Chapter 9: Suspicions
==============Next Day=============
Rise and shine people..... I opened my eyes and felt a cool refreshing sensation wash over me. Seems like depleting my magic reserves last night was a good idea. A few hours of rest later and I was pumped up, raring to go again.
Thrilled about training, I decided to wrap up my morning routine, so I wouldn't look suspicious cooped up in my room all day. Though I had to admit, I was spending a bit too much time up here. Perhaps, it was best to experience the world as it was.
I was still unaware of how the world worked, the muggle society was naturally the same, but the wizarding world was an enigma. The movies only showed Britain, needless to say, I was completely clueless about the rest of the world.
Today was quite peculiar, in a sense that I felt energetic like never before. Maybe that potion I drank had something to do with it.... I hope not....
So I got up out of bed, walked to the door, but this time.... I opened my palms and gestured with a twisting motion...
The knob turned on its own and dragged the door open for me.... My powers were growing at an extraordinary rate. It was an exhilarating process... I washed up and then headed downstairs.
Astoundingly, there was Dalton, dressed in his signature black suit, sitting across the counter. He was reading the newspaper while drinking some tea, the paper floated across his face, and would turn once his eyes reached the end of the page.
Interesting.....I eyed him closer, and then looked towards the clock in the pub. Surely enough, it was 4 am....I was up earlier than yesterday. Since I felt extremely energetic, it was possible that my body had considered the extra sleep an unnecessary rest. Hence, the reason I was awake at this time.
I decided to have a fun conversation with him...After all, I hadn't gotten to see him for a few days now. My curiosity was killing me. It's always this damn fascination with wizards and what they do. I couldn't help it.
I marched closer to him and then took a seat on a stool beside him....
For starters, there was silence between us. I respected the man enough to not interrupt his mornings. Of course, because I too know how annoying I would feel if someone would interrupt mine.
But soon this overwhelming silence grew uneasy. I simply waited for him to start the conversation, and as expected, noticing my occasional glances, he decided to strike up some small talk.
"Would you like some tea?" He questioned, his gaze still lingering on the newspaper.
I expected this dry response, so I merely nodded my head to keep the conversation going. Noticing my gesture, he flicked his fingers towards the counter, and before I could react.....
A cup flew and swiftly settled itself in front of me, the kettle followed and poured a steaming hot cup of tea and then a spoonful of sugar which stirred itself into the tea.
What the..... this was surely... Wandless magic? I shot a glance towards his hands, but I was sure he didn't have a wand. This aroused my curiosity. Wandless magic was very rare in the movies, if not, just completely obsolete. Many wizards would simply consider it a weaker form of magic, granted it was very hard to master, and since many wizards opted instead for a wand.... It was reasonable to conclude that was also very rare in the wizarding world as a whole.
So why did an enforcer like Dalton know of this? Was he not just someone equal to an Auror? Also..... he'd brewed me a cup of tea with no milk... What kind of psychopath? This guy was definitely not normal....Many thoughts raced around my head, but in the end, I decided to ask him what he had just done.
"Was that wandless magic...how did you do that?"
Hearing my question his eyes twitched with slight astonishment. That was also expected, given my age and history, it would be shocking to even know what that term meant.
I could see him contemplating an answer, was he going to shrug off my question? I had hoped he would at least give me a serious answer....
Finally, after a few minutes of silent grunts. He spoke.
"Yes, in my line of work its not uncommon to be proficient in niche aspects of magic." His eyes gauging my reaction.
-In my line of work? That settled the suspicion. This man was no enforcer or auror. His response was far too discrete and concise. Even the way he dressed was abnormal. He wanted to keep eyes off of him. His odd hours of work and every other minor detail that just rubbed me the wrong way.....
Dalton had secrets... but I wasn't going to push him. I too had secrets I didn't want to share. I could understand the sentiment. There was no need to overshare unnecessary things.
"I see, I read that in a book, so I wanted to know how you did it". My response wasn't ideal, but it was along the lines of what he expected from a boy. I wanted to know his secrets, but for that I knew I had to share mine too. Right now wasn't a good time, I would ultimately show him my cards, but for now I needed to keep my hands closed.
Following the small talk, both of us sat enjoyed our respective cups of tea. I must say, this calm morning was definitely not a bad experience. Dalton knew to respect boundaries, now that I was privy to his personal life, he didn't mind answering my various questions.
He didn't even bat an eyelid when I told him I wanted to learn magic. Merely gave a simple nod, and then continued his reading.
"Being interested is good, but magic is a dangerous subject. I don't mind teaching you, but you should wait a few more years to let your body grow", his comments made sense. I didn't expect such a simple answer, I really thought he was going to be a bit more...defensive.
But it seems that he and I had a mutual understanding. We both knew the other held secrets.... Secrets we didn't want to share. But as long as I left his work alone, I doubt he would care.
On that note, he was definitely some important fellow, very high up the ladder. Call it a hunch, but the way he carried himself, the way he dressed, and even his demeanor. All of them hinted towards his power. Whether that was political or magical.
Naturally, I was interested in this power. Whatever his background, if I could rub shoulders with them, it would definitely bring benefits. But that was simply a vision for the future. Right now I couldn't offer anything in return for his secrets or his tutelage.
I didn't want to be under his debt, even further than I already was. I wanted equal exchange, and for that... I needed to offer something he couldn't refuse. The answer was talent. I could offer him my talent and prowess.
As a young mage, if I continued to develop the way I had, then in a few years, I would definitely be considered a valuable asset. Once I presented myself willing to work for him, I would naturally receive benefits. I continued sipping my tea as my while being lost in my thoughts.
But soon, Dalton folded the newspaper close and put down his cup of tea.
Our time together came to an abrupt end, as Dalton stood up moved towards the door, he grabbed his hat and put it on. He glanced at his watch, which possibly meant that he was running late. ...Perhaps, I had taken too much of his time.
Gesturing a solemn nod towards me, he stepped out with a faint *pop*. His body swiveling away through space.....
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*Haah* I heaved a deep sigh, it was an interesting conversation, the most I had talked with him within these few days. But seeing as he was a busy man, I reluctantly nipped my questions in the bud and watched him leave.
Well... seeing that I now was alone in the pub, I decided to have a bit of fun. It was about 5 in the morning. Possibly an hour later, Sophie would wake up. It wouldn't hurt to practice a bit of magic down here... right?....
So I stood up from the stool, took both the cups to the sink, and rinsed them under the water. I looked behind me and gestured the cups to stack themselves back in their cupboards.
Surprisingly, the weight wasn't even an issue, I easily managed to complete this task.... So I moved up another level, taking the washcloth and soaking it under water.
I looked towards the windows, and intended to wipe them down. Following my intentions, the washcloth flew towards the windows and swiftly began polishing them.
Next, commanding the broom to sweep, it streaked past me and scrubbed the dust from the floor. Time for the tables, I gestured towards them, and within an instant, the washcloth hovered over to each table, rubbing them clean.
Satisfied with my work, I pushed the broom to settle in the corner. Restoring it to its original position. The washcloth rushed towards the sink, where I flicked the water on and watched as it acted out showering and bathing itself clean of all the dust it had gathered.
-Once I was done entertaining myself with magic, I decided to sit down and think over my future plans....
The first step was done, I could now use magic, albeit only for simple things, and I still couldn't do spells yet. Next, I wished to train my body, but that could wait for a few years. Building a strong physique would help me withstand my future training. Moreover, magic was a taxing power. I knew because once I had drained myself empty, I felt weak and weary....
Magic was a muscle, the more I worked it to failure, the stronger it would get. That was obvious. But I was afraid of a time where this muscle would be worked beyond failure. Which would require a period of recovery. Perhaps a few hours of rest would be fine, just like what I had done last night.
But in those few hours, I wouldn't be able to defend myself. That's why I needed to be physically strong. The more I endured strain on my body, the longer I could maintain my magic. A simple inference.
I was also interested in magic tools, and since I had picked up reading as a hobby, I had read of many examples and descriptions of interesting applications of magic. I did wish to research a bit more, but in the past three days, I had read all the books in my bookshelf. There was simply nothing more to read.
I could only request some books from Sophie and hope she would oblige.
Speaking of that.... the clock needle struck six, and sure enough. I heard her footsteps as she shuffled down the stairs.
Sophie wore a regal green dress, it fit her perfectly, and showed off her natural blonde hair. Seeing me sitting downstairs already, she wore a surprised look on her face, and softly walked towards me to give a warm hug.
"Zack, you're already awake. You know you should have woken me up if you were alone", She ruffled my hair again.....It wasn't an unpleasant feeling.
"No I wasn't, Dalton and I were just having tea before he left", I replied.
"Is that so? Brilliant, looks like you two are getting along nicely", she giggled a bit, then pulled out an 11-inch, stick, grooved with metal branches swirling around it, from her pockets.
So that's her wand? I could almost feel the magic as she started whipped it around, preparing breakfast for the both of us.
Using a wand definitely released a lot more "residue" from the magic. Since the magic had been focused using an external source.
Nevertheless, I decided to have a nice filling breakfast before I strutted off towards practicing upstairs....
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Hello everyone, I decided to add some preview/basic images for the characters that have appeared in the story for now. These images are just what I thought of when I imagined the character. They don't have any significance and only mark the appearances of the character.
Zack(MC):
Dalton(Mysterious Wizard):
Sophie(Charming and Kind):
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
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