Chapter 5
"So... He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named really just brought practically all of Magical Britain to its knees? With nothing but a little circle of rich friends?" I genuinely could not understand how that was even possible as I continued quietly questioning my new acquaintance about the realities of the local magical world.
And Krusho did not hold back. He patiently and methodically explained the unclear or simply controversial points to me. The man hardly seemed bothered that we had already spent three hours sitting on a bench, doing nothing but talking. We had even drifted into history after finishing with a general description of the magical world. The good-natured Bulgarian had already told me about Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, wizard customs and traditions, types of magic, and a whole bunch of slightly less important things.
"I really was lucky to run into someone this talkative... Though it seems the conversation is useful for the wizard too, in its own way. I don't know what exactly is going on in this man's life, but even I have already noticed a ton of sadness and exhaustion in his eyes and voice," I continued thoughtfully assessing my companion, still not quite setting aside my natural suspicion. After all, who knows what one might expect from wizards...
"You see, Harry... the magical world is actually quite small. Or rather, there aren't that few wizards. In Britain, besides Hogwarts, there are at least four other much simpler schools... But all the power in society is concentrated in the hands of a very narrow circle of people. And at least some of those people helped the Dark Lord, which is why all that ugliness went on for so many years," the unshaven, disheveled wizard explained patiently. Over the past few hours, he had already decided that I was a fairly sharp kid, so he was no longer shy about using terms that were not exactly obvious to a child.
It was clear that Krusho felt a little awkward talking to a boy my age. He was completely unused to it and at first had not really known how to behave with me at all... So I had to steer the conversation myself and guide the wizard in the direction I wanted, before he decided to run off.
And so our conversation continued. I bombarded the man with questions, and he tried his hardest to give me at least some kind of answer... He did not always manage it, but the wizard tried. Only near the end of the conversation, when darkness had already begun to settle in, did he finally seem to remember himself and hurry to bring this spontaneous lecture on the magical world to some sort of close.
"Ahem, listen, Harry... I understand that all this is interesting and very important to you. But won't your relatives start looking for you? It's already getting dark outside..." comrade Zhelov said to me, glancing around a little awkwardly.
"I don't think they'll worry too much about me... But yes, we really have been sitting here for a while," I admitted with some reluctance. "I'm sorry for distracting you and taking up so much of your time..." I began apologizing, already hoping to move from apologies to asking for another meeting.
"It's nothing," the wizard cut me off first, lightly trying to ruffle my hair... but I dodged, fully aware that it would not be very polite to let him. I still did not want to reveal my scar, so I was trying to keep my hair in place. "I enjoyed our conversation too... It's been a long time since I just talked to someone like this," the wizard continued with a small smile, not seeming especially offended by my desire to avoid physical contact.
"Really? Then maybe you'd agree to give me another lecture on the magical world?" I grinned teasingly, deliberately covering my head with my hands... That way, my attempt to protect my hairstyle looked more funny than insulting.
"Heh, anything's possible... But not this week, all right? I definitely won't be free before next weekend. Work," the wizard sighed wearily, forcing me to make an effort to hide my understanding look.
"The boring problems of grown-ups," I yawned theatrically, making my attitude toward that excuse perfectly clear... Even though deep down, I was insanely grateful to the friendly wizard who was willing to spend scraps of his free time on a completely unrelated little boy. "Do you at least have anything from magical literature? I like reading!"
"That much is obvious," Krusho smirked, lifting a thoughtful gaze toward the sky. "But unfortunately, I probably don't have anything interesting. I never had magical fairy tales, and I sold my early Hogwarts textbooks at a secondhand stall ages ago," the wretch said, ruthlessly crushing my hopes...
At the same time, he was giving me another tiny piece of information about himself. It had already been obvious during the conversation that my companion had studied at Hogwarts, since he did not know all that much about the other schools... But even so, it was still somewhat surprising. According to Krusho himself, Muggle-borns rarely get into the best magical school on the islands. Most of them study in simpler institutions.
"Although, you know... I could ask my colleagues for something from children's literature... If I remember right, Crow's nieces recently started at Houtmit... that academy is one of those schools for wizards who aren't especially wealthy or magically talented, the kind I told you about. You might end up there too," the Bulgarian reminded me instructively.
"Mm... It'd be interesting to read their textbooks. But children's fairy tales can get lost. You only read those when you've got nothing better to do," I snorted, making my interests clear to the wizard... and not forgetting to throw him a genuinely grateful look. I understood, of course, that getting me the books I wanted would not be especially difficult for Krusho. But even so...
"I understand, O wisest wizard of the future generation. You'll have everything you need!" the wizard gave me a joking little salute... and the motion was so precise and habitual that I immediately suspected him of serving in some kind of police force... or the Auror Office, in magical terms.
Still, I did not rush to focus on that or draw full conclusions from such a small detail. I parted with my new acquaintance on a very pleasant, almost friendly note... only to spend the next two weeks in agonizing anticipation of our next meeting!
I wanted so badly to learn more about magic and the magical world that I almost stopped going on my usual outings... All I did was train at the nearest sports ground and experiment with magical outbursts. On the wave of enthusiasm and inspiration, it even seemed like I was generating more magic. And that was not even counting the ordinary childish energy and vigor.
If I had not been deliberately exhausting myself with physical exercise, I probably would not have been able to sleep properly at all. That was how strongly my first meeting and real acquaintance with an adult wizard had charged me with emotion... And most importantly, a genuinely kind wizard, one who did not begrudge information to an admittedly rather intrusive and overly curious little boy.
Oh yes, the arrival of a wizard with Bulgarian roots had been a real salvation for me! And when he actually kept his promise, showing up again near the Dursleys' house by the evening of the appointed Saturday and finding me on the same roof, which I had barely climbed down from all day... my happiness knew no bounds.
"At last, new knowledge about the magical world!" I was practically shouting deep inside my own mind as, right after greeting him, I pulled Krusho Zhelov straight into a new conversation... I barely even glanced at my notebook with the list of questions and clarifications I had prepared in advance. That was how thoroughly I had prepared for my new meeting with my only current acquaintance from the magical world.
Fortunately, the Bulgarian himself only laughed at my behavior, amused and tired at the same time. Apparently, since our last meeting, his work had managed to wear him down even more... But the sadness had almost disappeared from his eyes, confirming some of my earlier guesses about him.
Not that those guesses changed anything... But I understood my companion a little better now. And my gratitude toward this perpetually disheveled man only grew stronger... not least because of the books he brought. I was happier about that small stack of seven rather thin hardbound volumes than about my own birthday and the local botched Christmas put together.
"Don't expect too much, of course. It's unlikely you'll unravel all the secrets of magic from these pamphlets at ten years old... Especially since without a wand you still won't be able to cast properly. But they should satisfy your curiosity either way," the not-so-young wizard said with amusement as he watched my reaction and my attempts to quickly sort through the books.
"I'm nine," I corrected him reflexively, not reacting to anything else in what he had said... I had more important things to deal with.
"Really? You look and act older than your age..." the wizard said thoughtfully, seeming to mutter something about mental magic almost under his breath. But unfortunately, I did not catch that last remark, and it was already too late and a bit out of place to ask. "By the way, I'm forty-seven. And already quite an old piece of firewood..."
"Really? You look younger," I gave him a thoughtful, surprised glance, not quite believing that. Even with all the signs of exhaustion, the careless hair, and the week-old stubble, Krusho looked about thirty... thirty-five at most.
"I'll take that as a compliment... Though with proper training, a wizard can look thirty even at a hundred," the Bulgarian waved a hand lightly, laughing awkwardly... and immediately captured all of my attention.
"Tell me!" I practically pounced on the wizard, having never heard of anything like that before... The films from my previous life had already proven themselves to be extremely incomplete and somewhat one-sided sources of information. But this?
"Uh, maybe a little later... It's all pretty complicated, and a wizard has to be fairly powerful," the wizard, who clearly was not such a simple Muggle-born after all, darted his eyes around in sudden confusion.
"I see... So to avoid ending up looking like my uncle, all I need to do is become a powerful wizard?" I tried to continue my interrogation without missing a beat... But I got no clear answer and no extra details on the subject. When he wanted to, Krusho Zhelov knew how to keep his mouth shut... Though maybe I was imagining it. There was no guarantee that Krusho really knew anything about any special training for extending life.
But I remembered his slip about magical strength and youthful looks all the same, and it instantly made me far more determined to keep training with my magical outbursts. I even specifically asked whether frequent magical outbursts in children directly indicated their future potential...
True, my acquaintance immediately clarified that in children, that process was usually completely uncontrolled and depended almost directly on how magically saturated the place was where the young wizard grew up, as well as how lucky they had been in the genetic lottery.
But I no longer cared! I understood very clearly and distinctly that my life would now include even more experiments and training with magic. If being a powerful wizard meant that even at a hundred I could, with proper training, look and feel thirty, or better yet twenty... then damn it, I'll take two! Better yet, three or four!
Believe me, that is one kind of wealth I will absolutely find a way to carry with me. And I will spare no effort in reaching it...