New chapter! Thanks for all the support!
x
The familiar smell rushed out first.
It was not exactly the same as a troll's stench, but it belonged in the same unpleasant family.
When the attendant behind the door saw Dudley's familiar outfit, he froze. A moment later, his eyes widened, and he shouted back into the building for the others.
Soon, the Squib spokesman who had dealt with him years ago hurried out of the room.
"Respected Mr. Gargamel, it has been a long time since you last visited."
His tone was humble and respectful.
"Has there been a problem with the magical ingredients?"
After entering Hogwarts, Dudley's need for potion ingredients had dropped sharply. Most things could now be obtained through school channels, Hagrid, Snape, or his own methods. There was no reason to buy through a second layer unless he needed to.
Dudley had money, but money did not grow on trees.
For the Squibs, however, his absence meant the loss of a valuable source of income.
They did not have many ways to make money. They belonged neither fully to the wizarding world nor fully to the Muggle one. They lived in the cracks between both.
Dudley had not contacted them for almost half a year.
He did not answer at once.
Instead, he snapped his fingers.
The filthy air around them cleared instantly.
The small display of wandless magic was enough to make every Squib in the room stiffen.
So Gargamel was a powerful wizard.
"There is no problem with the ingredients," Dudley said.
The Squibs visibly relaxed.
A powerful wizard was not someone they could afford to offend. If he had been a Dark wizard, a single curse would have been enough to kill everyone in the room.
"The reason I have not come often is simple. I no longer need so many ingredients."
The relief in the room immediately faded.
Dudley had been their largest customer. He paid generously, and his business had made their poor lives much easier. Losing him was not merely losing one buyer.
No one wanted to return to the days when a full meal was followed by hunger.
But they had no way to object.
"That is... truly regrettable, honored Mr. Gargamel," the spokesman said with difficulty.
Dudley placed a small wooden stick on the table.
"Although I no longer need you to provide ingredients, I think we can still cooperate. That is the second reason I came today."
He pushed the stick toward the spokesman. "Hold it. Cast a spell."
The man smiled bitterly. "Sir, I am a Squib. I cannot cast any magic."
Once, he had dreamed of producing even half a spell. When others his age went to school, he stayed at home. No accidental magic came. No burst of power. Nothing.
His parents argued over it again and again before eventually leaving.
He had hidden under blankets and told himself he was simply late to mature.
Year after year, reality had answered him with silence.
He was not late.
He simply would never arrive.
"I said, hold it and cast a spell." Dudley's voice did not change. "I do not want to say it a third time."
Faced with someone capable of wandless magic, the Squibs could not muster any resistance.
The spokesman picked up the wand-like stick and pointed it at the wall.
"Aguamenti."
It was a basic spell, simple and easy to judge.
Once, he might have felt hope.
Now he was numb.
Squibs could not cast magic. That was supposed to be absolute.
That was his fate.
"Sir, I really cannot..."
He stopped.
A thin stream of water sprayed from the tip of the wand, arced through the air, and struck the wall. It was not much, barely more than a child's water gun, but it was real.
It had been cast.
"You... I... this..."
The spokesman pointed at Dudley, then at himself, then at the wand. For a long moment, he could not form a complete sentence.
'I cast magic?'
Magic.
Real magic.
The Squibs around him stared so hard their eyes seemed ready to fall out.
'What happened? Did Culliver become a wizard?'
'No. If he had become a wizard, he would have gone to school long ago.'
'He is still a Squib. The same as us.'
Every gaze turned toward the wand in Culliver's hand.
Their breathing grew heavier.
After years at the bottom, they understood immediately that the secret had to be the wand.
This special wand could let them cast spells.
At least, it let Culliver do it.
"Culliver, try something else!"
The eager shout came from somewhere in the crowd.
Once could be a coincidence.
What about twice?
Culliver no longer treated the matter casually. He straightened and raised the wand with the practiced precision of someone who had tried and failed countless times, then spoke clearly.
"Lumos."
The Squibs held their breath.
A faint light appeared at the tip of the wand.
It was weak.
But that weak light ignited hope in them.
Only a Squib could truly understand what it meant.
x
x
x
If you're enjoying the story so far, consider supporting me on Patreon ❤️
You'll get weekly early access to chapters, along with some exclusive content:
https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheDevotedReader