I think I'm in shock. I just found out that Hogwarts Castle wasn't built to be a school... no, it's actually part of the land belonging to a wizarding family that's been there for hundreds of years. And the reason I'm in shock is because it turns out that this family is none other than the Ravenclaw family.
I found this out when I was one year old. I hadn't realized it before because I always thought my mother kept me in an area away from the students, and that's why I hadn't seen any other wizards or children besides my uncles Godric, Salazar, and Helga.
But everything changed on my first birthday when an older woman appeared, whom my mother called "Mother." She looked to be about 50 years old, and like my mother, she was very beautiful. They look very much alike; the only difference is that Grandmother has wavy black hair with a few white streaks.
In one of the conversations they had, I could hear Mom mention the topic of opening a school so that young wizards and witches could learn to use their powers and not be defenseless when attacked. Grandma didn't seem very convinced, as she didn't seem to want Mom to leave the castle because of the protective chambers attached to the family heir.
They talked about it for a long time, and Mom finally managed to convince her on the condition that she wait until I turned six so I could be placed in the protective wards as her heir, in case something happened when Mom went out to look for those young wizards. She also asked her to have another child, since it seemed the Ravenclaw family was dying out because only the three of us remained. Grandma wanted Mom to revive the family. She didn't ask her to marry because Mom didn't want to; she only asked her to have two children so we could continue the family line. She said she would only agree to let the family castle become the school she wanted when her second child was born, regardless of whether it was a boy or a girl.
After that conversation, I understood that the school hadn't been founded yet and that I was apparently the product of a one-night stand Mom had with some stranger.
Around that time, I also acquired my first ability:
the Mind Palace.
It was a skill that allowed me to remember everything, whether books or even conversations at any time; it was something like the database of a supercomputer since there was no limit to the things I could remember, it only had the requirement that I had read or seen it at least once attentively and it would be stored in my mind forever.
The ability cost me 10 gold coins, and I acquired it when I was a little over two years old. When I first got it and thought about things from my past life, I was surprised by how clearly those memories came back to me. It was as if I had just lived them. I was able to remember everything I had learned in my classes, and I even recalled episodes of my favorite anime as if I had just watched them.
When I got this ability, I started on the tasks I had left unfinished, like reading books. I could read them thanks to my other ability, Universal Language, but I had to do it when no adults were looking, since it would be strange to see a baby of just over two years old holding a book while reading. So, I took advantage of the moments when Mom left me in my room for naps to grab one of her books and start reading. My first book was about runes, since it was one of the few I could reach because of my height, and I managed to finish it in two weeks. The book wasn't very thick, but the time I could dedicate to it was very short.
***
When I turned four, Grandma moved in permanently with us at the castle, and with her there, my education seemed to begin. At first, Mom wanted to wait until I turned six to start teaching me to read, write, and do math, but Grandma had other plans. She said that since Mom wanted to open a school for young wizards, she wouldn't have the time to teach me what a worthy heir should learn about his family's magic and such things.
With Grandma's arrival, my time for mischief—I mean, my time for hazard inspections with Uncle Godric—was over. I was taught things like manners and basic education (reading, writing, and math). I tried not to look strange or suspicious when they were teaching me letters and counting, making mistakes now and then, but it seems I didn't do very well, since Grandma seemed to think I was some kind of genius, which made my playtime disappear almost entirely.
Grandma's motivation for my education reached an astonishing level when I had my first magical accident.
It all started when I snuck out of my reading room and was caught by Uncle Godric trying to sneak into the kitchen to get some cookies. He caught me as I was passing through the dining room, and when he spoke to me, I suddenly got so scared that everything around me started floating.
It was an amazing and slightly embarrassing moment, though I'll never admire how I screamed while trying to get under the table, even though Uncle Godric seems to want to remind me of it every chance he gets. Plus, I didn't escape Granny's punishment for leaving the reading room before finishing my homework.
I think the only good thing about that day was that my magical education finally began.
***
The magic of this era was very different from that of Harry Potter's time. Back then, canes or staves were more commonly used instead of wands, in addition to magical weapons like Uncle Godric's sword, which could be used for both cutting and casting spells, though I still don't quite understand how it worked.
What's most interesting is that there wasn't only magic with weapons and staves; there was also toolless magic and silent magic, which is the same as wandless and wordless magic. But the one that intrigued me most was familiar summoning.
My grandmother promised to teach me familiar summoning magic when I turned six if I could complete her study plan at an acceptable level. This meant a basic study of magic, both theoretical and practical, where I could successfully perform the spells she had planned. Only if I could cast them fluently and without taking too long would I be able to learn familiar summoning magic.
Familiar summoning magic is very interesting because it allows me to create a magical bond with an animal (magical or not) that will be linked to me by a magical connection that allows us to grow together both physically and magically.
At first, it doesn't matter if it's a magical animal, as it can develop its own magic after the familiar contract is established.
When they are ordinary animals, the lives of both are magically linked by the contract, and the animal will live until the mage dies. However, if it's a magical animal, which can live much longer than an ordinary mage, they will only be linked until the mage dies, and then they can go wherever they want, whether they want to leave or stay and form a new contract with one of the mage's children or grandchildren.
Both Mom and Grandma have a relative; they both have a golden eagle, and both are very beautiful. What's even more amazing is that they can change size. They can be as big as a two-story house or as small as an owl, all depending on the magician's power. Grandma said that if the magician is powerful, they can even be as big as a dragon and change their size whenever they want. That only motivated me more to keep working hard in my studies... Hmmm, I'm starting to suspect that was a trap Grandma set for me.
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