After the knock sounded, Mr.
Merrick went to open the door.
He found two strangers standing outside whom the family had never seen before.
“Good afternoon, Mr.
Merrick.
We are from the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes at the British Ministry of Magic.
You can call me David, and this is Mike.” After the door opened, the middle-aged blond man in front took off his hat, held it to his chest, and greeted Mr.
Merrick politely.
The young blond man behind him also removed his hat and nodded in greeting.
“Oh, hello.
Sorry, where did you say you were from?
What is the British Ministry of Magic?
Is there something I can help you with?” Hearing their introduction, Mr.
Merrick felt confused.
Was this some kind of new prank?
Still, the two men looked normal and were very polite, so he did not close the door on them.
“In fact, we are here because of the flying car incident that you and your son witnessed this morning.” “?” Hearing David’s words, a question mark seemed to appear over Mr.
Merrick’s head.
Inside the house, John walked to the entrance with his mother, both of them looking confused.
…
“So, what you’re saying is that magic exists in this world, and our son has magical talent?” Mr.
Merrick asked in disbelief.
After everything that had just happened, his mind was in chaos.
John’s eyes were also full of surprise.
The two Ministry employees had just introduced the family to a world of magic they had never imagined.
They had even demonstrated Transfiguration and Levitation spells right in front of them, forcing the family to accept that magic truly existed.
According to David, magic had always existed in this world.
In the last few centuries, however, wizards had gone into hiding.
They blended into society to avoid being discovered by Muggles.
Muggle was the term used in the wizarding world for ordinary people without magical talent.
To manage the wizarding community, wizards in every country had established their own governing bodies.
In Britain, that body was the Ministry of Magic.
The Ministry had sent people today because of the flying car incident.
Many Muggles, including John’s father, had witnessed it.
So the Ministry had come to clean up the mess and erase the memories of those Muggles.
However, among the witnesses this time, there was a special person: John.
His magical talent had only been detected a month ago.
His name had appeared in Hogwarts’ Book of Admittance and had also been registered at the Ministry of Magic.
Strangely, John was detected by the book without any magical outbursts or accidental spellcasting.
Because of this, no one from the Ministry of Magic had come to deal with any incidents, so the family remained unaware of the existence of magic until now.
Since he was born into a Muggle family and was still under eleven years old, he could not yet enroll at Hogwarts and was not considered to have officially entered the wizarding world.
Therefore, whether or not to erase the family’s memories became a matter with several options.
As the person in charge of the cleanup, David chose a more humane approach.
Since he himself came from a Muggle family, he held no prejudice against Muggles.
“Yes, sir.
According to the normal process, your son will receive his admission letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry next year on August 2nd, when he turns eleven.
That is when you would have learned about the wizarding world.” “Because of this situation, we have decided not to erase your memories for now.
However, we need you to promise that you will never reveal anything about the wizarding world to other Muggles.” “Once you violate the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, the Ministry of Magic will take legal action against you.
I hope you remember this.” David took a sip of the tea they had served him and spoke slowly.
“Is it mandatory to attend that magic school called Hogwarts?” Mrs.
Merrick felt no joy at the news that her son had rare magical talent.
Instead, she felt worried.
After all, how could she feel at ease sending her child to some unknown school to learn magic?
“Mrs.
Merrick, I understand how you feel.
Although enrollment is not mandatory in theory…” “But if you truly want what is best for your child, please let him attend the school to receive proper magical education.” “As he grows older, the magic inside his body will grow stronger.
If he does not learn to control it properly, it may erupt uncontrollably one day.
That would cause even greater harm and could even lead to punishment from the Ministry of Magic.” David spoke tactfully.
Although attendance was not forced, problems would arise if John did not go.
In the end, he still had to attend.
“You don’t need to worry too much.
Hogwarts is the safest place in all of Britain.
The current headmaster is the greatest white wizard of this century.
It is very safe there.” “Moreover, there are many children there just like your son.
He can make friends who can use magic like him, and your child can grow freely there.” While David was enthusiastically praising Hogwarts, the young employee Mike, who had stayed silent beside him, finally couldn’t hold back.
He coughed twice and said, “Um, David, we aren’t here to recruit students for Hogwarts…” “Uh… hahaha, sorry about that.” “I graduated many years ago, but I still miss that place.” “Teachers from Hogwarts will explain all of this to you next year.
You can take some time to process everything.
We came today mainly to ask you to keep today’s events secret.
If you leak anything, we may have to visit you again.” Realizing he had gone completely off topic, David stood up with an awkward laugh.
He repeated the importance of secrecy once more and quickly left with his colleague.
“By the way, little John, this book is for you.
Consider it my gift.” Before leaving, David took out a thick book titled ‘The Basic Guide to Magical Households’ and handed it to John.
Before John could even thank him, there was a loud pop.
The two men twisted in place and vanished from the hallway.
The Merrick family stared at the spot where the two men had disappeared.
John’s parents could only accept this sudden revelation.
Anyone who had lived for decades and was suddenly told that magic existed in the world would need a moment to recover.
After they returned to the living room and sat down, John noticed his parents wanted to speak but kept hesitating.
He spoke first.
“Dad, Mom, I want to go to Hogwarts to study magic.” Having lived in the ordinary world for decades, his parents instinctively believed the best path for their child was to get a good education, find a stable job, and live a normal life.
But now, with the sudden appearance of this fantastical world of magic, they had no experience to draw from.
They didn’t know what the future held for a wizard, whether it was dangerous, or how one could live in such a society.
So both of them were hesitating about whether they should let their son attend the magic school.
In their hearts, the safest choice was simply to let John learn basic control over his magic to prevent it from going out of control.
However, John accepted the situation very quickly.
After all, he had already died once.
What else was impossible?
This only made him more excited.
He wanted to see the wizarding world David had described and learn the magic he had used so casually.
Hearing John’s decision, Mrs.
Merrick instinctively opened her mouth to speak.
But when she saw the serious look in her son’s eyes, she fell silent for a moment.
“…Alright.
Since you want to go, John, Mom and Dad will support you.” His mother finally nodded and smiled.
Mr.
Merrick also nodded.
“Going to a magic school to study, huh?
That’s fine too.
I think it will be an unforgettable experience.”