Auden was feeling excited about the guest who was meeting him today. He once again looked at the Hogwarts letter he had received a few weeks ago. He received it after the incident where Rita had completely surrendered and signed the contract. It was the general letter of admission sent by Hogwarts teachers, and most likely, Dumbledore would send Minerva, who was his most trusted faction member after Snape. And with Snape's social qualities and first impressions, McGonagall would be the best option to provide a better first impression.
Auden was sure that Dumbledore would try his best to include him in Harry's group of friends one way or another. He was sure that the castle, which had gained sentience, would not betray him, but it was still better to be wary of Dumbledore.
McGonagall was a bit puzzled about the new student she was about to visit. The meetings with the parents and students were divided among the teachers, with her supervising the division. But this time, Dumbledore came by himself and insisted that she go to meet this particular child without explaining why he was special. And every time Dumbledore seemed about to say what it was, one unfortunate thing after another began happening.
Either a brick would suddenly fall from the ceiling, a step would suddenly increase in size and make him trip, or the table in the headmaster's office—which had been there since the first headmistress Helga Hufflepuff—suddenly broke both of its legs and fell on Dumbledore as he sat in the chair. That moment happened in front of the faculty, making them believe that some taboo or curse was being placed on whatever Dumbledore was about to say. Only Minerva knew that it was about a particular student.
And today, she was about to meet that student and see what was special about him.
McGonagall walked into the house while inspecting everything around her with her senses and magical ability. She could see that the house was properly warded like the houses of pureblood families, but at the same time, it was a modern build with modern facilities like lights and fans present everywhere. She was becoming even more curious about the individual she was meeting.
As she entered the house through the open door, she encountered a child sitting in the living room chair with a battle-trained owl perching nearby. As she passed through the door, the child got up from the seat to greet her.
"Good morning, Professor, and thank you for coming all the way here."
"Good morning, and it's fine. It is the duty of the Hogwarts faculty to inform new students about the world of magic in Britain. But looking at it right now, you don't seem to be from the Muggle side of the world" McGonagall said while pointing at the house with her wand.
"Oh, recently I was under the care of two people who were from the wizarding world. They were kind enough to gift me this house to live in for my future endeavours."
Minerva nodded, but she also knew that such a house could not be made by ordinary people. To give it as a gift was not normal. But she decided to put it in the back of her mind for now.
"Well, normally, an introduction to the wizarding world and then a small trip to Diagon Alley are included in this meeting. Shall we move on to that?" Minerva asked.
"Ah, well, Professor, I have already gone to Diagon Alley and bought everything required for a first-year," Auden said in an apologetic manner.
"Oh," Minerva replied, but she was not surprised. Knowing that Auden was helped by people from the wizarding world, she had expected something similar to happen. She then took out a ticket from her bag.
"Well then, all you need to do is reach Platform 9 ¾ on the required date and time. I wish you the best of luck, young man," Minerva said as she was about to leave. Making sure the child could reach the school was her only job.
"Wait a moment, Professor. If you don't mind, could you help me with a small matter?" Auden asked as he saw she was about to leave.
"Hmm?" Curious, Minerva stopped.
Seeing that she did, Auden took out his wand and began to perform each of the charms one by one while using the appropriate incantations associated with them.
Minerva's eyebrows rose slightly as she saw the first Lumos, which seemed brighter than a normal Lumos created by an adult. But as time passed, her eyes widened in shock as she saw him perform all the spells of the first-year Charms class with proficiency that matched adults. After showing each of the charm spells he had learned, Auden turned toward McGonagall.
"Professor, the truth is, I have been practicing the spells of the Charms class without any problems since all the steps are written in the books. But in the case of Transfiguration, I felt that it is dangerous to do it without any guidance. Could you please tell me how to start practicing it?" Auden asked.
Listening to this, Minerva first wanted to reject the request by saying it was dangerous and should be practiced only after getting into Hogwarts. But seeing the proficiency of the child in Charms and the strength of the spells used, she knew the boy had a talent in magic that was undeniable.
"Alright, it won't be much, as it is not proper to teach you before the start of classes, but I won't mind guiding you in a few spells that you can practice," Minerva said as she took out her wand.
Half an Hour Later
A pale-looking McGonagall walked out of Auden's home and, with trembling hands, used her wand to Apparate to Hogsmeade village. From there, she began walking towards her home while replaying what had happened back in Auden's house.
"He… he learned all the first-year Transfiguration spells!!" she kept muttering in shock. Auden had learned all the spells she had taught him within two tries, and even though it was not as proficient as his Charms, it was excellent for a first-year facing the year-end exams. And if she was right about his talent, he might become as proficient as adults with those spells within a few days. She began to feel a headache thinking about teaching such an excellent student.
"Well, at least now I can be prepared for this. I should also warn Filius about it as well," she thought as she went to prepare new notes for a particular student.
At the same time, the Boy Who Lived was in Diagon Alley, where the fight between Arthur Weasley and Lucius Malfoy had just ended. After the fight, Lucius walked away, feeling happy that his plan to put the dark artifact among Ginny Weasley's belongings had worked—unaware that the act had been photographed by someone hiding nearby.
"Oh, this is such a big scoop. Can't believe I have to wait till he gives me permission to publish it," Rita spoke to herself in a regretful manner, but her smile betrayed her tone.
A/N- hope you like it.