6 The Passage to Hogwarts

"The Passage to Hogwarts"

Stephen's magical outburst triggered some alarms at the French Ministry, which immediately sent a letter to the Flamels. They even attempted to send Aurors, whom Nicolas Flamel dismissed using the excuse of an alchemical experiment gone wrong. Obviously, the Aurors were not satisfied with that explanation, but there was nothing they could do against the man with the most connections in the wizarding world.

Time passed with a more relaxed Stephen, peacefully enjoying his childhood with pranks and all sorts of mischief, as if the seal of a beast had finally been broken and he no longer had to think like a mature person—without neglecting his study of Eldritch magic, of course. In addition, he tried to convince his grandparents to send him to Hogwarts, something they firmly opposed, especially when they learned the reason, which Stephen easily revealed to them.

He told them everything that would happen and showed them the magic of Kamar-Taj, which he had already managed to modify to prove he was safe.

"Come on, Grandma, I'll be fine. The noseless bald guy won't be able to do anything until at least when Harry Potter turns 14. Even if he does, I can easily escape with a portal, even using the illusion spell, and I could even tie him up with the Eldritch whip and run away," Stephen continued trying to convince his grandmother, who had the most say in the house.

After finding the rune to modify Kamar-Taj magic, Stephen was able to decipher most of the basic spells. However, some worked differently, like the mirror dimension, which, when activated, did not function as a separate dimension but rather as a space expansion, similar to Newt Scamander's suitcase. His grandfather told him this was likely due to conflicting magical laws in this universe. Although a bit disappointed, it was still a highly useful magic for creating a small sub-world or hideouts.

"No, Stephen, I would be crazy to let you go to any school other than Beauxbatons. Why don't you want to go there? All your friends will be with you, it's the school where your grandfather and I studied, and we still have some influence there thanks to our investments over the years," his grandmother gently tried to persuade him.

"Alright, kid, stop bothering your grandmother. Let me say something," Nicolas, who normally watched everything from the sidelines with the little elf and rarely intervened, suddenly spoke to Stephen and then turned to his wife.

"Peny, maybe the boy needs this. We already know that when young Potter joins the school, Stephen will be two or three years older. If at nine years old he already shows the skills of someone who has studied magic for at least three years, by then he'll be more than capable of defending himself. And as he said, things will only get dangerous when young Potter turns 14," said Nicolas Flamel, unusually siding with Stephen, to the latter's pleasant surprise.

"Yes, Grandma, just like Grandpa said. Who's to say that by the time I'm 17, I won't be able to face both Dumbledore and the bald guy together?" Stephen's voice, tinged with pride and mockery, resonated.

"Don't worry, Peny. I've prepared some protection amulets just in case, and I'll even talk to Dumbledore. If you want, we can also join the Hogwarts school board. It's not like we lack the funds, and the boy can visit us anytime through the portal," Nicolas added. Seeing the cracks forming in his wife's resolve, only one final push was needed.

"Yes, Grandma, not even the anti-Apparition barrier can stop me. In fact, Grandpa and I managed to link the rune to a door that I can place anywhere, allowing you to move between continents without any problems. We can buy a house there and connect them easily so we can be both here and there," Stephen played his trump card at the perfect moment, taking advantage of his grandfather's support.

"Nico, you… ugh! Fine, fine, you can go to Hogwarts, but under my conditions. And you'd better behave until you turn 11 and receive your letter, or else you'll go to Beauxbatons as you should," his grandmother finally relented.

"Great! Grandma, you're the best! Don't worry, no pranks or weird stuff (until I get to school)," Stephen muttered the last part under his breath, making a promise.

"Hoho, good for you, kid. Though it'll be fun to see how you break the news to your friends—and especially to that Delacour girl," his grandfather said with a smug smile full of schadenfreude.

"Ugh, Fleur. That girl has become so violent. What happened to the little princess who used to follow us everywhere? Could it be her Veela blood?" Stephen wondered, remembering the beautiful girl who had gradually become almost as aggressive as a demon.

"Whose fault do you think that is, huh? She used to hang out with you little troublemakers—you corrupted the poor girl," his grandmother accused, blaming the pranks they constantly played. They often left Fleur behind, dressed like a princess, unable to run. Eventually, she had to start dressing like them.

(No, I think she may have inherited that from her grandmother and mother, Nicolas muttered under his breath, recalling the Delacour women.)

"Well, I'll deal with that later. Now that I've finally convinced Grandma and created most of the spells, it's time to intensify my physical training!" Stephen declared. Although he had spent most of his time studying runes and magic to modify Kamar-Taj spells, he had also dedicated time to martial arts he had learned as a monk. While Kamar-Taj magic could be fueled by internal energy, it also required physical endurance. Even though Stephen was stronger and had more magic than a typical school-age child, he could only cast five or six spells before becoming exhausted.

With Stephen training his body and occasionally going out with his friends—whom he had already informed of his study plans—he had to hide from little Fleur for a week until she calmed down. Every time she saw him, she would shout "Traitor!" and chase after his cart, which suffered many scratches while she yelled things a child shouldn't say.

He finally managed to calm her down by giving her a hug and promising to visit her every summer vacation.

His friends, though a little sad that they wouldn't be studying with him, reluctantly accepted his decision under the same promise. After all, it wasn't like they wouldn't see him again.

Thus, the three years passed until his Hogwarts letter arrived. Normally, in France, the Beauxbatons letter should have come, but Nicolas Flamel took care of notifying the relevant schools, to which Dumbledore gladly agreed—without realizing the mistake he might have made…

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