Time passed, and my mom and I grew closer as we became more open with each other.
I shared my magic progress with her.
I was extremely happy she didn’t try to stop my attempts to learn magic.
In fact, she helped.
She gave me books about magic.
The one thing she refused to do was lend me her wand, and honestly I was not sure I would want to anyway.
“Who knows what using a wand so early will do to me and my wandless magic?” I decided I at least wanted to see how it made me feel, so after two months had passed since our conversation, I brought it up.
“Mom, can I please just hold your wand for a few seconds?
Just so I can feel the difference in how my magic feels while holding it?
I swear I won’t try to cast any magic with it.” I looked her in the eyes as we sat together at our wooden table in our homey kitchen.
She looked back at me, weighing my words for a moment before something settled in her eyes.
She pulled out her wand from her back pocket.
Making me wince as a familiar checklist immediately ran through my head: “Easy to steal.
Can set your ass on fire.
Thank you, Moody.
Slow to draw.
Visible from half the room…” I kept quiet though as she held it in front of her.
“William, this is very serious.
Do you swear to me you will not try to do any magic with it?
Just hold it and feel how your magic responds and then give it straight back?” I eagerly nodded, not being able to contain my excitement despite having the mental age of a grown man.
This was the first wand I had ever seen in real life.
I was finally going to hold one.
Every step along the path of magic was still as fresh and exciting as it had been in the beginning.
She slowly extended her wand toward me and said.
“Remember your promise, William.
This wand is 10.5 inches, Kaya mahogany wood, with a dragon’s heartstring core.
Excellent for transfiguration and packs quite a lot of power.” As my fingers closed around the wand, I felt almost nothing.
First my disappointment nearly swallowed me, but I pulled myself together quickly and focused inward.
About three months after my first success with magic, I had finally been able to feel my magic without using it.
Since then I had managed to map out a little of how it felt as I moved it around through the unfinished channels my trait for wandless magic had been developing.
1When I held the wand I felt my magic creep to my wand hand through a connection I had never seen it move through before.
Despite never having held a wand before, and the poor connection my mother’s wand had with me it still felt quite smooth for someone who was used to a significant struggle.
The difference between this and my first experience with wandless magic was night and day.
Compared to how it was now after I got used to this new pathway, it felt like it might be three times easier for the magic to move despite the poor connection.
I opened my eyes and looked at my mom and handed the wand back to her, just like promised.
“Promise kept.
Every parent’s perfect dream.” “Thanks, Mom!
It felt wrong in my hands, almost like it was sleeping, not dead though.
I could feel my magic moving easier than it does without a wand, despite its poor connection” She took her wand back as she thought about my comments.
Just then I heard a ping from the system and mentally commanded it to open: “Congratulations on making first contact with a magical item” “Quest issued: Find a suitable focus – Establish a strong and healthy connection to a focus to speed up your learning and control of magic.
Reward: 1.
EXP.
2.
+3 magic.
3.
+3 spirit.
4.
Unknown.” “Finally.
Another quest.
It appeared in response to holding my first magical item, just like the earlier quests were triggered by me being born.
The quest is also related to the action that triggered it, just like last time.” While I was consumed with those thoughts, my mom had answered my earlier question and was now waiting for my answer.
“Um, sorry Mom, I didn’t hear what you said.
I was feeling the difference in my magic without the wand” I smirked at her playfully, as she ruffled my hair.
“I just asked if you thought it helped to feel the difference?” I nodded quickly.
“Yes, feeling the difference made me think that the wand is a bit too good as a focus.
It solves the issue of having to actively send your magic from your core through your body.” I answered truthfully what I thought about the effects of the wand.
“Oh, you mean it cuts out part of the process of doing magic and makes you jump ahead?” I looked at my mom in surprise.
“I was expecting her to understand, but not get to the root of my point in less than seven seconds.
That despite having only learned about wand magic in her life…” She saw my surprise and laughed.
“You are not the only smart one in this family, I might not be a genius but as a muggleborn witch I tend to respect logic much more than other wizards and witches.” Heat rose in my cheeks at her response, as I realized I had underestimated her.
She just smiled kindly, kissed my cheek, and said, “Don’t worry, my little Will, you did not make me feel bad.
In fact you have reminded me that I am a capable witch.
I should not have stopped doing magic for so long.
Seeing your focus is a big inspiration for me.
I will also start practicing again, we can’t have you overshadowing me before you are even seven years old, can we?