.
Albert's lips curved into an unmistakably mischievous smile as he watched the two little bullies flee down the street, screaming as if the devil himself were on their heels.
"Sir… was that just now…" Harry asked hesitantly, lowering his voice as though afraid someone might overhear them. His face was red, and his fingers twisted nervously around the handle of the shovel.
Albert waved his hands dismissively, shaking his head. "How would I know? Don't ask me things like that. I'm just an ordinary person."
Harry didn't believe that for even a second.
An ordinary person wouldn't calmly stand by while something so strange happened, let alone encourage it. An ordinary person would be terrified—or angry. Albert was neither.
"The reason they felt fear," Albert continued casually, holding out one hand as though explaining a simple fact, "is because what you did went beyond their understanding."
Harry froze.
"So… this is normal for you?" he asked slowly. The thought struck him all at once. Earlier, Albert had asked whether he was a wizard, a sorcerer, or something else entirely.
Albert looked at him calmly. "It's nothing special. I've seen quite a lot. Compared to that, what you did just now barely counts."
Harry stared at his own hands.
"Then… sir," he said, his voice trembling despite himself, "what am I?"
What exactly was hidden inside him?
Albert snorted. "Stop standing around. Hold the shovel and keep digging. Don't start slacking off now."
"Oh—sorry!" Harry jumped slightly and immediately bent back to work.
Only then did Albert continue, his tone casual, as if discussing the weather. "That was magic, kid. You're a wizard. Born that way."
The world seemed to stop.
The breeze vanished. The clouds above froze in place. Even Harry's own breathing felt locked in his chest.
"I—I—" Harry swallowed hard. "I'm sorry, sir… what did you say?"
Albert sighed and repeated himself, this time raising his right hand.
"Wizard."
A flame burst into existence in his palm.
Harry forgot how to breathe.
Glowing runes crawled across Albert's exposed forearm, symbols Harry had never seen before, yet somehow felt ancient and powerful. The fire burned steadily, bright but controlled, like something plucked straight from a dream.
Crack.
Albert closed his fist, and the flame vanished as if it had never existed.
"Just a demonstration," he said lightly. "I can't show too much. Otherwise, I might attract the Ministry of Magic."
"The… Ministry of Magic?" Harry repeated blankly, still staring at Albert's clenched hand.
"No idea," Albert replied honestly. "Some sort of troublesome organization. They tried to abduct me once. If Lucifer hadn't put up a magic-blocking spell, they might have already found this place."
In truth, Albert knew very little about this world. He didn't even understand how the Ministry had discovered him back then. He had merely been flying over London when they suddenly appeared.
Damn it. He hadn't even been streaking. Why arrest him?
Thankfully, whatever methods they used, they hadn't tracked down his hideout.
"So… can I do that too?" Harry asked, his eyes shining. "Make fire appear?"
"I don't know," Albert said, shaking his head.
From what he'd observed, magic in this world seemed to rely heavily on small sticks—wands, really. Thin, wand-like objects, not much bigger than chopsticks.
Harry asked question after question after that.
Albert's answers never changed.
"I don't know." "Unclear." "Who knows?"
Yet Harry was happier than he had ever been.
Albert never grew impatient. He never snapped. Aside from calling him "kid" constantly and wearing a permanently unreadable expression, he was… kind.
"All right," Albert said at last, clapping his hands together. "Bring the Moon Spirit Flower."
Harry carefully lifted the fully unearthed cluster of pale blossoms, holding it as if it might shatter at the slightest touch.
"Come inside," Albert said, turning toward the house.
Harry hesitated.
He glanced back at Number Four, Privet Drive.
Somehow, he knew that the house before him—Number Thirteen—was a doorway to a completely different world.
Heart pounding, he followed.
The interior was chaos.
A fire burned calmly in the fireplace. A broom leaned crookedly against the door. Tools, books, and strange objects were piled everywhere without any apparent order.
Harry stared in disbelief at Albert, who stood among the mess in a perfectly tailored suit, handsome and composed.
It didn't fit at all.
Albert shut the door. Harry noticed a circular disk embedded in its upper corner. Half of it was brown, the other half lush green. A pointer rested on the brown side.
Albert twisted the doorknob.
Ding.
The pointer spun with a crisp, bell-like sound and landed firmly on green.
Albert opened the door again.
Harry's jaw dropped.
Outside was no longer Privet Drive.
Instead, a vast green meadow stretched out before them, ending abruptly at a cliff's edge.
Albert stepped out calmly. "Well? Are you planning to stay inside forever?"
Harry stumbled after him.
When he turned around, his breath caught.
They were standing inside a massive castle, four or five stories tall, cobbled together from various structures. Abstract features—eyes, ears, even a mouth—were built into its walls.
Lucifer had chosen the location well.
The castle was hidden deep within the mountains, tucked among towering redwoods. A wide meadow lay before it, and beyond that, a cliff offering an unobstructed view of the moon—perfect for the Moon Spirit Flower.
"Let's begin," Albert said. "Transplant the flower."
"O—okay," Harry replied weakly, still in shock.
Albert selected a spot, tossed the shovel back to Harry, and returned inside.
Alone, Harry relaxed slightly. His gaze drifted toward the towering castle.
Magic. A moving castle.
And he was a wizard.
He looked over the cliff. Wind brushed his hair aside, revealing the scar on his forehead. Below lay a vast sea of green forest, with mountains rising endlessly in the distance.
It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
His parents had been wizards too, hadn't they?
Inside the castle, Lucifer's voice echoed lazily. "Who's the kid? The one who damaged the Moon Spirit Flower?"
Albert nodded as he pulled sausages, bacon, and lamb chops from the refrigerator.
Pfft.
Lucifer emerged from the stove, propping himself against a pan. Knives and spatulas leapt into the air, chopping and stirring on their own.
"This kid has magic," Albert said, cracking eggs expertly. "I'm planning to use him to learn more about this world's magic system."
Lucifer swallowed an eggshell mid-sentence. "Honestly… crunch… you could just fly around London again. Someone would come arrest you eventually."
Albert sighed. "I'm not that strong anymore. And I'm still cursed."
"Oh, right," Lucifer chuckled. "A pilot turned into a pig. A wizard turned into a cat. Hilarious."
As he spoke, Albert's disguise slipped.
A round, silver-white cat's head replaced his human face.
"And a Maine Coon, no less," Lucifer added.
"Shut up and eat," Albert snapped.
FOR MORE CHAPTERS
patreon.com/Tonystarc961