Chapter 8
Here is the Uṣṇīṣa Vijaya Dhāraṇī Sūtra that Alan chanted. Hope you guys enjoy it.
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If anyone ever tells her that she will one day tell her best friend the story about how she summons a book from a bookshelf that's 3 meters away from her? Hermione will squash them with her books to wake them up from daydreaming! But here she is!
She knows that she has a bright mind; people tell her about that all the time. But unlike Alan, who is very good at reading other emotions, which she is absolutely the worst at, her mind is more focused on solving mathematical problems. She loves facts, numbers, data, and all other related things. When Hermione looks at something, she usually tries to find the patterns and the logic behind it because that's what she can understand. But the thing that happened to her this morning? There is no logic, and now she is really at a loss!
Understandably, she is freaking out right now. It's acceptable, right? No one in their right mind won't freak out knowing that they summoned a book out of their bookshelves, right? God, she is pathetic! Hermione Granger, get a grip on yourself! You know what is even funnier: she doesn't even know that she's freaking out! Yeah, that is true. She has a panic attack without realizing she is having a panic attack until Alan helps calm her down, which is very embarrassing. She doesn't want to make a fool of herself in front of him like that.
Closing her bedroom door, Hermione wastes no time and starts reciting all the things that happened to her this morning. By the way, other parents will have a heart attack knowing that their daughter is staying alone in her bedroom with a boy, but her parents won't be one of them. Why? Because right after they become friends, Alan outright tells her parents that he is gay, so they don't have to worry about him being friends with their daughter. Needless to say, her parents were very surprised at Alan's honesty and also at his sexuality, but they got over it real quick to say that they're fine with Alan being gay and also super glad that Alan is now friends with their daughter. She's very proud of them for doing so; she knows a lot of people are very hard on the LGBT community, which she finds super stupid; they're just people like her and any other, so to see that her parents are so open-minded and okay with Alan's sexuality makes her super happy and proud of them.
Anyway, back to her stories. Looking at Alan intensely, Hermione asks:
- Do you remember that you told me about wanting to find more information about reptiles?
- Yes... But what does it have to do with anything? - Confused, Alan asks Hermione.
The reason why Alan wants to gather more information about reptiles is because he is working on his Metamorphmagus ability. It's actually his next goal to achieve, to be honest. You see, after successfully transforming his hands into raven's claws, he tries to expand his ability by trying to transform his hands into another animal's claws, apart from ravens. And the animals that he chooses to work on in the future are reptiles! Well, if he has to choose, Alan will choose the butterfly as his favorite animal, but reptiles still fascinate him. Reptiles are the embodiment of dangerous beauty; their captivating beauty, laced with formidable dangerous weapons, represents a fascinating aspect of the natural world, and it just...captivates Alan. Not only that, as the biologist stated: the avians and the reptiles are closely related to each other as they share a common ancestry. Therefore, Alan believes that as he already gets the raven's claws down, he will have a better chance at achieving the..."dragon's claws"!
So, Alan has been trying to gather as much information about reptiles as possible. However, only after doing research on reptiles does Alan come to realize that there are very few books and articles about reptiles in the library. This is absurd to Alan; reptiles are a very important part of wildlife, so researchers must research and publish books about them, right? After double-checking the whole library, Alan still can't find any other books about reptiles but the four books he's holding in his hands. Thinking that he has wasted enough time, Alan decides to ask the librarian:
- Hi, Ms. Sarah. Can I ask you a question?
- Sure, dear!
Ms. Sarah answers Alan cheerfully. Looking at Alan with a "grandmotherly look", Sarah can't help but smile at him. For the past year, they have become acquaintances, or should she say "friends" if you don't count the age difference? When Irene Maxime came to the library to tell her she had now entrusted her library card to Alan so that Alan could borrow any books with her library card without asking for Irene's permission, Sarah was quite surprised. Alan, at the time, was only 7 years old, and most 7-year-old boys don't like books or libraries. But after getting to know Alan, she comes to know that Alan is a young, intelligent, talented, and very polite boy. Not to mention that Alan truly cares about books and cares about keeping them in the best condition possible. And that makes her like Alan even more. She loves books, and anyone who cares about them as much as she does will be the best person in her eyes.
- I'm trying to learn about reptiles, but there aren't many books about reptiles in the library.
- Oh yes, about them. Here is the thing: It's true that researchers and biologists have done a significant amount of research on wildlife native to the UK. However, most of the time, reptiles are overlooked. Most of the resources will be focused on mammals, avians, or other animals, but not reptiles. As a result, there aren't many books published about reptiles that the library can order and keep here. Besides, do you know that there are only six native species of reptiles in the United Kingdom, while there are about 610 native species of reptiles in India?
- Really? Only six? And India has 610 reptile species? That's a lot!
- Yah... Due to having too few species, the English don't pay attention to or make an effort to study reptiles. Besides, not everyone likes them, so...you get it, right?
Alan does get what Ms. Sarah means. To do research about wildlife, you are going to need a lot of money and resources. And if most of the resources are being focused on other animals, researchers, and scientists will also shift their focus to these animals and not reptiles. Furthermore, with only six native reptile species in the UK, Alan does not believe there will be much to study after a long time. Maybe, maybe not; he doesn't know. Not to mention that Ms. Sarah is correct; most of the time, when people mention reptiles, they will think about the snakes first, and although Alan quite likes snakes, he understands why most people don't like them. It was written in humans' DNA to be afraid of snakes, as their ancestors killed a lot of us humans' ancestors in ancient times. These ambush predators are really the killing machines of the animal kingdom. So, of course, the library won't order many books about them to keep them here. And that's very unfortunate for Alan, as the library is the only and closest resource he has to gather information.
Besides, Alan truly didn't know that the UK only has six native species of reptiles until now. He isn't surprised at India for having 610 native reptile species; that country is the heaven of reptiles. He also knows that there are about 470 reptile species that are native to Vietnam. Which...sounds a lot compared to the UK. That's why, when he lived in Vietnam, the reptiles seemed to be everywhere! Really, they are everywhere!
- But don't worry, boy! This is only a small community library; in other large libraries, they will have more books about reptiles. I can ask around or order some. But it will take a while, so you have to wait, though.
- Really? Thank you so much, Ms. Sarah! You're God-sent!
She really is! She just helps solve one of his big problems, which Alan doesn't even know how to solve at the moment. He knows that after their conversation, Ms. Sarah has reached out to other large libraries to see if there are other books about reptiles that her library doesn't have and has also asked around to see if she can order some other books about reptiles.
In the meantime, Alan tries to work on all the information that he is able to find about reptiles. There was a time when he brought his notebook containing all of his research about reptiles so far to the school, and Hermione accidentally saw it. And of course, she asked about it and why he was researching reptiles. Not wanting to tell her about his Metamorphmagus ability yet, he simply told her that he finds reptiles fascinating and wants to learn more about them. But it was just a side chat; he didn't know that Hermione remembered it.
- Well, you told me that you want to know more about reptiles, but there aren't many books in the library, right?
- Yes...and?
- Well, then I remember a book written about reptiles that was gifted to my dad, and then my dad gifted it to me a few years ago. He told me that the book was written by one of the professors teaching at Oxford. You know, the same school as my parents went to. And also the school that I want to get into!
- Of course, I remember. You tell me twice a day. - Seeing the look on Hermione's face, Alan quickly adds - Just kidding! So...the book?
Hermione gives Alan a dirty look, but...yeah! She admits that she does tell him twice a day about getting into Oxford. Both of her parents graduated from Oxford with honors, so she wants to follow in their footsteps. Yet, she doesn't know what she wants to do in the future, but no matter what, she will get into that school!
- Alright, the book! I read it once years ago, so I don't remember much about it; besides, I don't like reptiles very much, so I kinda...forget about it. But it was very well written and had many details and information about reptiles in general, especially the native species of the UK. So after you told me that you wanted to know more about reptiles, I suddenly remembered about that book this morning. I tried to find it, but it was a long time ago, and I have so many books and bookshelves, so I don't know where I put it. At the time, I was almost late to school, and I was in a rush and very frustrated, so I just...wished that the book could come to me! And then...it...flew?...out of the bookshelves on the other side and came right into my hand!
Oh, he sees! What Hermione did was called an accidental magical outburst. This was very common among the wizards and witches when they were young and were easy to be driven by their emotions, which caused their magics to react accidentally and unpredictably to their wills. Summoning things is just one of the very common things young magical folks do when they are frustrated and really want to have something. Alan remembers Harry Potter accidentally apparating himself to the roof when being chased by his cousin Dudley, which is absolutely astounding to Alan! Apparating is an incredible act of magic, and a child who has no knowledge of magic can do that? That's just mind-blowing!
Looking around Hermione's bedroom, as mentioned, the Granger's is very well-off, so their house is quite large. It's more like a modern mansion, to be honest. They have several bedrooms and guestrooms, libraries, and all the other rooms that you can think of. Hermione's parents, of course, take the master bedroom and leave the second large bedroom for their only daughter. Hermione's bedroom is quite large, and with her love for books and reading, her parents built several bookshelves in the bedroom as she requested. There is a single-size bed with a pink color that Alan absolutely hates, placed on the right corner of the room, and then there is a large bookshelf on the right side of the bed, and another two large bookshelves built in the opposite direction of the bed and covering the whole wall. There is a desk right next to the window, but above it is also another small bookshelf meticulously affixed to the wall with sturdy nails. All in all, Hermione has a lot of books and bookshelves, so it is understandable why it was difficult for her to find a book that she read a long time ago.
- So, to summarize: You summoned a book by...wishing it came to you?
- Yes! Please, you have to trust me, Alan! I swear, I'm telling you the truth! The book is right here! - Hermione points at the book lying on the nightstand placed right next to the bed. It's right here! And it came right from that bookshelf - She again points at the bookshelf on the opposite side of them - I swear, Alan! I'm not kidding you. You have to believe me on this! I swe...
Seeing that Hermione is once again hyperventilating, Alan puts a stop to it by grabbing Hermione in a firm grip and then says:
- Hey!... Hermione, listen! I believe you. You don't have to prove anything. I'm 100% believe you on this. Here, I wanna show you something, and I need you to stay calm, okay?
- Okay...Okay...Okey! I'm gonna stay calm! - Nodding, Hermione says with the heavy breaths.
- Good! Now, please promise me that, under no circumstances, you will not scream!
- Sure...I will not scream.
- Great! Now? Look closely and don't blink!
Doesn't wait for Hermione's response; right away, Alan activates his Metamorphmagus ability and starts transforming his whole face into... Hermione's face! In normal circumstances, Alan can transform his whole face into another's face or change his features within 5–60 seconds, depending on how complicated the face or features are. The more familiar Alan is with the features, the shorter the time he transforms, and by being too familiar with Hermione's features at this point, Alan can transform his whole face into her face within 5 seconds, and maybe even shorter if he pushes himself. But this time, Alan doesn't want to startle Hermione too much by abruptly transforming his face, and if he's honest with himself, he just loves to be a drama queen! That's why...he stresses the transformation process from 5 seconds to 1 minute!
Starting from the eyes, Alan transforms his pale, icy gray eyes into brown eyes. Then he starts to transform his eyes, brows, eyelashes, eyelids, and then his nose and cheeks. And then he goes to transform his mouth, lips, chin, jaw, ears, forehead, and then his hair....1 minute passes, and Alan is now wearing the face of Hermione Granger!
Looking at Hermione Granger with his new face, Alan decides to have a little fun with it and says:
- Hello Hermione Granger, It was nice to meet you. I am "Hermione Granger"!
Looking at Alan, Hermione is now in shock! What the hell just happened? One moment, he is still "Alan" but the next moment, he is now...her? How in the world can that even be possible? Oh, Hermione Granger, you think summoning a book is crazy? Just look at what Alan just did, you silly girl! What he did is just...honestly, she doesn't even have words to describe it. Wonderful? Awesome? Marvelous? Scary? Creepy? Maybe all of them! She just does not know anymore. Honestly, summoning a book seems like a child play compared with what Alan just did. Wait...she is a child! She thinks that she is in shock, but that doesn't matter! Of course, she is in shock. How can she not? Witnessing your best friend shapeshift his face into her face right in front of her, Hermione thinks that she absolutely has every right in the world to be in shock!
"Oh my god, I'm going to" scream"—Hermione speaks in her mind.
Seeing Hermione's face go through several different kinds of emotions in a very short amount of time and then stop at what he will describe as her "I'm gonna scream" face, Alan instantly puts his hand to cover Hermione's mouth to stop her from screaming right before she can let out a single sound.
Still keeping his hand covering Hermione's mouth, Alan releases his power. Instantly, his face snaps back to its original shape, which, of course, makes Hermione have to take a deep breath to center herself and not freak out any further. She knows in her heart that Alan's not gonna hurt her, but gods, she is still scared, okay? Alan looks at Hermione and says:
- Don't scream! You promised that you wouldn't scream, remember? Now take a deep breath, and then I will take off my hand, and then I will explain everything, okay?
Unable to let out a single sound while freaking out and her mouth being covered by Alan's hand, Hermione nods and then follows what Alan just said and takes a very deep breath, and another and then another just to be sure.
Seeing that Hermione is now a little calmer after taking several deep breaths, Alan decides that it's a good time to take his hand off Hermione's mouth. Thankfully, she doesn't scream. Crying is fine, but Alan just can't deal with a girl screaming.
- Alright... Alright, I think I'm okay now. Alan...I need you to tell me RIGHT now! What-just-happened?
- Well...what just happened was me transforming my face into yours!
Decides to be a little shit about it, Alan jokes. He knows he shouldn't be, but it's really fun to see Hermione like this. Normally, she is very uptight and collected. So yeah, sorry, but not sorry! Which, of course, makes Hermione now look at him with a dead face, like she means to say "Are you serious right now?"
- I know what just happened; I saw it, with my own eyes! I mean how?
- Magic! - Alan says with an absolute voice this time, while still keeping his face straight so that Hermione knows he's not joking anymore.
Wait for 1 second, and then another, and another... 5 seconds pass, and Alan is still looking at her with a blank face and doesn't break into laughter. Hermione decides that is enough! She can't do this anymore! She asks him:
- You're joking?
- Look at me, Hermione. Do I look like I'm joking right now? No, I don't! I am not joking! I used magic to transform my face into yours.
Keeping his gaze on Hermione, Alan tells her with his dead serious voice, which seems to successfully convey how serious he is with his answer to Hermione because now she says:
- Oh gods, you're serious! Magic?
- Yes! Magic!
And that seems to bring some realizations into Hermione's mind. she asks:
- Oh my god, you mean...what I did...is...?
- Correct! It is also magic.
- But...how...how...can it even...be possible?
- Well, about that...There is another thing that I need to show you.
Hermione is now scared of what Alan wants to show her because, let's face it, he just showed her that he could transform his face into hers and then proceeded to tell her that magic is real and both of them—she and Alan—have it! So, yeah, sorry for being worried about what he's gonna show her, but, gods,...she just really can't take it all in one day!
However, instead of showing her any more unexpected hidden power? magic? He just grabs a part of his long mala that he's wearing around his neck and gives it to her. Wait a second...
- Wait! How can there be a mala around your neck? I didn't see you wear it around your neck just a second ago.
- Really? You can't see it? I've been wearing it for the whole morning. I thought anyone would notice. - Surprised, Alan asks Hermione.
- No! Not at all! It's just like...it appears out of thin air. - Shaking her head, Hermione repeats
- Really? Weird...
Thinking back, Alan now sees that Hermione might be correct. After receiving the mala from Monk Xuan Khong, he wore it the whole ride back to the orphanage, but Mr. John didn't say anything. And then this morning, he has been wearing it the whole ride on the bus to school and then at the school, where there were at least hundreds of people around him. But still, no one says anything about a kid walking around wearing a long mala around his neck. It's just like...the mala purposely hides itself from everyone except...him! Or until he decides to show it to someone, like right now, showing it to Hermione, and she can finally see it. Shaking his head, Alan turns his attention back to Hermione and says:
- It doesn't matter; I will check it out later, but right now, we have a much more important thing to do.
Taking off his mala, Alan then puts it around Hermione's neck, which makes her very confused. Let's just say that her parents are like...the atheists. They don't go to churches, pray, or do anything that is related to religion. Despite celebrating Christmas and all other holidays, it's more like they celebrate the holiday's spirit and have fun when there are chances to stop working than to celebrate the religious aspects of said holidays. As a result, Hermione is also kind of an atheist. She has never gone to church or prayed to any gods or goddesses before, so it's quite a new experience for her to wear this mala. She knows Alan is quite religious; she's heard him talk about his religion—Buddhism—a lot of times already, and after hearing him share about Buddhism, she's got to say that she thinks Buddhism is quite an interesting religion.
Knowing Alan for the past 3 months, she notices that Alan will eat only vegan foods for a whole day, from the moment he wakes up until midnight, once a month. Of course, wanting to get to know her best friend better, Hermione asks him why he's doing something like this. She remembered that Alan told her like this:
- Because I'm a Buddhist, and in Buddhism, all the followers have to uphold the Five Precepts. We have to safeguard our body and mind by refraining from: killing or harming living beings; taking what is not given; sexual misconduct; false speech; and consuming intoxicants. I don't know much about Buddhism in other countries because Buddhism will vary between countries and cultures. But I follow Vietnamese Buddhism, and in Vietnamese Buddhism, there are two kinds of followers of Buddhism: monks and laypeople. The monks are the followers who wholeheartedly devote themselves to Buddhism. They will go through all the processes to become monks and then live monastic lives that are mostly detached from the outside world. The processes to become a monk, as far as I know, are super complicated and demanding.
Alan took a deep breath and then continued:
- And after they become monks, they will not eat meat anymore. Because in order to have meat, you mostly have to kill the animals, which is forbidden in Buddhism. All of the monk's diets will only include vegan foods and, sometimes, vegan sweets. The laypeople, like me, are the ones who practiced Buddhism at home and did not become monks. We can still eat meat and all other things as we like. However, we will choose to eat only vegan foods for 1 or 2 or even up to 10 days within a month to contribute to the Buddhas and also uphold the Five Precepts. These days will be counted by the lunar calendar, and if you're following the moon phase, you will realize that I only eat vegan foods when it's a full moon, which is also the 15th day in the lunar calendar.
- Oh that's why you have a lunisolar calendar in your room to track those days! - Hermione says excitedly.
- Correct! 10 points to you, Miss Granger!
After that, more and more, Hermione is getting to know more about Buddhism, and seeing Alan practice his belief, she's got to say that she likes the concepts of Buddhism very much.
- In Buddhism, everyone is equal. Either I'm just a laity or someone is a monk in a very important position; we're all equal in Buddhism. The concept of Buddhism is that there is no one-above-all kind of God, or should I say Buddha? There isn't just one Buddha; there are many Buddhas, and in Buddhism, we believe that everyone, or any living sentient being, can become a Buddha. Whether it's a human or a dog, a cat, a bird, or even a spider, every living sentient being can become a Buddha, and all of them are equal. We don't discriminate here. I'm just as human and as important as everyone or everything else. I'm no better than anyone; we are all equal in Buddhism.
Then Alan goes on to explain to her the concept of good deeds and bad deeds in Buddhism:
- In Buddhism, we believe that we do not just live once. We believe that we have been living many lives before this life and will live many more lives after this life. We believe in the concept of karma: if you do good deeds, the universe will reward you with good things. But if you do bad deeds, there will be consequences, and karma will come to you sooner or later, one way or another. That's why we believe that all the bad things that happen to you in this life are the consequences of all the bad things you did in your past lives. So that's why, in this life, we have to uphold the Five Precepts and do a lot of good deeds in this life so that we can pay the price of the bad things we did in the past lives and also cover for the next lives. Every single good deed we do counts. Every single one of them. It doesn't mean that we have to save the world or fight crimes or anything; all we need to do is just be kind to others and help everyone as best we can. Helping old people cross the street, helping a child find his mom, or helping a person find a way to the market—all of them count as good deeds.
After hearing that, Hermione can't help but look at him with gentle eyes. She says:
- So that's why you always tell me to be kind to everyone.
- Yeah, because being kind is the greatest strength and also the greatest thing that we humans can do. However, there is also another reason. You see, in Vietnamese Buddhism, they believe that all the souls of the wrongdoers will go to Hell, or Diyu [地狱], or Naraka. In Diyu, all the souls will be judged by the Ten Courts of Yanwang [十殿阎王] to see how bad they are and how long their punishment will be, and then be sent to different levels of eighteen levels of hell to serve their punishment. Each level of Hell will have different kinds of tortures, such as being steamed, being fried in oil cauldrons, being sawed into half, being run over by vehicles, and so on...
- That sounds awful and painful," Hermione says with a pale face.
- It is, and that is the point. There is a great power that will protect all the souls from being destroyed completely so that they can serve their punishment until it ends. Meaning that even if the souls are slit in half, they will knit back together, and then they will slit in half again, over and over,...until their punishment is served. After that, the souls of the wrongdoers will be sent to reincarnation in one of the six realms of Samsara. There is the god realm (Deva), demi-god realm (Asura), human realm (Manuṣya), animal realm (Tiryagyoni), hungry ghost realm (Preta), and hell realm (Naraka). And because the souls of the wrongdoers are already at Diyu, they will reincarnate in one of five other realms, mostly the human realm or animal realm. Well, you see, I know I have sinned, so I'm 100% sure that I will go straight to Diyu after I die. Hence, I want to do a lot of good deeds so that when I go to Diyu, my good deeds will help me not suffer too long from all the tortures I will receive.
That's just one of many conversations between them related to Buddhism; it really helps her a lot in expanding her knowledge and opening her eyes to the world. She really likes Buddhism in general, but that doesn't mean that she was converted to it. Another thing he likes about Alan is that despite being quite devoted to Buddhism, Alan never tries to convince her to become a follower of Buddhism like himself; he said:
- Everyone has the right to worship the gods and goddesses that resonate with them. You have the right to follow any religion that you want to. Me being a Buddhist doesn't mean you have to become a Buddhist like me. Just be you, Hermione, and be kind, and that's all that matters. But remember Hermione: do not let anyone take advantage of your kindness. You always have the choice to say no, and not everyone deserves your kindness. Never compromise your own sake for those underserved!
And Hermione took Alan's words to heart. Every day since knowing Alan, she has been trying her best to be kind to other people around her, but she never lets anyone take advantage of her kindness anymore. She still helps people with their homework if they ask her directly and don't know how, but she doesn't lend her homework out for anyone to copy anymore. She also starts to state her boundaries to everyone around her and slowly learns how to draw the lines so that no one can cross them. Only after doing so does Hermione realize that she has been a people-pleaser who tries her very best to please everyone around her. Well, that changes now!
Furthermore, she now follows Alan and eats only vegan foods on the full moon to pay tribute to life and refrain from taking lives. She soon finds out that Alan can cook really well. You see, in the Granger's house, her mom - Evelyn Granger - does the cooking, not the helpers, as her mom said that the foods are what truly bring family members together. She wants to make the foods all by herself so that she can show her love to her family, and although her mom is a great cook, she doesn't know much about vegan foods. The only vegan foods her mom can think of are boiled or grilled veggies, which are not really tasty if you don't cook them right. So after knowing that Hermione wants to follow Alan and eats only vegan foods on the full moon, Evelyn is kind of at a loss.
Thankfully, Alan quickly jumps in to share his foods with Hermione and then shares lots of recipes for vegan foods with Ms. Evelyn. Alan even comes to Hermione's home to show them how to cook vegan foods right, and after the foods are served, the Grangers devour the foods so fast that all the foods disappear instantly. Needless to say, they are super delicious, and the Grangers are really surprised at how delicious vegan foods can be. And because of these super delicious vegan foods, the Grangers are now following Alan to eat only vegan foods on the full moon.
But overall, despite following some concepts of Buddhism and even only eating vegan foods on the full moon with Alan, Hermione is still an atheist, and she is totally fine with it. However, after this morning, after summoning a book by "wishing" it comes to her as Alan said, and after witnessing Alan transform his face into hers, Hermione is now not so sure anymore. For god's sake, she has magic now; both of them do! How can she know if there aren't any powerful beings out there that exist beyond this realm?
Caressing the mala, Hermione now sees that it was made from wood; what kind of wood she does not know, as she doesn't know much about woodlore. There are carvings—lots of carvings—carved into each bead. She recognizes the swastika; she learned about it in school when learning about the Nazis in WWII. But after knowing Alan, she knows that it is an ancient religious and cultural symbol that was disgracingly used by the Nazis and was being frowned upon by many uneducated people as they associate it with the Nazis in many parts of Europe. Alan told her that in Buddhism, the swastika is considered to symbolize the auspicious footprints of the Buddha. It is a very well-meaning symbol, and yet some crazy power-hungry madman used it to do many horrendous things.
- Hermione, I need you to focus, alright? - Alan gently says.
Being awakened by Alan's voice, Hermione now realizes that she is lost in her mind again. Rushing to speak, she says:
- I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I don't know what comes over me, but I just lost my head again!
- It's alright! Maybe the mala works wonders because now I can see that you're not freaking out anymore!
And Alan's correct! Hermione suddenly realizes that she is no longer freaking out. Her heartbeats aren't racing as crazy as they did earlier. To be honest, she is now quite calm, which is very weird because she knows how much she freaked out earlier, but now... she is just calm.
- How is that even possible? I'm really calm right now.
- As I said, the mala worked wonders. Anyway, being calm is great because I need you to feel calm and focused to do something. Hermione, listen carefully: I will guide you to meditate. I was worried that we wouldn't be able to do it this time because you were freaked out so much about having magic, but now? Now, I think we have a chance.
- A chance for...what exactly? For meditation? And really? Meditation? - Confused, Hermione asks.
- Yes, meditation. Because, the thing I wanna show you can only be seen if you go deep into the meditation state and open yourself to the world. I truly hope you can achieve it because it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life! Ready?
Hearing Alan say something like that made Hermione very intrigued and curious. Taking a deep breath, Hermione says:
- Fine! I'm ready! Let's do it!
- Great! That's my girl!
After that, Alan spends the next 45 minutes guiding Hermione to meditate. His way of meditating is a form of transcendent meditation where he guides Hermione to use the technique of sitting on the bed where she is most comfortable and in a lotus position, relaxing her body, closing her eyes, focusing on her breaths,...
Overall, meditation is not a difficult or complicated act; everyone can do it in their free time, but what he wants Hermione to achieve is serenity and a deeply peaceful mindset that completely detaches her mind from this world. He wants her to reach deep into herself and then open herself to the world, and that's quite difficult. That's why, after 45 minutes and successfully guiding Hermione to reach a stage where he can feel she is absolutely calm now while doesn't need his voice to guide her anymore, Alan takes out his Buddhist scripture books from his school bag and starts chanting.
In Buddhism, there are many sutras to chant in different situations. This time, Alan chooses to chant the Uṣṇīṣa Vijaya Dhāraṇī Sūtra, the sutra that he chanted many times in his past life. The purpose of this sutra is said to be to help sentient beings in a troubled, tumultuous world by leaving suffering and obtaining happiness, increasing their prosperity and longevity, removing karmic obstacles, eliminating disasters and calamities, removing enmity and hatred, fulfilling all wishes, and quickly being led onto the Buddha's path. It's said that this sutra is a very powerful sutra and is very well known among Buddhists and around the world.
Memorizing the sutra again to be sure, Alan closes his eyes and starts chanting. Alan chants the Uṣṇīṣa Vijaya Dhāraṇī Sūtra completely in Sanskrit—the language of Gods—the language that is capable of describing multiple levels of meditation, states of consciousness, and psychic, spiritual, and even intellectual processes. It is one of the greatest spiritual languages in the world that is still being used and still breathes life into this realm.
Whenever Alan chants the Uṣṇīṣa Vijaya Dhāraṇī Sūtra or any other sutra or mantra, he normally chants it three times or more if needed. This time, he plans to chant it nine times just to be sure. When he chants, he focuses all of his intentions on hoping that the sutra will help him to help Hermione achieve what he plans for her to see—the wonder of magic! He knows that in the Potterverse, the magic system of this universe depends greatly on belief. You must believe that it works for it to work! And right now, Alan really hopes that this will work!
Right when Alan wills all of his intentions to make this work, right there and then, Alan suddenly feels his magic react to his will, and now...now it is running through his veins, across his body, and reaching to his vocal cord, lacing his voice with magic! Alan can feel that with each word of the sutra he speaks out, there is a piece of sound infused with magic that goes out to the outside world, takes over the room's atmosphere, and surrounds them—he and Hermione—with the heavy electricity feeling of magic. And right after 20 minutes of constantly chanting, just at the moment he speaks out the last words of the sutra after the third time, Alan suddenly hears Hermione take a deep breath.
Opening his eyes to look at Hermione and see that Hermione now also woke up from her meditation state and is now looking up to look at something in the air right above them, like there is something on there that is extremely beautiful that she has never been able to witness before.
Seeing that Hermione is looking very close to crying, Alan doesn't blame her, as he totally knows what she is witnessing. He saw it before, so he understands. It is, no doubt, the most incredible thing he's ever seen. Knowing that it's gonna take quite a while for Hermione to come back to herself, Alan closes his scripture book and then sits comfortably on the sofa nearby. Now that Hermione knows about magic, Alan thinks he has to change the plan a little bit, or...a lot? He doesn't know, but he's sure that things change now.
Firstly, Despite was not planning to take a day off school; Alan now has a whole day free to do whatever he wants, so of course, he's going to abuse the hell out of it. The first thing that comes to his mind is to put his test of summoning the Knight Bus into action. If it succeeds, Alan will take this chance to go to the Leaky Cauldron and then visit the Diagon Alley. And when he is there, he's sure to buy some books, some potions, and maybe even some sweets. He doesn't like sweet foods much; his tastes are more sour and spicy, but Alan really wants to try out all the sweets that the Wizarding World can offer. As he remembers, the Wizarding World's sweets are really...interesting! But he's sure as hell will stay away from the cockroach cluster candies! Nope! Never! Not gonna happen!
Thinking about that, Alan suddenly remembers that he doesn't have much money with him! Standing up, Alan rushes to pick up his bag to check his wallet, and here it is: only 50 pounds. How much is 1 galleon worth in pounds again? 50 pounds seems like a lot for an orphan boy, but Alan's sure it won't be enough because he knows if given a chance, he will buy so many books that is enough to build his own Hogwarts library! But before Alan can think any further, Hermione's voice cuts him off his train of thought:
- OH MY GOD! Alan! What is that? What the hell is that? That is...just...I don't know...it...just...
- It's beautiful, isn't it? - Alan says with a bright smile on his face.
- YES! It's so beautiful and incredible and marvelous, and...
- Hey! Hey...hey! I know! I saw that too, so I totally get it.
Spending another 5 minutes to calm herself down after witnessing the most incredible thing she's ever seen, Hermione takes a few deep breaths to center herself and then asks:
- Alright... I'm alright now. I am calm now! Alan, please tell me you know what it was. What did I just see? It's just...incredible!
Walking close to the bed and sitting down on the corner of the bed, Alan looks at Hermione with excitement in his eyes. Alan tells Hermione:
- That, my dear friend, is what I believe is your magical core!
- My...magical core?
- Yes, your, our magical cores! You and I are what other people called a wizard—Alan points at himself and then at Hermione—and a witch! In my belief, magic resides deep within ourselves—our souls, to be exact. It runs in our very veins and will follow our wills to bring wonders to this world. We are magical!
Seeing Alan with stars in his eyes and excitement in his voice, Hermione can't help but smile along with him. She knows nothing about being a witch or how she can have magic in the first place, but if magic is incredible like what Alan just said, and having it can make Alan this happy, Hermione is sure that it's not a bad thing. But there are still some questions she wants to ask, so she looks at Alan and says:
- But how can you know about this so much, Alan? Is there a book or anything?
- Well, about that, you see... I discovered that I had this incredible power to shapeshift whenever I could about a year ago, but I don't know what that is—Alan lies. "Sorry Buddha, but it's for good reasons, so please forgive me" Alan tells himself—and I had to hide from everyone, including you. Sorry, by the way... Just being gay is one thing, but being gay with some strange power is another thing. It is really hard to tell you about it.
- It's okay. I understand.
Hermione assures Alan. She gets it. Alan being gay is just a normal thing to her; she can understand it perfectly. But Alan has a strange power? It's just not what a normal, mundane mind can compromise, so, of course, he has to hide it from her. So she doesn't blame him a bit for hiding it from her.
- Thanks! You're really a good friend, Hermione. Anyway, I know I have power, but I don't know what that is, so I just keep it for myself. And then, yesterday, I visited a Buddhist temple, and there was a man—a monk, actually, Monk Xuan Khong—who is the head monk of the temple. When I visited the temple, he came out to talk to me and said that he was a Seer!
- A Seer? Like Teiresias and Cassandra in the Odyssey?
Hermione is super astounded. How can she not? It's like she has been living in a fantasy world and knowing nothing about it until now! Oh my god, this is so exciting! She is a bookworm, she knows, but she is still a child, okay? As a child, of course, she dreams about princes and princesses, heroes, and big great adventures. And all of that, which seemed like dreams to her, now all becomes real! Very, very real! So, of course, she is thrilled!
- Correct! Well... I think Monk Xuan Khong's power is a little different than the power of Teiresias and Cassandra, though. But in common, they both have the power to foresee the future and predict the possible outcomes of things. And Monk Xuan Khong told me that he had a vision that I would visit the temple, and I did, so he decided to come out and talk with me a little bit. He told me everything, and now I know everything that I need to know about what it would be like to have magic, what is gonna happen to me and he told me all about the Wizarding World. That's why I know about us being wizards and witches!
There are, of course, a lot of things Alan doesn't want to tell Hermione, like that he was reborn into this world with 35 years of memories intact and only regained them when he turned 7. Or this world they're currently living in is actually a book. Or tell her that there will be a war coming in Great Britain as Voldemort is still lurking around. He also doesn't want to tell her that there is a prophecy of him being the savior of the Wizarding World besides Harry Potter, so he twitches the story a little bit. He knows if he tells her that Monk Xuan Khong had a vision of an outcome that is not really great, where a lot of people would die if no one interfered. He knows she knows that he will absolutely interfere, and by knowing her very well, Alan knows Hermione will demand to join him on the quest to prevent that war from happening. And that just won't do!
Oh, you think Alan is talking about Voldemort's situation? Nope! Voldemort is a crazy, dangerous man, for sure, but Alan has the upper hand! He has everything he needs to destroy Voldemort, and Alan sure as hell will destroy Voldemort as soon as possible. Leaving that madman to stay alive for so long is a crime that Alan will never commit! Voldemort is simply a boring chapter in the history book that Alan will read and then tear off the book.
Nope! Voldemort is not the one Alan is truly worried about. What he's worried about is the inevitable fight between the Muggles and the Magical Folks when the modern technologies created by the Muggles take over the world and the Muggles discover there are wizards and witches living among them. You say that the fight between two races might not come true? Don't be silly! With all the things Alan knows about the Muggles and their technologies, the fight will absolutely happen. Besides, Monk Xuan Khong, despite being super cryptic about it—Gods, he hates the Seer. Why do they have to be so cryptic?—has also indirectly confirmed to him that his vision will come true. Alan is not a Seer, so he might not know all the details of it, but he's sure there will be conflict; there will be fights, there will be blood, and there will be loss, and Alan... Alan doesn't want to be unprepared when it happens. But there is no need to burden children with all of that; for now, let him carry the burden of knowing it, and he will take care of everything.
He doesn't want to become Albus Dumbledore 2.0, who uses children to fight his battle. Alan gets why Dumbledore does what he does, but Alan just doesn't like it! Although Hermione has a very bright mind and, as Professor McGonagall states: "The brightest witch of her age" - Hermione is still, in all aspects, a kid. Her job is to enjoy the wonders of magic and learn everything she wants in life, not to fight the wars or battles of others. When the time comes, it will be her choice—not him, not anyone—hers!
- That's so awesome! - Hermione says excitedly.
- I know! It's super awesome!
Then Alan spends hours telling Hermione about the Wizarding World, about Hogwarts, and about how a child's name will be written down in the Book of Admission by a special quill called The Quill of Acceptance right at the precise moment the child shows signs of having magic.
- Does that mean my name was written on the Book of Admission right this morning? - Hermione excitedly interrupts Alan. Caused him to stop talking for a moment to think and then realize that she was correct!
- You're right, Hermione! If this morning is the first time you show signs of having magic and never before, then The Quill of Acceptance will write down your name on the Book of Admission this morning! Congratulation. Now all you need to do is wait until 11 years old to receive your acceptance letter.
He then processes telling Hermione about the acceptance letters that will be delivered by magical owls, about how to find the Leaky Cauldron, how to go to the Diagon Alley to shop for their school books and school materials, and all other amazing things the Wizarding World will provide.
- Speaking of that...Hermione, I'm sorry, but can I borrow some money from you? I will give you back later this evening. I want to test out something, and if I succeed, then we can visit the Diagon Alley today. And then...we can go shopping for magical things! And of course, magical books!
- Oh my god! Really?
And then there is no need to ask twice; Hermione goes straight to find her savings, which is...a lot! Alan knows that the Grangers are rich, but Hermione's parents really give her a lot of allowances to spend. As a result, as Alan is seeing now, there is a lot of money in Hermione's savings. Looking at her, he says:
- Well, girl, you're much richer than I thought!
Which caused Hermione to blush like crazy with embarrassment. She knows her parents are quite well-off, and they give her a lot of money for daily and monthly allowances. But hearing Alan say that makes her realize that her best friend is still an orphan, despite the fact that he is running a very successful business. Soon to realize why Hermione is blushing like crazy, Alan says:
- Hey, there's no need for that. The fact that your parents are well-off is a good thing. And the reason they give you a lot of money is because they love you, so you don't have to be embarrassed because of that or feel sorry for me. I own a shop, remember? Anyway, with your savings and my...50 pounds, I think we can buy a lot of magical books!
- Sure, if you said so. - Hermione says with a gentle smile on her face.
- Alright, we wasted enough time. Let's go!
And then they go out of the house, lock the door, and then Alan leads Hermione to find a street that is vacant of cars and people and also kinda hidden from open view. He doesn't know if his theory is right, so if it doesn't work out, at least no one will see him fail. Also, if it works out, the bus with a weird appearance that appears out of thin air will be very hard to explain if someone sees it. After a 10-minute walk, Alan finally finds a street that looks quite "suitable" for summoning the Knight Bus. Standing on the pavement, telling Hermione to stand behind him a little bit, Alan raises his right hand out on the street, closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, concentrates, centers himself, and then inwardly calls out for his magic. After 2 or 3 minutes, Alan finally feels his magic response to his call. He then wills his magic to run through his veins, go to his right hand, and go out into the outside world. Right at the moment he feels a little of his magic go out to the outside world from his palm, Alan instantly opens his eyes and waves his right hand with the super-focused intention of summoning the Knight Bus, and then...BOOM!
Right in front of his eyes, standing no other: The Knight Bus!