Örlög

Harry could not believe that today actually happened. He feared that he would close his eyes and find himself back in the cupboard and this being some sort of insane, hope-fueled hallucination.

For the first time in his life, he had a room, and a bed, that his first ever friend gave him just because he wanted to.

He was a wixen, and will go to a magical school when he reaches the age of 11. That means in 3 years he would have a wand; apparently the magic stick was a wand, Theo’s mother’s wand. 

The dress that Theo wore was a robe, it’s something that wixens wear. 

Theo had laughed really hard when he called it a dress. It was a nice laugh; it makes the blues in his eyes stand out.

Harry would read some of the books before he went to bed.

—-------------------------------------

“Good morning, slept well?”

The voice startled the still drowsy boy as he looked up to see Theo leaning against the panel of the door.

Harry nodded acutely. 

“Umm yeah, i just got distracted reading the books.” Harry replied, rubbing the tip of his nose in shy embarrassment. 

“No worries, books are a great distraction.”

“Come let's go downstairs. Vivian doesn’t wake up so early, and if she does, she gets cranky, so we have to prepare breakfast ourselves. Do you eat porridge?” Theo asked as he moved to the staircase.

Today, Theo wasn’t wearing his robes. He was wearing a tunic and trousers. The same as what Harry wore, as Theo had given him a set to change into.

“I can help you make it.” Harry said, eager to be helpful.

“Sure, you can wash the barley.”

They soon after entered the dining room and moved towards the kitchen.

“I think this is the perfect time for you to practice magic. Remember magic works on intentions.” Theo pulled out a stone from his trousers and moved to give it to him. The stone had some sharp lines etched on it.

“This is a runic stone. It acts as a magical conductor, similar to a wand, although it's not as conductive as a wand. This will work for today’s task.”

“How am I supposed to use it? And how does it work exactly?” Harry questioned as he shoved the stone in his own trouser pocket and moved to carry the ingredients from the pantry.

“A magical conductor allows the magic to flow through it and be directed towards a task or a target. The better the magical conductor, the longer it can be used. The core of the wand is magical in nature itself so it can last for centuries. But a runic stone is artificially infused with magic, runic magic. The etching on it is a rune meant to allow the stone to act as a conductor for a short while. It’s really helpful, especially to store magic in cases of magical exhaustion, need of an instant magical conductor, or the absence of multiple participants in a magical ritual.” Theo filled a pot with water and added a pinch of salt into it. 

He demonstrated by grasping the stone and saying an incantation which caused the water to boil. The stone glowed for a moment before it dimmed.

Harry followed Theo’s instructions, and the barley washed itself. Theo then chanted another incantation to add it into the boiling water.

The stone cracked in the middle. 

“Magic crystals work the best for runic magic, with magical stones coming in close second. But these stones work for a short while, considering the fact that they are just normal stones.” Theo said as he moved to throw the broken stone away.

He then moved to add milk and honey. After a while the porridge was ready.

“If done without magic, it would take about an hour, but with magic it only took a few minutes. In addition, the food now contains magic, so it’ll taste good. Of course that too depends on the person, cause some people even with magic should not cook, their own magic does affect the taste of the food.” Theo remarked, as with a swish of his wand and an incantation, he brought the food, bowls, and utensils to the dining table. 

“That is so strange and interesting.” Harry lightly commented.

“It certainly is. There probably is a household charm book which talks about this. I’ll give it to you later.” Theo said as he served them both the porridge with another swish of his wand.

This porridge too was warm and sweet.

Just as Harry was about to take another spoonful, he remembered, “does that mean that everyone’s food will taste different based on whose magic is in it?” Harry stared down at his bowl, “does that mean that this porridge has the taste of mine and your magic?”

Theo burst out laughing, “it’s true but don’t say it like that, it sounds weird.”

Harry flushed and stared down, “oh.”

___________________________________________

The afternoon found both the children in a corner of the library sitting on a brown leather single sofa with fanning arm rests. Harry read about household charms and runic stones while Theo sat across him in another sofa reading about runic structure. Honestly, it went over Harry’s head when Theo tried to explain what it was.

Runic magic definitely was not Harry's affinity. 

“Runic magic is more about protection and defense; it’s one of the affinities that runs in our family. Mother was abysmal at runic magic though; she was a free spirit, and her affinity was special just like her.” Theo said. He lay sideways on the sofa, his back against one of the armrests and his feet tucked in front of him.

“What was your mother like?” Harry asked as he put down the book on household charms and lay against the table, his arms cushioning his face. 

Theo paused, “mother… Mother was beautiful. She was kind and she loved as fiercely as she herself was loved. She liked finding the good in everything. She was very protective of what and whom she considered her own. She loved me and my father a lot. My father too loved her very much. Even when she fell ill, she was so… bright. She told me not to worry about the future, that I would be happy.”

Theo quietened down and then spoke again, softly this time, “father broke when she died; I was six. It was then Vivian brought me here. She said we all grieve differently. I know she too grieves. They were like sisters, mother and Vivian.”

“I’m sorry.” Harry said softly.

Theo shook his head gently, “what is to occur will occur, plus I know mother is watching after me from the afterlife.”

Theo then turned towards him, “what about you? Your family?”

Harry stilled, he slowly leaned back, eyes pointedly staring at his clasped hands.

“... My uncle and aunt, they didn’t like me much. The hatred was mutual.” 

Theo took in his silence and understood perhaps that he did not want to talk more about it.

“Good thing then that you won’t have to see them anymore,” Theo remarked with a finality.

“Now let me tell you about transfiguration, the art of changing or altering the appearance of one material to another…”