Smell Of Magic

Illinois, USA.

Lucy went to her old home address hoping to see her previous life's parents, should be married by now, and she should be 6 at this time. However, she doesn't know if such a scenario is possible. She wished for it to happen.

Lucy reached her old street, and the nostalgia made her smile, but there is also the unsettling feeling of watching unknown people who are different in the place of the faces she remembered.

Her large figure attracted attention, and one of the guys saw such a girl looking for something and approached her.

"Are you searching for something or someone?"

Lucy replied to the man, "Yes, do you know Mr. and Mrs. Miller? I'm their relative, this is their address but I can't find their house."

"No, I've never heard of them. Maybe you are at the wrong address?"

Lucy expected it and replied, "Oh, thank you."

She left quickly, sitting in her hotel room. Lucy grasped the bed sheets tightly as her chest tightened. "....Mom! Dad! I'm sorry for giving up on you so easily."

She wailed and teared up until she couldn't. She felt disgusted with herself, about accepting the new 'family' too quickly; maybe calling the Potters a 'family' is a sin itself. But she couldn't deny the love she felt from Potters before things spiraled out. There is turmoil in her that is holding her heart down.

Her empty eyes stared at the ceiling, and Lucy gradually recovered.

'Maybe, one day I can revive them and summon them, but do they even like it? Maybe they have also reincarnated, but the possibility of heaven and hell exists too. No, I shouldn't even think about these things before I get to that level.'

Lucy remembered her parents dying clearly. So, the hope of seeing them here is present, but now that it's shattered, she could only hope one day she's powerful enough to see them just once.

(A.N: No, MC doesn't have mysterious godly parents, I hate that trope with my life. She's just a nobody like us.)

After she freshened up, she packed up all her stuff and left for the state of Pennsylvania.

#####

At the same time in England.

An old man in weird robes and Professor Snape stood in front of the cottage, which had been sealed with police tape.

"Do you really think it's an accidental death, Professor Snape?"

"Yes, Headmaster. Carbon monoxide poisoning is a thing of concern in muggle houses."

"Whatever the reason might be, we should keep an eye on little Lucy for her protection. Did you find out about her whereabouts?"

"Headmaster, Ms. Potter just went to spend winter break holidays and she will return in two months. Besides, aren't you going too far for a Squib who can't even see magic?"

"Professor Snape, she is surrounded by signs of bad omen. This is merely to protect her from danger; otherwise, Lily will regret it if something happens to Little Lucy. Send Sirius to protect Lucy."

"He won't, he will be busy entertaining the little golden child of Gryffindor."

"Ah, that's right. Then, I have no choice, I have to manage it somehow."

Dumbledore's eyes swept toward Lucy's apartment. One thought ran through his mind.

'I just wish the divination is false.'

#####

Forest City, Pennsylvania.

"That's some serious muscle right there."

"Right? She has done at least 70 reps without stopping till now."

"1000 pounds is no joke. Isn't this a world record?"

"She crossed 80 reps!"

The people in the gym encouraged Lucy who is bench pressing 1000 pounds. She joined the gym today and after some warm-up, she started her chest day exercises and now, she is going for the first mission.

The rest of the people in the gym are encouraging her, watching her enthusiastically, and cheering for her.

"90."

Lucy bench-pressed the weights, She's not putting in her maximum effort but she's really liking the exercise.

"100!"

"She did it!"

She put the Barbell on rest and sat down. The rest of the gym mates praised her, to which she thanked them. After completing the exercises for the day, Lucy returned to the new house she rented for two months.

After refreshing up and preparing to go out to complete another mission, she prepared to receive the reward for the completion of the mission.

[Mission 1: Bench press 1000 pounds a hundred times. (completed)]

[Reward: 5% Assimilation.

Would you like to receive it?]

'Yes,' Lucy mentally accepted the reward.

[Name: Lucy Evans Potter

Level: 0

World: Low

Templates: [Captain Carter] [Jacob Black (5%)]

New Draw(s): 0

Missions: 4]

Immediately, she felt a change in her senses. The voices, smells, and distinct sight overwhelmed her, it's not the pain, rather, it's the disoriented form of information she's sensing that's confusing her thoughts.

She felt her senses improved when her first template was fused, but this felt different, even Jacob Black's senses are not this overwhelming from the experience she has gained regarding the control of senses.

It took a while, but she calmed down as she gained control over her senses.

"Hah~"

She got accustomed to it and thought about the reason. She has a better version of Jacob Black's senses; his experience with it helped her gain control over it.

'Is it due to the super soldier serum in my body? That might explain the enhanced effect. So, the future templates can be affected by my initial powers. It's good to know.'

"What is this smell?"

Lucy felt her body emitting some kind of strange fragrance she never smelled before. She doesn't know what it is exactly, but it's not her body odor; she can smell the body odor along with this strange smell. It's so faint yet she can smell it.

'Is it magic? Only one way to check it.'

She focused her eyes out of the windows through her house. The distance she can cover is a lot of miles and she sees many people walking on the road.

She felt many smells which are 'normal,' but mainly, there are some people with distinct smells that are strange. One of them carried a wand that was concealed, but with her sight, she identified it.

'So, it is indeed Magic, but some smells are extremely stronger than mine by a large margin. So, either I'm still a Squib or they just have powerful magic.'

Initially, she wanted to go out, but she decided to test the theory. Lucy opened the three magic books and read them within an hour. She can just flip the pages and she can remember all the content in them with her senses without a problem.

There is a simple spell in the diary about lighting up the room like a flashbang.

She picked up her wand, but she didn't feel anything with it. She can smell magic in the wand, and it is stronger than hers.

'Common, squibs can use magical objects, right? Did I get that right? I should have read magic books when I still had the chance'

She used the wand and cast the spell with it.

"micare"

Nothing happened. She tried the chant again and again, feeling it from the bottom of her heart, but her magic is not budging. She can just sense its faint existence, nothing more.

'So, I'm still a squib, but at least, I can see magic now. At least something changed, and magic is real here. '

It's a far cry from her past life where she tried spells and dark rituals to see if she could revive her parents.

#######

PAST LIFE.

A blonde girl can be seen standing in front of an Altar on which a decomposed Goat head is placed. In her hands is a bone that is drenched in some black substance.

"Common how long are you going to take? This crazy setup is already creepy," A girl by her side replied.

The blonde poured blood over the goat's head and replied, "Chill out, I'm just trying this out, After the chant, everything will be over. We can clean this place and leave."

The blonde girl closed her eyes and began to pray.

"Shub-Niggurath, Mother of Fertility,

From your dark womb, life shall writhe,

In your embrace, where shadows thrive.

Bless me with your eldritch grace,

In your power, I find my place.

Fertile earth and dreadful sea,

Under your watchful eye, I'll be

Grant me my wish."

The Blonde completed the ritual and turned to her friend, "See, It's over. Now, Let's clean this place; I still have rituals to do."

"Why are you doing these pointless things anyway?"

"I just want to revive my parents?..... I suppose," The blonde replied.

######

Present.

'Now, I'm in a place where Magic is real, and yet, I'm still normal. Still, I have something magical now. So, it's not all bad.'

Placing the wand in her purse and with this new knowledge, she understood her new limits.

The only useful book she can use is some realistic Occlumency without the magic part. There is something similar in Captain Carter's skills, the psychological resistance, which has similar but weaker effects of Occlumency.

'If I combine both of these skills and develop them, I could create something similar to magical Occlumency and shield my mind and emotions. Showing fake memories might be impossible, but emptying everything shouldn't be a problem for me.'

She started meditation for an hour and tried to clear her mind. She could easily suppress her emotions yet There was always some thought coming up, but she knew she could do it after a few experiments.

She stored the books in the magical purse. Deciding to complete the next part of the plan, Lucy became ready for her trip.

She searched the nearby areas to find information on gunsmiths or any factory that produces guns and finally found one in the nearby town.

Johan, the master blacksmith, looked at the buff girl in front of him with a scrutinizing gaze and asked, "You want to learn how to make guns?"

"I'm interested in blacksmithing as a whole, but guns are fun," Lucy replied.

"Great, another idiot is here," he mumbled to himself.

"You don't know just how dangerous guns can be, lady."

Lucy responded enthusiastically, "I know, that's precisely why I find them fascinating. Besides, crafting something as complex as guns looks like a challenge."

"Even if I teach you just the basics, it will take years to master this craft, and there is no such thing as simple and hard; every successful crafting is a challenge."

"I'm still young, and please, I built my muscles for this moment. I'm also paying you, right?"

"Fine, but you can't ask for a refund if you find it too difficult and choose to quit. This is also winter; it won't be easy,"

he relented, as Lucy was paying him a lot for just two months of training.