[Note: Read up to Chapter - 31 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]
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As the system's voice echoed in his mind, Aris felt a faint jolt in his chest. Almost on instinct, he pulled up the system panel.
A Task system?
Apparently, completing tasks would earn him something called academic points.
"What're academic points for, then?" he wondered aloud.
Almost as if reading his thoughts, the system chimed again:
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[Academic points can be used for redemptions and lucky draws. Please refer to the instructions for more details.]
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Before he could dig into it further, Luna's voice piped up beside him.
"The nature of magic? I didn't expect you to be into that!"
She looked pleasantly surprised, but her usual dreamy smile quickly returned—like she'd just discovered a kindred spirit.
"I actually asked my Daddy that once!" she said brightly.
"He told me magic was a gift—something special, given to us by God. But I reckon it's more like a weird sort of energy... and we just happen to be the ones who can channel it."
Aris turned to look at her properly now.
It was clear she'd given this a fair bit of thought. That alone set her apart from other young witches her age. Most kids who hadn't even turned eleven yet wouldn't be pondering the nature of magic—let alone chatting about it like this.
"You know what?" Aris said, giving a small wave of his hand.
The blades of grass Aris had lifted began to swirl and twist in midair, arranging themselves into strange symbols. To little Luna, they looked like some sort of code—or maybe even an equation she couldn't quite make sense of.
"When I was wandering around in the Muggle world," Aris began, "I picked up a bit of knowledge—like this…"
"The air we're breathing now? It's made up of all sorts of elements—nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and so on."
"In the Muggle world, every form of energy can be broken down into formulas. They study the elements, break them into molecules, atoms, and even smaller bits… to the atomic level and even less than that."
His voice grew more animated as he spoke, eyes starting to shine with excitement.
"So I was thinking… what if magic's the same? What if magical energy has its own elemental structure? We just haven't figured it out yet. I mean, maybe no one in the wizarding world's ever properly studied it."
Aris's thoughts were racing now, the possibilities spinning in his mind.
If magical energy was something real—a substance, not just some abstract, idealistic force—then maybe it could be understood, measured, even manipulated.
And if he could analyse it…
He might just change everything.
Not just the wizarding world.
Maybe even Muggles—ordinary people—could one day harness magic.
The entire world would never be the same.
"That's a bold idea!" Luna turned to him, her silver eyes wide with wonder. There was a spark in them now—excitement, curiosity, something a bit like awe.
"It's fascinating, really. There's something about it that feels… magical in itself."
"If you're serious about this, you should definitely talk to one of the professors when you get to Hogwarts. Someone like Dumbledore… I am sure he'd know all about it!"
Aris chuckled, the corners of his mouth curling into a warm smile.
"Yeah... I think I will."
The task system had now officially kicked in. From this point on, Aris could earn academic points just by asking questions each day.
Clearly, the Hogwarts professors were in for a rough ride.
Still... there were a few things that didn't quite sit right with him.
Did "teacher" mean he could only ask actual teachers?
The moment that thought crossed his mind, the system chimed again—as if it had been waiting for the question.
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[Congratulations! You've completed 1/3 of your daily task. You've earned 100 academic points.]
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That caught him off guard.
Luna hadn't exactly given a full answer to his question about the nature of magic—just a few thoughts—but the system had still marked it as complete.
One out of three. Not bad.
It was oddly encouraging.
There might be more to how the system worked, but clearly, it wasn't all rigid and rule-bound. It recognised curiosity and genuine effort. That was good to know.
Aris sat there in silence for a moment, mulling things over.
I'll have to do a bit more digging to really understand how this task system ticks.
Then an idea sparked. He turned to Luna again, ready to try his luck with another question.
"Luna, do you know how to strengthen your magical power?"
The little girl didn't disappoint. She tilted her head slightly, thoughtful, before replying.
"Daddy says a wizard's magic usually grows on its own, just by getting older. It tends to peak around middle age, then starts to fade after that."
"Of course, there are exceptions… like Headmaster Dumbledore—he's very old, but still properly powerful."
"Aside from that," Luna continued, "it's really hard to boost magical power through other means. Maybe there are some potions or alchemical tricks that can help—but Daddy doesn't really know much about that sort of deep magic..."
Aris gave a thoughtful nod.
Then—ding!
The system's voice chimed in again.
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[Congratulations! You've completed 2/3 of your daily task. You've earned 200 academic points.]
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So it wasn't just a fluke earlier.
As long as the person he asked gave a useful answer, the task counted as complete.
The difference in points… maybe it depended on how detailed the answer was?
The more complete the explanation, the better the reward?
He smirked at the thought.
"Three people walking together—there's always one who can be your teacher."
Turns out the old saying had some truth to it after all.
Time to try again.
But this time, he'd switch things up a bit.
"Luna..."
"If you've got more questions, ask away!"
Little Luna looked delighted, clearly enjoying the role of being the knowledgeable one for once.
Aris smiled warmly.
She's a sweet one, this girl.
Then a playful idea popped into his head.
"Luna, what's in your dad's left coat pocket?"
"Huh?" Luna blinked, completely thrown off.
Then she gave him a puzzled look.
"Aris... why're you asking something like that?"
"Nothing, just curious," Aris said casually, scratching his nose.
The truth was, he just wanted to test the system—to see if any question would count toward the daily task.
Little Luna hesitated for a moment, then gave a firm nod.
"Alright then, hang on—I'll go ask!"
With that, she hopped to her feet and disappeared back into the house.
Seemed like she was off to rummage through her dad's coat pocket to confirm the answer.
Well, at least she's thorough.
Watching her vanish through the door, Aris nodded in approval.
No wonder she ends up in Ravenclaw—proper thirst for knowledge, that one.
He stretched his neck and looked up at the sky. Just then, a tiny black speck appeared in the distance, growing larger as it approached.
An owl.
Within seconds, it swooped down and dropped a letter neatly into Aris's hands.
Another delivery from Hogwarts.
He pulled the parchment from the envelope and began to read:
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Dear Mr Shafiq,
As this is your first time enrolling and your situation is considered unique, Hogwarts will be sending a professor to visit you tomorrow.
They'll go over the details and explain everything you need to know.
Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
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Staring at the letter, Aris lowered his head in thought.
Then his expression shifted—just a bit puzzled.
"Blimey, they're taking this seriously…"
After all, most students didn't get personal visits from Hogwarts professors. That sort of thing was usually reserved for special cases—Muggle-borns, kids with unusual circumstances… or, y'know, famous saviour types.
Still, he wasn't complaining.
"They're sending McGonagall herself…"
He muttered to himself as the sunset breeze danced around him.
"She's meant to be a right expert, considering that she is very knowledgeable. Maybe I can ask her about the nature of magic without having to wait for Hogwarts to begin."
A small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
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[Note: Read up to Chapter - 31 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]