"The same as me."
Altair nodded.
A smile appeared on Jimmy's face. He pulled a business card from his coat and handed it to Mr. Granger.
"Hello, Mr. Granger. I'm Altair's uncle. Here is my card. Our family does some business in Birmingham..."
Altair gave a light cough.
Jimmy paused for a moment, then smiled and continued,
"Our family has a few small businesses in Birmingham... If you don't mind, you're welcome to visit us anytime. As a matter of fact, we have a small manor on the outskirts of Birmingham."
Mr. Granger accepted the card and said that if the opportunity arose, he would certainly pay them a visit.
After all, both Hermione and Altair were young wizards from Muggle families. That was a rather wonderful sort of connection.
Altair chuckled softly at the side.
He rather wanted to know what Hermione and her family's reaction would be if they ever came to visit his home. After all, Shelby Manor was not merely large in the ordinary sense. It might even rival Hogwarts.
Of course, that was only a small private amusement.
In truth, Altair did not think being born into the Shelby family would be of much help to him in the wizarding world. To wizards, the power and wealth of the Muggle world were nothing especially remarkable. They could obtain such things very easily.
A single Confundus Charm would be enough to make a wealthy Muggle hand over all the assets and fortune they had built over a lifetime.
"Well then, Mr. Granger, Mrs. Granger, and Hermione... until we meet again."
Altair said his goodbyes to the three of them, then left with Jimmy toward the street corner.
Watching this, Mr. Granger said, "I think Altair must come from an aristocratic family."
"That's right. His uncle Jimmy is obviously an important figure as well. I could tell from the way he looked at people. But..."
Mrs. Granger glanced at Hermione and smiled.
"He seems a little afraid of Hermione."
"Who wouldn't be afraid of a witch?"
Mr. Granger laughed as well.
What they did not know was that Jimmy was afraid because Altair had said Hermione was the same as him. Jimmy had assumed that Hermione could summon those terrifying skeleton creatures too.
"The Shelby family of Birmingham... I feel as though I've heard that name somewhere before. They must be an old noble family..."
Mr. Granger muttered to himself as he left with Mrs. Granger and Hermione.
Hermione herself did not feel much about Altair's background. She only thought that this boy her own age was very elegant and steady, far better than the boys at school who only knew how to envy her for being a good student.
What she cared about more was Altair's magical talent.
Although she had not fully understood what had happened in Ollivanders, she knew that Altair was an extremely gifted young wizard. At least judging by what had happened during the wand selection, his talent seemed far better than hers.
And from Professor McGonagall, she had learned that besides young Muggle-born witches and wizards, there were also many children from wizarding families. They had been exposed to magic from childhood, were born with extraordinary gifts, and compared to Muggle-born students, they held a natural advantage.
"But I'll make everyone see me differently!"
Hermione clutched her wand to her chest and looked back once in the direction where Altair had disappeared, her eyes full of confidence.
The car sped along the road.
Sitting in the back seat, Altair carefully studied the wand in his hand.
"Yew... Voldemort's wand was yew too, wasn't it? And a Dementor's nerve... that thing actually has nerves? I always thought Dementors were more like spectral beings."
Altair ran his fingers over the wand, able to feel the piercing chill radiating from it.
Besides feeding on human emotions, Dementors could also consume human souls, so this wand was highly suited for necromancy. For Altair, it was a very good wand indeed.
But he could also faintly sense this wand's fear of him, and that was no doubt because of the One Ring.
The One Ring contained most of Sauron's power, and before his fall, Sauron had been a Maia. To a wand, that kind of existence was simply too far above its level.
Jimmy watched Altair through the rearview mirror. Seeing him repeatedly stroking that slender wooden wand, he could not help asking,
"Altair, that... is that your wand?"
"That's right. It helps me cast magic more easily."
Altair nodded.
At his current stage, this wand was still of great help to him. After all, he could not cast every spell without a wand, and casting through a wand not only made the magic more powerful, but also saved far more magical energy.
Altair took out his beginner spellbook and flipped through it. Then he raised his wand and pointed it at Jimmy, giving it a light wave.
"Scourgify."
"Whoa!"
Jimmy cried out involuntarily.
He felt a gust of wind brush over him, and then his entire body felt light and fresh, as though he had just bathed.
"The smell of your perfume won't escape Aunt Nancy. No need to thank me."
Altair said it casually, then lowered his head and continued reading The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1.
Perhaps Sauron's magical talent was simply too overwhelming, but Altair barely had to make an effort to master these elementary spells.
"Looks like I have the makings of a top student too."
Altair put the book away and waved a hand. All of his belongings vanished into the System space.
He had not done that earlier because he did not want Professor McGonagall or Hermione to notice. But now there was no issue. Jimmy was a Muggle who knew nothing, so even if he saw it, he would only assume it was because of magic.
And that was indeed the case.
Jimmy merely marveled a few times at how miraculous magic was, then quickly forgot about it.
On the way back, Jimmy spent the whole journey discussing the future of the Shelby family with Altair.
He hoped Altair would one day summon an undead army to help the Peaky Blinders take complete control of Birmingham, and then expand the family business into London.
That was only because Professor McGonagall had warned them.
According to Jimmy's original idea, they should have directly taken control of England's upper ranks, then used that as a foundation to set their sights on the whole of Europe...