Chapter 4 A Letter of Admission
Aaron placed the dragon egg on the bed in his bedroom to sunbathe. Although the light might shift as the sun moved, the little fellow was so intelligent that he would definitely roll to a sunny spot on his own.
"Young Master, we should depart. You are already an hour later than usual."
"I know," Aaron said impatiently. "I'm the boss, not an employee. I decide when I go."
"Then perhaps we shouldn't go today? I see you're having a lot of fun, Young Master. Compared to happiness, Galleons are not worth mentioning at all," Gines said, and he genuinely believed it.
"That won't do. As the boss, inspecting the work is necessary.
You wouldn't want me to be as irresponsible as my father when I take over the family business, would you?"
Gines awkwardly rubbed his nose. Such remarks about the Head of the Family were not for a mere butler like him to make.
A few minutes later, the two arrived at the fireplace to use Floo powder.
After a flash of green flames, they arrived one after another at Aaron's beverage shop in Diagon Alley.
"System, sign in."
"Signed in at Diagon Alley, gained two magic points."
Hearing this familiar voice, Aaron nodded in satisfaction, then immersed himself in the day's work, which involved learning some simple spells, reading news from newspapers, admiring his employees at work, and secretly thinking about how to deduct their salaries for the month.
After all, he was the boss! In an era where information networks weren't very developed, these were his only pleasures.
Several hours later, Aaron lazily stood up from his lounge chair. "Gines, how about I go back and check on the little fellow first? Please look after the shop's business for a bit."
The next moment, Gines Apparated directly in front of Aaron and said righteously, "Wherever the Young Master goes, I go. This was the order my master gave me before he left."
"Splendid," Aaron's mouth twitched, but he couldn't say much.
With his current strength as an Intermediate Wizard, he really couldn't do anything about Gaius. This butler was at least a Archmage, and possibly even a Grand Magister.
But it didn't matter. Outside, he had to give Gines some face, because he was a bodyguard sent by Vico Gaius.
But once inside the Castle, he was his own master, and the butler had no right to question what he wanted to do.
"I want to experience Apparition, can I?"
"This?" Gines hesitated a little. "Young Master, no, Boss, you're really putting me in a difficult position. Apparating by myself is no problem at all, and of course, taking another person is also fine, but I can't guarantee your safety one hundred percent.
What if, and I mean *what if*!
What if some harm is caused, I won't be able to explain it to my master.
Besides, you won't like the feeling of Apparition. Many Wizards would rather take other forms of transportation than use this magic, even though they know it's very convenient."
"Tsk, how boring," Aaron said, losing interest. "In that case, let's go back at six in the afternoon! Otherwise, constantly going back and forth like this all day is a waste of Floo powder."
"Whatever makes you happy," Gines said indifferently... Over the next few days, Aaron continued his previous routine, but each day brought a little more anticipation, as it meant he was one step closer to the dragon egg hatching.
On the seventh day, Aaron, for the first time, did not go to Diagon Alley to sign in. He stayed at home, staring at the pure white dragon egg, afraid of missing the moment the little fellow was born.
"Young... Young Master."
A faint call came from behind him. Aaron turned his head and saw a House-elf approaching with a letter.
"Today is truly a good day. My mom and dad finally remembered they have a son like me?"
"No, Young Master.
This letter isn't from the master and madam, but it is specifically addressed to you. When would you like to read it?"
"Addressed to me?" Aaron said, a little surprised, and laughed, "This is truly interesting. I don't know who else besides the two of them would send me a letter."
This wasn't to say that Aaron had poor social skills or didn't know anyone besides his parents.
He had relatives, but if they were to send a letter, it should be directly to Vico Gaius or Lisanna, not to him, an eleven-year-old boy.
He also had friends, but most of his interactions weren't deep, and their relationships weren't good enough for letter exchanges.
"Bring it here!"
"Yes, Young Master," Yobby stepped forward a few paces and respectfully placed the letter in Aaron's hand.
London
Gaius Castle
Mr. Aaron Gaius
"Quite concise," Aaron chuckled, then flipped the envelope over and was momentarily stunned by the emblem on it.
In the center of the shield-shaped emblem was a capital 'H', with a lion, snake, badger, and eagle occupying each of the four corners of the shield.
This wasn't the most important part; what was most important was the word 'Hogwarts' above the emblem.
"Yobby, quickly, call Uncle Gines over!" Aaron said excitedly, his hands trembling slightly as he tore open the envelope.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Principal: Albus Dumbledore (President of the International Confederation of Wizards, First Class Grand Magister of the Order of Merlin, Chief Archmage of the Wizengamot)
Dear Mr. Gaius:
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Enclosed is a list of required books and equipment.
The term begins on September 1st. We await your owl by July 31st.
Sincerely,
Principal
Albus Dumbledore
"Hahaha!"
After reading the letter word for word, Aaron had a foolish smile on his face, his laughter a bit strange, but it didn't make people feel scared; instead, it made them feel a little sad and sympathetic.
"Young Master, you called for me?"
Gines's figure suddenly appeared behind Aaron.
"Yes, that's right." Aaron adjusted his emotions, stood up awkwardly, and slapped the 'acceptance letter' directly into his arms. "Take a good look, what is this?"
"A letter from Hogwarts?" Gines raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, Young Master? To go or not to go?"
"Go, of course I'll go.
My dad said that once I receive an acceptance letter from a magic school, you two can't follow me until I graduate. This is what I've been dreaming of!"
Gines blinked, then gave an awkward laugh. "The Principalof Hogwarts is currently the strongest White Magic King, and Master trusts him to protect the students' safety, which is why he doesn't want us to follow. Of course, we couldn't play tricks under the nose of a Grand Magister anyway.
But Master actually prefers Durmstrang. They only admit Pure-blood Wizards, the teaching quality is good, and most importantly, the Gaius Family can negotiate with the school so that you can have someone to look after you."
"What the heck? Someone to look after me?" Aaron's eyes widened, and he said with some indignation, "No, I'm not going to Durmstrang. You can kill me, but I won't go.
Hogwarts, yes, I'm going to Hogwarts. I want to pursue freedom, and no one can stop me."
Gines's eye twitched slightly, and he constantly grumbled in his heart: What do you mean you won't go even if I die?
"Of course, the final decision is always yours, Young Master. Hogwarts it is!
However, this matter is very important, so we still need to inform the master and madam."
Aaron was silent for a moment, then said, "Alright! But I won't change my mind.
But we need to be quick. Today is already July 24th. If they're having too much fun on the other side of the world and don't make it back in time, they probably won't see their precious son for another half a year."
"Of course, I'll go write the letter now," Gines said with a smile. At this point, he glanced at the dragon egg on the table, feeling the faint magic fluctuations, life force, and inexplicable sanctity emanating from within. "Should Master know about this dragon egg, Young Master?"
"You can," Aaron nodded. After all, if he wanted to openly bring the little fellow with him in the future, he really couldn't do it without his parents' arrangements. At the very least, he would need to get a proper permit.
"Yobby."
"Present," the House-elf immediately stood up straight. "What are your orders, Young Master?"
"Where's that owl that delivered the letter? I was planning to send a reply with it!"
"Yobby will bring it over now," the House-elf said, running quickly outside. When he returned, he was accompanied by a grey owl about half his size.
Aaron tore a piece of paper directly from the table and wrote a sentence with his pen:
It is an honor to receive this acceptance letter. I will report on time on September 1st.
Sincerely,
Aaron Gaius
"Isn't this a bit too simple?" Gines said. This was the simplest letter he had ever seen, without a doubt.
"No need," Aaron waved his hand, sealing the paper in an envelope. "First, I'm only eleven years old, a child, so I don't have such complex literary talent.
Secondly, Hogwarts only needs a reply. They won't give special treatment because someone has good writing skills, nor will they discriminate because someone has poor writing skills.
If I were to write a long, elaborate essay, they might not even have time to read it, and they might even suspect that I had someone else write it for me."
Gines thought about it, and it seemed to make sense, but he still quietly tapped his wand and changed the letter to a more upscale envelope.