Chapter 11: Nothing is True, Everything is Permitted
"You're not a wizard, are you?"
After the flustered boy had rushed away, the realization finally dawned on Harry. "I mean, you're not from a wizarding family?"
"Of course not. Is there something wrong with that?" Ezio glanced down at his own attire. "Wizards don't dress like this, do they?"
"Neither do ordinary people," Harry said, a smile suddenly breaking across his face. "But you're really amazing, learning magic just by reading books."
"The spells before the fourth year are all very simple. As long as you pronounce the incantation correctly, wave your wand the right way, and practice for a little while, you can master them." Ezio said it with an air of ease, and in truth, it really was that easy.
"Maybe you should give it a try." He pulled a book from his pocket, the title reading 'The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1'.
"Is that so?" Harry took the first-year Charms textbook. It wasn't that he hadn't looked at his Hogwarts textbooks, but he hadn't dared to practice magic at his aunt and uncle's house. The name of his owl, Hedwig, had come from his 'A History of Magic' textbook.
"The Wand-Lighting Charm, the Levitation Charm—you can try these two introductory spells to get familiar with casting. If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me."
"That's great!" Harry said happily, pulling his own wand from his pocket and eagerly beginning his attempt.
"Lumos!" he said quickly. The spell was printed in the first section of the first chapter of the book; he remembered the incantation without having to open it.
However, the tip of his wand only flashed faintly and didn't produce a sustained light.
"Pay attention to the phrasing and the emphasis, it's in the book. The wand movement is a firm but gentle tap forward. If you try to visualize the light in your mind as you cast, it'll be easier. The same goes for the Levitation Charm; you can imagine that you've already made something float."
"Good idea!" Harry nodded after listening to Ezio, then closed his eyes to picture the image. After a moment of concentration, he opened his eyes and recited the spell as written in the book: "Lu-mos."
A soft, white magical light ignited at the tip of his wand. After his first successful spell, Harry's excitement was visible to the naked eye.
"It's simple, right?" Ezio put away the 'Complete Book of Household Magic' he had been reading and swapped it for another book.
"It really isn't hard. I think I can even control how bright it is!" The light at the tip of Harry's wand grew larger and smaller, and he grinned from ear to ear.
After fiddling with his wand for a while, Harry finally refocused his attention. Seeing Ezio with his head down in another book, he tilted his head to look at the cover.
"Hogwarts: A History'?" Harry asked curiously. "I don't remember this book being on the school list."
"Mm, it's for leisure reading. I bought quite a few. I also learned about you from a book on recent major events in the wizarding world."
"You must have gotten really good grades in school, right?" Harry suddenly felt the kind of nervousness one feels when facing a top student.
"No, quite the opposite. I've always been homeschooled. I've never been to school for even a single day," Ezio said, shaking his head. "My father was an idiot who always burned the food, but he knew a great many things. He was a professional in his trade, but if you sent him to a university, he could have been an excellent professor. My father was my teacher. He taught me a lot."
A flash of envy crossed Harry's eyes, but it quickly dimmed, replaced by a more complex emotion. He suddenly felt that the two of them were a bit alike.
"Your dad must have been amazing," Harry said, looking up and offering an encouraging gaze. He didn't know why he was doing it; perhaps he hoped Ezio could move on from his grief.
"Of course he was. He raised me all by himself. I know he was trying his best." A faint smile touched Ezio's lips, and familiar images seemed to flash in his mind.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know…"
"Don't always apologize, Harry. It's a bad habit." Ezio waved his hand. "We need to be clear about our goals, to know what we need to do. For example, I came to Hogwarts to learn magic and become stronger, and also to gather clues. Sooner or later, I will find out the truth of the matter."
Seeing Harry nod, Ezio continued, "What about you, Harry?"
Harry fell into a complicated silence. He couldn't give a definite answer himself. He knew Voldemort was the one who had killed his parents, but having never received parental love, he didn't know the heart-wrenching pain of loss.
He knew he was supposed to hate Voldemort, but he didn't know 'how' to hate him. This hatred was not yet a clear, defined concept in his mind. He had only learned the truth of his parents' death a month ago.
"Perhaps you'll figure it out in the future. But I want to say one more thing." Ezio roughly guessed Harry's thoughts and understood why, but it wasn't what Ezio wanted.
"What is it?" Harry asked curiously.
"Someone who doesn't even dare to avenge the blood feud of their own parents might as well be dead. Unless your parents showed you no care or love. After you figure out why your parents died, and why you survived, maybe then you'll have your own answer."
"Is… is that so?"
Harry was still a bit lost. He couldn't quite wrap his head around these things yet. After all, he was just an eleven-year-old boy who had just left his foster home, not an adult with a fully formed worldview and values.
"Take your time with these things. There's no need to rush right now." Seeing the thoughtful look on Harry's face, Ezio dropped the subject. Some things were better left unsaid; Harry had to figure them out for himself, to understand them after witnessing them firsthand.
"Have you thought about which house you'll be sorted into at Hogwarts?"
"What house?" Harry asked blankly. He was completely in the dark about these things.
"Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Slytherin. The four great houses of Hogwarts. Every student is sorted into their own house after arriving. The names of the four houses come from the four founders of Hogwarts."
"Godric Gryffindor was an outstanding duelist, so Gryffindor House tends to accept young wizards who are brave and have an adventurous spirit."
"Rowena Ravenclaw was a wise scholar. Ravenclaw House focuses on accepting intelligent minds. If you have a strong thirst for knowledge, Ravenclaw is a good place to be."
"Helga Hufflepuff's kindness and compassion are qualities many wizards lack. While Hufflepuff House seems not to be picky about any young wizard, it won't accept you if you don't have a kind heart."
"Salazar Slytherin, in my eyes, was a true, orthodox wizard. He pursued power, didn't care for the opinions or gazes of others, and had his own clear goals. victory, or rather success, was what he chased. Although he has the worst reputation among the four founders, Slytherin is the house I most want to be in."
"Why Slytherin? I thought Voldemort was from Slytherin," Harry asked, confused. "You're so smart, wouldn't Ravenclaw be a good fit?"
"Why do we learn, Harry?" Ezio looked him in the eye. "We learn to gain enough knowledge to deal with unknown difficulties. We learn to gain the power to accomplish things. Knowledge is a tool, not the end goal. Unless you want to become a fool with a head full of nothing but academic research."
"Oh, right. Yes, that does sound a bit awful," Harry nodded after thinking it over. He found it hard to imagine himself as a bookworm; that would be too painful.
"That's why I choose Slytherin. Because I know what I have to do. One day in the future, the moment I find out the truth, I will personally kill the one who murdered my father."
"I have long been prepared for revenge, Harry."
Stared at by Ezio, Harry shifted his neck uncomfortably.
"But killing is against the law, Ezio," Harry said in a small voice. He was still a law-abiding good boy.
"If the law cannot bring me fairness and justice… At least I haven't seen the Ministry of Magic take any action on this matter. It's possible a high-ranking Ministry official was the one who did it."
Ezio's voice was heavy. "Nothing is true, everything is permitted."
"We cannot live forever in a world where others set the rules for us. What's the difference between that and being a puppet?"
"We must grasp the power that allows us to be free. Each of us is a free individual."
"If it weren't for Voldemort, would you have had a loving mother and father, Harry? Although I only had a father, I know he loved me, even though he never said it."
"Avenging him is the only thing I can do for him as his son."
Ezio's voice grew somber. He had no other capital in the wizarding world. If he wanted to achieve anything, he had to throw himself into the game.