Unhinged questions!

Unhunged questions!

Chapter 40: curiosity killed the cat!

Author: Anything you want to say about what you just experienced?

Vira: At that time? I would say I was a bit scared and detached.

Author: Scared, I get it! Detached? What do you mean by that?

Vira: I didn't know much about the wizarding world, so I thought it was better to detach myself from everyone rather than be forcefully pulled out. I didn't want to get harmed! Also, I wasn't the only one who was detached!

The letter in Vira's hand was firm and grainy, unlike the documents he usually read. It seemed to be made of thick, old, creamy parchment, giving it an aged but classic feel when he set his eyes on it.

His name and address were written on it in elegant green ink. It was sealed with red wax, featuring a strange shield-like structure with images of a lion, snake, eagle, and badger on it.

Under normal circumstances, he might have appreciated it even more, but with such a threatening woman by his side, staring at him, neither his will to appreciate it nor his curiosity surfaced.

So, he hurriedly opened the envelope and revealed a letter.

It read:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

📜 Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Mr. Seraphis,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl no later than 31 July confirming your attendance.

If you require any assistance obtaining your school supplies, a Hogwarts representative will be available to assist you.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

After reading the letter, Vira opened the neatly placed sheet inside the envelope. But before doing so, he glanced at Silas to gauge the old woman standing beside him, looking for any signs of impatience. After all, the display of strength—or at least what he thought was strength—made it clear that his life was not entirely in his hands. Fortunately, Silas told him that she seemed as scary and strict as before, with no signs of impatience.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Vira quickly unfolded the neatly kept sheet to reveal words he didn't understand. Not that he didn't understand the words themselves, but he had no clue where to find or even what most of them referred to. And even though the words seemed clear, he still struggled to understand what they were for.

The sheet contained these words in the same order:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY First-Year Students Will Require: Uniform:

Three sets of plain black work robes

One pointed black hat (for daytime wear)

One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)

📌 All students' clothing should carry name tags.

Course Books:

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) – Miranda Goshawk

A History of Magic – Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory – Adalbert Waffling

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection – Quentin Trimble

Other Equipment:

1 wand

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set of glass or crystal phials

1 telescope

1 set of brass scales

Students may also bring an owl, a cat, or a toad.

📌 Please note: First-year students are not allowed their own broomsticks.

First of all, Vira understood the need for a uniform since it was a school, but why did he need a hat—a pointed one at that? Was this 14th-century Europe? And dragon-hide gloves—where was the dragon? As for the books, he'd never heard of them or their creator. And trust him when he says he read a lot of books, even obscure ones.

Aside from the wand, which had been pointed at him three or four times just today, he had no clue what the cauldron or telescope were for.

He might have had a bit of an idea, but considering the fact that he sent a historian to the Arctic for research, and that he repeatedly said, "What use will it be for me to learn about dead people?", yeah—he was clueless about the 16th-century witch hunts.

Either way, after reading the letter and the other parchment inside, he turned to the old woman and asked:

Vira: So you are the deputy headmaster and the representative?

Professor McGonagall: Yes! I visit every Muggle family to introduce them to the magical world.

Vira: What do you mean by Muggle?

Professor McGonagall: We call people with no magic Muggles.

Although Vira already knew he was not a Muggle, to extract more information about this strange world, he still asked in a confused tone:

Vira: So, I am a Muggle? Then why are you here?

Professor McGonagall said with a slight smile on her otherwise stiff face:

Professor McGonagall: You are not a Muggle! You have magic, just like me.

Vira: I don't think so! My parents didn't have magic, and I can't do the "swish and flick" you did just now.

Professor McGonagall: Muggles can give birth to wizards, although it's rare. But people like you still appear. Also, you need to have a wand to cast magic and learn to properly control it.

Vira: So, you're saying "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry" will teach me to turn bullets into snow and the ground into rubber?

Professor McGonagall: Yes! That's Transfiguration! I will be teaching you that at the school. Alongside that, you will also learn Charms, Potions, Herbology, Defense Against the Dark Arts, History of Magic, Astronomy, and Flying in your first year.

By now, Vira had figured out the general characteristics of the old woman in front of him—at least, that she would tolerate all his questions. So, in an attempt to gather more knowledge, he kept asking question after question, even disguising himself as a curious child thirsty for knowledge.

It was then that he noticed something interesting: although she seemed to not take any interest in the "Muggle world," seemingly detached from it, she was fully attentive toward him. Speaking of putting on a façade, Vira seemed to be able to change his tone and behavior in an instant—it was as easy as flipping a coin. He hadn't noticed this yet, but in front of Professor McGonagall, he behaved like an innocent eleven-year-old who had never seen the world. Granted, his thoughts and intentions remained impure, but the innocent façade was impeccable, and coupled with his charm and knowledge of the human psyche, it worked wonders.

Unconsciously, he had made it so that Professor McGonagall attributed the earlier incident to simply a frightened child. Even his constant questioning didn't annoy her.

Relying on this façade, Vira continued gathering information:

Vira: What was the magic you did to apparate?

Vira: Will it be taught in the first year?

Vira: Can everyone in the magical world do things like you?

Vira: What is Astronomy? Can you predict the future?

Vira: Is the cauldron for the Potions class?

These questions kept bombarding Professor McGonagall constantly. But Vira's grip on her was so strong, due to his charm and psychological skill, that she remained unconcerned and not at all annoyed. She answered all the questions of what she perceived as an innocent and curious eleven-year-old.

There might have been other reasons for her patience—after all, she had been shot and thrown from a three-story height—but no matter what the reason, she had been talking with Vira for nearly two hours with the same patience and care as she did at the start.