The sun shone down, and a warm glow spread across his face.
A gentle breeze blew, lifting the gauze curtains, then folding them up and down again.
It was a beautiful morning.
Anton had never slept so soundly since he traveled through time.
As an apprentice to a dark wizard, the old man never needed much sleep. Sometimes, at the crack of dawn, he would angrily push the door open and roar, "Why are you sleeping? There's plenty of time to sleep after you die!"
If he still stayed in bed, he would be cursed. Although not as outrageous as the Cruciatus Curse, it was guaranteed to be painful beyond the endurance of ordinary people.
Now...
Anton turned over, letting the sun shine on his butt, and comfortably planned to take another nap.
It was beautiful.
"Why are you sleeping? There's plenty of time to sleep after you die!"
A roar exploded in his ears!
Anton was so scared that he jumped off the bed, "Teacher, I was wrong. I will never..."
Suddenly, his face froze, and he stared blankly at the old wizard.
A pale, translucent figure, as if faded, floated before him.
"I'll circle and cross your aunt..." Anton was stunned.
The old wizard seemed to be unable to believe his ears. "How dare you scold me!"
He lunged forward with his claws bared, passing straight through Anton's body.
An icy sensation washed over Anton, shocking him as if he had eaten a whole freezer full of ice cream, and he shuddered.
The old wizard continued to curse, "You stupid idiot!..."
Anton swallowed, wishing the old wizard was still alive so he could go to the kitchen and get a knife to kill the thing again.
He finally had a new understanding of ghosts.
Unharmable, untouchable, ignoring walls, unattackable—this thing was like an invincible cheat!
Damn!
The wooden door of the room made a soft noise. It was Old Tom, bringing breakfast.
The kind old man, always afraid to wake Anton, lifted the door firmly to open it so it wouldn't creak. Then he put hot milk and bread on the small round table. He could always calculate the time Anton would wake up, and the temperature of the milk would be just right for drinking when he woke up.
Then, Old Tom was surprised to see the old wizard.
"First it was a werewolf, and now it's a ghost!" Old Tom was so surprised that he couldn't close his mouth, revealing his toothless gums, "No wonder you are not afraid to go out at night, you are surrounded by ghosts."
"..."
What could Anton say? He could only respond with a not-too-awkward smile.
Old Tom left, but the old wizard didn't leave. He
kept cursing beside him while he was brushing his teeth, glared at him while he went to the toilet, and still stood by him while he drank milk and ate bread.
Anton thought he would go crazy.
He sighed and looked at the old wizard silently, "Maybe you can start a new life for yourself."
The old wizard was stunned, "A new life?"
There's a way!
This guy can communicate!
"Right!" Anton suddenly perked up. "Think about it. You used to be like a rat in a ditch, hiding and hiding. You always walked in shadowy corners, afraid to communicate with others for fear of being harmed."
He spoke with great enthusiasm. "You built a high wall in your heart, isolating yourself from the world. When you were alive, no one remembered you, no one knew you, you weren't even alive."
"People were afraid of you, and you were afraid of others."
"But now..." Anton's tone began to become passionate, and his blood was boiling. "Although you are dead, you have earned the right to live a good life!"
"You can walk freely on the street." Anton pointed to the busy traffic outside the window.
"Just walk in the middle, in the middle of the crowd, with your head held high, your chest held high, and walk forward without fear."
"There is nothing in this world to fear anymore. You can go to any scenery you have never been able to see before."
Anton's eyes were blurred, and his arms were spread wide, as if embracing the whole world.
"You can greet the rising sun from atop a high mountain, feel the shimmering waves beside a clear river, and freely enjoy the perfect viewing spot at a bustling Quidditch match." "
You..."
"I..." The old wizard seemed to be moved by the beauty of this scene, a longing smile on his face.
He floated straight out, passing through the wall of the bar and inn, and disappeared.
"Hey, done," Anton said happily, continuing to gnaw on his bread. "Let others go to hell."
After breakfast, Anton curled up in bed again and pulled out the three books he had bought.
The first one he read was "The Standard Book of Spells, Elementary." It detailed the most basic spells.
Softening, Cutting, Unlocking, Levitation, Locking, Repairing, Repulsion, Wand Illumination, Fire-Starting Charms...
Each one was extremely useful. For example, the Unlocking Charm, without a lock cast by advanced magic, could be easily solved with just one spell.
After learning this, Anton could even brazenly rob a Muggle bank and live the height of his life.
Of course, that is, if he didn't get caught by the Aurors. And then there's the Levitation Charm, which is incredibly effective. With a wave of the wand, even the heaviest objects can float lightly in mid-air.
And this
is just what a young wizard learns in his first year!
The only problem is, the textbook has spells and explanations, but no techniques for casting spells, no instructions for the proper intonation, and no explanation of the emotions required.
The three elements of spell casting that the old wizard had mentioned are practically all missing!
After spending an entire morning reading the entire book, Anton felt lost. He felt like he understood so much, yet also like he had learned nothing.
It was all in vain.
This thing was like an article in a scientific journal that explored a certain issue, without the crucial data.
It was completely useless, other than providing a little understanding!
Anton's anticipation for attending Hogwarts was once again stronger.
The other two books he bought, "Magic Theory", contained only theory and general principles throughout the book, without a single word about spells.
"Dark Powers: A Guide to Self-Defense" was even more outrageous. Anton felt that writing about his own experiences over the past two months would be more useful than what was in the book.
Damn!
Four Galleons wasted.
He felt a little angry and wanted to throw the three books in the trash, but after a moment of hesitation, he put them back in his backpack. After all, he had bought them, and if he could go to Hogwarts, these were essential textbooks.
Finally, he pulled out "The Apprenticeship of the Great Alex Fiennes" from his shoulder bag.
While it covered dangerous Dark magic, at least the old wizard had the moral integrity to detail all the key points.
He flipped to the first page and began to read with relish.
Besides recording various spells, the book also included the old wizard's life experiences.
This was also an invaluable piece of knowledge.
"Haha," Anton laughed as he watched the old wizard secretly curse his teacher between the lines. "You had such a shitty experience too."
The old wizard's teacher was a Dark wizard of equally terrible character.
Anton was truly gifted at empathy.
"You idiot, you're actually reading my diary!" Anton was engrossed in it when he suddenly heard a roar.
He turned his head in shock, only to see the old wizard's furious, twisted face standing very close to him.
"How dare you!" the old wizard roared and lunged at him.
Another chill ran through his heart.
Anton shuddered, staring blankly at the old wizard, muttering, "Didn't you leave? Oh my God!"