King of Lightning [HP FANFIC]

However, before he had gathered enough strength to stand on his own, Anduin didn't dare to let his guard down.

Olyanna, standing beside him, thought Anduin was being a bit of a simpleton—just standing there in the snow, staring straight ahead and completely ignoring her. Her large, mischievous eyes darted about, and a sly smile spread across her face.

She crouched down, scooped up some snow, and shaped it into a snowball. Aiming playfully at the back of Anduin's head, she tossed it with a light flick of her wrist.

But just as the snowball was about to hit, it froze in midair. Anduin turned his head slightly, glanced at it, and without lifting a finger, made it shoot back toward Olyanna at an even faster speed. The snowball struck her squarely in the face, with enough force to send her tumbling backwards into the snow.

When she finally sat up, Olyanna seemed bewildered, staring blankly at Anduin as though still processing what had happened.

"You're far too weak . . . " Anduin said softly before turning and walking away from the Clock Tower Square.

Olyanna, still stunned, watched him leave. After a long moment, her cheeks flushed red and she shouted:

"You're such a total idiot . . . !"

Anduin, already out of earshot, didn't realize he had done anything particularly rude or insensitive. His expression remained pensive as he wandered aimlessly through the falling snow. Slowly, the snowflakes around him began to stir, swirling in gentle spirals as if following some invisible command. And yet, Anduin seemed oblivious to the phenomenon.

At that moment, he entered a strange state of clarity, as if he had grasped something profound . . . and yet felt it slip through his fingers all at once. By the time he snapped out of it, he found himself standing at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, surrounded by a swirling halo of snowflakes resembling a nebula of spiral galaxies.

With nothing more than a thought, the snowflakes began whirling upward, as if swept into the sky by a sudden storm.

"My Levitation Charm (Wingardium Leviosa) . . . it seems to have surpassed some of its limitations." Anduin could now feel that he could manipulate the snowflakes freely, no longer needing to focus on a single object to make it float like before.

Now, anything within a certain radius around him could be affected by his spell—air, snow, and perhaps even water.

"I guess I shouldn't stay cooped up all the time . . . I need to clear my mind every now and then." Anduin murmured to himself, marveling at his discovery.

"I wonder . . . could I actually do this?" The thought struck him suddenly as he began to channel his magic.

He watched as energy rippled around him, and slowly, his body began to lift off the ground—without the aid of any alchemical device.

"I knew it . . . So does this mean I might be able to fly without a broom someday?" The question had haunted him before. He had tried applying the principles of the Levitation Charm to his own body in the past, but no matter how he cast the spell, he had never managed to float.

Now, however, Anduin was hovering half a meter above the snowy ground, moving gently up and down, forward and back, grinning like a child with a new toy.

After a while, he descended lightly, pondering the potential of this newfound ability. For now, it wasn't perfect—he could only rise about five or six meters at most, and his speed didn't compare to that of a broom. Still, it was undeniably exhilarating.

"With enough practice, I should be able to gradually improve both speed and altitude," he calculated mentally.

That day had been incredibly fruitful. The timely snowfall had granted him a breakthrough in his magical control, leaving him in a state almost akin to enlightenment.

Anduin now felt a stronger connection to the magic flowing through his entire body—not just the Levitation Charm.

He took a deep breath, steadied his thoughts, and walked away from the edge of the Forbidden Forest, heading in the direction of Hagrid's hut.

Since that revelation in the snow, Anduin no longer confined himself to his room all day. He often ventured outside to stroll, admire the snowy landscape, or chat with Vivian.

But with Christmas holidays fast approaching, Anduin packed his belongings and boarded the train home.

Inside the steam train, Anduin and Vivian sat across from each other, chatting while gazing at the snowy scenery outside. Charles had traveled with his own group of friends from the academy, leaving just the two of them alone in the compartment.

"Anduin, what are you writing? Do you have any plans after Christmas? My dad's thinking of taking me to France for vacation. I hear their perfumes are famous. I wonder if he'll buy me a bottle . . . " Vivian said with a playful glint in her eyes as she peeked curiously at Anduin's notebook.

Hearing her, Anduin was reminded that she too had lived in the Muggle world before returning to her wizarding family. Perhaps that was why there was never a sense of distance between them.

"France? Then you'll have to take plenty of photos. I'm still trying to figure out what gifts to give my friends for Christmas. By the way, what kind of gift would you like?" Anduin asked, knowing he wasn't exactly an expert at gift-giving. Left to his own preferences, he'd probably give out books—but he suspected most of his friends wouldn't appreciate them.

"If I told you what I wanted, wouldn't that spoil the surprise? Would you tell me what you wanted if I asked you?" Vivian shot back with a smile and an exaggerated roll of her eyes.

"If you could get me the 'Magical Symbol Collection,' that'd be amazing. I've been eyeing that set for ages, but it's far too expensive. Or maybe a set of 200 standardized potion bottles would be nice too," Anduin replied, looking up at her with bright eyes. He knew Vivian's family was quite wealthy, and getting something useful wouldn't hurt.

"Uh . . . " Vivian hadn't expected such a blunt answer. She turned away with a mock huff, pretending to ignore him.

Anduin, puzzled by her reaction, didn't dwell on it. Instead, he asked:

"What sort of gift would be good for a family who just had a baby? I was thinking of getting some toys, but what do you think?"

Vivian sighed at Anduin's utter lack of social tact. After a brief pause, she suggested:

"Toys? A newborn can't play with them yet . . . Their parents probably already have all the essentials. If it were me, I'd go with bedtime storybooks or maybe a music box that plays lullabies. What do you think of that?"

Anduin nodded, finding her suggestion sensible. He began crossing out notes in his notebook and rewriting his list.

For the rest of the journey, he continued consulting Vivian about gifts. In many ways, Anduin was the quintessential straight-laced guy—when it came to relationships with other men, he was fine, but understanding a girl's thoughts? That was an entirely different challenge.