Christian walked downstairs for breakfast, still tired due to a lack of sleep.
"Couldn't sleep well?" asked Tiara.
"Yeah, I had nightmares."
"Now you understand what I mean by saying dark magic has consequences."
"Will it be like this every time I use a dark charm?"
"Not as severe, but the negative effect will always be there—unless you become a dark wizard whose mind and soul have been completely corrupted."
"So severe, huh?" Christian sighed.
"That's why I keep warning you about the dark arts."
"I will be careful," Christian nodded seriously. "Where is Aunt Eleanor? Did she go to work?"
"No, she's in her office on a business call. She told me she took a few days off until after Christmas. Did something happen?"
"You can ask her," replied Christian. Yesterday was draining for him mentally, and he did not want to discuss it. He ate silently for a few seconds before suddenly asking, "Have you thought about disarming that ancient magic spell?"
"Excuse me?" asked Tiara with raised eyebrows.
"I almost lost you last night because of that spell."
"This spell is the only thing letting us know about your father's condition and saving his life in times of emergency."
"At this rate, I will lose both parents because of it," argued Christian. "I don't mean to sound callous, but if I had to choose, I would rather you survive."
"You take those words back."
"I'm only telling the truth."
"You take them back," yelled Tiara, slamming her hands on the table.
"I refuse," replied Christian defiantly. "You promised never to leave me, but almost broke your promise last night."
"You!" Tiara stood up and walked away from the table. She decided to remove herself from the situation to prevent saying or doing something that she might regret.
"Where are you going?" yelled Christian, his voice panicking. Tiara paused as her body trembled. "To St Mungo Hospital." She walked to the fireplace, took a handful of Floo Powder, and disappeared as a burst of green flame swallowed her.
Christian rested his head on his hands, his hair covering his face.
"What's going on? Why are you two fighting?"
Christian quickly wiped the tears from his face. "Don't worry about it."
"Come on, that's not like you. Tell me what happened," said Eleanor as she put a chair next to him. Christian hesitated briefly before recounting last night's events and what he said.
"I understand why you said those things," reassured Eleanor. "But your words have deeper implications than you realized."
"What do you mean?"
"Your mother has always felt guilty for what happened. Recently, she made progress and barely accepted that it was not her fault. But your words, which essentially asked her to abandon her husband, probably triggered these feelings of guilt again.
"On top of that, from what she told me, the spell will naturally dissolve when one of them falls out of love with the other. Do you understand what this means? In the ten years since my brother disappeared, wherever he is, he has never stopped loving your mother."
"I…did not know that."
"Even if you did, your opinion would still be valid," said Eleanor. "Our family dynamic or situation is complex, and no single solution exists."
"I think…I will apologize when she returns."
"As long as you communicate, everything will be fine."
After the chat with Aunt Eleanor, Christian felt a little better. However, he was not in the mood for food and barely ate anything. In his study, he could not help but think of what happened. As he was alone with his thoughts, he figured out many things.
"It seems I need to change my Christmas presents to Mum and Aunt Eleanor," muttered Christian before writing a letter to Quirrell, whom he needed help from. He decided to tell the Dark Lord of his act of losing to temptation and using dark magic. He described the feeling or experience, but omitted the part where he did it to save someone.
'With this, he should believe his plan was working and become more inclined to teach me,' thought Christian as he watched Sango fly over with the letter. Yesterday's event taught him that while dark magic was dangerous, it can also save lives in the right situation. Although he won't practice, he wants to be as knowledgeable as possible on the subject.
Christian continued writing for his comic until an hour later, when he heard a noise downstairs and rushed. As expected, his mother had returned.
"Are…are you alright?" asked Christian.
"I'm fine. The healers told me the life energy in my body was chaotic, which could cause problems. They gave me a potion and told me to rest for a week."
"I'm glad," said Christian, and the room was silent for a few seconds.
"I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry."
"Why are you apologizing?"
"Why are you apologizing?"
"Jinx," said Tiara, and they chuckled for a few seconds.
"Seriously. I should not have said these words."
"No, you have every right to feel this way," Tiara sighed. This event reminded her of a sad truth — her son did not have a father in his life, and his affection for him was minimal; the few conversations he had with the painting in his study were not a substitute for genuine affection.
"I'm the one who should apologize. I should not have reacted the way I did." She often forgets that her son is a child because of his talent and maturity, so she expects a certain level of reason and understanding from him that no one should ever ask of a child.
"No need to apologize. I understand."
'But you shouldn't have to, my poor child,' thought Tiara. "Let's not talk about this. You're the talk of the country again." She handed him a newspaper.
"I am? But I didn't do anything?"
Christian read the large, bold title: The Child Prodigy Returned with a New Project. On the first page was a picture of Gildroy Lockhart smiling and waving to the camera, explaining how Christian consulted him for his upcoming project. He looked at it, not knowing what to say.
"So, how did he know about your project? Did you really consult him?"
"He had a spell I needed, so I sent him a message," he replied, sighing. "I never thought he would reveal the news to the media. This bastard loves attention too much."
"Watch your mouth."
"Sorry."
"I always had a weird vibe about him. Albeit, I have to admit his stories are interesting."
"Not his stories. He stole them from others and wiped the memories of those who truly did them."
"How do you know this?" asked Tiara with a frown.
"According to the future I saw, this fraud will be my DADA teacher next year."
"Do you have any evidence?"
"Unfortunately, no."
"Then there is little we can do legally."
"One way or the other, he will get his karma," sneered Christian.
"So, what are you going to do? Do you want to have an interview and confirm the news now that it's out? It might be an excellent way to market whatever project you're working on."
"It's a comic. Is there a need for such high fanfare?"
"Comic?"
Christian explained his project to her, including how he plans to utilize the comic form to make certain subjects more digestible to young children and how he intends to create the Duel Monster Game.
"The comic is an excellent idea, but creating the real game will not be easy."
"I know; I plan to ask the headmaster for help if needed," replied Christian. "And I need your help to find a comic publisher. I think I can publish the first volume before school begins."
"Let me send a few letters."
In the afternoon, Christian left with his mother to meet the people who published the famous comic [The Adventures of Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle]. With their help, he could design the characters, modify his script to fit comic form, and task them with completing the first volume of [Mukasa's Grand Adventure in the Duel Monster Realm].
In the meantime, he also had to make his Christmas gifts for his mother and Aunt Eleanor while also tasking a few craftsmen to create Duel Disks for him so he could begin enchanting them.