Professor McGonagall did not answer at once. Instead, she looked toward Altair.
"They're my uncles. This is Jimmy, and this is Michael. My mother passed away, and my father, for certain reasons... was imprisoned. They are my guardians now."
Altair gave a small shrug.
He was not deceiving McGonagall. In the eyes of wizards, Muggle affairs were minor matters. Hogwarts would even accept the children of Death Eaters, let alone the son of a gangster from the Muggle world.
"Oh, you poor child."
McGonagall reached out and gently touched Altair's head. Then she turned to Jimmy and replied,
"I am the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and also the professor of Transfiguration."
"Uh..."
Jimmy's expression instantly turned blank. Frowning, he twisted around to look back at her.
"Sorry, I didn't hear you clearly. You said...?"
"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Mr. Jimmy. I am the Deputy Headmistress of that school, and the Transfiguration professor."
Professor McGonagall clearly knew that a few simple words would never be enough to make a Muggle believe, so she stopped wasting breath and transformed directly into her Animagus form.
Watching a living, breathing woman turn into a lovely tabby cat right before their eyes, the shock in Jimmy and Michael's hearts was beyond description.
"Oh, shit!"
Jimmy blurted out a curse, and Michael slammed on the brakes.
"Altair, this..."
"Obviously, everything Professor McGonagall said is true. She is a witch, and some time ago I received my letter of admission to Hogwarts. I am a wizard."
Altair explained it to his two uncles.
"Haven't you always wondered how I survived that assassination attempt? This is why."
Michael and Jimmy were, after all, core members of the Shelby family. After the initial shock passed, they gradually regained their composure. Michael resumed driving, though his gaze kept drifting to Professor McGonagall through the rearview mirror.
Professor McGonagall transformed back into her human form and said to the two men,
"The reason I came here today is to make you believe in the existence of wizards. Altair must go to Hogwarts to learn how to become a wizard. He has magic within him, and if he does not learn to control it, he could die in the future."
Naturally, Michael and Jimmy did not want Altair to die.
More importantly, Altair had now become a wizard.
This was the first wizard in the history of the Shelby family.
Their family had produced a wizard!
Michael and Jimmy looked at each other, then broke into excited grins.
"If Altair is a wizard, then..."
The two men immediately began talking with growing excitement.
Professor McGonagall's face slowly turned stern, because the things these two men were saying were becoming more and more outrageous.
Taking over Birmingham, occupying London, controlling England, extending their influence across Europe, and so on...
"I'm sorry, gentlemen."
McGonagall interrupted Michael and Jimmy's discussion and said sternly,
"The wizarding world has strict laws. Any wizard who attempts to break them and commit evil deeds will meet a bad end."
Professor McGonagall meant this both as a warning to Michael and Jimmy, and as a warning to Altair.
Even if she did not know much about Muggles, she could already tell that Altair seemed to come from a family that was not particularly friendly.
In the Muggle world, this family likely resembled one of the dark wizard families of the wizarding world, perhaps even the sort of family associated with Death Eaters. She wanted to guide Altair properly while he was still young.
"Oh, of course, of course."
Michael gave an awkward laugh and shot Jimmy a glare.
"Uncle Michael, from now on, the fact that I am a wizard and that I am going to Hogwarts must remain a family secret. Other than you, Uncle Jimmy, and my father, no one else can be allowed to know."
Altair spoke with deliberate seriousness.
Professor McGonagall looked at him with satisfaction and gave a slight nod.
"Only Altair's guardians have the right to know certain things about the wizarding world, so I hope the two of you will not spread this elsewhere. If other people find out, they could be cursed."
To frighten the two men a little, Professor McGonagall told a small lie.
Michael and Jimmy shuddered. The moment they heard the word curse, they suddenly remembered just how sinister and terrifying the witches of legend were supposed to be, and they quickly agreed.
At last, the car stopped on the lawn in front of the central castle.
Everyone stepped out. Michael respectfully led the way for Professor McGonagall, while Jimmy stopped the others behind them.
The four of them entered the drawing room and took their seats. A maid brought in desserts and drinks, then withdrew respectfully and gently closed the door.
"Professor McGonagall, I wasn't sure what you liked, so I only had some pastries and black tea prepared. Oh, Jimmy, I remember you also have a bottle of hundred-year-old brandy in your collection..."
"That won't be necessary, Mr. Michael."
McGonagall cut him off and said with a smile,
"Tea will be fine."
"All right, all right."
Michael nodded, lifted his teacup, took a sip, and then asked,
"May I ask how much tuition your school charges? When does term begin? What exactly do we need to prepare?"
"That is precisely why I came."
Professor McGonagall looked at Altair beside her and said,
"Hogwarts begins on the first of September. Young witches and wizards must take their ticket to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters at King's Cross Station and board the Hogwarts Express to travel to school."
Professor McGonagall took out a ticket and handed it to Altair.
"That platform has been enchanted. Only those with magic can pass through it, and it cannot be noticed by Muggles. Mm... Muggles are people who cannot use magic."
Professor McGonagall glanced at Michael and Jimmy, then continued,
"As for tuition, there is no need to worry. Hogwarts is free. There are no additional school fees. However, each student must prepare their own textbooks, tools, and other supplies."
"All of these can be purchased in Diagon Alley. The currency of the wizarding world is the gold Galleon, the silver Sickle, and the bronze Knut. However, as a Muggle-born Hogwarts student, you may exchange pounds for one hundred Galleons at Gringotts each year. It will cost five hundred pounds."
McGonagall's words left Michael and Jimmy stunned.
Raising a young wizard was actually this cheap?
To be honest, Michael had already prepared himself to spend tens of thousands of pounds, perhaps even hundreds of gold bars.
And yet in the end, it only required five hundred pounds.
"The entrance to Diagon Alley is on Charing Cross Road in London. There is a pub there called the Leaky Cauldron. It is similarly protected by magic, so Muggles cannot see it. However, a young wizard without a wand cannot go through there alone into Diagon Alley and must be accompanied by a wizard."
Professor McGonagall paused and looked at Altair.
"Tomorrow, I will take you and another young witch to Diagon Alley to buy the things you need. Like you, she comes from a Muggle family. Perhaps the two of you can look after one another at school in the future."