Chapter 46: Unreceived Letter
Kate continued reading for a while, but since no dragons appeared, she eventually went down to the fourth floor and started dancing.
Alexander sprawled lazily in his seat, elbows resting on his knees, hands clasped beneath his chin in a classic brooding pose—deep in thought about the previous topic.
The wizarding world, he mused, had strayed down the wrong path. At the time, society lacked enlightenment, and wizards should have advanced along a higher trajectory—like Hufflepuff's Fat Friar, who nearly became Pope.
Even the famously Muggle-prejudiced Malfoy family had fared better than most.
Back then, the wealthy and powerful Malfoys strongly opposed the Protection Act. Although they viewed wizards as superior, they also valued money and social standing. With wealth and influence, even Muggles could be deemed "noble."
There was, after all, a vast difference between destitute Muggles and elite, high-born ones.
Historically, the Malfoys were connected to the upper class of Muggle society—including royalty like William the Conqueror and Queen Elizabeth I. This connection helped them amass vast quantities of Muggle treasures and artwork.
The Protection Act was a sweeping solution that failed to account for cultural differences or the varying status of wizards across different nations.
At the time, the Malfoys had the influence to merge wizarding and Muggle societies—if only they had focused on broadening minds and reforming education.
Instead, most wizards, especially those without power or influence, retreated from cities. Using Confundus Charms and protective spells, they gathered in remote villages and formed isolated magical communities.
There were well-known wizarding settlements: Dingworth in Cornwall, Upper Flagley in Yorkshire, Ottery St. Catchpole in Devon, and of course, Godric's Hollow in the southwest. These were the most famous half-wizard enclaves.
Dingworth, in particular, was notable. Fleur and Bill's Shell Cottage stood by the seaside near the village. The most common magical creature in the area? Elves.
Take Lockhart, for example—he once captured a batch of magical creatures for a Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson. Though simple spells could subdue them, they still wreaked havoc in the classroom.
In the 17th century, a witch named Diffna Fumage was kidnapped by a horde of elves while vacationing in Cornwall. She spent the rest of her life lobbying the Ministry of Magic to humanely exterminate all elves—a bizarre legacy that earned her a place in the history books.
The Ridiculous History of Magic, indeed.
Thinking about magical history made Alexander inexplicably angry.
That was the problem with wizardkind: their traits were etched into their blood—from appearance and personality to instinctive likes and dislikes.
Some claimed that if Harry Potter had been born female, Snape's attitude would've been entirely different.
But people forgot—Harry looked exactly like his father, James Potter. Even as a girl, Harry would've been nothing more than a gender-swapped James. Snape either wanted to bleach his eyes… or end her.
Ron might've been better suited to a gender-swap scenario, though that would likely have turned Harry Potter into a full-blown harem novel.
Harry's traumatic childhood likely had a lot to do with his father's legacy. James once met the Dursleys and left a terrible impression. To Aunt Petunia, James was the man responsible for her sister's death.
Even a wizard's appearance could be altered through magical blessings. Voldemort's mother, despite lacking confidence, had immense magical potential. On her deathbed, she cast a blessing on her unborn child—making him resemble his Muggle father, Tom Riddle.
How could her ungrateful son use magic to erase his mother's blessing?
Alexander groaned, rubbing his forehead at the ridiculous train of thought.
"But if I really wanted," he muttered, sipping his tea, "I could invent a gender-swap potion or spell…"
His trip hadn't gone at all how he'd expected. He thought they'd face bloodthirsty vampires running slave dens under the guise of "business." He envisioned saving the day with heroics while Kate screamed dramatically.
Reality? Much duller.
When Kate had clashed with the vampire yesterday, Alexander had taken the opportunity to scan the entire castle—especially the vampire's quarters.
Nothing. Just some blood-flavored lollipops, ink bottles, and manuscript letters.
Not even a rogue dragon egg thief to stir chaos. It was just… a peaceful trip. Not boring, per se, but strangely mundane. It made Alexander question whether he truly was the protagonist of this story.
Speaking of letters—Penelope's hadn't arrived in two days.
This wasn't due to lack of address. Owls had a natural magical affinity and could find recipients even if the envelope was blank.
Only wards—Repelling, Disguising, or Shielding Charms—could prevent owls from delivering letters.
From Alexander's research, this owl-tracking magic originated from a great wizard known as Athena, worshipped almost like a deity.
Owls, with their majestic and magical appearance, had always appealed to wizarding aesthetics. Though Athena was long dead, her blessings remained powerful.
Compare that to pigs—genetically similar to humans, yes, but magically worthless due to their unattractive looks. Though pig organs could be used in gene-editing, they lacked magical acceptance.
That's why Alexander used pigs in his experiments. With certain rituals, even pigskin could mimic dragon hide.
As for Sirius Black not being captured via owl in Prisoner of Azkaban—owls couldn't be used for malice. Their power wasn't their own. They couldn't aid in manhunts, though delivering a Howler or cursed letter was perfectly fine.
It was akin to house-elves being magically forbidden from harming wizards—though loopholes existed. Dobby's "kindhearted sabotage" was one example. And the army of rebellious house-elves behind him, another.
The Smith family had a natural shielding trait—almost like a curse. Though Alexander was a bit of an outlier, the owl-receiving tower near Smith Castle still operated, proving that the trait hadn't fully vanished.
That tower, a product of alchemy, acted as a proxy. Owls could locate it through the Smith surname. If Alexander's magical shielding had fully faded, the tower would've stopped working.
Interestingly, Kate's invisibility ability resembled the Smiths' natural stealth. Her talent was active; she had to concentrate. The Smiths' trait, by contrast, was passive—repelling even blessings or hexes.
Lately, Alexander had even begun channeling the concept of his identity through Kate—especially after that one moment when he touched her stomach…
If the letter was still missing now, something had definitely gone wrong.
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