I tossed a pinch of salt into a wooden bowl of water. I stirred the water three times counter-clockwise with my wand, exactly as the codex dictated. I placed a white candle on the ground right next to the bowl. I didn't need my wand; a short, wandless Incendio from my fingertip was enough, and the wick caught fire instantly.
I dipped the tip of my wand into the salt water and began the first incantation: "Ritus purificationis animae et corporis, magiae internae auxilium peto, ut negativum ex me fluens purgetur et pax interior restituatur."
Immediately, I felt the air in the room begin to vibrate and hum with magic. The ritual had successfully begun.
I set my wand aside on the ground. Cupping my palms, I scooped water from the bowl and splashed it onto my face. I could feel the magic from the water soaking through my skin directly into my body. The second part of the incantation followed: "Pax intus fiat, gratias ago Matri Magiae pro lumine et protectione, et ut purgatio mea plenam harmoniam restituat."
The candle flared up violently, the flame turning bright blue for a brief moment. Then, the ritual's magic suddenly faded, and the air in the room cleared. I, however, immediately burst into uncontrollable, intense laughter. I felt an incredible euphoria. Joy, happiness, pure dopamine—it was an almost orgasmic sensation.
When I finally calmed down after several long minutes, I focused inward, metaphorically inspecting my magical core. That foreign trace from Hogwarts was gone. My core was mine once again.
That euphoric, perfect feeling was a pure byproduct of the ritual; it triggered an unbelievable rush of happiness in me. It was as if I'd taken cocaine. Well, at least that's how I imagined it—I'd never actually tried it—but after completing the cleansing, I simply felt invincible. However, a warning signal flashed immediately. I didn't want to become addicted to rituals, and I could vividly imagine that with more powerful ones, this effect would be even more devastatingly intense.
"I have to be careful," I told myself mentally, trying to steady my racing heart. I certainly didn't plan on becoming a slave to magic. I wanted to control it, not be controlled by it.
It struck me as odd, though, that Morgana hadn't mentioned the ritual euphoria. Why would she leave out such a powerful side effect? Either she considered it an insignificant detail, or my body was reacting to the cleansing differently than she had anticipated.
I called Jobo one last time to clear away the used items and, tired but satisfied, I lay down. I fell asleep with an intoxicating sense of success. The lingering euphoria from the ritual still warmed me pleasantly, and the knowledge that the foreign magic in my core was definitively gone was the best possible lullaby.
***
The morning after breakfast, Vespera and I headed to Diagon Alley for Christmas shopping. I didn't need anything special for myself; I decided to buy gifts only for Agnes, Draco, and Vespera. I hadn't socialized with anyone else enough for it to be worth the effort. Although Snape had been acting strange toward me, I didn't feel we were close enough for me to buy him anything.
I had to spend a while persuading my aunt to let us split up. She finally agreed, but only after I solemnly promised her that I wouldn't go to Knockturn Alley without her.
My first stop wasn't at the cauldron shops, but at Gringotts, where I exchanged some of my Galleons for British Pounds. I immediately headed into the Muggle world to the nearest large bookstore. It might amuse you, but in my opinion, anyone who hasn't read Tolkien's classic The Lord of the Rings trilogy is uneducated. It was a great gift for both Agnes and Draco. And since I wanted to get them properly hooked, they'd each receive The Hobbit to start with.
I decided not to hold back and bought them the illustrated Deluxe collector's editions in hardcover.
While in the bookstore, it occurred to me that I could buy a little something for Jobo as well. I settled on a children's puzzle featuring a picture of some Muggle landscape.
"At least it's going to be fun," I thought with a smile.
When it came to Vespera, I had to think for much longer. A wealthy pure-blood witch has enough gold to buy anything she can think of. I really had no idea what might surprise her; I didn't know her well enough yet to know exactly what her heart desired. But I genuinely cared for her, so I decided to put real effort into choosing her gift.
The problem was my promise not to set foot in Knockturn Alley without her. A man should keep his word, so I planned to stick to it, even though I knew I might find something "more interesting" there. Instead, I headed straight for the most renowned jewelry store in Diagon Alley.
However, nothing there caught my eye. They were all attractive pieces, sure, but purely aesthetic, which felt like a boring and shallow gift in a world of magic. I decided to head to a less frequented part of the alley, where smaller, less visited shops were located.
I went through them one by one until I finally stumbled upon the last shop on the very edge of the street. Beyond it, the path led into another section of Knockturn Alley. There was no name or opening hours on the storefront; truth be told, if I hadn't been desperate, I wouldn't have even stepped inside. From the outside, it looked like a total dump.
As soon as I entered, however, I stopped in surprise. Where I expected a shabby, half-empty junk shop, a pleasant surprise awaited me. The shelves were full, the shop was clean, and the space felt relatively inviting—I didn't smell even a hint of mustiness or dust. But magic radiated from the items on the shelves, and quite strongly at that. The inventory was incredibly diverse: clothing, jewelry, vessels, wand shafts, flower pots, glasses, cabinets, pouches... I could honestly go on forever.
I stood there for a moment, taking it all in from a distance, when suddenly an elderly, stern voice spoke up: "Only looking, no touching," a grey-haired old man declared with a perfectly serious face.
I slowly began to walk between the shelves, examining the displayed items. Magic radiated from every single one. With those that had fewer runes, I could roughly feel what they were for and how they worked, but with the more complex pieces, I couldn't sense their function at all.
About halfway through the shop, I suddenly stopped at a silver necklace. It was attractive specifically because of its simplicity; no unnecessary, gaudy nonsense. Although I hadn't mastered ancient runes yet, I could see them engraved on the surface of the metal. It emitted strong magic and a strange, calming sense of protection. Since none of the items had a price tag, I decided to call over the shopkeeper.
I returned to the counter at the front of the shop. As soon as I arrived, the old man looked at me casually, with an air of indifference as if he had all the time in the world. "Yes?" he asked uninterestedly.
"Could you tell me the price and effects of that necklace in the middle of the center shelf? It looks like rune-covered silver, and I assume it's for the wearer's protection," I requested matter-of-factly.
His indifferent expression instantly stiffened and shifted into pure interest. "Oh? You're knowledgeable in runic magic?" he probed immediately, his gaze piercing through me.
"I'm interested in the price and the effects," I repeated without answering his question.
The old man just gave a silent shrug, stood up, and headed toward the necklace. I followed him. He took the jewelry from its pedestal, looked it over for a moment, and then spoke: "This necklace has a protective function, as you correctly noted. The main thing, however, is that if someone with negative emotions and an intent to harm the wearer is nearby, the jewelry will warm up slightly. If someone directly casts a spell with negative emotions at them, the necklace will heat up more and attempt to physically pull the wearer away to dodge the spell. The price is 1,500 Galleons. I put a lot of work into it."
I couldn't read anything from his voice; it was clear he had active Occlumency. Although I had plenty of money, 1,500 Galleons was a staggering sum. I decided to negotiate a bit, but first, I was interested in the technical details.
"Where does it draw its magic from?" I asked curiously.
"Ah, so magical sensitivity? Interesting," the old man remarked. I immediately shot him a surprised look. I wanted to keep my abilities a secret, but he had seen right through me in a matter of seconds. He saw my expression and just gave a short laugh: "Don't be so surprised... Runes for gathering magic are the basics; the protective ones come later in your studies. A simple conclusion."
He paused for a moment and then continued: "But to answer you—this necklace is exceptional because it gathers ambient magic from the surroundings, not from the wearer. It is constantly recharging itself. Half of the runes serve exactly this purpose, which ensures it isn't a burden to anyone. It could even help a Squib."
It would be the perfect gift for Vespera. I cared about her being safe, and right now, there was a real risk in the form of Gregor Mulciber—at least until I put him in the ground. I decided I would buy it for her, but I couldn't just let the price slide.
"Couldn't we agree on a slightly better price? Say, five hundred Galleons would be great!" I suggested with an innocent look.
The old man burst out laughing immediately. "Certainly not. Every item in my shop is a masterpiece. Three times lower price? No way," he shut me down in a second.
But I wouldn't be brushed off.
"How about seven hundred then? I'm an orphan and I only have my aunt, who is in danger," I tried to play on his emotions. But honestly? I was a pretty shitty actor.
"Certainly not. Since you amused me, one thousand four hundred and fifty Galleons, and not a single one less..." the old man proposed with a smirk.
"That's way too much! Don't you have even a shred of pity for an orphan? A thousand Galleons!" I suggested again.
The old man gave a dry, amused snort. "Orphan? Your father is rotting in Azkaban, and I don't believe for a second you don't have enough gold for this necklace. Your house is wealthy. One thousand four hundred and fifty!"
"Fuck, I should have taken this ring off before I walked in," I thought to myself. The old man must have sensed what was going through my head because he corrected my assumption immediately.
"You look quite a bit like your grandfather, and your ring only confirms it," he added, shrugging as if it were nothing.
But I wasn't about to give up.
"Then at least one thousand three hundred Galleons. I don't have access to the entire family fortune, and I assume you and my grandfather were friends!" I blurted out as soon as I recovered from the next surprise.
The old man thought for a moment, but then just shrugged and nodded.
I immediately pulled out one thousand three hundred Galleons. I'd saved at least two hundred, and I finally had a gift for Vespera that was worth it. I was already on my way out when his voice called after me again:
"If you ever get an 'O' in Ancient Runes and Arithmancy on your NEWTs after your time at Hogwarts, try stopping by here. We'll see if you'd make a good apprentice," he suggested. He paused for a moment and then added with a slight smirk: "By the way, your grandfather and I were more like enemies... but with age, one remembers Hogwarts days fondly, no matter what they were like."
I wondered what this master enchanter's name was. It also occurred to me that a similar necklace would be useful for me, too, but after this purchase, I didn't have enough gold left for a second one.
"What is your name?" I asked curiously.
"Cillian Vane," the old man introduced himself with a slight, almost imperceptible bow of his head.
"Patrik Rosier," I replied in turn, giving a full bow. Old masters deserve respect.
I found myself back on Diagon Alley and headed toward Gringotts, where we had agreed to meet. It looked like I'd arrived just in time; Vespera was already waiting for me, standing on the marble steps with several bags in her hands.
At her invitation, I handed her my shopping bag. With a simple flick of her wand, Vespera shrunk it and tucked it effortlessly into her pocket.
"Do you have everything? Can we go home?" she asked.
I nodded: "Yes, I have everything."
She gestured for me to take her arm. As soon as I gripped her hand, the world around us dissolved, and with a typical crack, we apparated directly back to our family estate. This time, it was significantly easier than before.
In the castle, Vespera returned my bag, enlarging it back to its original size. It was just in time for lunch. She ordered Jobo to take our purchases to our rooms, and we sat down at the table.
Lunch was once again excellent and hearty. During the meal, we engaged in casual small talk and agreed to continue our magical training immediately. Os Frangere was still giving me a headache. Even though I could now break the bone on every attempt, my magical precision still wasn't perfect. With the simple spells I had already mastered, my power naturally amplified their effect, but the bone-breaker required absolute focused precision and a specific amount of energy. It was the perfect spell for honing control over my own magical core.
***
Author's note:
So, what do you guys think? Are rituals turning out the way you expected? Did you think we were going to kill a dragon for the very first one? :D Haha, NEIN! We're just getting started.
Also, those magical items are quite interesting, aren't they? There is definitely more to come!
***
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Upcoming Chapters:
24. Blood, Ash, and Roses
25. Cousins and Choices
26. The General in Training
27. SaD:Shadows of the Past
28. Equality is an Illusion