Alex leaned in slightly, a faint smile on his lips. "No joke. But Muggles have ons that powerful. That’s why keeping the ‘Statute of Secrecy’ intact is so important—it’s the best way to keep everyone safe. But..." He paused, his expression darkening.

  "But what?" Hagrid pressed.

  "If wizards keep staying ignorant about Muggles, thinking of them only through outdated stories, it creates this… arrogant sense of superiority. That kind of ignorance is dangerous. It’s what gave rise to groups like the Death Eaters."

  Hagrid’s face fell, his expression serious. "So you’re saying even if we defeat the Death Eaters now, something like this could happen again? Anroup could just pop up?"

  Alex nodded. "Exactly. It’s happened befrindelwald almost swept through the magical world with simir ideas. And even now, groups like the ‘Sger’ in Northern Europe or the ‘Pure Land Society’ are still causing trouble. Wizards who don’t uand Muggles easily fall into believing they’re superior. Ohey start thinking like that, they’re easy targets for manipution."

  Hagrid’s jaw dropped, as though his entire worldview had been flipped upside down. "Merlin’s beard... I never k was so plicated."

  Alex offered a reassuring smile. "That’s why we’ve got to stay strong, Hagrid. It’s the only way we shape our own future. But," he added, closing the book he’d been reading, "those problems are a long way off. For now, let’s just enjoy Christmas dinner."

  Reag into his bag, Alex pulled out a small, silver-white and slid it across the table. "Oh, and here—Merry Christmas."

  Hagrid picked up the , examining it curiously uhe dim light. "What’s this? Doesn’t look like a Sickle."

  Alex smiled. "It’s a unication . Not fully funal yet, but it does a few things. The side with the sword is the front; the ouroboros is the back. It’s an alchemy tool I made retly."

  Hagrid tur over in his massive hands, studying it with i. "A unication ? You’re tellihis little thing send messages?"

  "Exactly. If you’re ever in danger, el yito the sword side. It’ll alert me, and I’ll be able to find your location. The ouroboros side works fur messages—activate it, and I’ll know to meet you at the hut."

  Over the wo days, Alex carefully etched runes onto the boots, using the I Hammer tthen their durability and enhaheir magical properties. By the time he finished, it was noon, and students were returning to Hogwarts for the start of term the day. Admiring his work, Alex decided to he boots Phase Shoes.

  He slipped them on, clig his heels to activate the entments. The runes lit up faintly, glowing in sequence. Leaning forward, he tested the boots, and with a sudden rush of wind, he shot forward almost instantly, c twenty meters in just over a sed.

  He assessed the speed, nodding in satisfa. "That’s about six seds for a hundred meters—faster than an Olympic sprinter. Good enough. Let’s see how they handle climbing."

  Pig up speed, Alex sprinted doath toward a stone pilr. With a powerful leap, he jumped over two meters high, kicked off the stone, and ran up the side of the pilr, sg over teers. With a final push, he flipped off the top, nding smoothly and raising his arms like a gymnast finishing a routine.

  "The shock absorption is solid," he noted, "and they’re nearly silent. But they use about three times the energy of normal running. It’s exhausting." He frowhoughtfully. "These boots aren’t practical for everyday use, but in a fight, they’re perfect. Short bursts will save energy ahings under trol," he cluded, pleased with the results.

  Later that day, Alex headed to the library. He couldn’t stop thinking about the tragedy of the Longbottoms, and although it seemed unlikely, he felt pelled to research memory magi hopes of finding a way to help them.

  "Mrs. Pince, where I find books on memory magic?" he asked the stern librarian, who was familiar with his frequent visits.

  "Memory magic?" she repeated thoughtfully. "Try shelf twenty, seventh row. You should find something useful there."

  "Thank you," Alex said, heading to the spot she’d mentioned. He sed the titles and pulled out Introdu to the Fetfulness Charm, flipping through its pages. Unfortunately, it mostly focused on teiques for erasing memories, not rest them. He frowned, feeling a little disced.

  "Looking into memory magic, are we?" A light, mog voiterrupted his thoughts.

  Alex turo see an older boy wearing a fshy blue robe that smelled overwhelmingly of perfume. "Yes, senior?" Alex replied politely, nnizing him. Alex rarely ied with other students and didn’t know many of them.

  "You’re in luck!" the boy announced with a grin. "I’m not only skilled in tless spells, but also quite popur with the dies. If you need help, I’m your man." He fshed a dazzling smile, clearly fishing for admiration.

  Alex felt awkward but didn’t want to be rude. He forced a polite smile. "If you’re advice, I’d be grateful, senior."

  "Of course!" the boy said dramatically. "sider it my way of giving back to the magical unity. As someone admired across all grades, I take pride in helping young wizards thrive." He strutted to a nearby shelf, pulled out an excessively thick book, and ha to Alex with a flourish.

  "This gem, The Brain and Memory Arts, is just what you need," he decred. "I only read a feters, and my Memory Charm became fwless." He wiheatrically.

  Alex hesitated, taking the book. Before he could respond, a familiar voice cut in. "Lockhart, are you b students again?"

  Alex turo see Senior Vanessa approag with a stern look.

  "Vanessa!" Lockhart excimed with exaggerated delight. "About that love letter you sent me—I’ve been meaning to reply, but you know, with so many admirers, it’s hard to keep up. Surely, you uand."

  Vanessa’s expression turned cold as she drew her wand. Startled, Lockhart shrank bad quickly disappeared.

  Alex let out a sigh of relief. "He runs fast. Thanks, Senior Vanessa." He paused, then teased, "Wait, did I hear that right? A love letter?"

  Vanessa rolled her eyes. "Not a ce. That’s Gilderoy Lockhart—a fraud and an insufferable show-off. A few years ago, he faked hundreds of love letters to himself on Valentine’s Day to seem popur. He even fed one from Professonagall."

  Alex ughed. "Wow, he’s bold, I’ll give him that."

  "Nobody likes him," Vanessa muttered. "He just shows off to youudents who don’t know him yet. I ’t wait for him to graduate. One less headache."

  "Looking forward to it too," Alex said, amused.

  Vanessa’s expression softened. "Anyway, stay sharp. Not everyone here is your friend."

  "Thanks for the warning, Senior Vanessa," Alex said with a nod.

  After she left, Alex gnced down at the hefty book. Flipping through its pages, he found himself intrigued. It covered memory magic, thought runes, and the intricate structure of the Obliviate spell. "Well, maybe Lockhart isn’t pletely useless," Alex muttered, smiling as he checked the book out.