Devon, Ottery St. Catchpole. It was a modest village, remote and far from the bustle of the outside world. The people here lived simple, pastoral lives, unaware that among them lived a group who called themselves wizards. To those wizards, the villagers were known as Muggles. In truth, there were quite a few wizarding families living near this village. To the south stood the Burrow, home of the Weasley family. Not far from it, in a windmill-shaped house, lived the Lovegoods. In a small wooden hut nestled among the low hills to the east lived an old wizard named Fleming. There were also the Fawcett family, the Diggory family, and others. In a village of only a few hundred people, there were actually thirty to forty wizards—a remarkably high concentration.
Even so, compared to the overwhelming population of Muggles, wizards were still a minority. As a result, the wizarding families in Ottery St. Catchpole all knew each other, if not intimately, then at least by acquaintance. However, on a certain day in July, the local wizards discovered that old Fleming, who had lived alone in his cabin, had moved away. Rumor had it he had gone to join relatives in America. Along with him, the little hut with geraniums on the windowsill also disappeared.
It was said that someone had paid him a large sum of money to purchase the cabin and the surrounding land. According to Arthur Weasley from the Ministry of Magic, the one who handled the property transfer was a pink-haired Auror. The new owner didn't seem to like the original wooden house, because not long after, a stone tower stood in its place. A few days later, a massive oak tree appeared beside the tower, larger even than the famous "King Oak," with a trunk four to five meters thick and nearly as tall as the tower itself—a breathtaking sight.
Days later, thick woods and thorny undergrowth sprang up around the tower, forming a dense forest that completely concealed it. The owner even diverted a stream from the hills, creating a small river that encircled the tower. Two sturdy willow trees grew from opposite banks at a low angle, their branches intertwining over the water to form a natural bridge. Their woven branches created railings, giving the bridge a unique and elegant appearance. This bridge became the only way to cross the river and reach the tower. The forest and river together formed natural walls and a moat, keeping any intruders at bay.
Naturally, the wizarding residents of the village were extremely curious about who had created such a marvel. Building a tower could be done by a trained wizard construction team, but planting massive trees, growing an entire forest, carving out a river, and forming a living bridge—those were feats beyond ordinary wizards. Even Dumbledore might not manage it. Yet this mysterious owner had completed everything within half a month. It was astonishing. If not for the obvious layers of magical defenses that radiated a clear "keep out" message, they would have already paid a visit.
Finally, that day came.
A large bus stopped at the entrance of the village. It was a triple-decker, with golden letters across the windshield spelling out: The Knight Bus. A bus that clearly belonged in the city had somehow traversed rough mountain roads to arrive at this remote village. It made no sense at all. Yet the villagers seemed to ignore it completely, as if it didn't exist. Clearly, this was magic at work.
Soon, the doors opened, and three teenagers stepped out—one boy and two girls. As soon as they disembarked, the bus roared away at an unnatural speed. One of the girls immediately grabbed a tree and began retching, while the only boy gently patted her back.
"Ugh… I'm never riding a wizard bus again," Hermione complained loudly.
As a Muggle-born, she had ridden far more vehicles than most wizards, yet none had ever made her feel as sick as the Knight Bus.
"Your physical condition is just too poor," Cirilla said, shaking her head. "You're not even as fit as the two of us from Ravenclaw. That really doesn't suit a Gryffindor."
"You—" Hermione puffed up indignantly. How could anyone compare to you two Quidditch maniacs?
"No wonder you suggested taking the Knight Bus, saying you'd never tried it before… you did that on purpose!"
The two of them immediately began arguing again.
Lewis stood between them, already feeling a headache coming on. Ever since that incident in the Great Hall half a month ago, they behaved like good friends in public, but in private, they clashed like sparks against steel. Just like now—they had argued all the way here.
Seeing no end in sight, Lewis clapped his hands loudly to get their attention. "Alright! Just a little further and we'll reach my house. Can you both behave a bit better?"
Hermione and Cirilla immediately stopped, turning to him with polite smiles. It didn't look like girls trying to please someone they liked—it was more like subordinates facing a superior. Lewis nodded in satisfaction, adopting a leader-like tone.
"Alright, everyone, I'll keep this brief."
"I have three points to make."
"First, point one: once we cross that wooden bridge ahead, that's my new home. It's the only normal way to enter, so remember that."
"Point two: I've set up a lot of magical defenses around my home. Anyone trying to enter by other means will trigger traps and be punished. Don't get any funny ideas."
"Point three: to enter my home, you must be registered with me. Otherwise, even if you cross the bridge, you'll get lost in the forest forever."
"And point four—"
Before he could finish, the two girls had already ignored him, sprinting across the willow bridge and disappearing into the forest.
Lewis, on the other hand, walked leisurely across the bridge as if taking a stroll, heading calmly into the woods.
After weaving through the forest, he quickly found the two missing girls.
Their condition, however, was far from good.
Miss Granger was hanging upside down from a branch, one leg tangled in a tree limb. As for Miss Raynor, she had it worse—completely bound by vines, unable to move at all.
The moment they saw Lewis, they shouted as if they'd seen a savior.
"Lewis, get me down!"
"Untie these vines, Lewis!"
"Help me first, I'm getting dizzy hanging like this!"
"No, help me first! These vines are disgusting!"
"Me first!"
"No, me first!"
Even in this state, they were still arguing.
Lewis sighed helplessly. "Do you still not realize your mistake?"
"Huh?"
"What?"
Both looked confused.
"I already explained the consequences of wandering into the forest earlier, but you didn't listen. I thought you didn't need to because you understood—but clearly…"
"Sorry, Lewis! I'll pay attention next time, please get me down!"
"Lewis, please, I won't ignore you again! Can you untie me first?"
After some effort, Lewis finally freed the two troublesome girls. This time, they behaved like obedient house-elves, quietly following him, listening carefully as he repeated the rules while leading them toward the tower.
This tower and the surrounding land were his property. After leaving school, Lewis had quickly recreated a Philosopher's Stone using his knowledge, producing a large amount of gold. He exchanged it for Galleons at Gringotts and, with Tonks' help, purchased the land from old Fleming.
As the villagers had guessed, only the tower itself was built by a wizard construction team. Everything else—the massive trees, the forest, the river, the bridge—was created by Lewis himself using magic. To ordinary wizards, it seemed unbelievable, but for a druid, it was manageable… well, manageable with effort.
Plant Growth, Command Plants, Soften Earth and Stone, Shape Stone, Shape Wood, Move Earth, Snare, Wall of Thorns, Entangle…
Lewis had spent two full weeks working nonstop, draining himself daily, exhausted to the brink of collapse. But the results were undeniable.
This natural defense system.
Within this forest, every plant and creature served as his ally and eyes. His druid level had also risen by two levels through the intense work, reaching Level 7—on par with his wizard level.
Finally, they emerged from the forest into an open clearing. Lewis's tower stood tall at the center. In front of it was a spacious courtyard filled with all kinds of plants, both ordinary and magical: belladonna, dittany, fluxweed, knotgrass, mallow, shrivelfig, bubotuber, venomous tentacula, mandrakes, apple trees, and more.
Every easily obtainable magical plant on the market was growing here.
Cultivating magical plants was normally a tedious task, but with druidic power, Lewis had a significant advantage. Still, he wasn't satisfied. Once he reached Level 9, he planned to use Awaken on some of them, turning them into plant creatures to tend to themselves.
The moment they stepped into the courtyard, Hermione was dazzled by the sheer variety of plants, her eyes darting from one to another. It felt like every plant from first to seventh-year Herbology textbooks had come to life before her.
Cirilla, on the other hand, was drawn to the massive oak tree. She quickly noticed that Lewis's eagle, Hemo, had already claimed a hollow in the tree, peeking out curiously at them.
At that moment, Lewis pushed open the tower door.
"Come on, ladies."
"Welcome to my mage tower."
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