Hogwarts: The Blood Mage

On the fifth day since he'd left the materials with Ollivander, Aidan found himself far from the haunted quiet of Crimsonveil Manor. This time, he stood in the heart of Diagon Alley —vibrant, noisy, and humming with magic.

Aidan realised that it was already mid-August, and in just two more weeks he would be back at Hogwarts. In the two weeks ahead of him, he would make sure to practising the spells and studying the grimoires as hard as he could. He had even thought of taking notes on every spell he could so he could practise them over his year at Hogwarts. 

For the first time in his life, Aidan was not as excited to return to the ancient castle he had come to see as a second home.

Aidan stepped into the shop after weaving through the ever-moving crowd of Diagon Alley, the warm buzz of magic and chatter still clinging to him like static.

"Mr. Ollivander, I got your letter," he said quickly, excitement creeping into his voice. Morgott slipped out of his shadow, knowing that Ollivander's was a safe space. "Is it true? Is the wand ready?"

"Of course the wand is ready." Warwick answered as if offended. "Do you think I would partake in joking about my work?" 

Aidan apologised, embarrassed about his clear excitement. He had spent too long without a proper wand and, if he was being honest, having a unique wand made him feel both honoured and giddy. 

"Now this is your new wand, Mr. Haimadros." Warwick said while producing a box from inside his coat. It was a maroon leather box, with his family's motto engraved in silver.

Uncovering the box, Aidan could finally see his wand —pure white strands of wood twisted in a braid, with thin black stripes running across its length.

"Veilwood, with a Hemeris feather core, twelve inches, and very flexible." Warwick explained, as he had seen his father countless times before with every wand he sold —tradition he had taken over when his father passed on. Unable to contain his own excitement, Warwick called Aidan. "Come on, grab it boy!" 

Aidan snapped out of his fascination, immediately reaching with his left hand and grabbing his new wand. He could already tell it was meant to be his when he had seen it, but grasping it, feeling its warmth in his hand, Aidan felt complete once again. 

From the tip of the wand flew crimson feathers, enveloping Aidan in blood-red wings, as if they were a pair of arms offering him a warm embrace. With his eyes closed, the young Lord Haimadros could feel the wand responding to him, his magic flowing through it effortlessly.

Without much thought, Aidan aimed his wand at a quill in Mr. Ollivander's desk and cast a silent Wingardium Leviosa. The spell happened much faster than when he chanted it orally with his old wand, and a fair amount stronger too. Aidan was barely focusing his magic on the spell. If Aidan had previously considered himself good at magic, then now he felt it was second nature, as if he had been born casting spells. 

"It is an amazing wand, Mr. Haimadros." Warwick allowed himself to comment. "I must admit that working with Veilwood, as well as the Hemeris feather, has been perhaps the best thing that has happened to me in my life —second only to my wife and children, I must clarify." 

"You can feel proud, Mr. Ollivander." Aidan said. "This wand is unlike any I've seen before. And the way it feels..." 

"While I appreciate the compliment, Mr. Haimadros." Warwick said gratefully. "I cannot take full credit for this phenomenon. Remember, Mr. Haimadros, that the wand chooses the wizard. In this case, you just happened to be made for each other on a deeper level than most are." 

"I will remember that, just as I will remember your help and trust." Aidan responded, a smile tugging at his lips as his eyes lingered on his new wand. He was unable to stop admiring it. 

"Bah, what help and what trust." Warwick said dismissively. "I was only doing my job. If anything, I should be grateful to you for allowing me to work with such fascinating materials." 

Aidan simply smirked, knowing perfectly that he had earned an ally in Warwick Ollivander. Perhaps the new wand signified more than simply a reawakening in his magic. Perhaps it signified a new beginning —for himself, and for House Haimadros.

*

The last two weeks of August had passed by faster than Aidan could process. He spent the entire time finishing the summer assignments he had forgotten about, as well as continuing his studies on House Haimadros and blood magic.

He had made significant progress, managing to heal minor wounds using Sanguis Fluxus —he hadn't dared go beyond scratching himself lightly— and cleaning off any blood he had spilled using Rubor Ardens. He had managed to cast Cruor Vincula and Sanguinem Umbra successfully on his first try —Jack had agreed to be his test subject for those. As for Sanguis Exanimus, Aidan didn't dare try that spell on a person unless he had a reason to —even though he was perfectly capable of casting it. After all, it was a rather dangerous spell.

Besides that, Aidan had managed to take notes on and start practising five more spells —two of which were fascinating, with one being a full-on ritual. 

Haematos Nexus, which was a spell inclined towards divination, allowed him to see the ancestry of someone's bloodline through a drop of their blood. The only requisite was that the blood had to be untainted —which meant it had to be flowing. Sanguis Formae, which conjured solid weapons out of blood, was paired with Aqua Sanguinem, which transfigured water into blood —the latter reminded him of a certain plague.

The last two spells were quite fascinating to Aidan. One was Reminiscentia, a spell that pulled memories out of blood. Aidan found it interesting since he thought that, probably, it was part of the enchantment that allowed him to see the memory of Haimadros the First and Zagreus.

The other was Pactum Sanguinis, a ritual spell that could permanently bond two people together in the same way he was bonded to Morgott. As described in the grimoire, it was 'a high-level blood ritual that creates a permanent emotional bond between two individuals, allowing them to sense each other's emotions across distance, time, and magical interference.' The worst —or best— part was that the bond was unbreakable until death. 

That one felt like a weird piece of ancient magic —similar to an Unbreakable vow, but with lower stakes... though perhaps more annoying in the long run. 

He had nearly mastered silent casting for all the simpler spells he had learned during his first four years, and he could feel himself growing more attuned to his new, more potent magic. He knew that if he pushed his magic and intent just a tad bit more, even a harmless Petrificus Totalus could very well become a deadly hex.

Finally, Aidan had been delving into what it truly meant to be a Haimadros —and in doing so, he had uncovered many things he had never expected from his bloodline.

Being a Haimadros meant much more than just ancestral homes, a forgotten history, and blood magic. As Aidan had discovered, being a member of the bloodline that inherited the Gift of Blood came with some... perks, as he would call them. 

These 'perks' were, in fact, abilities hidden in his blood which would awaken —if they had not already— in his near future. He could only hope that they didn't bring many unexpected changes, since he would probably be at Hogwarts when it all happened.

As for the abilities that Aidan discovered, they all came down to one simple concept: his bloodline was extremely cool. 

The first two abilities he had already been able to access ever since he claimed the Lordship of House Haimadros, which was when his bloodline awakened. These were Blood Magic and his red eye —an eye capable of seeing magical traces when channelling magic in it, which the Haimadros called Oculus Sanguinis. 

The last two abilities he had no clues about, since he had not felt their effects at the time. One was their bloodline's Divina Firmitas or Divine Resilience —a second puberty of sorts which would increase his endurance, resistance, and regeneration. The other was a much more subtle change since it would provide him with a sort of sixth sense —turning him into a natural empath, capable of reading other people's emotions to the most minute detail.

Aidan had a feeling Hogwarts would test him like never before —and not just in class.

And if only he had known how right he was.

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This is the end of the FIRST VOLUME – Magical Reawakening!! Wooohoooo!

I spent a total time of 18 days writing the chapters themselves, but it took me at least two months to craft the lore, work Hades into the story as naturally as possible, and craft the story arc. I am extremely happy with the end result which are these 15 chapters I put everything into. I hope you enjoyed reading and are excited for more, since Volume 2 – Back at the Castle, will be uploaded daily starting tomorrow —Tennocon today— with, perhaps, more than one chapter a day! 

All of this depends, of course, on you! Your interactions, questions, comments, theories on future story arcs, criticism, everything is a huge motivation! Of course, I am a bit of a greedy bastard so I will also take any Power Stones you want to give! 

I will wait for your comments!