Vizet opened the letter, his eyes immediately drawn to the admission notice with his name on it.
Having just experienced magic firsthand, a wave of uncontrollable excitement surged through him. For weeks, he had eagerly awaited the arrival of this letter, and now it was finally here.
Inside the envelope, alongside the admission notice, was a thick piece of parchment listing the books and items required for his first year at Hogwarts.
Fortunately, Hogwarts did not require an admission fee—students only needed to purchase their own supplies.
Vizet, however, couldn't help but feel cautious. His years in an orphanage during his previous life had made him acutely sensitive to financial matters. Spending money was something he approached with great care.
But another question quickly rose to the forefront of his mind.
"Professor McGonagall," Vizet asked hesitantly, "wasn't Luna's admission notice sent here by you as well?"
McGonagall shook her head. "She has not yet reached the appropriate age. Luna will join Hogwarts next year as a new student."
Vizet turned to Luna and smiled. "Well, I guess you'll just have to wait for a year, huh?"
Luna's face fell slightly at the realization that she wouldn't be able to see Vizet during his time at Hogwarts.
McGonagall then pointed her wand at the steel cage holding the captured Runespoor. The cage floated effortlessly into the air, moving to her side.
"I'll need to investigate why this snake appeared here," she said, her tone grave.
"Investigate?" Vizet's brows furrowed. A thought struck him, and he hesitated before asking, "Professor McGonagall, are you suggesting... this was a deliberate attack?"
The professor sighed. "Vizet, as an Obscurus, you will inevitably attract attention. Many wizards see you as... different. I trust you understand this?"
Vizet considered her words carefully before nodding. "Now that you put it that way, I think I do. They see me as a threat — something dangerous that doesn't belong. It's natural for them to want to push me away, isn't it?"
"In their eyes, I must seem like a ticking time bomb, ready to go off at any moment. If I were a parent, I'd probably feel the same way about someone like me. The safety of the other students would come first."
McGonagall adjusted her glasses, the lenses catching the light as she studied him. Her expression softened into one of quiet admiration. "You understand better than I expected. I see why Professor Dumbledore holds such confidence in you."
"You are a talented child, Vizet, and I look forward to seeing what you achieve at Hogwarts. You needn't worry about the rest — we will handle it."
She paused, adding, "In a few days, someone will accompany you to Diagon Alley to purchase the items on your list."
With those parting words, McGonagall disapparated with the steel cage, leaving behind only the faint echo of her departure.
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That evening, as Vizet sat by the small desk in his room, carefully mending a tear in his clothes, a sudden knock at the door interrupted his task.
"Come in," Vizet called out, setting the needle and thread aside.
The door creaked open, and Xenophilius Lovegood stepped in.
Luna's father, a middle-aged man with an eccentric air, had an unkempt appearance that instantly drew attention. His long, pale golden hair hung limp and sticky over his shoulders, and the deep shadows under his eyes gave him a perpetually tired, almost disheveled look.
Pulling a chair over, Xenophilius seated himself directly across from Vizet. "I believe this is our first proper conversation, face-to-face," he began, his gaze falling briefly to the needle and thread in Vizet's hands. "Mending clothes, are we?"
Vizet nodded, putting the garments down. "They were accidentally torn."
As Xenophilius pointed out, it truly was their first one-on-one conversation since Vizet had come to stay with the Lovegoods.
Xenophilius, editor-in-chief of The Quibbler, spent most of his time working on the second floor of their house. Aside from preparing meals and telling Luna bedtime stories, his interactions with others were sparse.
"Luna told me everything," Xenophilius said, his tone more serious than Vizet had ever heard before. "You protected her... and for that, I owe you my thanks."
Vizet shook his head dismissively. "She protected me first. When we were attacked, she pushed me out of harm's way. It was Professor McGonagall who ultimately saved us both."
For a moment, Xenophilius studied him with an unreadable expression. His usual eccentric demeanor was absent, replaced by a gravity that made him seem like an entirely different person.
"No, no, no!" Xenophilius finally exclaimed, shaking his head. "You don't understand. Most of the time, I'm too caught up in work to spend as much time with Luna as I should. She often plays alone, watering the garden or catching ball fish. But since you came into her life, she smiles more. Even the fish she catches have grown bigger! There's a light in her eyes I hadn't seen in years."
Vizet chuckled softly. "I've learned so much from Luna. She's taught me to see the world in ways I never thought possible."
Xenophilius stood suddenly, his face alight with an earnestness that caught Vizet off guard.
"Well, regardless of why the Ministry of Magic decided to place you in my home..." He stepped forward and placed a hand firmly on Vizet's shoulder, as though bestowing a knighthood. "I recognize you now!"
The dramatic gesture was so characteristic of Xenophilius that Vizet couldn't help but laugh.
But beneath the humor, Vizet understood the significance of this moment.
For the first time since arriving, he felt a sense of genuine acceptance from Luna's family. They had, in their own way, opened their hearts to him, and now he was no longer just a guest but truly one of them.
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Late at night, the quiet of the Hogwarts Headmaster's Office was broken by the crackling of the fireplace. The orange flames turned emerald green, and moments later, Professor McGonagall stepped out, brushing soot from her robes.
Seated behind his desk, Albus Dumbledore looked up from a stack of parchments. His piercing blue eyes sparkled behind his half-moon spectacles as he stood to greet her.
"Minerva, you're back rather late," he said, concern lacing his voice. "Did something happen?"
"There was some trouble," McGonagall replied, adjusting her glasses. "When I went to deliver the admission notice to Vizet, I encountered a Runespoor."
Dumbledore's brow furrowed. "A Runespoor? Was Vizet harmed in any way?"
"He's unharmed," McGonagall assured him with a nod. "I've already involved Kingsley in the investigation. We should have answers soon."
She paused, her expression grim. "The Runespoor was very old. By the time I brought it to Kingsley, it had no vital signs. Feeding and maintaining such a creature requires skill and resources—this was no random attack."
Dumbledore stroked his beard thoughtfully. "So, the intention was to provoke the Obscurus within Vizet? To force him to lose control and draw criticism?"
"Precisely," McGonagall said with a sigh. "But, as you might expect, Vizet handled the situation remarkably well."
Dumbledore's lips curled into a faint smile. "I knew he would. Tell me, did he surprise you?"
"More than I anticipated," McGonagall admitted, a rare smile gracing her stern features. "Not only did he avoid the Runespoor's attacks, but he also protected Luna Lovegood in the process."
At this, Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "Luna Lovegood? How curious. This situation has more layers than I imagined."
He walked over to a nearby cabinet and withdrew a large stone basin. Its rim was inscribed with ancient runes, and its interior shimmered with a silvery, ethereal substance that seemed to shift like smoke and liquid combined.
"The Pensieve?" McGonagall asked, pulling her wand from her sleeve.
"Indeed," Dumbledore said.
McGonagall touched her temple with the tip of her wand, withdrawing a silvery strand of memory. She placed it into the basin, where it swirled and merged with the other contents.
Dumbledore leaned over the Pensieve, his face descending into the silvery pool. After a few moments, he withdrew and returned to his chair, his expression contemplative.
"Wandless casting..." he murmured. "No, it's even older. A form of magic predating wands entirely. How extraordinary!"
McGonagall nodded in agreement. "The shield magic he cast had a purity of purpose I've rarely encountered. His protective instinct for Luna was palpable. Is he entirely self-taught?"
"Self-taught, perhaps," Dumbledore mused, "but guidance from the right environment cannot be underestimated. Cornelius made a wise choice placing him with the Lovegoods."
McGonagall allowed herself a small, amused sigh. "If fostering creativity is the goal, The Quibbler might indeed be unconventional but effective."
Dumbledore chuckled. "Quite so. Minerva, I wonder... which house do you think Vizet will be sorted into?"