"And there's Headmaster Dumbledore's incredible armor spell!"
Wyzett could hardly contain his excitement at the thought. After all, this spell was closely tied to Ancient Magic. Who knew? Once he mastered it, perhaps it would spark something entirely new when combined with The Wizard's Practical Combat Guide.
Seated between them, Xenophilius shot a sideways glance at Wyzett.
He mused inwardly, "This boy… what on earth is he up to? He's already mapping out his study plans for next year? Honestly! Why does he remind me so much of Pandora? And those names he keeps mentioning…"
"Not only is Snape giving him private lessons, but even Headmaster Dumbledore is considering… Is that a blessing, or a disaster waiting to happen?"
A chill ran down his spine. He turned to Luna with uncharacteristic gravity. "Darling, don't push yourself too hard. You need to rest—no, you need to have more fun! Promise me?"
"Hmm?" Luna tilted her head, puzzled by her father's serious tone, but nodded obediently. "You should rest more too, Dad."
She leaned forward, peering at Wyzett still poring over his notes, and whispered, "I'll make sure he gets enough rest as well…"
"I certainly hope so!" Xenophilius sighed to himself, seeing her so earnest.
Now that he thought about it, Luna truly was Pandora's daughter—her mind always whirring with wild ideas, her curiosity insatiable. And with Wyzett's current passion for research, the two of them might well team up to explore all sorts of bizarre magical theories.
Xenophilius' thoughts drifted back to Pandora—a woman of endless curiosity and imagination. He'd staked everything to create The Quibbler, collecting oddities and marvels just to catch her eye. Those were the happiest days of his life: spending every moment at Pandora's side, regaling her with the latest strange stories, and coaxing laughter from her lips…
"Pandora." The name caught in his throat, his voice a whisper, his nose prickling with tears. "I miss you."
Luna reached out, wrapping both hands around her father's large palm. "Dad!"
"There must be some sort of potion in the air!" Xenophilius croaked, seeing Luna's worried gaze. "I've been here too long—it's affecting me!"
Luna nodded earnestly. "Once we finish with the passports, we'll leave right away. Then Wyzett can brew you an antidote."
"An antidote?" Wyzett looked up, sniffing the air with a puzzled frown. "I don't smell anything odd…"
"If it's urgent, we could always try a bezoar—those stones from a goat's stomach are supposed to counteract nearly any poison!"
"Uh… a stone from a goat's stomach?" Xenophilius froze at Wyzett's serious expression. "Actually, just stepping outside for some fresh air—like last night—should do the trick."
Luna smiled in relief. "That's good. Just don't push yourself, all right?"
…
The passport application process was tedious, but not particularly complicated. They had to submit a pile of documents, and then—under the watchful eye of an Auror—take a tiny dose of Veritaserum and answer a series of questions.
With the Auror present, Ministry staff simply followed protocol: checking paperwork while having the applicants restate their details, ensuring everything matched up.
It was the use of Veritaserum that kept criminal wizards at bay—no dark wizard would dare apply for a passport and risk confessing their crimes on the spot.
When the process was finally complete, Wyzett and the others received not just their passports, but also a curious blank card.
Each passport bore the Ministry's signature "M" seal. If you concentrated, you could feel the faint magical energy woven into the document.
The blank card resembled a small mirror, and it really did reflect your image—though it lacked the enchantment of the Mirror of Erised.
It was only after a Ministry worker explained that Wyzett understood the card's true magic.
For wizards, the blank card functioned as nothing more than a mirror.
But when handed to a Muggle, it would appear as a perfectly ordinary passport—one recognized by the Muggle world.
The magic behind it was fascinating, combining subtle Legilimency with a form of revealing spell. The Legilimency was so faint it was useless on wizards, but just right for Muggles: the card would project whatever passport the Muggle subconsciously expected to see.
There was just one trick—before handing over the card, you had to say the recipient's name, so the passport would display the correct information.
…
By the end of the day, Xenophilius had regained his confidence.
He led Luna and Wyzett back to the Leaky Cauldron by way of a Muggle bus, and from there, they Flooed home.
With every "Dad, you're amazing!" from Luna, his smile grew so wide that Wyzett wondered if it might get stuck that way.
They'd left in such a hurry that morning that Xenophilius hadn't prepared any stew. Wyzett volunteered to make magical bread instead.
His control over fire magic was still a far cry from Dumbledore's. The bread crust came out much darker than he'd hoped—charred enough to leave black marks on their hands.
Still, he'd managed to work his morning experiments into the dough, and the result was a sketchy, owl-shaped loaf. Thanks to a little too much heat, the owl's back turned a shade of brown that almost matched a real owl's feathers.
Even so, Luna and Xenophilius were all smiles, peeling away the burnt crust and taking hearty bites. The sight moved Wyzett more than he expected.
But what took him completely by surprise was when both Luna and Xenophilius suddenly went teary-eyed after eating.
Xenophilius choked back sobs, stuffing bread into his mouth as he mumbled, "Pan… dora, I… miss you!"
Luna was weeping too, her fingers streaking gray and white across her cheeks like a tearful little cat.
Wyzett crouched beside Luna, flustered. "Did I… do something wrong?"
"It's delicious…" Luna shook her head gently. "I can taste Mum's love in every bite."
"Mum's love?" Wyzett frowned, but felt a wave of relief—at least the bread hadn't done any harm.
He looked at Luna's flour-dusted face, barely suppressing a smile.
Luna blinked her big, innocent eyes, finally composed. "Is there something on my face?"
Wyzett nodded, pulling out the blank card and holding it up for her to see…
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