Blessing

In the dimly lit screaming shed, Fred and George exchanged puzzled glances. While the three were talking, Lee Jordan was still jumping around outside, occasionally calling out one of their names, trying to figure out what was happening inside.

But all three of them unanimously ignored him.

A few seconds later, Fred and George asked in unison:

"bless?"

"Yes." Victor nodded.

"So this is something that fairies and guardian deities like to use. I happen to have learned it too, though the effect is a little weaker. I've heard that only those with pure hearts can cast the most powerful blessings."

"The effect of a blessing is usually to give people extraordinary wisdom, or fearlessness and courage."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Weasley twins' eyes lit up, and they even momentarily ignored the following sentence (Courage? What courage do you need? We Gryffindors are born with it all!).

Their attention was focused solely on the word "wisdom".

It's worth noting that the last item capable of granting wisdom was the Ravenclaw tiara, which was said to bestow upon anyone who wore it the wisdom of Ravenclaw, allowing them to master all magic without instruction. For this reason, since the tiara disappeared a thousand years ago, no wizarding society has ever given up searching for it.

Although Ravenclaw's tiara has never been counterfeited, since the professor said the blessing effect was real, he wouldn't lie.

Especially a professor like Victor, who clearly disdains lying.

In that instant, Fred and George both saw themselves wearing the crown, possessing wisdom surpassing everyone else, and thus no longer having to worry about their studies and pranks!

They even started hallucinating:

"On that day, the wisdom of everyone at Hogwarts paled in comparison to mine. When I unleashed the legendary ancient magic, Professor McGonagall even shed tears of emotion for me..."

"Cough cough cough."

"What are you thinking?"

Victor coughed twice and asked a question with suspicion, finally drawing Fred and George's attention back to the dirty little house.

"It's nothing, Professor!"

Fred and George said in unison.

"Alright," Victor frowned, seemingly unconvinced by their claims, but continued speaking anyway.

"But I can only bless one of you. I'm not very skilled at casting blessings yet, and if I cast too many, it will lose its effect, so there's no need to continue."

"...You can do it, Fred."

"I?"

Fred paused for a moment.

"Speaking of which, Professor, you always seem to recognize us at a glance. I've never asked why."

Even Mrs. Weasley couldn't recognize them at first glance, so the twins played the "Who is Fred?" game countless times from childhood to adulthood.

But Victor didn't even bother to glance at them again, and said definitively:

"It's very simple."

"It's your destiny star, Fred. Your destiny star is too dim, and it's trending towards fading away, while George's is relatively bright. If we don't bless you, the value you might create in the future will disappear, which would be a real shame."

Before Fred could ask any more questions, Victor began pacing around the room, looking around before finally settling in the center of a corner.

This is a small corner located to the left of the Screaming Shack.

There was a tattered cloth sofa, an old bed, a stool with a missing leg, and a small cushion, as if four people had once lived here. Above, a small crack in the dilapidated wooden roof allowed a ray of sunlight to stream in.

"Alright, come stand over here."

Soon, without Victor needing to explain further, Fred happily ran to the ray of sunlight.

Victor nodded to him.

"Shall we begin, Professor?"

"..."

Victor did not answer him. After Fred regained his footing, he put his wand back at his waist, stared at him for a second, and a strange light flashed in his eyes, making his right eye look somewhat asymmetrical with his left eye.

But Fred couldn't quite put his finger on what was asymmetrical about it.

All he knew was that the instant Victor stood still, Victor's eyes suddenly became empty and unfocused, as if he were looking through him at something else.

When the two looked at each other, Fred even felt a strange sense of crisis.

But before he could fully grasp what was going on, Victor spoke in a faint, hoarse voice:

"Beware, your enemy comes from underground."

"He cannot be defeated, nor can he be stopped... His return is preordained... Those who have been raised by their parents cannot harm him... Those who despise death cannot bring him down..."

As he spoke, even the air seemed to grow colder, making Fred instinctively want to touch his arm. He couldn't help but want to exchange a glance with George, but the entire "blessing" process was quick; after a two-second pause, Victor swiftly uttered the next sentence:

However, there's no need to care who's angry, who's annoyed, or who's plotting a rebellion.

You will never be defeated; flying spells will not be able to pierce your body, and even shrapnel will avoid your presence.

[Until the forest south of the city moves towards Godric Valley,]

[To oppose you.]

"..."

"……alright."

A few seconds later, Victor suddenly spoke.

The strange look in his eyes vanished abruptly, as if it had never existed.

When Fred came to his senses, he hadn't had time to feel anything; he only felt that the sunlight shining down on him was a little too bright.

He took two steps forward and asked in surprise:

"That's it? Is that all?"

"It's over," Victor said. "What more could you want? This is already quite good."

"But I don't feel any change."

Fred began touching his face and hands, trying to find signs that his skin had been turned into wood or iron, but found nothing.

Throughout the entire process, Victor didn't even chant any spells or use his wand. He simply raised his hand and swept it across the air in front of Victor's forehead, as if he were doing something perfunctorily—it didn't seem like he was casting a powerful blessing, but rather like he was casually reading someone's palm.

Generally speaking, the more powerful the magic, the more complete the incantation or ritual should be.

However, Victor stated definitively:

"That's how the blessing works. If you doubt its effectiveness, you can try it on any classmate, but..."

"...No, there is no 'only'."

"You can leave now, it's all over, but remember not to come back to this place, or I'll definitely send you to solitary confinement."

After Victor finished speaking, he did not show any different expression when faced with the questioning gazes of Fred and George. He simply lowered his top hat a little further to cover his eyes.

As he turned away, he couldn't help but think to himself:

Ah, the first blessing is complete.

That's right, this is the first time he's given someone a blessing.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have suddenly decided to give Fred this—after all, blessings are usually something you ask for.

True fairies or witches wouldn't casually cast such secret spells on others. The number of blessings they can give in their lifetime is limited; to give them away carelessly would only tarnish their reputation.

But Victor is different.

He has no name... oh no, he has no one willing to be the target of his spells.

In fact, ever since he learned how to give blessings, inexplicably no one has been willing to be his experimental subject. Even now, this still makes him somewhat dissatisfied.

It turns out those people in the kingdom really have no taste.

He'd even gone so far as to learn blessings from Maleficent when he was teaching her 'prophecy.' But when he offered to try it on people, not a single one—from his dragon friends to the princesses and princes he'd met before—rejected him—even the magic mirror hid!

As for Grandma Baba Yaga, this is what she said when he asked:

"Don't bother this old man. Everyone knows that only the kindest fairies can cast good blessings, and you? Something's definitely not right with yours."