Wyzett was discharged from St. Mungo's without a hitch, and with it, he accepted a new identity—he was now part of the Lovegood family.
Just as Luna had declared: he had a family.
Luna lived in Ottery St. Catchpole, a village where wizards and Muggles coexisted in quiet secrecy. The Statute of Secrecy meant wizards had to restrain their magic, especially around Muggles. For Luna, who rarely ventured into Muggle parts of the village, home was her entire world.
As for the details of the Statute of Secrecy, even Luna admitted she didn't know much. "You'll learn all about it in History of Magic at Hogwarts," she promised with a dreamy smile.
But there was so much else she did know—practical things about the wizarding world, the sort of knowledge Wyzett craved. And he was a marvelous listener. In just a few days, Luna had come to trust him completely, sharing stories and secrets as if they'd known each other forever.
The Lovegood home was a black stone tower on the edge of the village, cylindrical like a chess rook. Beyond the castle stretched a lush, wild garden teeming with magical plants—Luna's playground. She flitted among the blossoms like a butterfly, gathering dew, loosening soil, watering, and laughing with delight.
Her favorite companion was a tiny owl. The first day Wyzett arrived, Luna introduced her proudly. "Her name is Diana. She's the best post owl in the world!"
"Post owl? You mean wizards actually use owls to send mail?" Wyzett asked, fascinated.
Luna stroked Diana's feathery head. "Of course! Letters, parcels, anything really—Diana can handle it all."
There was something inherently magical, almost romantic, about using owls for post—a tradition that made the wizarding world feel utterly unique.
Besides Diana, the garden's most energetic residents were the gnomes—tiny, potato-shaped creatures with legs. Luna got on famously with them; whenever she was planting, gnomes would pop from their burrows to help dig.
They were less friendly with Wyzett. In fact, one bit his finger on his first day. Luna bandaged him up with gentle hands and an airy explanation: "Daddy says gnomes are a blessing. If you feel a spark of talent today, don't hold it back—it's a gift from the gnomes!"
Wyzett was new to wizard life, but Luna had grown up with it. He chose to believe her.
He certainly felt something stirring inside.
In his mind, The Wizard's Practical Combat Guide flipped to its second page, revealing fresh instructions:
Ancient Magic: Shield Charm: With meditation and precise gestures, channel ancient magical power and expand it into a protective barrier…
A spell that required no wand.
Luna had explained that most wizards needed a wand to cast spells. Wyzett would need an acceptance letter from Hogwarts before he could get one. Dumbledore had promised he'd be admitted, but nearly two weeks had passed and still, no letter had arrived.
To learn magic from the Practical Combat Guide—and wandless magic at that—thrilled him.
He left the garden for the banks of a nearby stream, eager to practice.
First, he had to master the gestures: palms pressed together, then a series of intricate, almost sigil-like movements, ending with his index fingers and thumbs touching, hands spread wide…
The sequence wasn't difficult. After a few tries, he had it memorized.
But that was only the beginning. Next came channeling the ancient magic itself, fusing it with the gestures. This part was far harder. Every time his hands met, he felt a surge of conflicting energy—his palms would repel each other as if they were magnets with the same pole, making the final gesture awkward and unstable.
Is it because my power comes from the Obscurus? Maybe I should try the meditation technique…
As a student, Wyzett was used to tackling problems methodically. He slipped into the Custodis Meditatio (Guardian's Meditation) state. The world sharpened around him, and the flow of magic became smoother, more manageable.
He completed the final gesture. Silver-blue ancient magic gathered between his hands, coalescing into a glowing sphere.
And then—
The orb blinked out. The energy rushed back into his body.
According to the Practical Combat Guide, the last step should have spread the power outward, forming a barrier. Instead, the energy always rebounded inward. He hadn't succeeded.
Yet the very appearance of the orb was exhilarating. It spurred him to keep trying.
He practiced over and over. The gestures became second nature, but the outcome was always the same: just as the orb was about to expand, the power slipped away.
It felt as if something essential was missing.
"Wyzett, are you practicing magic?" Luna's airy voice floated over.
Diana, perched on Luna's shoulder, looked half-asleep.
"That looks like the kind of spell only ancient wizards could do. Can I watch again?"
"Of course!" Wyzett kept his mind in the meditative state and ran through the motions once more. But as before, the energy failed to become a shield.
"Maybe you're missing a strong wish," Luna mused, tilting her head. "I read in an old notebook that wizards need a true desire when casting spells. That's what makes magic gentle—like Diana."
"There was such a notebook?" Wyzett was intrigued. "Do you still have it? Could I read it?"
"It's gone." Luna shook her head, her voice a little firmer than usual. "There was an accident. A lot of notebooks disappeared."
"An accident? Couldn't magic fix them?" Wyzett asked. He'd heard of the Reparo charm—powerful enough to mend even shattered houses.
Luna shook her head again. "It was a magical accident. My mother… she was a wonderful witch, always experimenting. One day, a charm went wrong…"
"I was there. The force of the failed spell was incredible. My mother vanished. So did her notebooks…"
Seeing the look on Luna's face, Wyzett felt a pang of guilt. "I'm sorry… I didn't realize…"
He'd known Luna's mother was gone, but he hadn't considered that Luna had witnessed it.
"It really is a sad thing," Luna said, her voice drifting again, light as thistledown. "But I still have family… And it's not that I'll never see Mum again. There'll be a way, someday. Won't there?"
Now Wyzett understood why Luna had spoken so earnestly about family that day at St. Mungo's.
"Hoot!"
Diana suddenly snapped awake, flapping her wings and screeching a warning.
The placid stream beside them erupted, sending up a spray of water that splashed across both Wyzett and Luna…
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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