Among the souvenirs Wyzett brought back, the most coveted by the Weasley twins were, unsurprisingly, prank items laced with mild jinxes—just the sort of "local specialty" they craved.
Of course, any prank product sold officially had to pass the Ministry's inspection, so the curses inside were weak—more mischievous than malicious, designed for fun rather than harm.
Fred and George were instantly smitten with the haul.
"Nose-Biting Goblet… look at that clarity! Genius! The old nose-biting teacups always hid the jinx in the painted patterns, but how do they manage it with plain glass?"
"Oho! This candy box is vicious—check out those fangs! Looks like a dog's bite, and it drools when it snaps! Absolutely revolting. I love it!"
"Disappearing-Reappearing Ink? How's it work again… Wait, you write one message while exhaling and another while inhaling, and you can only read each by breathing the same way? You can't see both at once—brilliant!"
When it came to prank inventions, wizards truly excelled. Achieving effects like these probably owed something to those "happy little lawbreakers" in the magical community.
…
There were more practical gifts as well: two Swedish magical cookbooks, and some crystal glassware from Småland, enchanted to keep food fresh—remarkably handy.
And, of course, local Swedish sweets and pastries.
While the twins scurried off to stash their new prank gear, Wyzett and Luna—with Ron leading the way—headed into The Burrow to greet Molly.
After a round of warm welcomes, Wyzett and Luna returned home to unpack.
A glance at the calendar revealed that August had crept up on them.
Xenophilius was once again consumed by work. The Swedish adventure had provided him with a trove of new material—and, as an unexpected bonus, a surge of new readers.
Most were from Midgard Island and their extended families, buying The Quibbler as a gesture of thanks. For Xenophilius, it was a delight: selling The Quibbler in Sweden meant he could now boast that his magazine was "distributed overseas."
…
The Sleipnir had used its magic to camouflage itself in the gardens and woods, following Luna all the way to England.
During the trip, it even hitched a ride on The Vasa, but suffered a spell of seasickness, spending several days woozy in the cabin.
Its eating habits were much like a phoenix's—Luna kept it happy with berries throughout the journey.
Once in England, perhaps thanks to the garden at home, it settled in without missing a beat.
The Sleipnir loved hiding among the flowers and trees, only emerging when Luna or Wyzett appeared, its big eyes following their teamwork as they watered and tended the plants.
It also delighted in sneaking up behind Diana and Sol—the two owls—then snorting loudly, sending them flapping and hooting in a flurry of feathers.
Teasing the garden gnomes became another favorite pastime. Whenever a gnome dragged a berry back to its burrow, the Sleipnir would pop up, snatch the berry, and—once the gnome had spun around in confusion—drop it back by the entrance.
The gnomes, not the sharpest creatures, soon began gathering at the same burrow entrances, hoping for more "miracle berries" to appear.
Of course, after a day and a night, hunger got the better of them and they went foraging again—only for the Sleipnir to start the game anew.
Thus began another round of waiting, confusion, and hunger for the gnomes…
Wyzett's Swedish journey had been richly rewarding.
Sweden was dotted with wizarding ruins—none as ancient as the Odin Ruins, but all brimming with Ancient Magic.
Many ruins featured murals, and nearby stalls sold books interpreting these wall paintings.
The quality of these interpretations varied wildly, reflected in the prices: a volume penned by a renowned wizard could fetch fifty to two hundred Galleons, while a basic interpretation might cost only a Galleon or two.
Thanks to his unique abilities, Wyzett would buy the cheapest book, then stand at the stalls and flip through all the others, absorbing their contents.
By mentally weaving together the various interpretations of a single ruin, he could reconstruct the developmental history of a particular spell.
A wizard would draw inspiration from a natural phenomenon, begin experimenting, and eventually invent the earliest form of a spell. Over time, with reference to murals and their own growing knowledge, the spell would be refined—made easier and safer to cast.
For ancient wizards, who had yet to invent the wand, spellcasting was a cumbersome affair, giving rise to what was known as "ritual magic."
To cast a spell, an ancient wizard would first prepare—quieting the mind, focusing all their will. Then, using magical "media"—objects imbued with mystical properties—they would arrange these items in precise patterns.
Next came the lengthy incantation. Ancient spells were often long and required careful attention to rhythm and cadence.
Some rituals also demanded the right timing, or a specific location, to work their magic.
Through these mural studies, Wyzett gleaned much about magical theory and history.
…
Lately, Wyzett had thrown himself into the study of the Water-Making Spell.
He began with the oldest ritual forms, gradually tracing the spell's evolution through mural interpretations, step by step, until it became the streamlined modern charm taught at Hogwarts.
Normally, a student wouldn't learn this spell until after passing their O.W.L.s and advancing to sixth-year Charms.
Wyzett chose it because it was so practical.
Its most obvious use was, of course, conjuring water—master it, and you'd never go thirsty again.
Water is the source of life—essential and universally useful, whether you're a Muggle or a wizard.
In potion-making, for instance, water is often required in the form of dew or pure water.
Dew, imbued with magical properties, can only be gathered directly.
Pure water, on the other hand, must be utterly free of impurities.
You could buy it, boil and distill it, or—most elegantly—use magic to separate the impurities.
After delving into the mural interpretations, Wyzett mastered this last method.
He could now fine-tune the Water-Making Spell to conjure pure water directly.
As the saying goes, mastery in one area opens doors elsewhere. With his newfound precision, Wyzett found his control over nonverbal, wandless Levitation Charms improving as well…
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