the charm master (Patreon)

The return to the castle was not so embarrassing, Jon thought that he could get used to the feeling, after all, being able to instantly travel hundreds of leagues was such a powerful tactical advantage that a few seconds of discomfort meant nothing

Jon came out of the fireplace in the principal's office coughing up ashes, behind him the fireplace lit up again and the figure of Professor Snape emerged from the fire who, on his way out, with a lazy movement of his wand cleaned all the ashes of the trip

Jon was going to ask for Professor Dumbledore when suddenly, behind the desk a whirlwind of fire emerged from which the old headmaster emerged along with his faithful companion, Fawkes if Jon's memory did not fail

The old headmaster took a seat and began to speak – now that your ascension as Lord Stark is official it's important that you understand a few things, in the eyes of the ministry you are an adult, so you will be able to use magic at all times, however, you won't be able to take your place in the Wizengamot until you turn 17 – exclaimed Dumbledore

Jon nodded slowly and replied – the trial was... harder than I thought, but it was worth it in the end- as he showed the ring on his finger

Dumbledore nodded and began to speak again - we have two months until the new school year starts, we have planned an intensive course to bring you up with the knowledge you should have at the beginning of the fifth year, it would be a full schedule from 8 in the morning to 18:00 in the afternoon, considering one hour for his breakfast and lunch of course this one. –

Jon instinctively grimaced at the thought of so many hours of training, but quickly refocused, he would study magic! He put in all the hours he needed, so Jon responded

-it is acceptable director, when do we start? – said the black-haired man

The old headmaster said, -In two days, tomorrow we will spend it on him getting the necessary supplies for your education and your access to the castle, do I mean to suppose, you will live in the Wolf's Den? -

Jon nodded and said -That's right, Princess Balka mentioned that, although it requires repairs the castle is habitable, the only thing is that...- Jon didn't know how to end without looking like a complete idiot

Dumbledore spared him the embarrassment and said - you don’t know how to get to the castle? – he said kindly

Jon just nodded in embarrassment, forgetting that detail while he was at Gringotts and said – with all the emotions of the ordeal I forgot to ask the princess about it –

Dumbledore crossed his hands and placed them under his chin - the answer to his problem is found in your finger Lord Stark, Wolf's Den is your ancestral home, so it is linked to your Lord's ring, if you order the ring to take you to the castle, it will fulfill the wishes of its wearer and send him there,  it is a mechanism that all Lords have in their rings – exclaimed Dumbledore while in his skeletal hands a golden ring with ruby details was manifested, and a kind of flaming bird in the center, Jon supposed it was the ring of the Dumbledore house

Dumbledore continued – however, he won't be able to activate the portkey since Hogwarts, the castle has defenses against that kind of magic, to activate his ring he will have to leave the castle grounds – the old man explained

Jon just nodded and asked, -Then I'll enter the castle through the chimneys and leave with this... Portkey every day director? -

Dumbledore nodded – not every day my lord, rest is important, on Sundays you won't have lessons so you can dedicate your day to whatever you prefer –

Dumbledore paused to take one of the candies on his table, savored it silently to Jon's disbelief and Snape's annoyance, at this point he didn't know if he was doing it as a tactic and a reminder about his power in the castle or if the old man was simply crazy, perhaps a bit of both

After a moment, the old man continued – Professor Snape will accompany you to do your shopping, he already knows what material is indispensable for your education – Jon looked at the teacher in question who didn't seem very happy to be assigned such a task

-In other news- Dumbledore continued, -as you mentioned not being from the United Kingdom, I have contacted an old friend who could help you in getting acquainted with these lands, his name is Samuel Anderson, he will meet you tomorrow to have a chat with you, of course if you are interested, what do you say? –

Jon was pensive and began to distrust a little, however, the director had not done anything that deserved distrust on his part, so Jon decided to ask directly - Why does so much director help me? What do you hope to gain from supporting me? –

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, while Snape's eyes gained a gleam of satisfaction, pleased by Jon's question, Dumbledore remained silent for a while, meditating on his answer, until, he moved his hand to a drawer in his desk and took out a white branch with red leaves and placed it on his desk, Jon stared at the heart tree branch as Dumbledore began to speak

-I am not a religious person Lord Stark, but I believe that, magic is alive in some form, and I think she brought him to Hogwarts with a purpose, the political situation of the islands is quite delicate, the new "noble" families have no respect for the old ways or for the natural magical balance, the emergence of a new Lord Stark can turn the political board in the wizarding community and extend a hand to those that this society has failed- exclaimed the director passionately

Jon looked at the director impassively, although the director's speech felt real, Jon did not doubt for a moment that something else was missing, something was keeping to himself, for the moment Jon would leave it for peace, but this topic would be brought up again with the director sooner or later

Making a decision, Jon replied, -Then I graciously accept your offer, professor, I hope to meet Mr. Anderson-

Dumbledore smiled and said, -Excellent! Samuel lives in a small house in Surrey, in the village of Cranleigh, I'm sure he'll be happy to show you around if you wish-

Jon nodded accepting that it would be a good idea, knowing these lands could give him the necessary perspective to make his house grow, surely there would be business opportunities, he should just have an open mind

-That said, I hope you do your best to catch up and, above all, I hope you are careful and respectful of magic, it only takes a small mistake to cause a catastrophic accident- said Dumbledore

Jon nodded soberly, understanding that this was not a game and that magic, used recklessly, could cause harm to himself

-Any doubts, my lord? – asked the old man looking expectantly at the young Lord

Jon nodded his head and asked – I just wanted to know about the arrangements for the practical aspect of the teacher classes, to be able to use the castle facilities for practices such as potions, rune sequences and enchantments? –

Professor Snape went ahead of the director and replied -As for potions you don't have to worry, from what I saw in the infirmary you are minimally competent and respect the noble art of potions, however, I expect complete dedication to the discipline Lord Stark, if I waste my time teaching you, I expect excellence and dedication, understood? –

Jon nodded without saying a word, Dumbledore continued where Professor Snape had left off saying

-As for runic sequences and incantations, the supervision of those branches is under the authority of Professor Flitwick and Professor Babbling, both of whom will be present at dinner, you can ask them directly- exclaimed the old wizard

Nodding Jon replied -then there is no more doubt director, we could leave if you wish, I am hungry and tired to be honest-

Dumbledore nodded and the three began the descent from the headmaster's office to the great hall for dinner, the three wizards walked in silence each lost in thought, Jon in particular was quite upset, tomorrow after buying the supplies in Diagon alley he would spend his first night in his castle as lord of House Stark,  he no longer doubted his worth but it was still difficult to assimilate that now he had everything he ever dreamed of, a fortress of his own, lands to administer and most importantly the name Stark and no resentful river lander would change that, because Jon was sure that, if his father's wife were here, she would not stop moaning about how the fortress belonged to his brothers for being "true children" Jon mocked,  before magic he was the Lord Stark of these lands and the Tully bitch could moan and scream as much as she wanted, that would not change

When they arrived at the great hall the wizards walked towards the central table, where the rest of the teachers were already waiting for them, when they arrived Professor Flitwick exclaimed

-But it's the black wolf himself! A pleasure to see you Lord Stark, the news of your ascension and his duel has impressed many in the nation, it is mentioned that his skill with the sword is impressive my Lord, and that compliment is not easy to hear from a goblin- the professor screamed, Jon could only look at him incredulous, not a day had passed and there were already rumors about him in these lands,  It was a lot to process for the black-haired man

Not wanting to be disrespectful Jon replied – thank you very much teacher, the duel with IronAxe was a challenge, his handling of the spear is very good-

The diminutive professor nodded as he replied – a goblin is born a warrior my lord, and the fact that you, at such a young age have been able to subdue a silver guard is to be celebrated, with more training I am sure you will be able to become a fearsome warrior - Flitwick finished as he looked at the young wizard with an expression that was difficult to decipher

Jon was thoughtful and remembered that he had something to ask the teacher – professor, when I talked with Professor Dumbledore he told me that he had to talk to you about scheduling a time to do charms practices, could you help me with that? – he wonder 

The master of incantations stared at him for a few moments and said, -Mmm, I don't mind anything, however, before I give him an answer, I'd like to give him a little test, if it doesn't bother you-

Jon nodded with some emotion and asked – no problem, Professor-

The teacher jumped up and screamed – excellent! – while pulling out a simple-looking branch from his sleeve, but Jon knew perfectly well what it was, a wand.

He offered it to Jon by the handle and said "This wand belonged to a pupil of mine, she left this world too soon" exclaimed Flitwick as he lost himself in thought for a moment, after a few moments and focusing on Jon again he continued "take it my Lord, I want you to do magic, charms to be precise-

Jon froze, but true to his word he took the wand, at the moment of touching it Jon felt a kind of being able to cross his body, the wand gave off a certain warmth, although it did not feel right at all, as if something was needed for the connection to be complete, it was a difficult feeling to explain, analyzing the piece of wood Jon responded to the teacher

-I'm afraid I don't know any spells yet, professor, I haven't been able to study magic- Jon said

Flitwick waved his hand indifferently and said – it doesn't matter, we will have an express course right now, it is important that you understand that, in magic, willpower is the key, you may have all the magical knowledge of history, but if you do not possess the necessary will to execute such knowledge, everything you have learned is useless,  Let's start with the simplest spell, the Lumos Charm- he said while with his own wand he executed the incantation, Jon watched as the tip of the wand lit up with a bright white light, it may be the simplest spell as the professor would say, but for him, it was magic! Spectacular!

Without lowering his wand the professor looked at Jon and exclaimed, "It's your turn my Lord, please perform the Lumos charm, and remember, willpower! I want to see what you are capable of – challenged the teacher

Jon stared at the wand in his hand, remembering the professor's words and knowing that will was the key to magic, Jon concentrated, closed his eyes and pushed away all thoughts and distractions, he was alone and suddenly he felt it, like a heartbeat inside him, a powerful and vigorous flame, but that was overshadowed and radiating power,  taking a breath, Jon forced his mind to channel some of that... energy to his arm and, with sheer will, without any enchantment in between, ordered his magic to light the tip of the wand, without saying any incantation, to the surprise of many professors at the table, with the exception of Dumbledore, Snape and Professor Flitwick himself who was quite pleased for some reason

Without waiting for an answer, the professor simply said – change the spell, use your will and modify the enchantment –

Jon, still amazed, asked – and what do you want me to do with the spell, professor? –

Fltiwick replied with a smile – surprise me Lord Stark-

Jon didn't answer, he just closed his eyes, he could feel the magic, as strange as it sounded, it was a feeling difficult to explain, like a sixth sense that he didn't know he possessed, a few seconds passed until Jon with a circular movement on himself, released the enchantment from his wand and sent it flying around the room, to the surprise of the teachers. The sphere of light danced through the great hall until Jon lowered his wand, quite tired from the effort made, it was a peculiar feeling, he felt very tired, much more than when he was doing hours of training with Ser Rodrick

-An acceptable performance Lord Stark- exclaimed the diminutive teacher as he nodded in Jon's direction -I'm sure we can dedicate a few hours a week to his practical performance in enchantments, so that he will be on par with the other students when he enters the school-

Jon who was still fatigued, couldn't help but smile and thank the teacher and said         – thank you very much professor, I promise I won't waste your time –

Flitwick nodded as he gave Jon a knowing smile and exclaimed, -At the end of your course I'll evaluate your performance and see if you have what it takes to enlist your help with...a small personal project, do you agree? -

Jon was thoughtful for a few moments and exclaimed, -If your project does not pose a danger to the interests of House Stark, then I will gladly help you, Professor-

-Splendid- exclaimed Dumbledore, who had watched the interaction in silence, but with a look that Jon could not decipher.

The dinner at Hogwarts was delicious, most of the time Jon talked to his future teachers, he even talked to Professor Babbling for the rune practices, she replied that she would wait to see his performance in the first lessons before giving him extra advice, Jon understood that he had to have an outstanding performance but that the strict teacher was motivating him to do a good job in the course,  Jon accepted it politely, he was sure he could get the teacher to change her mind about it

Jon thanked for the food and said goodbye to each of the teachers as he turned to Professor Dumbledore and asked him for a room to rest, it had been the best day in Jon's short life, but he was exhausted and needed to rest, tomorrow he would have an important day

Dumbledore nodded and said, -You've had a long day Lord Stark, you've been assigned a guest room in the castle for the night, come with me and I'll guide you to rest-

Jon nodded, said goodbye to the rest of the teachers and followed the old wizard to the room in question, when the headmaster arrived, he commented – I'll let you rest Lord Stark, you'll go to Diagon Alley tomorrow after breakfast, I'll come to escort you to the great hall at 8:00, understood? –

Jon shook his head and commented -You don't need to come Director, I remember the way back to the big dining room, I can get there without any problems-

Dumbledore looked at him thoughtfully for a moment until he nodded slowly -if you are sure, I will wait for you in the great dining room my lord, the room is ready, it is simple, but it will do its job, good night- Dumbledore bowed his head and began to walk away from the room

Jon entered the room and was quite surprised, it was a little bigger than his room in Winterfell, it had a sofa that looked quite comfortable, it was next to a small fireplace and a small bookshelf with books, something that pleased Jon, reading was not common in Westeros, even among the great lords,  in the window there was a large glass, something extremely strange for the young man, glass was quite precious and, to think that these people use it for something as mundane as a window confused him a lot, although he could not deny the spectacular view of the forest that the transparent material gave him

Turning his gaze around the room he found a door, with great curiosity Jon entered the room next to where he would spend the night and found something strange, he saw a bathtub for what he assumed was a bathroom, but it was too clean, nothing like the bathrooms in Winterfell, there was a kind of white chair similar to a latrine,  although, to Jon's surprise it didn't stink as was common in these places, following the gaze Jon found a kind of cabinet, it was separated from the rest of the room and from the ceiling you could see a metal cylinder with a nozzle facing downwards, inside the cabinet there was a kind of lever, so curiously,  Jon slowly walked over and moved the lever back and forth.

Jon screamed, when out of nowhere, he was completely soaked, a torrent of water began to come out of the nozzle that left him and his clothes soaked in seconds, closing the damn lever, Jon left the cabinet to the rest of the bathroom, wet to the bone and shivering with cold

I was so bewildered that I shout without waiting for an answer – can someone please help me! – while hugging himself trembling

-how can Missy young master help you! – answered a squeaky voice behind him

Jon turned quickly, quite scared because he thought he was alone and almost fainted when he found some kind of...being, it had giant ears that fell to the sides of his head, green and big eyes, the size of the smallest goblins he saw at Gringotts, it was dressed in rags and without shoes, although he had a pink bow on his head, in the middle of his ears, the being... Missy, he remembered himself, looked at him expectantly

Jon quite confused replied -amm I would like a change of clean clothes, but could you tell me what you are? -Jon asked as tactfully as he could, he didn't want to offend that being who, in the blink of an eye, had appeared behind him, imagining how easy it would be for him to stick a dagger in his neck

Missy nodded energetically as she jumped back and forth around the room – Missy can get robes for the young master, and Missy prepares her bath just the same! –

Jon, grateful, asked again more delicately – thank you very much Missy, it would be a great help, but haven't you answered me what you are? –

Missy calmed her enthusiasm and replied to the black-haired man – Missy being a house-elf, Missy serving wizards and witches, Missy working at Hogwarts since Missy's mistress died – replied the elf as she shrank in on herself and grabbed her ears, surely thinking of her former teacher

Cursing to himself, Jon bent down, still soaking wet and placed his hand on the elf's head, who upon feeling the wizard's contact looked in shock at the black-haired man with shining eyes and replied – I'm sorry about your old teacher Missy, sorry for making you remember the past, and I thank you for the attention of coming to help me-

Missy looked at the black-haired man and with teary eyes and trembling voice asked, --Young master wish Missy to serve you? – I ask with a voice full of hope

Jon deciphering the emotion of the little being replied softly and with a smile – aye, I wish you to serve me Missy –

The eyes of the wolf engraved on Jon's ring shone brightly for a few seconds and a light blinded him for a few moments, when he looked at Missy again, she no longer had the rags she used to, she was wearing a tiny black robe with the head of the dire wolf stamped on her chest, she was no longer barefoot,  but with custom-made sandals, the wrinkles she had had disappeared and her skin color was no longer pale, but had a pinkish tone, in general, she looked much healthier.

Those eyes turned to see him with devotion in their eyes and she prostrated herself before him, saying "Missy feels the magic of the lords of winter, powerful and wild, thank you for accepting Missy in service to the noble house Stark, in a second I bring her clothes and leave her bath ready Master - exclaimed the little elf,  who with a gesture began to fill the tub with water and added several substances to the water, which were these substances, Jon did not know it, the elf looked at his work and disappeared in the blink of an eye

Jon shook his head, unsure of what had just happened, took off his clothes and climbed into the tub, much better than that hellish waterfall

As soon as he felt the water touch his skin he went into a deep relaxation, he enjoyed the water and the aromas, he was sure he smelled better than the princess and the queen, he didn't know what Missy had put in the water, but when he came back he would ask her

Jon was at least 20 minutes in the water when Missy returned, he assumed she was wearing the new clothes

Missy said "Master, Missy brought the pajamas for master rest, as well as master outfit for tomorrow, I took the liberty of adding the symbol of the Stark house" exclaimed the friendly elf while two sets of clothes levitated next to her

Jon nodded and thanked the elf who told him that she would come to see him in the morning and if he needed anything that he did not hesitate to summon her, Jon nodded and thanked her again, with which Missy nodded and left the room. Jon made a mental note to thoroughly investigate the house-elves, there was something... out of place with them, I wouldn't know how to explain it

After the bath Jon put on the peculiar garment, pajamas Missy had told him that it was called, it was quite comfortable and soft on the skin, he hardly felt that he was wearing it, he guessed that it was designed for that, to provide comfort

Leaving the bathroom and much more relaxed, he approached the fireplace that illuminated the room with a soft light, he directed his gaze towards the small bookcase to the side and began to read the spines, perhaps he found something interesting, although perhaps he could start with the book that Professor Snape had lent him, decisions decisions, Jon thought

In the end Jon took his attention with a peculiar book called "Charms and Spells for the Home, Extended Version" thanks to the title, Jon thought they were spells to perform mundane tasks, so it would be a good idea for him to familiarize himself with them

He thought about reading a couple of pages and going to sleep, but as he started he was completely caught up in the book, he was studying magic! There were charms for any mundane situation, charms for washing dishes, sewing clothes, mowing lawns, any situation you might need in your day-to-day life, the book had it

He continued reading until, when he reached the levitation charm, Jon read the description, wand movements and a "wingardium leviosa" charm were needed

Jon looked at the wand that Professor Flitwick had given him, innocently placed on a dresser next to the bed, standing up, took it, placed the book on the small table that was next to the sofa where he had been reading the last hour, took a breath, performed the movements with the wand and recited the incantation, And I wait for the book to stand on its own

Nothing happened

Jon was extremely confused, he knew he had magic, he had performed the enchantment in the great hall, what was he doing wrong?

He continued to try the spell for half an hour more without success, and he began to lose patience, as magic was supposed to master if he could not levitate a simple book. It went on for another hour, outside the window the moonlight kissed the tops of the trees in the forest and Jon was full of helplessness, he had not been able to perform the enchantment

Moving away from where the book was, he began to remember something that Professor Flitwick told him, the key to magic, the will, for the spell he performed there was no enchantment, there were no movements, only will.

So, he closed his eyes, channeled his concentration through the wand and with a simple gesture, without any movement or anything like that, he thought "come here" and shot like an arrow the book flew from the table to where Jon was, who, seeing the book coming towards him, used the wand again and thought "stop" and the book was next to him, floating, completely at his mercy

With a smile Jon sent the following command to the wand "cut" and pointed to the book, from the wand came a white light that split the book in question in two, Jon watched as the book still floating was split in half with a precise cut of his wand and finally Jon thought "repair" and with a softer gesture, Before his joyful eyes, the book was reassembled as if nothing had happened

Jon let out a laugh as he waved the wand around him and several things began to float around him, he certainly wouldn't sleep much tonight, he thought with a smile.