15 CHAPTER 15

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CHAPTER 15

After their eventful trip to Brazil, Elizabeth and Elmi returned to their estate. As they Apparated in front of their house, they were greeted by the sight of little Grim and Sullivan playing with Uncle Marshall. Little Grim enthusiastically ran up to Elizabeth and Elmi, holding out his hands.

"Souvenirs, souvenirs!" he exclaimed.

Sullivan followed closely behind him and scolded his younger brother with a hard slap to his back. "You should welcome them first; where are your manners?"

Sullivan then turned to Elizabeth and Elmi, offering a more courteous greeting. "Welcome back, Aunty Liza and Elmi. How was your journey?"

Elizabeth wore a warm smile and replied, "It was quite memorable."

As she finished speaking, Sullivan extended his hand with a sly grin and asked, "Souvenirs?"

Grim looked at Sullivan while rubbing his back, "You said the same thing as I did."

Sullivan responded, "No, I did not, you little werewolf. I first courteously welcomed them and asked about their travels. Because father bought you from werewolves, you can't tell the difference."

Grim's eyes started to tear up, and he ran towards Marshall, crying, "Father, Sullivan is again telling me you bought me from werewolves."

Marshall, looking at Sullivan angrily, said, "Did I not tell you not to do that to your little brother?" He turned to Grim, caressing his head, and said, "No, Grim. You are, of course, our son; your big brother is just making a bad joke."

Seeing this scene, Elmi realized he was back to his normal routine. He had returned to his tranquil life, but this trip had reminded him of something he had forgotten. He was not in a world that was safe; every altercation could end with an Incendio or Depulso at the very least. He needed to work harder; he needed to sharpen his magical skills. In this battle, he saw how weak his spells were.

...

Two months had passed since the incident in Brazil, and Elmi had been diligently working to improve his magical abilities. He dedicated his time to learning both wand magic and the manipulation of the winds of magic. Wand magic presented more of a challenge for Elmi, primarily because of his young age; controlling mana through his wand proved to be a demanding task. However, despite its complexity, he felt a natural affinity for the winds of magic. He found them to be more fluid and responsive, even though winds of magic were more unpredictable and volatile than mana.

Elmi's nights were once in a while haunted by the memory of blood on his hands. Each time he woke from one of these nightmares, he grappled with the difficult reality of taking a life. He couldn't help but wonder why, in books and movies, characters often appeared to have no trouble after killing someone, while he found it so hard to forget.

Slapping his own cheeks, he attempted to rouse himself from these dark thoughts. "Come on, keep it together," he told himself firmly. "You're not a child. You need to be okay with this."

Elmi understood that another war was looming on the horizon. This wasn't a tale from a book; it wasn't a children's story. People would die, and he couldn't navigate those challenging times with only simple spells like Expelliarmus and Petrificus Totalus. He might be faced with the grim reality of having to take another life to protect those he loved.

Today was the day Elmi would be starting at St. Grogory's Primary School, the muggle primary school. As he put on his school uniform and picked up his backpack, he couldn't help but think about the possibility of meeting Harry Potter. He would rather meet Harry in Hogwarts, but if he was supposed to attend a primary school, it might be fun to interact with Harry and his half-pig cousin. 

Her mother apparated them to an alley next to the school. With a smile, Elizabeth wished her son good luck on his first day at St. Grogory's Primary School. "I hope you have a wonderful day, Elmi. Remember, it's not just about learning from books, but from people too."

In the bustling classroom of St. Grogory's Primary School, Elmi found himself among a sea of unfamiliar faces. He had arrived just in time for the first period; as he looked around, he noticed two particular students who caught his attention.

One of them was Dudley Dursley, who looked nothing like the young actor who had portrayed him in the movies. Instead, he resembled a miniature version of his father, Vernon Dursley. Elmi couldn't help but be surprised by the striking resemblance. It was as though someone had shrunken Mr. Dursley and placed him in a school uniform.

The other student who intrigued Elmi was none other than Harry Potter himself. Harry bore little resemblance to the depictions in books and films, making it even more surreal for Elmi to see the famous wizard in person. Both cousins were stark opposites of each other. Dudley was the embodiment of greed and excess; he looked like a pig wearing the most luxurious clothing. Dudley was a stout and round-faced boy with close-cropped hair, much like his father, Vernon Dursley. His school uniform seemed a bit tight on his round frame, and his pudgy cheeks often wore expressions of dissatisfaction and discontent. 

Harry Potter was a stark contrast to Dudley Dursley. It was obvious his uniform was bought from a second-hand store as it was too big for him and it looked used. He appeared considerably undernourished, with his thin frame and untidy, jet-black hair that perpetually seemed to need a haircut. His round and broken glasses were held together with tape, sat atop a slender nose, and his eyes carried a weariness that spoke of hardship beyond his years. 

Despite the fragility of his appearance, there was an air of resilience about him, a testament to his strength of character and the many trials he had faced in his young life.

...

In the days that followed, Elmi observed the dynamics between Dudley and Harry with growing unease. Dudley's treatment of Harry was nothing short of cruel; he never treated Harry like a family member but rather as his subservient punching bag. It was difficult to watch the daily torment that Harry endured.

It was a gloomy Wednesday afternoon when Dudley and his lackeys, Malcolm and Gordon, hatched their devious plan. Elmi watched from a distance, hidden behind the corner of the building, as Dudley took a sly approach toward the bike racks where everyone had parked their bikes.

Dudley gestured to Malcolm and Gordon, instructing them to act as lookouts. They looked around, making sure no teachers or students were nearby, but they didn't see Elmi, who was standing on the other side of the courtyard just behind the building. Dudley then produced a pocketknife and began slashing at the tires of a classmate's bike that humiliated Dudley the other day, rendering it completely flat.

Elmi clenched his fists, his frustration mounting as he witnessed this blatant act of cruelty. Elmi wouldn't have gotten involved, but he decided to frame Harry by leaving one of his books right next to them. Because he didnt have his wand with him because of the trace, he had to use his other spells,

"Ossum Fragilis."

As Dudley tried to get up, preparing to flee, he ended up spraining his ankle and crashing onto the bikes, causing a domino effect that knocked them all down. Dudley's considerable weight had left some of the bike tires bent out of shape. Although primary school students weren't permitted to come to school on a bike, they were allowed to ride them on the school grounds. So there were many on the rack. Struggling to rise and only worsening the situation, Dudley's cronies came to his aid, Elmi cast another spell,

"Aqua Deductio!"

As they were trying to pull Dudley up, one of the cronies felt fatigued and started to sweat profusely. He felt weak and fell on top of Dudley. Dudley and his cohorts were in disarray. As Dudley clumsily attempted to rise, pain shooting through his sprained ankle, the chaos only escalated. The fallen bikes became victims of the turmoil, their tires now bent and misshapen under the combined weight of the scrambling boys.

Elmi watched the trio struggle to regain their footing and carry the hefty Dudley as they scrambled away, undoubtedly trying to escape the consequences of their actions. He couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction at their misfortune, though he knew that it wouldn't be the end of their bullying. Elmi took Harry's book and got inside to join others in PE class.