Chapter 49 – A Magical Weekend
The weekend had finally arrived, and with it came the sweet promise of rest, freedom, and a temporary escape from strict schedules and endless reading. For Thomas, it was his first weekend at Hogwarts, and already it felt like an entire new world had been peeled open. Saturday morning dawned lazily, and even though Thomas kept his usual early routine for training and quiet study, he allowed himself to relax more than usual. There were no classes looming over his head today—only the castle, its mysteries, and the chaos that came with a certain pair of redheaded twins.
Fred and George Weasley had declared Saturday their official day of fun and mischief. Their target? Everyone and everything within a safe range. Thomas had quickly learned that as long as the twins' pranks didn't hurt anyone or seriously damage school property, they were surprisingly tolerated. And thanks to magic, even the most elaborate messes could be fixed with a few flicks of a wand.
That morning, the common room had been their first playground. With enchanted cushions that danced under anyone who tried to sit and books that meowed when opened, the room had quickly erupted in laughter. Thomas mostly observed, sometimes helping, especially when it came to fine-tuning the magic or making sure no one accidentally hexed themselves.
"Honestly, if people start bringing tuna to class thinking it's a new reading charm, I'm blaming both of you," Thomas said with a smirk as a meowing book scampered across the rug.
Fred gave a mock bow. "Why, thank you, Mr. Space. Your vote of confidence keeps us going."
Their next destination was the library—much to Thomas's horror.
"No, really. You can prank the suits of armor, flood the toilets—please, not the library," Thomas pleaded as they marched toward the hallowed aisles.
"Oh, come now. What's life without a little chaos among the order?" George whispered dramatically.
Predictably, things escalated quickly. Books began reordering themselves alphabetically in languages no one could understand, and several reference tomes floated up to the rafters. While Fred and George reveled in the chaos, Thomas kept his distance, pretending to study a book of enchantments in a far corner.
Charlie Weasley, who happened to be researching something for Care of Magical Creatures, caught them mid-prank and scolded them so loudly that Madam Pince appeared within moments. She resembled an approaching storm cloud, furious and silent, her glare enough to send even the boldest students fleeing. Thomas, wisely, slid out unnoticed.
"That's on you two," he told the twins later in the common room.
Fred only shrugged. "Worth it."
Despite the mischief, Saturday and Sunday weren't entirely unproductive for Thomas. While his space magic hadn't progressed in any remarkable way—no new spells, no sudden breakthroughs—he found satisfaction in smaller accomplishments. One of the biggest milestones was mastering several simple but essential household charms.
He had become particularly fluent in the cleaning spell Scourgify, which made tidying his dorm and clothes ridiculously easy. Reparo, too, had come in handy. Though he could only fix small objects for now, like buttons, torn parchment, or cracked glass, it was satisfying to restore things to their original state. It gave him a sense of control over his environment, something he'd always valued.
On Sunday morning, after his usual early session of space magic training, Thomas spent a quiet hour reviewing his first week's notes and planning for the next. Then he joined Fred, George, Lee Jordan, and a few others for a castle-wide exploration.
With Echo, Thomas detected more than a dozen hidden nooks and rooms within the castle. Some were as simple as forgotten broom closets, but others hinted at more serious secrets. One was a room with a strange magical pressure behind it. He couldn't enter—it was sealed by a magic he didn't yet understand—but the presence alone was intriguing.
Perhaps the most amusing discovery came from a conversation with a particularly vain painting of a medieval lady who guided them—after much flattery—to the Hogwarts kitchens.
"I only help polite young men," she had said, pointing with her lace-gloved hand. "The rude ones can go hungry."
The kitchens were bustling with house-elves and filled with delicious aromas. They didn't linger long, but the sight of floating roast chickens and stacks of magical pies made quite an impression.
That evening, Thomas sat on one of the cozy chairs by the Gryffindor common room fire, his notebook resting on his knee. Fred and George were whispering in the corner, planning their next stunt. Lee was demonstrating a card trick involving chocolate frog cards. Katie Bell and Angelina Johnson were playing magical chess.
Thomas felt... good. Not triumphant, not overwhelmed. Just good. The week had been long, the days tightly packed, but this weekend had reminded him of the joy of simply living. Of laughing. Of being a part of something.
And as the fire crackled softly and the stars twinkled through the tower's high windows, Thomas Space—boy with a soul from another world—smiled, knowing the real adventure was only just beginning.