Chapter 3: A Wand, a Phoenix, and Longevity Noodles
When Agas woke up again, he had missed dinner. Night had fallen, and the entire castle was shrouded in a deep blue, starry sky.
"Time reappears," Agas muttered, waving his right hand toward the air.
"19:18."
Damn it. Bastard Grindelwald.
Agas cursed in his heart—and out loud.
"Although I know you really want to duel with Gellert right now, there's no need to curse out loud, is there?"
Wenda leaned back in the soft chair beside Agas' bed, legs crossed, flipping through the Daily Prophet. He handed over a bottle of potion.
"Aunt Wenda!" Agas looked at him in surprise, took the potion, and sniffed it suspiciously.
"What kind of medicine is it this time?"
"Hair growth potion. If you don't want to turn into Rapunzel, then—"
Before Wenda could finish his sentence, Agas had already unscrewed the cork and poured the potion into his mouth.
"Hmm... just two sips should've been enough, actually."
"Just what?"
Agas held up his wildly growing hair with both hands, blinked his big blue eyes resentfully, and stared at Wenda without moving.
"..."
Wenda sometimes wondered if Agas had inherited only Aberforth Dumbledore's recklessness and impulsiveness—and none of the shrewdness or foresight of Gellert or Albus.
"Believe me, Agas, you look more charming now than you did with short hair," Wenda said, raising his eyebrows. He lifted his wand and began trimming Agas' hair.
"Okay, take a look—doesn't it look better this way?"
He held up a water mirror in front of Agas.
In the mirror, a child with bright blue eyes, chubby cheeks, and shoulder-length red hair appeared. The child frowned in mock anger, grinned happily, then raised his right hand to make a "yeah" sign, muttering:
"I'm so damn good-looking."
"Alright, get up quickly."
Wenda pulled Agas up and motioned toward a box on the desk.
"Go open the present Gellert gave you this year."
Agas rushed to the table and sat down, looking at the long box wrapped in dark blue paper. A personal note lay next to it:
"Bless my child."
"This wand was made from the feather Gellert took from Abu the day she appeared. He used elderberry wood and had Gregorovitch craft it specially for you," Wenda explained.
Agas looked at the dark brown, almost black wand inside the box. He reached out, touched it, and lifted it.
"Lumos."
A bean-sized bright light appeared at the wand's tip.
"Wenda! This is the best gift I've ever received! No wand could suit me better than this one."
The wand in Agas' hand even trembled slightly, resonating with his joy.
"Abu! Abu!"
As Agas called out, a red light flashed before their eyes. A red-feathered bird wrapped in flames appeared.
"Chirp!"
The bird spread its wings, flew over Wenda, and landed on Agas' shoulder.
"Abu, look! Your tail feathers are so full of life!"
Agas bent his finger and gently rubbed Abu's head.
"Chirp!"
Abu tilted its head, looked curiously at the wand, then rubbed its head affectionately against Agas' face.
"Hahaha, alright, alright, I'll ask Kaka to make you some snacks later!"
"It's time to eat, my little master," Wenda said, raising an eyebrow and smiling as he motioned for Agas to head downstairs.
"Wenda, has Gellert had his meal?" Agas asked while trotting toward the dining room.
"If he already ate, can I request no potatoes? I can eat—"
The excited Agas suddenly stopped talking.
Grindelwald was already sitting at the head of the table.
"Agas, I'm truly sorry," Grindelwald said slowly, picking up a piece of potato with a fork.
"Our dinner tonight is grilled steak with sauerkraut and potatoes."
Yes. Grindelwald knew Agas didn't like German food.
But what Agas hated, Grindelwald loved.
Poor Kaka had no choice but to serve his greatest master's preferences.
Grindelwald seemed even more satisfied seeing Agas had grown out his hair.
Wenda, close behind, glanced at the food on the table, then at Agas' miserable expression—and couldn't help bursting out laughing.
"Gellert, there should be Chinese noodles tonight. After all, it's Agas' birthday, right?"
Agas' head, which had been drooping, suddenly lifted.
"Really? Really? Is it Chinese longevity noodles? When I was eighteen in my last life, no one even remembered to make me noodles! Do I really have some now?"
As Agas' excitement grew, the items on the table started levitating uncontrollably.
"Yes, Agas, calm down, don't lose control," Wenda said nervously, reaching out and placing a calming hand on Agas' head.
"Agas, I've told you—control your emotions. Don't let them control you."
Grindelwald set his dining knife aside and fixed Agas with sharp, hawk-like eyes.
"Hehe..."
Agas scratched his head sheepishly and looked at the floating objects. As he calmed down, they gently returned to the table.
This was the power of blood.
The blood of Grindelwald and Dumbledore was too strong—and growing rapidly within Agas' young body. If he couldn't control his emotions, magical outbursts were inevitable.
When Abu—the Phoenix and symbol of the Dumbledore bloodline—appeared at age six, it further disrupted the balance in his body, amplifying the Dumbledore traits over Grindelwald's.
In truth, if Agas had been born naturally, he would've been an innately powerful wizard.
But he wasn't.
Agas had not come from a mother's womb.
He had been born through artificial magical-breeding methods—using his parents' blood and the eggs of magical creatures.
Lacking the natural regulation a mother's body provides, Agas had to rely entirely on conscious control to stabilize himself.
Grindelwald looked at Agas—now calm—and nodded approvingly.
With a wave of his index finger, the dining table transformed.
Sumptuous Chinese dishes replaced the earlier unappealing German food.
"Kaka went to the Muggle city just to learn how to make these. Let's eat."
Agas looked at the table, now filled with his favorites—braised spareribs, prawns, chicken, and, most importantly, the birthday longevity noodles.
He smiled brightly at Grindelwald—then buried his face in the food and began eating noisily.
Although Grindelwald could be intimidating and strict...
To Agas, he was the best person in the world.
That was one of the reasons why Agas chose to stay in this place—
His home.
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