This was not some random choice Julian had made on impulse. He had already been considering letting his friends know about some of his abilities for a while now. Luna becoming part of that was unexpected, obviously, but something told him she would have found out eventually anyway, so he was not especially bothered by it. He had no intention of revealing his ability to speak and read any language or the full range of his magical senses, but he did not mind discussing most of the others. Tracy let out an exasperated sigh when she heard him, while Luna simply giggled.
"I knew you were cheating. Nobody is that good at magic the moment they arrive at Hogwarts. So come on, tell us, how does this ridiculous ability of yours actually work?" Tracy asked, sounding smug at the thought that he was just naturally gifted instead of simply working harder than everyone else. Julian crushed that expression immediately. "It doesn't work that way, Tracy, so wipe that smug look off your face. Yes, it helps, but I still have to put in the effort to actually learn magic, so it is not just talent. Hard work still matters," he said, and she looked personally wounded.
Daphne giggled at that because she had expected as much herself, though she had wanted to see Tracy's reaction once she found out too. "You still cheated though!" Tracy complained, refusing to admit she had been wrong. Julian laughed. "Not really. My starting point is just different from yours, that's all. Setting that aside, I am curious what other abilities you all think I might have," he said, looking interested. "Parseltongue?" Daphne guessed, and Julian shook his head to show that he did not have that one. "What about that strange closeness you have with birds?" Tracy asked, since she had noticed it a long time ago too.
"I suppose that counts as an ability. I call it avian dominion, since all it really does is make me the king of all avian creatures, which is to say birds for the most part," Julian explained honestly. "That sounds nice," Luna said with a smile. "It has its uses," he replied. "Well, there was the lightning thing you just did, but what about fire or water?" Daphne asked. Julian held out his hand and tried shaping his magical energy across his palm the way water would flow, but nothing happened. Then he tried the same thing with fire, and just as with lightning, a small flame instantly sprang to life above his palm without burning him in the slightest.
'That makes sense, at least. I'm fairly sure the ability to summon fire and lightning came from the spirit of the celestial bird that fused with my soul,' he thought while curiously playing with the little flame. "Ugh, I am so jealous!" Tracy complained loudly. Julian only laughed and drew his magic back beneath his skin, snuffing out the flames hovering over his palm. "You must make sure to use those abilities only for good," Hermione said as though she actually had any idea what she was talking about.
"I don't exactly plan to go around hurling lightning bolts at random people for fun, you know. Honestly, I don't even understand the appeal. Burnt flesh smells awful," Julian joked, and Luna, Daphne, and Tracy all laughed while Hermione huffed but chose not to argue. "You still never said whether you can summon or control the weather," Luna pointed out. Julian looked out at the partly cloudy sky beyond the train windows and, while channeling magic through his whole body, imagined a dark sky full of thunder.
At first nothing happened, so he thought either he was doing it wrong or he simply did not possess that ability. Then, all at once, he felt an enormous drop in his magical reserves, and outside the train the wind began to howl while grey storm clouds visibly formed overhead. Julian immediately cut off the flow of magic with a pale face, because that tiny bit of weather manipulation had almost drained him dry. Taking several deep breaths to keep from panting in exhaustion, he forced himself to stay upright and keep his eyes open. The girls noticed the sudden shift in the weather, but they also saw how drained Julian looked after what could not have been more than a few seconds of using that power.
"I am staying far away from that one for a very long time. By Merlin's saggy beard, I am exhausted," he said honestly, and the girls all agreed he should absolutely not try using that ability again right now. "Still, to think you can actually tamper with the weather. Are you sure you aren't the next Merlin or Dumbledore?" Tracy asked teasingly. "No thanks. Being that sort of public figure sounds like far too much work. I think I'll stick to being only barely recognized for how powerful I am, thank you very much," Julian said, half joking and half completely serious.