𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FOUR

- Letters & Legilimens -

With an audible pop! of sound, Fi appeared on a snow dusted lane of Hogsmeade village and took in a long, lingering breath.

She loved the highlands. Fi had been born there and had lived among the gray ridges for much of her long life, exploring the valleys and the fords, the lochs and the dense forests—but for all her time in the country, Fi had never actually been to Hogwarts. She had seen it from a distance just as she did now, soaring towers stately and strong above the pines and slumped hills, but she had never been inside. Fi had tried to sneak in a few times during her rebellious youth. The wards about the castle's grounds and the persnickety troop of house elves had prevailed in keeping the hedge witch out.

Bloody elf magic. Wasted upon the wizards, I say.

Fi stood with her new black robes gently billowing about her legs with her eyes on the side of the academy's highest tower. A quick Charm had added silver threads to her hair, the loose braid gathered and pinned on the back of her head to give the youthful witch a sterner mien. Grigor had plopped a pair of thick-rimmed glasses upon her nose in a bid to age Fi, though she thought the spectacles only served to make her look a bit owlish. A wand bought from a less than legal vendor in Knockturn Alley rested in Fi's robe pocket and she stifled the urge to pat the thing to ensure it was still there. The morning had been spent attempting to make the stick stop spewing sparks throughout Grigor's apartment.

If they ask me to do any wand work, I might well burn down Hogwarts. Embarrassing.

Fi dug out a crinkled bit of parchment from her other pocket and read the tidy script again, ignoring the flecks of snow landing on the upturned page.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Ms. Dullahan,

Thank you for your inquiry. We would like to request an interview for 8:00 o'clock in the morning, on March the third. Please send your acknowledgment via owl and arrive promptly at the village gates for admittance.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress.

Fi felt pleased her references, while partially forged, had passed muster. She knew all good lies were firmly rooted in the truth, and so Fi had thought carefully about the persona she would present at the school and the history she would share. She had listed her accomplishments and abilities with a measure of modesty and had asked for referrals from witches and wizards she'd lent assistance to in the past—including the current Master of Potions at the Mahoutokoro School of Magic and Babajide Akingbade from the International Confederation of Wizards. Of course, Fi had to ask Hideaki and Babajide to fib about her true identity, but they had obliged—and had, in fact, seemed excited about Fi shedding her isolation in favor of sharing her knowledge with children.

The thought of their reactions still made Fi cranky.

True difficulty lay not within Fi's ability, but the explanation for those abilities, and she hoped her forged credentials from Ilvermony School of Witchcraft and Wizardry would pass inspection, but she was not certain. Her magic was strong and the persuasive Charm she had placed upon the documentation should dissuade the Deputy Headmistress from delving too deeply into her education—or lack thereof—yet Fi knew a suspicious mind might pick up the presence of the spell and see by it.