Late at night, the light in the second-floor bedroom of 19 Tibbet Avenue was still on.
Albert sat at his desk, reading quickly through the pages of a spellbook. He had just upgraded Rapid Memory to Level 2, and the improvement was obvious—his ability to retain and recall information had become extraordinary. Ordinary people simply couldn't compare.
A moment ago, he had also noticed a new skill appear on his panel:
Wizard Bloodline – Level 0.
Unlike other skills, it couldn't be improved through practice or experience—it required skill points.
It was the first time he had encountered such a condition.
After a moment of hesitation, he invested a point.
The result was immediate. His magical learning efficiency increased; his spellcasting felt smoother—the Lumos Charm was easier to control. Ten minutes of focused practice, and he pushed Lumos to Level 1.
He considered stopping.
Should I spend all my points?
Skill points were rare and precious. Still, after wrestling with himself for a while, he gritted his teeth and allocated the remaining two points.
Only to find… it only leveled up once.
What a scam.
His Wizard Bloodline was now Level 2, yet he felt no dramatic change. No surge of magic, no new abilities.
A passive skill then… he thought with mild disappointment.
Still, he didn't regret it.
He stood, left his room quietly, wand in one hand and spellbook in the other, and walked to the hallway. He turned to the page on unlocking charms.
He traced the movements with his wand—two gentle twists, like drawing a backward S. The gesture felt awkward.
Locking his door deliberately, he pointed his wand at the doorknob and whispered:
"Alohomora."
He reached out, twisted the knob…
Nothing.
Failure.
Expected, but still a little disappointing. He checked the panel—Alohomora had appeared, but it was still at 0 experience.
"Albert, what are you doing?"
He turned.
Nia stood at the end of the hallway in her pajamas, arms crossed, eyes narrowed like she had just caught a thief stealing cookies.
"Why are you still awake?" Albert asked.
"I can't sleep." She pouted. "And you're sneaking around practicing magic without me!"
Caught red-handed.
Albert coughed lightly. "It's not what you think."
"I want to try too!" Nia's eyes locked on his wand.
"No." Albert immediately denied her. "This isn't a toy."
Children acted on impulse—and if Nia really was a witch, that made her both capable and dangerous.
"Ugh! So unfair! You get to play with it and I can't?"
"Shouldn't you be in bed?"
"No. I want to stay."
"Fine," Albert sighed. "Then I'll tell you a story."
He unlocked his door and walked in. Nia grumbled something about how "sneaky" he was, but still followed, carrying Tom the cat like a fluffy pillow.
As soon as Tom entered the room, he sniffed suspiciously at the owl cage by the window, clearly unhappy about its existence.
"Relax, Tom. Shera went out hunting," Albert said, lifting the cat and scratching his belly. He placed his wand into a drawer, locked it, and—just to be safe—slipped the key into his pocket.
Nia glared dramatically. "Do you really have to guard it like I'm a thief?"
"Because I know you," Albert said dryly. "If you got hold of my wand, I'd be waking up in the middle of a structural fire."
"I would not!"
"Remember how you got those scratches on your arm?"
Nia went quiet.
That had been shortly after they adopted Tom. She'd carried him like a ragdoll and he had… objected—with claws. Albert had scolded her fiercely. It was the first time she'd seen him genuinely angry.
"Do you still want the story?" he asked.
"…Yes," Nia muttered, grabbing a cushion and stroking Tom's fur.
Albert smiled faintly and began telling fairy tales in a soft voice. He was good at it—he'd practiced narration for years to improve his English accent. He had even gained a new language—French—upgraded to Level 1 with experience points. People called him a genius, and perhaps… it wasn't wrong.
After a while, Nia whispered, "Albert… do you think I'll be able to do magic too?"
"You should," he replied gently. "If I can, you probably can too."
"That's because you're a genius—you learn everything so fast…"
"That has nothing to do with it." Albert pinched the bridge of his nose. "We're siblings. If I can do it, you can too."
"But Grandpa couldn't. Everyone else in his family could use magic except him… And Dad can't either."
Herb was casually sacrificed.
"Even if you can't use magic," Albert said calmly, "you can still do many other things."
"You're too sneaky," Nia huffed. "You can already use magic, but you still act all humble… Tom, attack!"
She grabbed Tom's paw and gently slapped it against Albert's cheek.
Time passed. Nia's eyelids drooped. Eventually, she fell asleep mid-story.
Daisy and Herb quietly entered the room in their pajamas. They looked at their daughter sprawled across Albert's bed with helpless affection.
"She finally fell asleep," Herb whispered, gently lifting Nia and carrying her to her room.
Daisy leaned down and kissed Albert's forehead. "Goodnight. Don't stay up too late. And… your father and I won't stop you. Whatever you decide."
"Goodnight," Albert said softly, stifling a yawn.
He nudged Tom aside, climbed into bed, found a comfortable spot, and closed his eyes.
Magic really is… an incredible thing.