Vincent knew he was a wizard.
Of course he did.
What surprised him was how Headmistress Kenna knew.
Mistaking his astonishment for confusion about his own origins, Ms.
Kenna folded her hands together.
“It all began eleven years ago…” she said quietly before recounting the story.
It turned out that both of Vincent’s parents had been wizards.
Eleven years earlier, the British wizarding world had still been engulfed in the First Wizarding War.
Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters terrorized the country, murdering countless witches and wizards.
Vincent’s parents were among the victims.
They had never been members of the Order of the Phoenix.
They had simply been caught in the wrong place at the wrong time during one of the Death Eaters’ attacks.
Both lost their lives, leaving behind their infant son, who had been born only a few months earlier in May.
Five months later, on Halloween night, Voldemort attacked the Potter family at Godric’s Hollow.
James and Lily Potter were murdered while protecting their son, Harry.
When Voldemort attempted to kill Harry, Lily’s sacrificial protection caused the Killing Curse to rebound, destroying Voldemort’s body and bringing the First Wizarding War to an abrupt end.
Ms.
Kenna spoke calmly.
“My father was a wizard, and my mother was a Muggle.”
“I inherited no magical ability. People like me are called Squibs.”
“Even so, Squibs are still part of the wizarding world.”
She paused before continuing.
“Eleven years ago, several Ministry officials brought a group of orphaned magical children to the orphanage where I worked. Their parents had all been killed during Death Eater attacks.”
“You were one of those children, Vincent.”
“The arrangement was only meant to be temporary. The expectation was that relatives would eventually come to claim each child.”
“They all did.”
“Except you.”
“We were never able to locate any surviving family members.”
“Perhaps your parents were Muggle-born witches or wizards who had lost contact with their families.”
“Perhaps their entire bloodline had already died out.”
“In the end…”
“…you stayed here.”
Vincent listened quietly.
His emotions were complicated.
He had never known his parents in this life.
Strictly speaking, he had no memories or emotional attachment to them.
Yet hearing how they had died still left an uncomfortable heaviness in his heart.
The Death Eaters…
One day, I’ll settle that debt.
Ms.
Kenna looked at the silent boy before her.
Poor child.
Learning all of this at once must be overwhelming.
Her normally stern expression softened.
“Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry accepts every magical child in Britain.”
“Since you’ve now displayed accidental magic and you’ve already turned eleven, your Hogwarts letter should arrive very soon.”
“If there’s anything you need before then, let me know.”
“I’ll help however I can.”
Help…
Vincent had originally planned to learn everything after entering the wizarding world.
But now there was someone he could ask directly.
That would save him a great deal of trouble.
More importantly…
There was the system mission.
[Complete the Animagus Transformation]
According to the system, finishing the transformation would unlock additional talents.
However…
How exactly did someone become an Animagus?
He remembered portions of the process from the original books.
But only vaguely.
This was one of the most dangerous forms of Transfiguration.
Making a mistake could leave a wizard permanently disfigured—or worse.
He wasn’t about to gamble his future on half-remembered details.
He needed accurate information.
“I’d like to learn more about the magical world,” Vincent said.
“Do you have any books I can read?”
Since Ms.
Kenna was a Squib, most of her knowledge had likely come from books rather than practical magic.
If anyone possessed a useful collection, it would be her.
After agreeing, Ms.
Kenna led Vincent back to the deserted corridor in the west wing—the very place where every window had shattered earlier that day.
Passing beneath the CAUTION — BROKEN GLASS tape, she unlocked a narrow wooden door with a brass key.
Only then did Vincent realize what the abandoned corridor concealed.
It wasn’t abandoned at all.
It was Ms.
Kenna’s private storeroom.
Rows of shelves filled the room.
Some held old looms, sewing machines, and broken furniture awaiting repair.
Others were packed with books.
Vincent immediately walked over.
Gold lettering gleamed from the worn spines.
A History of Magic — Bathilda Bagshot
The Wizarding Wars: A History of Britain’s Darkest Days
Become a Unique Wizard!
100 Ways to Stand Out
Hogwarts: A History
…
Several of the books twitched faintly, almost as though they were alive.
“I’ve always been rather fond of A History of Magic,” Ms.
Kenna said with a smile.
“It’s one of the few magical books that even a Squib can enjoy.”
“Feel free to read anything here.”
“I’ve avoided collecting books that are genuinely dangerous…”
“…though some of them may still try to bite your fingers.”
Vincent had already opened a book before she finished speaking.
Seeing him completely absorbed, Ms.
Kenna quietly placed the oil lamp and brass key on a nearby table before leaving without another word.
When dawn finally broke over the orphanage, the sun rose just as it always did.
For everyone else…
Today was no different from yesterday.
For Vincent…
Everything had changed.
Dark circles hung beneath his eyes as he walked into the dining hall.
The smell of rye bread and dry cheese filled the air.
Children crowded around the worn wooden tables, noisily serving themselves breakfast.
“Oi, don’t hog all the potatoes!”
“Leave some for the rest of us!”
“Hey, Vincent!”
Several messy-haired children noticed him and immediately waved him over.
“You never came back last night!”
“Ms. Kenna said you got hurt when the windows exploded.”
“We even checked the infirmary!”
“I was taken to the community hospital,” Vincent answered casually.
“My ears were ringing after the explosion.”
Naturally, none of that was true.
He had spent the entire night inside Ms.
Kenna’s storeroom reading everything he could about the wizarding world.
After grabbing a few boiled potatoes, he left while the other children continued debating whether the explosion had really been caused by a burst pipe and whether Vincent was going deaf.
Back in the storeroom…
Books covered nearly every available surface.
The floor.
The table.
Several chairs.
Small piles leaned against one another throughout the room.
Evidence of an entire sleepless night’s reading.
Vincent closed the door behind him, quickly finished his breakfast, and returned to his research.
During the night, he had first skimmed through the history of the wizarding world.
Most events matched what he remembered.
Around the tenth century, the four Founders established Hogwarts.
In 1945, Albus Dumbledore defeated Gellert Grindelwald in their legendary duel.
Around 1970, Lord Voldemort rose to prominence and gathered the Death Eaters.
He had also searched for books on practical spellcasting.
As expected…
There weren’t any.
It would have been irresponsible for a Squib to keep instructional magic texts where children could access them.
Fortunately…
His real objective had never changed.
Books about Animagi.
And this morning…
He had finally found one.
Vincent picked up Become a Unique Wizard!
100 Ways to Stand Out.
Opening it to the bookmarked page, he saw an ornate title written in large golden letters.
TEN STEPS TO BECOMING AN ANIMAGUS