Marcus McGonagall was Professor McGonagall's younger brother. His entire family welcod Sean with genuine warmth.
The farm animals, however, were less enthusiastic.
Sean was quickly settled into a private room with the best view in the house.
Life here was leisurely and comfortable. The farm was extensive, and the McGonagall family seed well-off.
Dinners were impossibly lavish, and Marcus's enthusiasm never waned, as if he feared his sister might vanish if he blinked.
"Hey! My dear lad! Want to try riding a horse?"
Marcus was a friendly soul, devoid of any airs despite being forty years Sean's senior.
Oh, right. He was a wizard. But his grandchildren were not.
When he ntioned this, his eyes darkened with a complex sadness.
Several other wizards in their thirties had arrived at the house today. They were visibly thrilled to see the Professor. But Sean noticed that their father, Robert McGonagall Jr., whose photo sat in the living room, was absent.
Night.
In his warm, brightly lit room, Sean waved his wand. A shelled fire salamander scuttled out of the fireplace, bit a twig, and reduced it to ash.
[You have practiced an Advanced Transfiguration to the Expert standard. Proficiency 1000]
Sean had never stopped practicing Transfiguration. His Expert proficiency had now reached:
[Title: Transfiguration Master]
[Transfiguration: Expert (212,000/300,000)]
At this rate, he would reach Master level by the end of his first year.
Outside the door, several heads were huddled together.
The McGonagall grandchildren watched the fire salamander and chorused, "Wow—"
"Is he a wizard?"
Sarah McGonagall, peering through the top crack of the door, asked her older brother and sister, Bard and Zoe.
"I think so. He has nice eyes," Zoe replied.
A loud ow echoed from the distance. A pure white cat darted through the gap in the door, landed on Sean's desk, and rubbed its head against his hand.
Sean stroked the white cat, and it purred.
"He's like the wizards in fairy tales. I bet he can turn you into a cat, Sarah," Bard said hopefully.
"Can we co in? We want to give you a Christmas present, Mr. Green," he added politely, knocking on the door.
The door opened by itself.
The three children tumbled in, having been leaning against it.
Soft cushions cushioned their fall. Sean saw that even as they rolled, they held their brightly wrapped gifts high.
The gift boxes floated into the air.
"Whoa—oh, I an, can you turn Sarah into a cat? She's been looking forward to it," Bard asked shyly.
Sean nodded, taking out his own gifts and exchanging them.
Soon, the children were running outside with their biscuits, politely closing the door behind them.
Their voices drifted up from the hallway:
"rlin! He really is a wizard, and a kind one like in the stories! Just like I read!"
"You're a cat now, Sarah! Can you still talk? Don't run away, Sarah!"
Then ca the thundering of feet as the McGonagall children raced downstairs.
Night had officially fallen. Sean set down the gift boxes and looked out the window.
The stars always seed brighter in the countryside. The beech trees, tall and short, created a profound and serene nightscape.
Sean tapped his wand on his head. His form lted into the darkness like a shadow. The Disillusionnt Charm. He planned to practice Transfiguration outside. As he slipped out, he overheard a conversation.
"Minerva, is he... with you, at Hogwarts? You know what I an—Dumbledore's Hogwarts." Marcus's voice, usually so cheerful, was low and serious.
"Yes," McGonagall replied softly.
"That's good. Will you co with to visit Robert Jr.'s grave tomorrow..."
"...As you wish, Marcus."
"Minerva, the wizarding world isn't safe. I have a house in Canary Wharf under the Fidelius Charm. If anything happens, bring him there. He's a good lad. Even Paws, my Kneazle, likes him."
"Hogwarts is the safest place in the world, Marcus."
"I only trust myself. Those who trusted the Ministry are dead. You know Robert Jr. already paid the price for us.
"I respect your choice, but please respect mine. Don't dive too deep. That child still needs you."
"Many children need ."
"I knew it would be like this, Minerva."
A long silence followed. Sean slowly pieced it together.
One of McGonagall's brothers had died in a Death Eater attack during Voldemort's reign.
Ti slipped away quietly.
Sean stood by the tranquil lake. From the calm surface, a water snake suddenly erupted.
[You have practiced an Advanced Transfiguration to the Expert standard. Proficiency 1000]
He lowered his wand. His gaze was as calm and deep as the water.
Voldemort had killed many people, committed many atrocities.
These acts might seem distant history, but for those who died in the terror, and for their grieving families, they were wounds that would never heal.
Every grain of sand from the hourglass of history, falling on a single person's head, weighed like a mountain.
The calm lake surface reminded him of the magical mirror in Hogwarts castle.
Dumbledore had naturally skipped over the scene of Hogwarts castle in the reflection, but only Sean knew it was a distant prayer.
Professor Snape, Headmaster Dumbledore...
They knew what they faced, and yet they didn't.
The lake surged again. Flas ignited in the center of the water, transforming into the hard shell of a Fire Crab.
Sean watched the crab, the firelight reflecting on his face.
[You have practiced an Advanced Transfiguration to the Master standard. Proficiency 3000]
Sean lowered his wand again, exhausted. His gaze was no longer as calm as before.
He stared at his reflection in the water, just as he had stared at himself in the Mirror of Erised.
"Only one person knows how the story ends. So even if only one person persists to the end, it will be ."
Stars twinkled in the night sky. Those who look up at the stars know their own insignificance, but sotis, the insignificant achieve greatness.
(End of Chapter)
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