Magnus woke up blearily. It took a few minutes of blinking to clear his head. His head seemed lighter than before as if some burden had been lifted from him. The events of the day came back to him and he had to hold back his tears. 'No more tears. Only action from now on. I'll get my dues,' he promised himself.
"You are awake, good. We are ready to move to Egypt, get freshened up and meet us outside," Akina said with a smile while pointing towards the basin of water nearby. Magnus gave a nod and did as instructed. He didn't understand her at first, but her gestures gave him an idea of what she meant. By the time he stepped out of the tent, the others were waiting outside for him.
Mr. King gestured for him to follow him as he walked to the side. Meanwhile, Shiza and Akina started waving their hands in complicated gestures following which the tent started folding in of itself. Mr. King put a hand on Magnus's shoulders as they both started walking out of the clearing the cottage was located in.
"I see you are doing well now young Magnus; you have a good look in your eyes. I am sorry to have put you through that ordeal but that was a necessity. As I have promised, here is your reward," Mr. King offered Magnus a leather-bound book. The cover looked the same as any other book, black with no markings what so ever and soft to touch.
This is my own notes on our type of magic. You will hardly find a similar book in all of Britain. While it isn't very advanced, it should be more than enough to get you started. I have keyed it so only you can read it and I'd advise you not to pass on this knowledge to others. The British Ministry doesn't take well to outside stimulus. But I made it interesting. The book has certain requirements you need to meet for it to show you its contents. It could be as simple as answering a question. For every condition you meet or a question you answer correctly, you'll get more knowledge. And here, take this as well. Might come in handy. You certainly seem talented enough for these," Mr. King handed him the sling bag that the hag possessed.
Magnus took the bag and looked inside to find the four books from the cabin tucked inside. He asked surprisingly," Are you sure it's alright? Some of them seemed a bit dark to me."
Mr. King replied, "Ah young Magnus don't worry about it. They aren't as dark as you think. I'll not talk about them if you won't. Besides, there's no harm in knowing certain things. They are course books for the higher-level students in Uagadou. I believe you would be cautious when dealing with them. I trust you'll use them responsibly."
"Of course, sir," Magnus replied honestly. He wouldn't give up any avenue of gaining strength.
"Good. Besides, I saw what you did with those sticks. A primitive way of enchanting, but still nice. You might want to look into Egyptian Hieroglyphics in the future," Mr. King advised him with a calm smile.
"It worked then. I thought there was some problem with them," Magnus said excited yet subdued.
"That they did, but they were one-time use props. I think you'll get better in time young Magnus, don't doubt yourself," Mr. King assured.
"We are ready master," Shiza said as he approached.
"Alright then let's be off. You know what to do. Magnus if you'd hold my hand and take a deep breath," Mr. King said as he offered his right hand to Magnus as he held a staff in his left.
Though full of doubt, Magnus did as he was told. They all held hands and touched a scarf together. The next thing he knew, he was spinning and they all disappeared with a pop. As the clearing emptied, the cabin caught fire and slowly turned to ash. Even the old tribal man left swiftly. Moments later, there were no traces of anyone being there.
Magnus appeared with a pop and almost fell forward. He was only held in place by Mr. King. They seemed to have appeared in the middle of a closed room occupied by one other person, likely a ministry official based on the attire. He saw similarly dressed people the first time in the British Ministry.
"Easy young Magnus. Apparition and portkeys are always hard the first time. Now remember, I'll do the talking, do not be overwhelmed," Mr. King cautioned.
The official exchanged solemn greetings with them and gestured them towards the door on the side. As soon as the door opened, flashes of cameras and loud noises overwhelmed Magnus. Reporters in all kinds of attires started asking them questions all at once. Magnus didn't know how much time passed when they put him up in a room in the Ministry for the night. He didn't register most of the questions that were asked. Mr. King handled them all patiently. He put down his belongings, now stored in his sling back and flopped down on the bed absentmindedly. The portkey to London is scheduled the next morning. Sleep did not come easy to him that day. His dreams were plagued by flashes of light and screams, he didn't know if they were his or someone else's.
Magnus appeared in the British Ministry of Magic at sharp nine the next morning. A ministry official accompanied him from Egypt. He never saw Mr. King or his comrades again. Thankfully there were no reporters or photographers on this side. After some official procedures, he was dropped off at his house in Devon by another ministry official with a promise that his guardian would soon approach him.
Magnus was confused. He didn't know he had a guardian. Hell, he didn't know why they dropped him off at his aunt's house in Devon. He only stayed here on the weekends. His house is in Hampstead. The ministry official popped away before he could voice his objections. 'There probably isn't any food in the house now that Aunt Viola is no more,' he sighed.
The house that looked congested whenever they visited now seemed somewhat empty. He put away his belongings in the room that he usually used when he was here and prowled about the two-storied house in search of food. They didn't even provide him breakfast. He didn't know how long he sat in the living room in a daze when the door knocker sounded.