"What happened? Where were you?" asked Tiara. However, Christian was too busy sobbing to answer any question. "There, there," she patted his back before taking him to a quiet place so he could calm down. A few minutes passed before he finally became comprehensible, and Tiara's brow furrowed as she listened to what had happened.
'White trail with voices? An unknown crow-like magical creature?' Her mind flashed back to what Papa Tounde said. 'Is this what he meant? Could it be weird events that will follow my son during his magical journey? If that's the case, I must hurry to train him so he can be prepared.'
She had a foreboding that her son's life would not be calm, full of turbulence, ups and downs, and danger. From her limited experience, this was usually the case for people with significant prophecies about them.
"Have you calmed down?"
Christian nodded, his head still burrowed in her embrace.
"You've most likely encountered a Dark Witch, a magical being who practices Dark Magic without restraint or morality.
"Dark Magic?"
"A type of magic frowned upon by most of the wizarding world because of its cruel and negative effect on people and its caster."
"I…see."
"As for that crow? I have never heard of a magical crow creature with red eyes and silver feathers. However, my knowledge is also limited, so it might be a rare species. It seems to mean no harm, but you should be careful if you see it again. Treat it respectfully and see if you can repay the kindness of saving you."
"I will," nodded Christian. "What about what I saw?"
"In the magical world, seeing and hearing things that others cannot can be good or bad," explained Tiara, who decided not to tell him it was more of the latter. "However, if you encounter the same thing, you must proceed with care: observe, learn, and research more before deciding whether to engage."
"I won't be so reckless in the future."
"As long as you learn from your mistake," reassured Tiara. "Tomorrow, I will contact your therapist. I don't want this event to have any lasting impact on you."
"Can I even talk to her about something like that?"
"You have a point. I think I know a Squib psychologist. You should have no problem talking to him. Let's see if he will take you on as a patient."
Tiara originally planned to teach Zed how to use the Floo Powder, but decided to take the train home; he should have calmed down by the time they reached home.
Back at the mansion, Tiara decided to cancel the lesson she had planned for the day and chose to distract him. She even gave Christian two more days off school so they would have plenty of time for their lesson. While he was asleep, she went to Haiti searching for Papa Tounde, desperately wanting more information. Alas, her trip was to no avail. But she was still not about to give up; she would use whatever means to find that Seer since it might involve her son's safety.
The next day, after breakfast, she taught him how to use the Floo Powder.
"The first step is to say the destination clearly; don't panic since the heat won't burn you," Tiara explained. "Then, you'll find yourself traveling rapidly through a system of interconnected fireplaces. Close your eyes to prevent the soot from getting in, and keep your elbow tucked in to avoid banging on the passing fireplaces. Remain calm because you'll be lost if you make a mistake. Remember?"
Christian nodded.
"Then, you try."
"Wait, what if I still get lost?"
"I've placed a tracking spell on you, so I'll find you."
After feeling reassured, Christian had the courage to try. He took a handful of the powder before throwing it in. He watched as the red flame turned emerald, and after taking a deep breath, he stepped in, stated his destination, and disappeared.
Tiara waited a few seconds before doing so. However, she immediately realized he was not at the location, so she had to track him down. Luckily, he only ended up in a nearby house. They tried again with the destination being home, and this time, Christian succeeded.
'It seems I was worried for nothing,' Tiara thought. She noticed her son's abysmal sense of direction was not normal but more like an innate curse or flaw he was born with. That was apparent when he found it difficult to read street maps, struggled in Geography Classes, learn cardinal directions, or develop any navigational skills. It was like God felt he was too perfect and gave him a handicap.
Tiara feared this affliction would affect him when he learned to ride a broom or, even worse, use any spatial magic.
"I need to do something, or it will be a nightmare for you to navigate the castle," she said, contemplating how to help him with this issue.
"At Hogwarts?"
"Yes. The castle is like a maze, full of corridors, secret passageways, stairs, and buildings that move."
"Then, how am I going to get to places?" It's one thing to memorize the castle blueprint, but something else if things move or disappear.
"That's the problem. Don't worry, I will think of a way."
"Okay. By the way, where are we?"
"This is a mansion I own in Tinworth, a wizarding village. It will cause major trouble if someone sees us using magic, so we will use this place for your practice."
"I see," nodded Christian before briefly looking around.
"Before we begin, this is for you."
"My necklace," said Christian, holding the strange gray stone bound to black strings. He had lost while running away from that witch.
"Keep it with you all the time. If you're in danger, I will notice and come to help."
"Alright."
Christian stood in a large backyard with a small table and two things he would call the magical version of practical dummies, since their design included wands.
"You once asked me what magic was," stated Tiara. "The best answer I can give you is that it is one of the universe's fundamental forces, just like gravity. Wizardkind are the few blessed with the gift to tap into this force and achieve things others consider supernatural or miraculous."
"So, it's more of an external force than internal?" asked Christian.
"Yes and no. It starts from the internal and develops into the external. Understand?"
"I don't," admitted Christian.
"And it's okay if you don't. As I said before, even the greatest wizard of modern times might not be able to give you a concrete answer. Your task is to learn as much as possible about magic before forming your answer. You should be able to understand that?"
"I do."
"Good," nodded Tiara before continuing. "Magic is influenced by region and even culture. Throughout my travels, I have made some accomplishments in three types of magic: Wandcraft magic, handweaving magic, and Tribal Magic. Be mindful that these classifications are my own and not something others recognize."
Christian nodded as he listened attentively.
"Wandcraft magic is a wand-based form of magic that originated in Europe. Over the years, it has become mainstream worldwide because of its fast, powerful, and easy-to-use nature."
Tiara moved her wand before uttering, "Aguamenti!" She summoned water from the tip of her wand. "What did you observe?"
"You made some weird movement with your wand and said the word [Aguamenti]. Agua is the Spanish and Portuguese word for water, derived from the Latin aqua. Meanwhile, Menti is from the Latin word Mentiis, which means Mind. So, the water of the mind? Water derived from the mind? Water conjured from the intention of the mind?"
Tiara smiled, "You're correct. If you remove all the complexity of magic and strip it down to its bare bones, wandcraft magic involves wand movement and incantation."
Tiara then made strange movements with her left finger before uttering the same incantation: Aguamenti. The same effect occurred.
"This is handweaving magic, a type of magic popular in Africa, taught at the Uagadou School of Magic. It also became popular in the Caribbean and some parts of South America during the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. Did you see the difference?"
"You replace your wand movement with your fingers."
"Simple, isn't it?"
"It seems so."
"But it's not. The wand makes it extremely easy for a wizard to channel their magical power. Meanwhile, hard work, dedication, and long practice are required to use handweaving magic. In fact, handweaving is commonly known as wandless magic in Europe and the Americas — a skill attributed to the most skilled of wizards."
"But you said it was taught in Uagadou. Doesn't that mean wandless magic is a common thing?"
"That's correct."
"I'm guessing Hogwarts does not teach it."
"You would guess correctly."
"Why not?"
"The best answer I can give you is a cultural difference. On this side of the world, wands are the main focus. Wandless magic is left as a skill for the individual to learn if they desire."
"This seems like the type of skill that should be in every school's curriculum, but I guess, it's to each their own. You're going to teach me, right?"
"Of course. Wandcraft wizards rely too much on their wands and become as weak as Muggles after getting them taken away. I don't want this for you, so I will teach you."
"That's good."
"Word of advice: do not easily reveal that you can use wandless magic."
"Why not?"
"In my travels, I have been in a few complicated situations where I was captured, and people took away my wand. However, they did not know I knew wandless magic and did not take precautions. I escaped these situations because of this fact, and after the first time it happened, I hid this fact. Such a decision even allowed me to escape a government facility."
Tiara paused as she realized she had admitted to her son that she had committed a crime, so she coughed in embarrassment after seeing his strange gaze.
"Anyway, take my advice, as it's based on experience. I will even teach a unique form of handweaving magic that saved me from a truly dangerous situation where even my mouth was sealed to prevent me from using incantation."
"Unique magic?"
"Maybe unique is not the right word. It's a form of handweaving magic developed or originated in Eastern Asia. It's no longer popular, but very useful. Let me show you."
She put the wand away and concentrated, making hand movements with both hands for more than three seconds before summoning water.
"See?" she said proudly. "Non-verbal casting is one of the highest skills in the magical world, and I can proudly say I can use it in two different magic systems."
Christian gave her a thumbs-up. Although he did not know how difficult this skill was, he was glad his mother was happy and capable. "So, what about Tribal Magic?"