The Weight of Duty

Atlas found his days at school to be mundane and uneventful, with the exception of the breaks when he played with his only friend, Jason. Despite being mentally older than Jason, Atlas found his company to be pleasant, as Jason prevented Atlas from isolating himself and constantly pushed him out of his comfort zone. Atlas was more of a bookworm and spent most of his time studying several topics in the school library every day, as he found the classwork to be too easy. On the weekends, he eagerly waited for his mother to teach him magic.

One day during break time, Atlas was engrossed in his book when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked up to see Jason standing there, grinning from ear to ear. "Hey, Atlas! Want to play football with the others?" he asked excitedly.

Atlas raised an eyebrow. "football? I'm not sure I remember how to play that," he replied.

Jason rolled his eyes. "Come on, it's easy. How can you not know football?!? I'll explain it to you, so just come along," he said, before launching into a detailed explanation of the game.

As they played, Atlas found himself struggling to keep up with Jason's speed and agility, but he refused to give up. "I need to increase my stamina if I want to keep up with you," he panted as they took a break.

Jason smirked. "That's the spirit! You can't give up so easily," he said, before running off again.

Atlas couldn't help but smile at his friend's infectious enthusiasm. 

As they went back home, Jason asked, "Hey, Atlas, have you made any other friends at school?"

Atlas shook his head. "Not really. I find it hard to relate to the other kids. They're all so... immature. Why do you ask?" he replied.

Jason chuckled. "I know what you mean. But don't worry, you'll make more friends soon. You're really smart and talented, and everyone will want to be your friend," he said, " I just realized that we are always alone when we meet up and that you never even talk to other people."

Atlas looked at him skeptically. "I don't want people to think I'm weird or anything, and I don't care if I don't have tons of friends," said Atlas and meant it. At least he didn't want to get close to people he would have to abandon to go to Hogwarts.

Jason shrugged. " Who cares what they think? You're awesome just the way you are. Besides, I'm your friend, right?" He said this, grinning at Atlas.

Atlas couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, you're my friend," he said, with an unreadable expression.

--

Amelia sat down with Atlas at the kitchen table and poured him a glass of juice. She took a deep breath, trying to compose herself before she spoke. "Atlas, I want to talk to you about something very important. You know how we've been teaching you magic on the weekends, right?"

Atlas nodded, taking a sip of his juice. "Yeah, I like learning magic. It's really cool."

Amelia smiled, but her expression quickly became more serious. "Well, I want to tell you about a special school called Hogwarts. It's where young witches and wizards go to learn more advanced magic. You'll be going there when you're eleven."

Atlas's eyes widened. "Really? That sounds amazing! Can I start learning more magic now so I'm ready for Hogwarts?"

Amelia smiled softly. "Of course, but there's something else I need to talk to you about. You see, Hogwarts is a whole community of magical people. You'll be living there with other students and learning with them. It's very important that you make friends and learn to work with others."

Atlas looked a little confused. "Why wouldn't I make friends? I get along with people at school and with Jason."

Amelia hesitated, trying to find the right words. "Well, you see, Atlas, not everyone is like you. Some people, especially wizards, might be intimidated by your talent or think you're strange because you know so much about magic already. We want you to be humble and kind, to make friends, and to be happy."

Atlas looked a little downcast. His mother had basically just called him a weirdo and wanted him to fit into society. He naturally wasn't that affected by it because he knew that her worries, while genuine, were unfounded. But he knew he would have a higher chance to learn something new if he looked downcast.

Amelia reached out and took his hand. "Don't worry, sweetie. You're a kind and caring person, and I know you'll make friends just fine. But we want you to remember that your talent doesn't define you. You're still just a little boy who loves to learn, and that's all that matters."

Atlas smiled a little. "Okay, I'll try my best, mom."

Amelia leaned in and hugged him tightly. "That's all we ask, sweetheart. We just want you to be happy."

Atlas was sitting at the kitchen table, staring longingly at his mother's wand. He knew it was a long shot, but he couldn't resist asking. "Mom, can we learn a new spell today?"

Amelia looked into his eyes, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. "What do you want to learn?"

"Anything," Atlas replied eagerly. "Something cool that I can show my friends when I arrive at Hogwarts."

Amelia chuckled softly. "Atlas, you know that's not why we're learning magic. It's not about showing off or making friends."

"I know, Mom," Atlas said, his voice dripping with disappointment. 

Amelia sighed. "Okay, fine. But let's make a deal. I'll teach you a new spell, but you have to promise to use it responsibly and not show it off in front of your friends, especially your muggle friends. And you have to help me set the table for dinner with the new spell."

Atlas grinned widely. "Deal! What spell are we learning?"

"The Levitation Charm," Amelia replied, her wand already in her hand. "But first, let me show you how to properly hold the wand."

Atlas eagerly watched as his mother demonstrated the wand movements, committing them to memory. After a few failed attempts, he was finally able to levitate the plates and silverware onto the table. However, a few of the plates slipped out of his control and shattered on the ground.

"Whoops," Atlas said sheepishly, looking up at his mother.

Amelia sighed and retrieved her wand from him. "It's alright, Atlas. Accidents happen. But remember, magic is a powerful tool that should be respected and used responsibly. It's not just about showing off or making friends." 

Atlas nodded, a hint of guilt in his expression. "I know, Mom. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Atlas," Amelia said, her tone softening. "Just remember what we talked about, okay?"

Atlas nodded again, a determined look in his eyes. "I will. I promise."

Amelia smiled, proud of her son's willingness to learn and grow. "Alright then. Let's try that again."

Amelia quickly used reparo to fix the broken plates. As she waved her wand, the broken pieces flew back together, and the plates levitated back to their rightful place on the shelves. Atlas was amazed at the spell and asked his mother how it worked.

Amelia smiled and explained, "Reparo is a spell used to repair broken objects. It's a simple spell, but it requires a lot of focus and precision. You have to make sure you're targeting the right object and using the right amount of magic."

Atlas nodded, taking in her words. He was fascinated by the world of magic and couldn't wait to learn more. "Can you teach me that spell too?" he asked eagerly.

Amelia chuckled, "Not yet, Atlas. You need to master the levitation charm first before we move on to more advanced spells. But I promise you, with practice and dedication, you'll be able to learn it soon enough."

Atlas nodded, determined to become a skilled wizard. He carefully set the remaining plates on the table using the levitation charm and was relieved when none of them fell. As they finished setting the table, Amelia reminded him to always be careful and to use magic responsibly.

The rest of the evening passed in a blur as Atlas and his parents enjoyed a delicious dinner. Atlas couldn't wait for the next weekend, when he could learn more magic from his mother. He knew most of the spells' incantations from the movies, but he still needed to learn the wand movements. The problem with that was that he was quite dependent on his mother's wand, as he didn't have his own, and all his attempts at wandless magic ended in failure. 

--

Atlas had been waiting for this moment his whole life. Finally, holding his Hogwarts letter in his hand, he knew that finally his real mission would begin. He had been born with magic, and he had spent his entire life honing his skills with his mother's and even his father's help.

But as excited as he was to finally attend Hogwarts, Atlas couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness at the thought of leaving Jason behind. Jason had been his only friend for as long as he could remember, and the thought of never seeing him again was almost too much to bear.

As he sat in his room, surrounded by books, Atlas couldn't help but wonder if he was making the right decision. He had always known he would need to kill a hero, but he wasn't prepared for the mental burden.

The weight of his mission was starting to weigh heavily on him. He had always thought that people in universes just created for heroes were just like the bots in the video games he used to play back in his original world, but the reality was much different. Every person in this world is a living being with their own dreams, hopes, and stories.

Atlas knew that he had to stay focused if he was going to succeed in his mission. He had spent years studying the art of magic and had already mastered the first- and second-year curricula at Hogwarts.

Atlas had spent a considerable amount of time perfecting the household spells that his mother taught him. He wanted to make sure that he could handle his daily chores with magic without relying on anyone else. The Lavare Discas charm was particularly useful, as it allowed him to clean dishes with bubbling soap quickly and efficiently. He had practiced it extensively, so much so that he could clean a whole stack of plates in seconds. The Stratum Fieri charm was another one that he had put a lot of effort into, as he didn't want to waste time making his bed every day. With a flick of his wand, his bed was always perfectly made.

The Decutare charm was also quite handy, as it allowed him to cut his hair or trim the grass with ease. It was a spell that he had to be particularly careful with, though, as he didn't want to accidentally cut himself or ruin his hair. The Aqua Calidae charm was a spell that he had learned more recently, as he had started drinking a lot of tea to help him concentrate during his studies. With the flick of his wand, he could heat up water to the perfect temperature for his tea.

Finally, there was the Scribere Calamus Incantatus charm, which he used to charm his pen to write notes for him. It was a particularly useful spell during his studies, as it allowed him to take quick notes without having to put down his wand. He had gotten so used to using it that he couldn't imagine taking notes the old-fashioned way anymore.

Atlas spent a lot of time studying and practicing the household spells his mother taught him, not just to make his life easier but also to explore their potential for weaponization. He experimented with different variations of the spells, modifying them to make them more powerful or lethal.

For example, with the Aqua Calidae, he discovered that by increasing the temperature of the water, he could create scalding hot jets of water that could be used to burn his enemies. With the Stratum Fieri Charm, he figured out how to make the bed sheets coil and twist around someone's neck, strangling them.

Atlas also found a way to use the Decutare charm to not only cut hair but to slice through flesh and bone as well. He practiced using this spell on inanimate objects at first, such as logs and tree branches.

The Lavare Discas Charm spell could be used to create bubbles in his opponents face that were terribly distracting and even irritated the eyes. 

The problem was that he couldn't study these spells as extensively as he wanted to because he needed his mother's wand for it.

Still, he was ready for whatever challenges the Hogwarts had in store for him. But he also knew that he couldn't let his skills make him an outcast at school. His parents had warned him that his magical talent might make him stand out, which he wanted to avoid and he didn't want to become isolated or arrogant because of it. He wanted to be humble and make friends, just like any other student. At this point this wasn't only because he saw other people as potential allies against the hero but also because he had always dreamed of a school full of real people. He also realized that he didn't want to disappoint his parents in case he would need multiple years to kill the hero. With all the struggle he had to learn magic from them the affection he felt for them had become real and exceeded what ever he imagined it could become. He had really begun to see them as his parents.

With all these sudden realizations, he was still hyped for his visit to Diagon Alley as he would finally get his own wand, which was something his mother had initially promised quite early on but had to always delayed afterwards.