Magnus spent a lot of time that time trying to talk to the locket after it had blinked. He knew now that secrets of his powers were hidden inside this and was also convinced that the dream he saw the night he slept under the strange tree in the park was real.
Also, he felt that he was changing too much. Albeit slowly but still, he could feel the changes inside his body. His memory had also become better by a lot. He also felt an innate need to find gold and hoard it as much as possible. But it was just a small thought at the moment and he shrugged it.
Besides this, he also felt that he was getting smarter in school. More than all the kids in his grade. He had already learned everything his 5th grade had to offer. But this did not mean he was all intelligent. He tried 7th-grade books and found them to be very hard. Middle School subjects were different from the final year of elementary school. Still, 6th grade was fine for him.
3 days had passed since the announcement of the George Cross. It was big news because he was going to be the youngest person to receive this award. Previously, this record was held by 15-year old John Bamford who rescued his brothers from a house fire in 1952.
Magnus also wanted to get himself in The Guinness Book of Records as it was pretty popular and he guessed that his record won't be broken for a while now, after all, how many 9-year-olds go around saving people?
It was Sunday, meaning it was the day for his interview with the BBC channel to be recorded. He had already given 6 interviews to newspapers and it collectively gathered him 460£ (6533£ today). On average, one newspaper gave him about 80£ (nearly 1000£). His father told him that there were still 5 more papers from other countries. Also, BBC1 should be able to give him more than papers.
He was also counting on all of these guys coming back after he took the award and The Guinness Book of Records publicises his name.
"Magnus, let's go." Adam was taking him to the recording studio of BBC.
"Coming, dad." He shouted from his room. He put on some clean and nice professional clothes. There wasn't much in his wardrobe anyway except some t-shirts, some pants and nickers. He didn't want to show his legs on national television so he wore pants. He combed his hair and went out.
"Bye Bye, mummy." He waved.
"All the best, Magnus. I will tell your grandparents to keep an eye out for you tomorrow on the Telly." She encouraged him and caressed his hair to make them better.
After that, he was out. In the car, Adam told him about what not to say on the mic. He was supposed to stick to what happened and the events. At most, they will ask him about his favourite hobby or something.
After a 30 minute ride, they were outside the building of the studio. It was a big building, with the name of the company on it in bold letters.
It was going to be a pre-recorded show so they didn't have to do much preparation. They were taken to a studio recording room soon. Adam sat on the side, told to be silent and just observe. Meanwhile, Magnus took a seat at one end of a small table. There were two mics on it, one facing him and one the empty seat where the interviewer would sit. There were were also 3 giant cameras that looked too overbearing.
Soon, a man in a suit came in. He had average height and didn't look like a serious type, instead, he looked to be a friendly man. The News studio had specially chosen him to conduct this interview because he had the most non-serious face. He was the 2nd assistant for the main news anchor. He also dreamt of being on television someday but it was a tough road. He was the 2nd guy in the line anyway. But who would have thought that Magnus's actions would change someone's fate?
His name was Raymond Barry, a 25-year-old, London born. He came to Magnus, who although didn't look nervous, was indeed nervous. It was his first time being in front of a large video camera and mic. Giving interviews to newspapers was easy as they usually wrote or voice recorded everything.
Raymond sensed it. So he extended his hand, "Hello, Magnus. I am a big fan. Finally got to meet you. Not every day you get to meet such a young hero."
Feeling the relaxed manner of Raymond, Magnus felt at ease. He smiled back and shook the hand, "Thank you, uncle."
"Call me Uncle Barry. Don't think much about all these lights and cameras, just look at me and answer questions with whatever is in your heart. Remember, we are not taking an exam of you here, we just want to hear your story and how you feel about receiving the George Cross." Raymond said. Then he took out a newspaper from his suit pocket.
"Look, did you read this? Haha, this newspaper did a survey. You are currently the most wanted student and son for many teachers and parents across the country." He sarcastically said. Magnus chuckled after seeing the article. Actually, Ramond was a bit shocked by how well-spoken Magnus was.
"No, I am just fine with my mum and dad." Magnus sternly answered.
"Recording in 1." The show's director spoke.
"Magnus, we will be starting in a minute. Drink water if you want by then." He advised.
Magnus wasn't thirsty. He just wanted for the interview to start.
"In 5... 4... 3... 2... 1..." The cameras started rolling.
Raymond started speaking while looking at the camera. Magnus wasn't supposed to do this. He was supposed to look at Raymond's face. This way, his interview would look more authentic.
"Today we have a very special guest on our show. The hero the whole nation has been talking about for the past few days. An incident that scared and shocked everyone. A 9-year-old child, saving a bus full of children and his teacher. His name is Magnus Grant, also soon to be a George Cross holder.
"We will talk to him and try to understand what he was thinking when the incident happened and what he feels now."
The camera changed and now a close up of Magnus' face was being recorded from over the shoulder of Raymond. Raymond turned to Magnus and asked his first question.
"Magnus, I am delighted to see you. You have made our country proud with this heroic act. But, many people are confused, how did a little child, just 9 years old can have the courage to act so brave in such a tense situation. Would you care to share your experience and what was going on in your mind back then?" Raymond asked formally yet kindly.
Magnus looked too cute and innocent with his handsome yet chubby face. He nodded, "Thank you. I... We were on the way back to school from the tour of Queen's house. Many were sleeping when the accident happened because it was a long ride. I wasn't asleep.
"When the accident happened, my head bumped on the soft cushioned headrest in front of me. Luckily, I was not injured. But I saw my friends injured. Then I saw Uncle Driver. He was caught in the fire." Magnus's face became sad. Raymond got worried. That was not the plan. They didn't want Magnus to remember the dead.
"How did you save your friends, Magnus?" He changed the question, bringing the story much further.
"I... I was very scared. But I didn't want to never be able to see Mummy and Daddy again. Mrs Jones tried to open the back door but it didn't budge. So, I tried to use the window. I used all my strength and was able to open it. Then I opened another one. But before I jumped out in the end, I saw Mrs Jones on the bus floor. I used all my power to bring her out in time. She had as...ast..."
"Asthma?" Raymond helped him.
"Yes, Asthama." Magnus finished. Actually, he had written this whole speech in the past 3 nights. He had decided to stutter sometimes to make himself sound like a normal kid.
"What message would you like to give to your fellow friends across the world?" Raymond asked.
"I was stupid. I put myself in harm's way and anything could have happened to me. But, I had no other choice. If I had not broken the window, maybe we would have also...
"I don't suggest that you run into a fire. But, if you find yourself stuck in a fire, then you must stand up and find a way out." That was a very strong message he was sending. That one must stand for themselves when in trouble instead of hoping for someone to help.
Raymond was very happy with this reply. Now, the dark and gloomy portion was done.
"So, tell me, Magnus. How do you feel about meeting the Queen? She will award you herself." Raymond asked.
"I met her that day too. She dropped her hanky so I helped her. She even patted my head." Magnus proudly said.
"Woah, I'm jealous, Magnus. Tell me, what hobbies do you have?" Raymond inquired cheerfully.
"Umm, I like bicycling and eating pancakes. My mummy makes the best pancakes." Magnus said. This was the truly unadulterated innocent side of him.
"Hahaha, I bet. Would you invite me to eat pancakes someday?" Raymond asked jokingly.
"Of course, you, the queen, my best friend Bobby. All are invited." Magnus replied.
"Thank you, Magnus. Now, why don't you tell us about your school? What do you like in school?" Raymond asked.
Magnus nodded, "Yes, Mrs Jones used to be grumpy but she is very nice now. Robin is still a bully though, but I stop him every time. Bobby is my best friend, he eats a lot. My PE teacher is very nice. He tells us fun games to play, but he likes our French teacher so he also learns french while letting us play"
*Cough*
"What about your studies?" Raymond changed the topic before Magnus revealed some plot to assassinate the principal of his school.
"Oh, that is very easy. Yesterday I completed 6-grade syllabus. But 7th grade is hard. I went to a big brother from 7th grade to ask questions but he chased me away after reading it. I reckon he didn't know how to solve it either... hmmm... " Magnus got into deep thinking.
"Aren't you in 5th grade right now? What was the question about?" Raymond asked while holding his laughter. He was seriously interested in this young kid's life now, It seemed too funny.
"Oh, can you solve it?" Magnus asked back excitedly.
"Of course, I will." Raymond agreed.
Magnus revealed the question, "It was about Algebraic Expressions. How do I find the value of xyz + z1/2 + x3y + (x +y)2, when x = 3, Y = 7 and z = 9?"
The smile from Raymond's face vanished.
"-_-"
There was a short moment of silence. Magnus' dad, who was sitting on the side, facepalmed himself. ~Why did he not come to me or Grace? I'm a mechanical engineer for god's sake.~
Raymond quickly smiled, trying to damage control. ~What the hell? Is he too smart or am I too dumb?~
"Sure sure, Magnus. We will solve this question after this interview is over. Anyway, how do you feel about getting George Cross?" He diverted the question.
Magnus scratched his head, realising he shouldn't have asked that. "I... Mummy said it is a great honour so I am honoured. YES, I am very honoured."
Then, he used a word he recently learned in school. He put special emphasis on it. "I am EXHILARATED."
Adam tried hard to hold his laughter from the side, hoping not to ruin the recording.
Raymond was taken aback by his vocabulary but gathered himself. He received a sign from the director to end it. Even the Director's face looked red because he was trying to hold his laughter behind the camera. Even the cameramen were in the same situation. But still, their small squeaks got recorded and it was only going to add to the whole experience.
"Hah, it was a great pleasure to meet you, Magnus. We loved talking to you and I am sure many in the country would like to hear from you." He said, and then looked at the camera. "With this, we will take our leave. Thank you for watch..."
The camera was yet to be cut and Magnus spoke up, "Are we going to solve the question now?"
Then the camera was cut and instantly, loud laughter resounded in the whole studio.
Laughingly, the director came to Magnus to shake hands, "Hahaha... that was an amazing interview, Magnus. A very good job. Please spare Raymond now."
Adam also came forward, saying, "Yes Magnus, let's go home now."
Magnus nodded. Only he was not laughing. Soon, they were given a cheque of 150£ (2130£ today).
They then left. Magnus sat quietly and Adam drove. He had a grin on his face. Then he suddenly burst into laughter.
"Bwahahaha..."
Magnus asked, "What? I know I shouldn't have asked the question."
"Ahaha... no no... you did nothing wrong, Magnus. I'm sure people are going to love your interview. Just.. never change. And why didn't you come to me or your mom to ask the doubts about maths? And since when did you start studying 7th-grade maths?" He asked.
"Well, I wanted to surprise you two... not that it matters now," Magnus said dejectedly.
Adam patted his head, "Don't be sad, son. Never feel bad for being smarter than the other person, but never be overconfident either."
Magnus nodded. After a while, they reached their home. Adam quickly told everything to Grace and she also burst into laughter when she saw Magnus' embarrassing face. Well, Magnus was happy because at least it made them happy.
Then Grace went to him and caressed his hair lovingly, "My Magnus is so smart. He's going to be a doctor."
Adam quickly objected, "NO! He's going to be an engineer, or maybe an actor because he clearly has my handsome genes."
"Shut up, my son will be a scientist then. He's got a smart brain." Grace argued.
Magnus just stood there and smiled wryly, ~I have a feeling that I will become something they don't even know is possible to become.~
[You can see the big camera on my Discord - https://discord.gg/DgHkrAn OR see them on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mister_immortal_novel]
______________________________
You can read 20 advance chapters on -patreon.com/misterimmortal.
Special thanks to *Douglas Flower* *Umar Latif* *Julian Rocamora* *Darrien Steely*
Thank you for your support!
1 Stone = 1 tiny bottle of Liquid Luck Potion.
GIVE STONES FOLKS. BRINGS THIS BOOK OUT OF GRAVEYARD.
Days went by slowly. Nothing much occurred in Magnus' interesting life. His magic stayed stuck to the level it was when he learned to produce smoke from his palm. It had been 6 months since then.
Little Magnus did not know about reaching the magical maturity age which was 11. He tried hard to produce fire from his palm but all he got was farts. For now, he was just a strong, smart walking microwave. And he absolutely loved it. His food never got cold now no matter where he was.
Also, he never got tired now so he was full of energy all the time. He was now learning Karate, learning 7th-grade syllabus from his dad in the evening, then he would read some book or try to make a fire and then go to sleep.
The school was pretty easy for him so he didn't find any challenges there. The award ceremony for George Cross was going to take place in 3 days. As going to Buckingham Palace was already decided, he could not ask his parents to take him there before that.
Life went on for him. That was until two guys came to his home. Both had dark black hair and were of nearly the same height. It was Sunday so his family was at home.
"MAGNUS... YOUR FRIENDS ARE HERE." Grace's voice came from downstairs.
"Friends? Who did Bobby bring along?" He questioned himself and went downstairs.
When he reached the place, he saw the same boy he met in front of the dark building months ago when he went to ride his bicycle.
"Hey there, Magnus." The taller, curly-haired boy waved his hand. The shorter one, possibly his brother, seemed confused.
"Mag, invite them in. I just baked some cookies for you. Take them to your room if you want, I will bring them there." Grace warmly welcomed them.
Magnus nodded to the two boys, suggesting that they follow him. The two brothers silently followed him. Soon, they were in and he closed the door, but he did not lock it.
"How did you find my place?" Magnus asked.
The two brothers looked at each other's faces as if he had asked something ridiculous.
"Mate, your face was plastered on the newspaper nearly a few days ago. It's not that hard to find you." The taller one said.
Magnus nodded, and there was nothing to worry about anyway. "I went to your house some months ago but couldn't find you there."
"Yeah, muggles can't access it. Even wizards can't access it unless they have permission." The tall boy answered.
Magnus was not able to understand all these terminologies. "Wait... Muggles? What is that? By the way, I don't even know your names."
The tall boy smacked his head for forgetting this, "Haha, I forgot. I'm Sirius Black and this is my little brother Regulus Arcturus Black. We are from the so-called The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. Anyway, muggles are folks who can't do magic and are usually kept away from the knowledge that magic exists in our world."
Magnus' mind exploded with that. "Magic as in, my making my hands hot? Or making falling glass hover in the air?"
"Wait... you're a muggle too? Of course, it explains everything now. Do they know about your magic?" Sirius asked.
"No, they have no idea and I'm not telling them anytime soon." Magnus firmly said. He'd rather not make his parents worried because his abilities were too mysterious, and when they won't be able to find any answers they would get worried and tensed.
"No problem, you'll get your letter from Hogwarts when you turn 11. Oh, you don't know. Hogwarts is a school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. All children with magic when turning 11 go there, well, most of them. There is a whole secretly hidden magical world out there, Magnus. There are dragons, goblins, magical creatures. Magic is a wonderful thing, though I can't really perform much at the moment. Before turning 11, our magical powers stay in their infancy." Sirius explained.
The more Magnus heard, the more excited he got about the future. The magic was real, the magic school was real and so much more.
Sirius continued speaking, "I'm a fan of yours now, Magnus. The way you saved all the kids and your teacher on that bus. You are one hundred per cent Gryffindor material."
"Gryffindor? What's that?" Magnus inquired.
"It's one of the four houses where one can get shorted into. Gryffindors are known for their courage, chivalry, and determination. Slytherins are the nemesis of Gryffindor as they are known for being ambitious, shrewd, cunning and simply bad people, they are bad folks mostly. Then there is Ravenclaw, they are just bookworms and then the Hufflepuff who are just known for being loyal but they are very secretive." Sirius gave him a crash course of Hogwarts.
*KNOCK KNOCK*
Grace came in with a place full of cookies. She gave it to them and left. Although she had never seen the two kids before, she still refrained from asking him about them.
Once she was gone, Sirius requested something. "Hey, I brought my brother here because he wouldn't believe that you can make flames. Show him will you? That will shut him down."
"You dragged me here, Sirius," Regulus argued meekly. There was actually a reason for why he was like this. It was all thanks to the abusive family with which he grew up with.
One time they had brought an injured bird to their home, hoping to secretly nourish it back to health. But, as it got better, its chirping was heard by Orion, their father.
Orion decided to take this opportunity to teach his sons an important lesson about how certain emotions can make a person weak. As Blacks, they were not meant to be weak, but superior to all other things. So, Orion broke the bird's wings one at a time to urge a reaction out of the boys.
Sirius watched his father destroy the bird, maintaining a cold stare throughout the incident, slowly starting to hate his father and mother to the point he felt disgusted. But Regulus, only being 6 years old at the time, began to cry as the bird whimpered in pain. Orion yelled at Regulus to get his emotions in check before snapping the neck and ultimately killing the bird.
Regulus tried to swallow his cries to avoid further punishment. As the bird lay mangled and lifeless on the table, Orion turned to Sirius. Enraged, Orion slapped him across the face with his bloody hand, reprimanding him for bringing the creature into the house and for teaching Regulus attachment. That was the point that made Sirius hate his family and Regulus fear them.
Magnus didn't know this. If he did, he would have tried to make the two happy. "I want to make flames but I can't. Only smoke comes out of my body."
He showed them a demonstration and soon, his palm farted out some smoke.
"No no, you produced fire from your mouth that day." Sirius pointed.
"Then maybe it was accidental?" Magnus shrugged and ate.
"By the way, Sirius. What should I do to prepare for Hogwarts?" Magnus inquired.
"Ummm... we are premature so we can't really perform magic. But we can learn the spells and their correct hand moments before school so we can have an edge. All right, I will bring you some old books, Magnus. Because my family likes to act like kings, they never let us reuse the books. They just get thrown in the basement. Two of my sisters are about to complete Hogwarts so I can get you their books." Sirius suggested.
"That would be amazing, Sirius. I have an excellent memory, so I think I can memorise most of the common stuff before school." Magnus was excited.
"WOAAAH... WHAT IS THIS?" Regulus suddenly exclaimed.
Magnus turned to look and saw him fiddling with the radio. "That is a radio, you can hear music on it."
"How does this work?" He asked.
Magnus went to him and switched it on. "It works on radio waves. We can't see them but they are around us."
Immediately a song started playing. It was Honky Tonk Women by Rolling Stones.
Regulus looked at it in shock as if this was some kind of forbidden magic. "This... is so... magical..."
Magnus laughed, "Haha, no, Regulus. This is technology. With each year, it gets better. Humans never stop improving ourselves."
"Only if wizards were the same," Sirius said with a sigh. Then he picked up a cookie but it was cold now and not as much fun to eat.
"Wait, let me heat it up." Magnus offered.
He used his hand to heat them. Soon, they had cookies like fresh out of the oven again.
"That is so damn convenient," Sirius exclaimed seeing his ability.
"Why? Can't you do it too?" Magnus asked.
Regulus quickly spoke, "Of course not. We can't even control our magic yet."
"He's right. We're as weak as any other 9 years old right now. You can probably break our necks easily if going by the fact that you bent metal on the bus." Sirius said.
Magnus didn't ask anymore. He didn't want to end up speaking too much. After a bit more chatting, the two got up to leave.
"Our mum would kill us if she found out we were here. We need to return now. See you later, Magnus. I will bring the books the next time." Sirius and Regulus waved their hands and left.
As soon as they left, Magnus turned to his mother. He knew what she wanted to ask. "They are my friends from the park."
"You should have told me earlier. Anyway, get ready to go to the Police Station today. They said that the Police Chief and the Mayor want to award you." Grace told him.
In the past 6 months, he had given some interviews and had saved nearly £1,151 (£16,350 today).
"Mummy, are you sure they are not just using me for their election?" Magnus asked smartly.
"Mag... but that's not important. You should get these awards. When you grow big and go for a job interview, just an award certificate will hold a lot of weight. They will hire you even if you are unqualified because they will expect good work ethics from you." Grace advised him while combing his hair.
"I'm sure it will be very boring. They will give their long speeches. I don't wanna go." Magnus threw some childish tantrums.
Grace looked at him seriously. "Are you sure? So I should tell them to give the cheque prize to someone else."
Magnus' eyes shot open and all his defiance vanished. A smile of a true businessman appeared. He ran to the main door and put his shoes on.
"MUMMY, what are you doing? We'll be late. I can't reject them honouring me, or else it will make them sad." He rushed.
Grace laughed, "Haha, yes yes, let's go."
At the ceremony, Magnus was given a fake gold medal, a certificate calling him a hero and a huge cheque for £750(£10,653). Only the city could have given away so much money.
Magnus thanked everyone as a happy child and returned home with his mother. They were going to cash the cheque the next day. Now, he had a total of £1901(£27,003).
"I can finally help Bobby." Magnus thought happily. But then he suddenly realised something that made him sad.
~Bobby does not have magic. We will be separated soon. I need to teach him to stand up for himself.~ He decided.
[Discord - https://discord.gg/DgHkrAn]
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You can read 20 advance chapters on -patreon.com/misterimmortal.
Special thanks to *Douglas Flower* *Umar Latif* *Julian Rocamora* *Darrien Steely*
Thank you for your support!
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