Taylen POV
After receiving our wands, I threw myself into practice like a man possessed.
Every spell I knew, every rune I had studied, every modified charm I had created—I drilled them relentlessly. More than once, if someone had wandered into the study at four in the morning, they would have found me surrounded by open books and scattered parchments, reading and experimenting like some mad magical scientist.
Alongside spellwork, I strengthened my Occlumency. My birthday was approaching, which meant magical maturity wasn't far away. If my power was going to grow, my mind needed to be just as disciplined.
Our wands themselves were masterpieces.
Mine was Yew, though darker than the natural wood, almost black. It fit perfectly in my hand. The grip was intricately carved with vein-like patterns that ran along the handle and ended in the sculpted head of a dragon.
Kathey's wand was Cedar, elegant and smooth. Vines spiraled delicately around the handle, and the base of it was sealed with a thin layer of blue magical resin that shimmered softly in the light. It suited her perfectly.
One evening I was outside training with Arcturus while Anubis rested nearby.
The creature had just returned after delivering a letter to Kathey.
Arcturus raised his wand.
"Don't hold back," he said.
I didn't.
He opened with Bombarda, blasting the ground at my feet and kicking up a cloud of dust meant to blind me.
I countered instantly with a wandless Anapneo
The air cleared in a rush. Before the dust could settle, I fired a combination attack
"Petrificus Totalus" and with three Severing Charms followed in quick succession.
Arcturus crouched low and slid across the ground, his wand flicking sharply.
"Finite!"
The body-bind dissipated before it could touch him. Using the momentum of the slide, he launched himself upward in a clean flip.
Two spells shot from his wand at once.
The Jelly-Legs Jinx hit me first. My knees buckled immediately but I still had time.
"Immobulus!"
The Reducto clashed mid-air giving me time, just long enough for me to cancel the jinx , and with a Finite,control returned to my legs quickly.
Arcturus lowered his wand.
"Aight kid," he said with a grin. "That's enough for today."
I lowered mine too.
He walked over and clapped my shoulder.
"Good job. I'm proud of you."
Then something unexpected happened.
A sudden pressure surged through my body, like something inside me was splitting apart.
My muscles locked. I grabbed Arcturus's shoulder as pain shot through me and dropped to one knee, my hand bracing against the ground.
"What's happening?" he asked.
But I was already diving inward.
Inside my inner world, the enormous diamond-shaped core within my tech sphere trembled violently. Then my core split.
I quickly expanded the sphere, reinforcing the structures around it like the drive shelves, defensive layers, strengthening the magical networks I made, strengthening the outer and inner defences and walls.
The core divided into two equal halves.
One turned grey-blue, heavy with dark affinity.
The other glowed pure white, resonating with light and neutral magic.
The size hadn't changed. But now there were two of them. Which meant that now I had twice the magical capacity than before.
The sensation was like intense pressure and heat, but it passed quickly.
When I opened my eyes again, I was lying on the couch.
Arcturus sat beside me.
"You good, kid?" he asked, handing me a cup.
I sat up slowly and drank.
"Yeah," I said. "Magical maturity probably cause my birthday's tomorrow."
He studied me carefully, then nodded.
"Alright then."
The next morning I woke early as usual.
A soft pop sounded beside me.
"Master Taylen," Jack said with a bow. "Please come to breakfast. Sire is on leave today and wishes to spend the day with you."
I practically sprinted to the bathroom, washed up, stretched, combed my hair, and rushed to the dining hall.
The day was incredible.
After breakfast and a short round of training, Arcturus took me flying. I rode Blackwing, with Anubis gliding beside me, while Arcturus followed on an Aethonan.
We flew deeper into the forest than usual.
There, we found something rare and unexpected , a herd of unicorns.
Quietly and respectfully, I managed to collect a few strands of shed hair from several of them cause it was an excellent trade material.
By evening we returned home and the Lovegoods were waiting.
We cut the cake and moved on to presents.
Xenophilius and Pandora gifted me a curious magical monocle. It could zoom long distances, detect magical creature signatures at night, and even spot Wrackspurts.
Kathey gave me a book titled 'Weird but True Facts of the Wizarding World.'
After flipping through a few pages I realized something.
Most of the so-called "dreamy" Lovegood theories were actually… accurate.
Arcturus simply smiled.
"You'll receive my gift when school begins."
On June 22nd, I surprised Kathey.
At midnight I showed up at her house with a cake. With her parents' permission, I took her to my place for the day.
We began the morning the usual way studying and training.
During breakfast she excitedly told me about one of her ideas it was enchanted flight shoes.
Eventually she planned to apply the enchantment to clothing as well.
For now, she was working on a modified Herbivicus spell that could grow a plant directly from a seed while accelerating its growth.
I lent her my journal of modified spells for inspiration.
That evening I took her flying on our brooms to show her the forest. She finally met Blackwing, and her owl ,Aluminis, flew alongside Anubis.
As the sun set, we sat beside the lake eating snacks that Arcturus had packed while he told stories about his time at Hogwarts.
The months flew by.
Soon it was September 1st.
I woke early, packed my room, and stored several of my forged weapons inside a hidden compartment in my trunk. I put my enchanted parchment which had a modified Homunculus charm, which made it better than a Maurauders map, but I still needed to know how to do the tracking people part, which I'll find out at Hogwarts, and there were lots of flaws too. This parchment was basically for Anubis and anyone with my rings with a Protean charm to see where he is.
Outside, a Ministry car waited.
After saying goodbye to Jack and Jill, I stepped inside with Anubis perched on my shoulder.
Halfway to King's Cross, Arcturus spoke.
"Hold out your left hand."
I slid my chain bracelet back and did so.
"Close your eyes."
When I opened them again, a silver wristwatch rested on my wrist.
Its face was white with golden hands, and tiny lever-buttons lined the sides. It has dragon hide band with silver bands in it.
Arcturus pressed a few combinations, revealing hidden functions—planetary maps, a calendar system, reminders if I wanted and alarms too, it also had a foe detection glass.
Then he entered a final sequence.
A tiny hourglass appeared I was shocked and froze.
"Is this…?"
"Yes," he said. "A Time-Turner."
My eyes widened "Five hours maximum per day," he continued firmly. "No more. Promise?"
"I promise."
I hugged him tightly.
We reached King's Cross Station and passed through the barrier to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
The Hogwarts Express stood waiting, red and steaming.
The Lovegoods were already there.
Kathey looked at me and nodded.
She understood exactly how I felt.
"Be good, lad," Arcturus said. "I'm proud of you."
"Thank you… Dad." He was nothing less than a father for me.
He pulled me into a hug. "Thank you, son."
Little Luna was there too, clinging to Kathey and complaining loudly.
"Don't worry," I told her. "You'll join us in a few years."
Pandora smiled gently.
"Take care of our daughter," she said.
"You're practically our son too."
"Yes ma'am," I replied.
Kathey and I found an empty compartment and sat down. Outside, our families waved goodbye.
The train whistle blew.
The Hogwarts Express began to move.
And just like that—
our adventure truly began.
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