HP : A Wizard's Dream

Chapter 7: Chapter 7 - Arthur, Yer A Wizard !



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"Speaking"

"SPEAKING LOUDLY

"Speaking in a magical language" (Parseltongue or Ancient Runes)

"...*Quotes*..." 

*Sound effects*

'Thoughts'

##### = Scene break 

Time and place where the story is happening 

Enjoy the chapter ! 

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London - 30 Kinnerton Street (26th December 1877)

After breakfast and their morning routine it was finally time for Arthur to unravel the mystery, and he was more than just a bit insistent about it, forcing William to answer :

"Alright, stop pestering me already or I won't say anything"

"You are a wizard, Arthur !"

"What you used yesterday was magic, accidental magic, and wizards under 11 can sometimes have such outbursts. You will get a wand at 11 years old, to control and use your magic, before getting to Hogwarts. This is a school for little wizards, and you will need to go there for seven years, staying in the castle the entire time, except during the winter and summer holidays."

"Wizards live hidden from the sight of the muggles, those who can't use magic, so the two worlds are separate."

"As for us, we are both Squibs, that is, children of wizards without the ability to use magic, that's why we were both thrown out of our families. Ancient families secretly get rid of their descendants without magic to show off their *unblemished blood purity*, even if it's dumb and outdated, especially in Magical Britain."

"Ooooh does it mean we are nobles since we are rich with great ancestors ?" Arthur was very interested in this part of the conversation, as old families most likely had money and rare books that he could one day borrow, which would help him a lot in his research on magic.

'I am clearly in the wizarding world of J.K.Rowling. But didn't the Harry Potter series take place in the late 20th century ? What am I doing here, more than a century early ? Well I won't complain, I have magic and I have time before canon ! If it still exists after I become the greatest wizard alive that is…'

'Wait, I may be too early for Harry Potter, but didn't Hogwarts Legacy take place in this time period ? I loved this game ! I am definitely touring the world, starting with Hogwarts' neighborhood on a broom, fighting dark wizards ! Then the rest of Great Britain and finally the world !'

William was a bit surprised to learn that Arthur knew about nobles, guessing that one of his books mentioned this kind of people, like kings and princesses. What surprised him the most was that he seemed to have understood everything, despite being only 3 years old, albeit focusing on just one part of his revelations, in his case, the part about money, like a child would do. 

He was especially starting to get worried because he had noticed a pattern, just like when his son kept dropping hints of his desire to get books earlier in the year, he now seemed to be dropping hints about getting money, which didn't please him one bit. 

Just like his son, he was a fierce hoarder of all things, money especially, even if he wasn't too stingy when it came to his family, as long as it didn't go overboard. And if things proceeded like they did with books…He was certain that his son would try to rip him off, to get hold of his most treasured possessions this time, his money. 

His money sense was screaming at him to act fast and decisively to avoid bankruptcy and his sense had always been right, it was his own limited magic in a sense, helping him reach his current fortune as one of the richest in England. He would not ignore it, as nonsensical as it seemed, if his money sense said his own son was a danger to his fortune, he would act and nip the problem in the bud.

Thus, he started to think a lot about the answer to his question, finally deciding to let someone else suffer in his stead. Knowing his son, nothing would stop him from achieving his goals, but he could make sure he would not be the one to take the brunt of his obsession.

"Technically yes, you can be considered a pureblood. All your ancestors were wizards and we are both pureblooded Squibs, but even if we are not seen as wizards, we are considered magical since we can see magic, use artifacts, most importantly, we are detected by magical detection spells and not affected by muggle repellent spells."

"So, you could say that we are wizards with so little magic that we can't cast spells. Only Magical Britain sees Squibs as Muggles. Many Squibs work in the magical world, since some magical disciplines are compatible with Squibs' lack of spell casting abilities and only need little amounts of magic, like Botany and low-level Potions. That's not the case for Muggles, that's the reason why you will probably see Squibs but never Muggles working in the magical world.

"So Squibs are mostly seen as *better muggles* or *half-wizards*. Though not in Magical Britain, we are seen as less than sh*t in this country and don't even have access to a magical education at Hogwarts or anywhere else, to study magical disciplines that we can practice ! That's why so many just leave the magical world, to avoid this disappointing society and all the bullying. We often have a brighter future among muggles anyways, since wizards are just better in everything magical and most Squibs end up doing factory jobs like mass production of magical plants for potions and mass production of low-level potions, for the nobles in both cases."

"As long as you only have wizards or creature ancestors, you are a pureblood in most magical communities around the world. The sacred 28 of Magical Britain simply twisted the facts to become *nobles* and gain everything that comes with the title while oppressing the rest."

"English purebloods will never see you as one of them however, as they consider Squibs to be lesser than wizards and thus not pure. That means our families won't ever accept you, unless you become someone really great. In which case they will try to attribute your success to their blood or directly snatch your achievements for themselves by publicly recognizing you. Even then you won't really be considered a noble, more like a vassal, and won't be allowed to inherit anything in the family unless you are the only one left."

"Sorry, I got carried away, that might be a little difficult for a 3 year old to understand. In short you are a noble, but you won't ever benefit from that title in Magical Britain, worse, our families might make things difficult for you."

He had done it, he had painted the nobles as *bad guys* ripping off everyone else and treating Squibs poorly, something that wasn't far from reality, only a bit exaggerated. The important part was that he painted the nobles as extremely rich, and Squibs as extremely poor, something that could influence his son into thinking his own father, as a Squib, had way less money than nobles. 

His son would naturally turn his gaze toward the juicy prey and leave him alone, at least, he would not put his grubby little hands on his entire hard-earned fortune, only a little part of it. 

If Arthur managed to make his *most noble* family go bankrupt, it would make him happy, if he couldn't do it, he knew his son would not even try to, he was way too perceptive not to recognize a losing battle, and he would always play safe, not taking any risk. And if he was just overthinking, then his son would be a bit less naive once he steps into the magical world, and might try to help Squibs a bit if he was really kind hearted.

He knew he was probably overthinking what was going on in his son's head, but if he had learned one thing in his short career as a father, it was that his son ALWAYS found a way to reach his goal. Whether it was conscious or not on his son's side he didn't care, his money was now more or less safe, nothing else mattered more, except his little family's well being, something he knew his son would never endanger.

Arthur looked really disappointed after hearing his father's answer, though he already had some plan starting to form in his head, one involving nobles and a sh*t ton of money. 

'I didn't think discrimination against Squibs went that far, it was never really mentioned in the canon ! And I knew nobles own most shops and properties in Diagon alley and the like, they must be pretty rich, but father is hinting that they literally control the magical community's money, that's more than expected. And as a direct descendant of not one but two noble houses…Yes, I can work with that ! Research needs money, a lot of it even. And you can never have too much money, two fortunes like that could help me quite a lot ! Plus all the magic books they must have ! I will find a way to make them contribute to my research. But first, I need a plan, and a really good one if they are that rich and powerful !'

His mother then started to speak for the first time that morning :

"There is also a magical community in London, called Diagon Alley, it's a shopping alley with everything you need for Hogwarts and more. I only went there when I was really young, through floo -that's teleportation from a fireplace to another fireplace- but your father should know where its entrance is."

"Yes dear, it's on Charing Cross Road, in a dilapidated bar. But you need a wand to enter Diagon Alley and the bartender only opens the way for children without wands. But I guess we are allowed to visit Diagon Alley now since we have a little wizard in the family !"

'Perfect timing mom ! If we go to Diagon Alley, it means I can get books about magic ! A lot of books ! Surely they won't mind spending a lot of money for educational purposes ! It's a shame that I probably can't get a wand anytime soon, though I should check books for any law on that topic, about wands and underage magic.'

"Can we go there, please, please ! I want magic books !"

'Yes I want a massive head start before Hogwarts and I am not ashamed of it ! I need to learn Occlumency and some common knowledge of the wizarding world that I might not be aware of.' 

"Yes, we will go to Diagon Alley soon, Art, but only one book !"

'Oh god, I need a way to sneak into Diagon Alley by myself with some money or I will only be able to read a dozen books at most before going to Hogwarts ! Why are you so stingy ? You don't mind spending thousands for suits but more than one book is too much ? Wait, London is pretty dangerous these days and I am still extremely young, I won't be able to sneak out like that and I don't have money ! I guess it's time I start asking for pocket money ! I intended to do it gradually, but now's the best opportunity !'

"Oki mommy ! But can I have money ? Nobles must have a lot of money right ? How can I be poor if I am one ?"

"You are too young for that, Art !"

"Pleeease ! You won't have to buy sweets for me anymore ?"

'The sacrifices I am willing to make, seriously ! I am only saying that because I will end up with a lot of money if I start accumulating money this young. By the time I am something like 9 years old I should have enough for a few dozen more books, and I should be *old* enough to buy them without their consent. Seems like I just need to grow up now…'

"Alright, ask your dad, okay ?"

Arthur turned toward William with a face that promised a lot of pain in case he dared to give an unsatisfactory answer, making him sweat quite a bit. He was a very successful businessman, trained to resist such pressure, but even then, he dared not say no to this little creature. 

And he started to sweat even more when he realized that he had almost fallen for his son's traps, seeing through his plans only through sheer luck and his natural instinct toward money. He started thanking every single god he knew for that moment of clarity and for his decision to steer his son toward another target preemptively, before shamelessly putting on his businessman mask, and unleashing his negotiator's talents to the fullest extent.

"Of course Arthur, how about 1 penny per year ?"

"5 pounds per day!"

"*COUGH* EXCUSE ME ?? Certainly not, young man ! I will be bankrupt by the end of the week if I need to pay you that much !"

After much bargaining, Arthur managed to squeeze an allowance of 15 shillings per month, something he was quite proud of, though he had to sacrifice a lot, including sweets, for that amount of money. His father meanwhile, was both relieved to have avoided the biggest pitfall of his career and sour to have failed to lower the price even more.

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