asked my classmates once, but they all thought I was lying. They even said…”
“What did they say?” Luke asked softly.
Hermione lowered her head.
“They called me a weird kid.”
“Nobody wanted to play with me… and I didn’t want to play with them either.”
Her little face was filled with loneliness.
Luke was silent for a moment before speaking gently.
“This isn’t something to be ashamed of. It’s your gift.”
“Everyone shines in their own way, just like the stars in the night sky.”
“A long time ago, people might have called someone with abilities like yours a fairy.”
“So you should be proud of it.”
Hermione looked at him with wide, curious eyes.
“Fairies? Do they really exist?”
Luke smiled.
“Maybe.”
“Maybe you’re one of them.”
James and Justin walked over from the other side of the bookstore.
Seeing Luke chatting happily with the little girl, James couldn’t help smiling.
“Dad, you’re back.”
James nodded.
“All right, say goodbye to Uncle Justin. Then I’ll take you to Baker Street.”
“Goodbye, Uncle Justin.”
Luke waved before turning back to James.
“Dad, can Hermione come with us? She came here by herself, so we should take her home afterward.”
“Of course.”
James gave Luke a playful wink.
“So, should we go to Baker Street first, or take Hermione home first?”
Luke leaned toward Hermione and whispered,
“Where do you live?”
“Heathgate, in Hampstead,” Hermione answered quietly before asking in return, “Are there really other people like us there?”
Luke nodded.
“I’m going to Baker Street to find a very mysterious place. Come with me.”
James watched the two children whispering to each other while completely ignoring him and couldn’t help shaking his head.
“It’s on the way, so hop in.”
Then he looked at Hermione kindly.
“But don’t wander off by yourself again. Your parents must be worried.”
“Do you know your home phone number? Call them first so they’ll know you’re safe.”
“Okay. Thank you, Uncle.”
Baker Street was only a few minutes’ drive from the bookstore.
“Luke,” James asked as they drove, “you still haven’t told me which building we’re looking for. We’re already on Baker Street.”
“I recognize what it looks like, but I don’t remember the address,” Luke replied while looking out the window.
“Just drive slowly. I’ll know it when I see it.”
Luke carefully watched the buildings on both sides of the street, while Hermione curiously wondered where he was taking her.
Suddenly, Luke pointed ahead.
“Dad, that’s it! Park over there.”
He had spotted the London Sanctum, recognizable by the large circular window on its facade.
James parked the car and looked in the direction Luke was pointing.
All he saw were ordinary buildings.
A pub.
A tattoo shop.
He frowned.
“Don’t tell me you came all this way for a tattoo.”
“Or are you trying to buy alcohol?”
Luke ignored the question.
Instead, he turned to Hermione.
“Hermione, can you see the building with the large circular window?”
“Yes, I can,” Hermione answered without hesitation.
Luke nodded inwardly.
As expected.
“Dad, I’ll explain everything when we get home.”
“I’m taking Hermione inside first.”
With that, he grabbed Hermione’s hand and walked toward the London Sanctum.
The moment they crossed its threshold, both of them vanished from James’s sight.
James rubbed his eyes repeatedly.
But no matter how hard he looked…
The two children had completely disappeared.
“Hermione, we may be about to meet someone incredibly powerful,” Luke said with a serious expression.
“Powerful? How powerful?” Hermione asked in confusion.
“Without this person, Earth might not even exist.”
Luke’s solemn tone startled her.
She quickly covered her mouth with one hand while grabbing the corner of his shirt with the other.
Knock.
Knock.
Luke knocked on the door.
Finding it unlocked, he gently pushed it open and led Hermione inside.
The interior resembled a quiet private museum, filled with antique furniture and relics.
Compared to what Luke remembered of the New York Sanctum, this place felt much more understated.
He looked around carefully but couldn’t identify any magical artifacts, or perhaps they were simply disguised as ordinary objects.
“Excuse me,” Luke called politely.
“Is the Ancient One here?”
Silence.
Receiving no response, he raised his voice slightly.
“Excuse me. Is the Ancient One here?”
“The Sorcerer Supreme is not here.”
An elderly voice came from the second floor.
Luke and Hermione looked toward the staircase and saw an old man with gray hair wearing dark blue robes.
The old man studied Luke for a moment before asking, “Child, how did you enter the London Sanctum? And what business do you have with the Sorcerer Supreme?”
After a brief moment of thought, Luke answered honestly.
“We want to become the Ancient One’s disciples and learn magic.”
The moment Hermione heard the word magic, her eyes lit up.
The old man chuckled.
“The Sorcerer Supreme is usually at Kamar-Taj. If you truly wish to study the Mystic Arts, you may go there.”
“Isn’t there a Sling Ring portal to Kamar-Taj here?” Luke asked.
“Could we use it?”
The old man’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Oh?”
“It seems you know quite a bit.”
“But Sling Ring portals are not opened so casually, especially for children.”
“You should go home.”
With that, he turned and walked back upstairs.
Luke was still unwilling to give up.
“Then… could you open a portal for us? I can see you’re wearing a Sling Ring.”
The old man didn’t respond.
He simply continued upstairs until he disappeared from sight.
Luke sighed helplessly.
“How stingy.”
He turned to Hermione.
“Let’s go. We’ll come back another day. We’ll meet the Ancient One eventually.”
He took Hermione’s hand and led her outside.
“Phew…”
The moment they stepped out of the London Sanctum, Hermione let out a long sigh of relief.
“Luke…”
“So magic really exists?”
“Of course.” Luke nodded confidently.
“The man we just met was a Master of the Mystic Arts.”
“Can I learn magic too?” Hermione asked eagerly.
“I’m sure you can.”
Luke paused before continuing.
“Although… you might become a witch in the future. That’s a little different from the kind of magic they practice.”
“But once I learn magic, I’ll teach you everything I can.”
Hermione smiled brightly.
“Luke, you’re so nice. Thank you.”
Then she tilted her head.
“So… will you become a wizard too?”
Luke thought about the cultivation system that had only just completed its adaptation to this world.
“No.”
“I’ll become an immortal.”
“An immortal?”
Hermione blinked in confusion.
“What’s an immortal?”
Luke scratched his head.
“It’s… a little difficult to explain.”
“I’ll tell you someday.”
“But you have to keep everything we’ve seen today a secret.”
“Whether it’s witches, the Masters of the Mystic Arts, or… immortals.”
“People like them generally don’t want ordinary people to know they exist.”
Hermione nodded seriously.
“Can I tell my mom and dad?”
“Of course.”
Luke smiled.
“Now let’s take you home.”
Outside, James had been pacing anxiously.
If Luke and Hermione hadn’t appeared soon, he was already considering calling the police.
Then, without warning, the two children walked out of thin air a short distance away.
“There you are!”
James hurried over.
“What happened?”
“And how did the two of you disappear?”
Luke and Hermione exchanged a knowing smile.
“Dad, let’s take Hermione home first.”
“I’ll explain everything after we get back.”
James looked at the two children suspiciously but chose not to press the matter.
The three of them began walking toward the parking lot.
“Oh!”
Hermione suddenly pointed behind Luke.
“Luke, there’s a little orange cat following you.”
An orange cat?
Luke’s heart skipped a beat.
His first thought was Goose—the Flerken disguised as an ordinary orange tabby.
He immediately turned around.
Before he could stop her, Hermione had already walked over and picked up the tiny orange kitten.
“Be careful!” Luke shouted instinctively.
Hermione looked at him in confusion.
“It’s okay.”
“It’s just a kitten.”
Luke carefully examined the little cat several times.
It was tiny, skinny, and looked only a few months old.
There was no collar or identification tag around its neck.
After observing it for a while, he finally relaxed.
Thankfully…
It wasn’t Goose.
It seemed to be nothing more than an ordinary stray kitten.