The breakfast hall was completely silent. Every kid, and a very shocked Mrs. Gable, stared at the strange scene. There was a serious woman in weird robes, and there was Kaelen, the quietest boy in the orphanage, speaking to her like he was in charge.
Professor McGonagall's eyebrows shot up. She had come here expecting to find a confused and scared child, shocked by the news of magic. She was ready for tears or a lot of questions. She was not ready for a boy who stared at her so calmly and held out his hand like he was owed something.
"And you are?" she asked, her voice sharp.
Before Mrs. Gable could jump in, Kaelen answered. "I am the one the letter is for. So, it belongs to me."
Professor McGonagall looked from Kaelen to the stunned Mrs. Gable and understood the situation right away. With a tired sigh, she stepped into the room.
"I am Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," she announced. Her voice was full of power that made Mrs. Gable nervous. "And that letter is for Mr. Kaelen. Please give it back."
She took the letter from the matron's hand and gave it to Kaelen. "Perhaps we can talk somewhere private?"
Kaelen took the letter and read it. His face showed no emotion at all. He wasn't amazed by the mention of magic or excited about the list of school supplies. He just read the information quietly.
In Mrs. Gable's small office, Professor McGonagall started to explain. She told him about a hidden magical world and a special school for gifted children like him.
Kaelen listened patiently. When she was finished, he said, "So the things I can do are magic. Being able to change how I look, make people see things that aren't there, and make things happen just by wanting them to. That is what you call witchcraft."
McGonagall froze. He wasn't asking a question; he was telling her. He was sorting his powers out in his mind, calm as anything.
"Yes," she said slowly. "At Hogwarts, you will learn to control it."
"I already control it," Kaelen said simply. To prove his point, his grey eyes suddenly changed to a bright emerald green, the exact color of her robes. He held the color for a few seconds before changing them back. "But I need more knowledge. This school will give me that."
The chill McGonagall had felt earlier came back. This boy was different. She remembered Dumbledore telling stories about another very smart, very powerful orphan boy, Tom Riddle. She quickly pushed the thought away.
"Yes, it will," she said. She explained that they would have to go to a place called Diagon Alley to get his school supplies, and that the school had a fund to help students who couldn't afford them.
Kaelen hated the idea of taking charity, but he knew he had no choice. For now. "Okay," he said. "When do we go?"
Diagon Alley was full of strange colors, loud sounds, and funny smells. But Kaelen wasn't amazed by it. He was studying it. He watched how rich wizards treated poor ones. He saw how everyone, even the wizards, was respectful and a little afraid of the goblins at the bank. He was learning the rules of this new world.
At Gringotts bank, he watched McGonagall get him money from the school's fund. He memorized how much the gold Galleons, silver Sickles, and bronze Knuts were worth. Being poor is a weakness, he thought. I need to fix that as soon as I can.
The strangest shop was Ollivanders, the wand shop. The air was dusty, and the old owner, Mr. Ollivander, seemed to look right through him.
"You have power, boy," Mr. Ollivander whispered, his pale eyes wide. "A cold, quiet power."
He had Kaelen try many wands. None of them worked. Finally, Ollivander came back with a dark, dusty box. "Yew. Thirteen inches. With a dragon heartstring core," he said.
The moment Kaelen's fingers touched the wand, he felt a cold, perfect connection, like a key fitting into a lock. The tip of the wand glowed with a dark, shadowy light, and the air in the shop suddenly felt heavy and cold.
Mr. Ollivander's eyes widened with what looked like fear. "I see," he whispered, taking a step back. "We will see great things from you, Mr. Kaelen. Terrible, yes… but great."
Kaelen paid for the wand, his face showing nothing. He didn't care if his greatness was "terrible." Greatness was power.
While Professor McGonagall was buying his spellbooks, Kaelen used a bit of the money to secretly buy a book that wasn't on his list: The Secrets of the Mind: A Guide to Legilimency and Occlumency. It was about how to defend your mind and, more importantly, how to read the minds of others. That was the kind of power he really wanted.
Back at the orphanage, Professor McGonagall gave him his train ticket. "Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, King's Cross Station, on September first," she said. She looked down at the quiet boy. Her gut feeling told her something was wrong. He was brilliant, but he felt hollow, like a child with no kindness inside him.
"Hogwarts will be a good home for you, Kaelen," she said softly.
Kaelen looked up at her with his cold, grey eyes. "It will be an excellent training ground," he corrected her.
After she left, Kaelen laid out all his new things on his small bed. The books and robes were tools. The ticket was a key. He picked up his new yew wand. He could feel its dark, cold power humming in his hand.
This was the weapon he would use to keep the promise he made at Elara's grave. He would never be weak again.
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