Chapter 18 - 18. Growing Up
Chapter 18 - 18. Growing Up
Magnus continued reading the book. He was reading it a bit louder as Arthur was interested in it too and wanted to hear it.
"Non-magic people, more commonly known as Muggles, were particularly afraid of magic in mediaeval times, but not very good at recognising it. On the rare occasion that they did catch a real witch or wizard, burning had no effect whatsoever. The witch or wizard would perform a basic Flame Freezing Charm and then pretend to shriek with pain while enjoying a gentle, tickling sensation. Indeed, Wendelin the Weird enjoyed being burned so much that she allowed herself to be caught no less than forty-seven times in various disguises." ? ?
"These magical people are nuts," Arthur exclaimed, hearing that.
"They are weird. Who likes getting burned?" Magnus wondered loudly.
"Haha, kid, you need to understand that there are people who like lots of weird things. Anyway, stop reading these books. Come, I shall teach you how to wield a sword." Arthur excitedly offered.
"And where would I get the swords? We are not living in the old times anymore." Magnus stated the obvious question.
~What the. Did he not get the two swords I left in that box? Wait, where is that box?~ Arthur wondered.
"I understand, but we can work with a fake sword too. Maybe one made of wood?" Arthur suggested.
"Hmm, well I don't have anything else to do so I think I will buy it. Hopefully, mum and dad won't mind it either." Magnus muttered.
"That's my boy. If I was alive, I could have made you the greatest swordsman in the world." Arthur boasted.
"I'm sure that if I practice well I can be because there aren't many swordsmen left now. Technology has made killing much easier. Do you know about the atomic bomb?" Magnus inquired.
"No, what is that?" Arthur asked with interest.
"It was a small ball-like object, made with the help of science. They used it in the world war on an eastern country of Japan. Do you know how many people one single bomb killed?" Magnus asked, looking forward to Arthur's reaction.
"How many?" Arthur asked.
"140,000 people in one city and 70,000 in another. All died in a matter of a few seconds." Magnus revealed.
"FU... that's terrifying. I could have ruled the world if I had those. Were all those died the enemies?" Arthur inquired.
"No, most of them were women and children. I read it in a book and many say it was a bad thing and many say it was good because it ended the war," Magnus replied with a confused face.
*Sigh*
"I never killed civilians. The only one who wielded the sword was my enemy, the women and children were just bystanders. If such kind of a bomb exists and was used on people, then I must say, humanity has fallen really low. Maybe it was not a curse but a blessing to have lived in a time when things were simple." Arthur commented while feeling a bit depressed.
Magnus had already stopped listening to him. He continued reading his book.
...
1 month Later,
Magnus' life was mostly normal now. Except for his increased physical and mental abilities, not much had changed. He spent most of his free time reading books for Hogwarts.
He was not interested in the school anymore as he had already learned everything till the 7th grade. Meanwhile, he was interested in learning about the magical world. But, he was also feeling a bit uncomfortable after reading about Grindelwald and from there he understood how some people in the magical world saw half-blood or muggle-borns.
Magnus had also bought a wooden sword. It was big for someone of his size but Arthur had told him to buy a big one so he can adjust for the real thing. He also continued exercising with Bobby. He was not so chubby anymore and some girls had started calling him Brandon instead of Bobby now.
This at least boosted him to exercise with Magnus. Magnus though was trying to push himself. He would run extra, exercise extra. He would also learn swordsmanship from Arthur and practice it in the small backyard of his house.
The good thing was that nobody could see or hear Arthur. So, Magnus would put the portrait on the window from where Arthur could see him in the backyard. From there, he would instruct Magnus.
"GOOD GOOD... you have the talent... of course my blo... I mean you can really become the best with practice. But, what I was teaching you was the basics. The way I used to fight was not just simple swordsmanship, it was something I had created.
"You don't just use a sword, but also your fist, legs and head to hurt the opponent. You need to be very agile for that. I would also tackle people in a sword fight. Some said I was fighting dirty but I was just better than them.
"Magnus, you also need to learn how to use your body. You must have control over each part." Arthur guided him from the window.
Magnus understood what Arthur was saying. He needed to be a mixed martial artist who could also wield a sword.
"MAGNUS... Sweetie, I got a call from your school. They want me to come to school tomorrow. They said they want to talk about your future." Grace came to the backyard.
But just as she arrived, she saw him performing a backflip. He had been practising it for a long time now and he had gotten very good at it.
Grace stopped in her way and loudly spoke, "What were you doing? What if you fell and hurt yourself?"
Hearing them, Adam also came, "Come one, dear. He bent steel rods on the bus. A backflip can't hurt him."
"But..." She wanted to argue but saw Adam walking forward.
"I'll show you how harmless it is, my beautiful wife." Adam confidently claimed.
He pulled his pants up so as to not tear them. Then, with a good jump, he attempted a backflip.
*BAM*
"AH, MY BACK..." He fell on his back and cried.
Grace facepalmed herself, "How many times do I have to remind you. You are an engineer now. Your body is rusting, maybe you should go with Magnus for running every morning. Magnus, I will be coming to your school with you tomorrow."
Adam quickly straightened himself, "Come one, Grace. It was just a miscalculation on my part. I don't have to go running every morning."
Grace ignored him and went back in. Adam looked at Magnus with a sigh, "I guess I can count on you to wake me up every day?"
Magnus chuckled, "Hehe, you got it, dad."
Then, Adam walked back into the house with one of his hand on his back and calling Grace at the same time.
Magnus shook his head and continued practising.
"HA HA HA..." He punched the air to practice.
"HAAA.."
*WOOSH*
"WHAT THE..." Arthur exclaimed from upstairs. He creased his eyes and focused on his punches.
"HAAA..."
*WOOSH*
"MAGNUS... STOP..." He shouted.
Magnus looked up and questioned with his eyes.
"Hahaha... kid, you are growing so fast. Whenever you punch, your fist is creating a real spark. No more smoke, but there is real evidence of fire." Arthur revealed.
"I am?" Magnus, in shock, looked at his fist. He stopped practising and ran back to his room. There he performed a punch in front of a mirror.
"WOAAAH... I really am making sparks. But why? I just checked yesterday and I was still just making smoke." He wondered.
"Didn't that kid say that you reach magical maturing at 11? Maybe as you grow up, your powers will surface." Arthur deduced.
"Hmm, that is indeed possible. I can't wait to grow up." He excitedly exclaimed.
"And your parents will also grow older as you grow up," Arthur commented.
Magnus turned sad instantly, "Thanks for spoiling my mood. You enjoy yourself under the bed now, I'm going to them. Huh..."
"WAIT... NOT FACED DOWN..."
...
The next day,
Grace went with Magnus to his school. She had no idea what the teachers wanted to talk about. He was just 9 years old?
She was lead to the principals' office. The headteacher of Magnus' class was also there.
"Thank you for sparing time, Mrs Grant. We know how busy you are. We will not waste your time too much. We have noticed that Magnus is different from other kids." The principal started speaking. He was a man in his late 50s.
"Yes, that he is." Grace nodded and looked at Magnus, who was also looking at her.
The principal continued, "Mrs Grant, we noticed that Magnus is able to easily solve problems from 7th grade. So, we have decided, if it is okay with you, to promote him directly to 8th grade in the next school year."
"Oh, that? Well, that's fine as long as Magnus agrees." Grace nonchalantly replied. She already knew this day would come someday but didn't know it would come this early.
Hearing this, the principal was happy. In reality, he had other motives than just helping Magnus jump grades. He was going to tell the local newspaper to report about Magnus jumping 2 grades. He wanted to increase the visibility of the school to attract more kids. Also, because Magnus was famous, it was believed that many would be interested.
He was already on cloud nine, "So, Magnus. Are you ready to go to the 8th standard?"
But Magnus didn't reply. This made the principal's heart sink a little. He was having an ominous feeling.
"I REFUSE," Magnus firmly denied.
"Haha... good, good... you will like the 8th... wait WHAT? WHY?" The principal exclaimed, panic and sorrow immediately taking over his face.
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