Sweden's daylight lingered long into the evening, so Wyzett and the others lost track of time. It was well past seven by the time they returned to Ominis.
He was waiting by the pond, seated quietly on a wooden chair, head bowed as if listening to every sound around him.
At the sound of their footsteps, Ominis rose slowly. "It's getting late. You must be exhausted—shall we head back?"
Xenophilius glanced down at Luna and asked softly, "What do you think, sweetheart?"
Luna turned once more to gaze at the pond, then nodded. "Alright, Dad."
Wyzett released the Oculus Magicae. Aside from gathering a fair amount of Ancient Magic, their search hadn't yielded much else.
The Wizard's Practical Combat Guide absorbed all that Ancient Magic—but still, no new pages appeared.
Ominis gave his wand a flick, and the wooden chair behind him transformed into a chunk of stone. "I'll come again tomorrow."
"We can try searching the other side of the forest. There's a wizarding ruin there—the place where Odin once rested."
They hadn't felt it while searching for the Crumple-Horned Snorkack, but now, heading back, everyone's muscles ached with fatigue.
Wyzett cast a gentle healing spell to ease the soreness in Luna's joints.
He glanced at Xenophilius, offering to do the same.
Xenophilius shook his head, one hand bracing his back. "I'm not that old yet! I could've kept looking until nightfall, no problem!"
Luna sidled up to Wyzett. "Professor Wyzett, will you teach me healing magic?"
"When we're back at the inn," Wyzett said with a smile. "I'll dig out my notes and put together a summary for you."
Luna smiled sweetly. "Alright!"
Ominis led the way, wand in hand, a satisfied smile on his face.
When the four returned to the inn, the other guests had already finished dinner. Most had gone off to rest or to watch the magical circus performance—no one lingered in the lounge.
Scourgify! With a flick of her wand, Annie Salu swept the dust from their clothes. "Welcome back! Any luck finding the Crumple-Horned Snorkack?"
Ominis shook his head. "No more than last time. It seems to have… vanished."
"What a pity!" Annie Salu sighed. "Come, sit down! I've got dinner ready."
It wasn't just the inn's décor that evoked Hogwarts—the food did as well. At least, Wyzett couldn't taste the difference.
As he poured gravy over his mashed potatoes, Xenophilius stirred his plate and asked, "Ms. Salu, you're English, aren't you? Did you go to Hogwarts too?"
"We're quite fond of Hogwarts…" Annie Salu nodded. "I suppose most English wizards are. Those years leave a deep impression, don't they?"
"And I never could get used to Swedish food, so I tried to recreate the flavors of Hogwarts. Though I only know a few dishes—hopefully the taste is… acceptable?"
"It's wonderful!" Xenophilius declared. "When you're traveling abroad, nothing's more comforting than a familiar meal!"
"Oh, Ms. Salu—do you know any interesting stories about this village? When I came over by boat today, I happened to see you."
"I remember you were holding white lilies, standing right on the lake. You must be quite skilled in magic, aren't you?"
"I'm just curious about that spell, really—the one that lets you stand on water."
"Oh? Is that so?" Annie Salu looked a little surprised, though her gaze flickered subtly to Wyzett.
When she didn't continue, Xenophilius cleared his throat and introduced himself. "I'm the editor-in-chief of a newspaper. I always collect stories when I travel. But if you'd rather not talk about it, that's fine—I'm just curious."
Annie Salu waved a hand. "It's not that I can't talk about it. It's just… it happened a long time ago. Most of the wizards here probably don't even know the story anymore."
Xenophilius set down his spoon. "A long time ago?"
Wyzett and Luna did the same, pausing to listen.
"The Wizarding World War… you wouldn't have lived through it, would you?" Annie Salu propped her chin thoughtfully on her hand. "Back then, a circus came to the village—a circus of Maledictuses."
"In addition to the usual magical acts, their biggest draw was transformation magic. They could shift from human to beast as easily as an Animagus."
"But that's not all. Maledictuses are different—their minds remain sharp, as if an animal housed a human soul. They could perform feats far beyond ordinary transformation…"
"Maledictus?" Xenophilius stroked his chin, glancing at Wyzett. "That's a new one for me…"
"I've read about Maledictuses," Wyzett said, clearing his throat. "It's a hereditary curse—supposedly irreversible. At first, a Maledictus can keep their mind, but as they age, the curse grows stronger, until they become a beast entirely and lose all reason."
"You're well-read for such a young wizard." Annie Salu smiled, a glint of respect in her eyes. "That's exactly right."
Luna spoke softly, "It must be so hard for them—and for their families, too."
"But I think… they must have tried to live happily, or they wouldn't have formed a circus."
Annie Salu's eyes shone with approval. "It was wartime then, and life was hard for Maledictuses. Still, they hid their pain and showed the world their brightest faces, forming a circus to bring a little joy to the Swedish wizarding world, even under the shadow of war."
"But such a spectacle drew the wrong kind of attention. The Acolytes had a Maledictus among them, who helped their leader with many important tasks."
"Wizards who opposed the Acolytes hated that Maledictus, but couldn't touch him… so they turned their anger on the circus instead."
Xenophilius's face darkened. "That's despicable!"
Annie Salu gave a cold, mirthless smile. "To avoid public backlash, those wizards didn't attack the circus directly. Instead, they sabotaged the concealment charms around the area and tipped off the Muggles."
"It wasn't just wizards at war then—Muggles were fighting each other, too. With a little magical manipulation and forged evidence, the Muggles sent a whole army to this little island…"
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