I looked around the thickets of the park and did not find anyone around. Overcoming my doubts, I summoned the sword. A thin stream of blood enveloped the hand, flowing down extremely quickly and forming the shape of a blade. As soon as it formed, the sword finally appeared in my hand. A series of experiments had already been planned, and everything was prepared, so I proceeded to the first task. Twisted the sword in his hands. Lightweight, almost weightless, but by some instinct, I understood that his weight is quite consistent with the size.

I swung and hit a thick piece of wood, like a knife through butter. There are now two bars. I took the second block in my hand and already lowered it onto the sword’s blade. The block was now cutting a little harder, like cheese. The resistance of the material was already felt. The next in line was the rod from the armature. The adoptive father has been keeping them for six years since the wall’s strengthening between the house and the garage. I stuck a small rod into the ground, swung, and cut it off almost as easily. Then I took the stump and repeated the bar’s maneuver – lowered it onto the blade. The steel bar was cut even tighter but still absurdly easy. At this point, I wanted to remove the sword, and it, obeying my will, again spread blood over my hand, immediately disappearing. ​​

I conducted similar experiments for two weeks and learned one thing. This sword is part of me. I came to this conclusion quite by accident and unexpectedly. There were no prerequisites. Just once, for the sake of the experiment, I completely stuck it into the asphalt and asked the question: “What are you?” As such, I did not receive an answer, but I realized that this is an inseparable part of me, my soul, body, whatever. A kind of manifestation of my essence into the real world through hemomancy and other magical manipulations that I do not understand. As I understand it, the sword, hemomancy, and soul cannot be considered separately. It’s all strange. I didn’t experiment with it anymore – I just didn’t know what tests to set up.

In mid-August, I had an interesting conversation with the Knights. In connection with the letter, new books, which I also bought on Diagon Alley in the junk shop, with all these events I forgot a little about an important thing – ordinary education. I do not want to plunge headlong into the magical world and only make plans in it. It was about this, or rather, about ordinary education, that the Knights remembered.

“You always need a backup plan. And a backup plan to a backup plan. Etc.”

“I understand.”

John and I talked in the dining room over tea and delicious cinnamon rolls.

“And what do you think, Max?” John asked, putting his cup aside.

“It would be nice to somehow continue studying. And after Hogwarts, if everything is bad in the wizarding world, it will be possible to go to some university or college if I go out like a fool.”

“Ha! Fool! Of course…” John chuckled. “But I’m glad that you still remembered this. I took the liberty of transferring you completely to external studies.”

“Not a problem.” I snapped the knuckles on my left hand – a strange habit that came back from a past life.

“That is great. Your textbook on mathematical analysis is covered in dust. However, before, you used to solve a task every day or two. I really thought that you completely lost your head with this magic…”

On that and decided. I was ordered to purchase a means of communication – an owl. The trip after an owl turned out to be chaotic, fast because we had decided it closer to evening and wanted to finish all the preparations already today. Everything was done in a hurry. I went to the Leaky Cauldron alone, although John gave me a lift.

“I’m very interested, but I don’t want to see with my own eyes. I do not want to regret in my old age that I do not own magic.”

The choice and purchase were also pretty simple. I looked around a large number of cages with various owls and eagle owls. The birds didn’t care about everything, but one unpretentious owl, whose species I do not understand at all. She drew attention to me – and took it along with the cage and a large package of owl cookies. This is a treat. And on an ongoing basis, they eat everything. At first, the owl was not eager to obey the Knights, but it always clung to me and strove to grab my finger. I had to talk to her about her professional suitability, and the owl, it seems, began to behave normally with the Knights. Good.