That's right. Lewis had positioned his tower as a mage tower—the kind used by arcane mages. Unlike an ordinary wizard's home, a mage tower wasn't just a place to live. It was a sanctuary, a research center, and a fortress. In theory, a mage would gather immense arcane energy within it, constructing elemental pools to power various functions. Inside, there would be laboratories filled with arcane instruments, as well as specialized rooms like containment chambers, blast chambers, sealing rooms, and gravity rooms. It would also serve as a treasury for collections and a refuge in times of danger, protected by layers of defensive magic. Through arcane diagrams, radiation arrays, magical turbulence, and other mysterious forces, a mage could enhance their abilities within the tower, gaining greater control over elements, planes, and more.
Of course, all of that was just the ideal.
In reality, Lewis had only given it the form of a tower. As for something like an elemental pool, his current level simply wasn't enough to create one, let alone power the advanced systems that relied on it. For now, all those fancy features would have to wait until he grew stronger.
At the moment, the "mage tower" was basically just a well-designed house.
The first floor opened into a living room, with the kitchen, dining area, and other functional spaces also located there. There was even a large fireplace connected to the Floo Network. The second through fourth floors were bedrooms for him and his future companions. The fifth floor served as Lewis's study and workspace, containing everything he needed for research and learning. The top floor, currently the sixth, was designed as an observatory. Below, there was a basement level that functioned as another workspace for alchemy and potion-making, along with storage rooms and a wine cellar. It even had a secondary exit connected to a hollow beneath the giant oak tree.
The entire tower was fully furnished and beautifully decorated. With the Philosopher's Stone at his disposal, Lewis had no reason to cut corners.
After giving the two girls a full tour, he was met with endless admiration. Cirilla found it almost unbelievable that Lewis owned such a place. They were both outsiders, yet she had spent four or five years here without ever having a place of her own, staying in inns during holidays and making a living by gathering herbs and dealing with magical creatures—essentially living like a witcher. Meanwhile, Lewis had only spent a single year at Hogwarts and had already built something like this. No one knew how he had done it, but everything was perfectly legitimate.
After seeing everything, Cirilla realized that even her previous high estimation of Lewis had been far too low. When she learned that he had achieved all of this through the Philosopher's Stone, her admiration only deepened. Even his earlier claims about building a floating city and exploring other worlds no longer seemed impossible.
Compared to Cirilla, however, Hermione was the one who truly understood the significance of this tower. Her parents were dentists—a well-paid profession in Britain—firmly middle class. Like the Dursleys, they owned a detached house in the suburbs of London and lived a respectable life. She knew exactly how difficult it was to own a home like that.
And yet this tower was several times larger than her house, with far more luxurious furnishings. The only thing it lacked was electricity.
That meant this boy her age had somehow acquired an unimaginable fortune.
"I've decided, Lewis!" Cirilla suddenly declared, sitting on the sofa in the living room after the tour. "I'm not staying in inns anymore. I'm living here!"
"Of course you can, Ciri," Lewis replied gently. "Even if you hadn't said it, I would've invited you. Now that you've moved in, there's no need to leave again."
As fellow outsiders from another world, Cirilla was someone Lewis trusted deeply—his closest ally. Offering her a place to stay was nothing. He had more than enough rooms.
Hearing this, Hermione immediately grew tense. She didn't know Cirilla's situation, but she knew her own. She had only come here with her parents' permission to practice flying and use magic during the holidays. She still had a home. She couldn't just move in permanently like Cirilla.
"But doesn't this mean I'm already one step behind her?"
The thought made her feel a little upset.
As if sensing it, Lewis turned to her. "And you too, Hermione. Even if you can't stay here all the time, there will always be a room for you in this tower."
"…Thank you, Lewis."
That simple promise warmed her like sunlight in winter, filling her with emotion.
Lewis, meanwhile, quietly let out a breath of relief. Maintaining balance between girls required skill.
Since it was their first day in the tower, Lewis didn't plan anything special. After dinner, the three of them sat by the fireplace, reading, chatting, and playing wizard's chess before going to bed early.
Lying in bed, Lewis couldn't help but miss Muggle electronics. Wizard life had its advantages, but entertainment options were painfully limited. If he had a TV or a game console, it wouldn't feel this dull.
The thought of visiting the Burrow and asking Arthur Weasley about enchanting Muggle objects suddenly crossed his mind.
The next morning, Lewis woke up with his biological clock. Birds chirped outside, announcing the start of a new day. The massive oak tree's abundant natural energy had attracted nearby birds and animals to settle in the surrounding forest. Despite the summer heat, the tower remained pleasantly cool.
Along with learning how to create a Philosopher's Stone, Lewis had also gained Alchemical Specialization, raising his alchemy skills significantly. He could now easily enchant permanent low-level spells—like the third-circle spell Control Temperature, which was maintaining the tower's climate.
After washing up, Lewis went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for the three of them. Once again, he felt the absence of a house-elf. While Unseen Servant was convenient, its intelligence was too limited—it could clean but couldn't cook creatively unless he wanted to eat something barely edible.
Lewis knew how to cook from his previous life, but cooking with magic was entirely different. He had even studied books like Enchanting Your Cheese, The Magic of Baking Bread, Fantastic Beasts in the Pot, and Conjure a Feast.
Before long, Hermione came downstairs, still half-asleep, wearing pajamas with messy hair. Everything about magical life fascinated her. As soon as she entered the kitchen, she froze, watching Lewis cook with magic.
Seeing him skillfully control pots and pans with his wand filled her with admiration. At home, she had watched her mother cook every day but could only stand by and help a little. Now, she couldn't even do that.
The more she watched Lewis, the more impressed she became. This boy her age knew so much—he was intelligent, academically excellent, capable of creating spells, and could even cook.
Come to think of it, she had never imagined that one day she would leave home, live far away from her parents, and share a house with a boy.
Wait…
Did this count as living together?
It probably did. Though, unfortunately, there was also that annoying Cirilla.
Of course, from Cirilla's perspective, Hermione was just as annoying.
After spacing out for a while, Hermione suddenly felt a bit useless and said, "Maybe… I can cook tomorrow?"
"Can you?" Lewis asked without turning around.
"I think so?" Hermione recalled. "I've learned a bit from my mum, but I've never used magic for cooking."
"That's fine. You can try."
The Ministry could detect magic through the Trace, but it was crude. It could only detect the general location of magic, not the specific caster. That meant it only effectively monitored Muggle-borns living in Muggle areas. In wizarding communities like Ottery St. Catchpole, where magic was constantly being used, the Ministry couldn't track anything precisely.
That was one of the reasons Hermione had come here.
Lewis carefully divided the toast, bacon, and eggs into three portions before turning around. "Go wash up. I'll teach you broom flying this morning. Oh, and call Ciri from outside."
Hermione nodded, then asked, puzzled, "She's already awake?"
"She's been up for a while."
That surprised her.
"She's probably doing morning training in the yard right now."
Sure enough, Hermione looked outside and saw Cirilla swinging a steel sword with fierce precision.
…Did I really just consider competing with someone like that?
What if she just punches me to death?
Yeah… maybe not.
And just like that, the cohabitation life of one boy and two girls officially began.
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