Professor Sprout abruptly stopped mid-sentence.
For a brief moment, genuine awkwardness crossed her face.
Then she coughed lightly and continued with forced casualness.
“Well… in any case, your situation is rather special.” Her eyes flicked briefly toward Ethan.
“And considering your Eastern heritage, Headmaster Dumbledore originally intended to meet you personally.” A faint sigh escaped her.
“Unfortunately, something urgent came up.” Ethan immediately put on his most harmless smile.
“It’s still a pleasure to meet you, Professor Sprout.” The witch visibly relaxed.
“Oh, you’re a clever little thing, aren’t you?” Warm amusement entered her voice.
“No wonder you packed your belongings before I arrived.
You already guessed how Hogwarts intended to handle your situation, didn’t you?” Ethan pretended to consider the question carefully.
“Financial assistance?” he guessed.
“And in exchange, I work around the school part-time?” Professor Sprout blinked.
“Part-time study…” she repeated thoughtfully.
Then she smiled.
“That’s actually a lovely way to phrase it.” She nodded approvingly.
“Yes, more or less.
Hogwarts is willing to support students facing difficult circumstances, but we also believe effort matters.” As though worried he might misunderstand, she added gently: “We won’t assign anything beyond your abilities.” “Mostly greenhouse assistance at first.
Possibly helping Professor Snape prepare potion ingredients later once you become more familiar with the subject.” At the mention of Snape, Ethan felt his soul instinctively recoil.
Still, his expression remained perfectly polite.
“I’ll do my best, Professor.” “I’m sure you will.” Professor Sprout smiled warmly before patting his head lightly.
“Wait here a moment.
I should properly explain everything to the woman caring for you before misunderstandings occur.” Then she turned toward the orphanage entrance.
Ethan opened his mouth.
Then slowly closed it again.
Too late.
Professor Sprout confidently raised her wand.
“Alohomora.” Click.
The side door unlocked instantly.
With the dignified posture of a victorious swan, she stepped inside beneath Ethan’s increasingly complicated stare.
He clicked his tongue quietly.
“I snuck out for a reason…” Sister Anna—the elderly nun managing the orphanage—was terrifyingly protective of the children.
Trying to explain magic to her at night sounded less like diplomacy and more like voluntary suicide.
Several minutes later— Professor Sprout burst back outside looking profoundly disheveled.
One hand clutched her battered pointed hat while the other held her robes defensively.
“Do Muggle nuns normally sleep holding brooms?” she demanded incredulously.
“I barely managed two sentences before she chased me outside!” Ethan coughed awkwardly.
“I probably should’ve warned you…” He looked genuinely apologetic.
“Sister Anna gets… intense when strangers approach the children.” Professor Sprout let out a dramatic sigh.
“I understand the instinct,” she admitted.
“I feel much the same way about my students.” After straightening her hat, a faint smile returned to her face.
“Still, I eventually explained everything.” She pointed at him firmly.
“So you can officially stop climbing out windows now, Mr.
Vale.” Ethan immediately brightened with perfectly believable excitement.
“We’re leaving tonight?” Professor Sprout laughed softly.
“Not quite that quickly.” “It’s already late, so we’ll stay overnight at the Leaky Cauldron first.
Tomorrow we’ll visit Diagon Alley and purchase your school supplies.” “The items listed in the acceptance letter?” Ethan asked.
“Exactly.” Then her expression turned more serious.
“Now close your eyes.” She extended one hand toward him.
“This may feel unpleasant the first time.” Apparition.
The instant the spell activated, Ethan felt space itself twist violently around his body.
Pressure crushed inward from every direction simultaneously.
It felt like being stuffed into a metal container and shaken by a giant.
His stomach lurched.
The world distorted.
Then— everything snapped violently back into place.
Silence returned.
Professor Sprout looked at him with visible surprise.
“Very impressive.” Most first-time Apparition travelers looked moments away from collapsing or vomiting.
Ethan, meanwhile, remained completely steady.
Thanks to his enhanced physique and strengthened spiritual resilience, the disorientation barely affected him at all.
“You have remarkable composure for someone your age,” she said honestly.
“And excellent magical sensitivity.” Ethan calmly examined their surroundings.
“Where are we?” A quiet London street stretched beneath dim yellow lamps.
Night had fully settled over the city, leaving the roads nearly empty.
“Charing Cross Road,” Professor Sprout explained.
Then she pointed across the street.
“And that is the Leaky Cauldron.” Ethan followed her gaze.
At first glance, the inn looked completely out of place.
The building was old.
Not charmingly old.
Suspiciously old.
Dust-covered wooden walls leaned slightly beneath faded windows while the hanging sign appeared to have survived centuries through pure stubbornness alone.
More strangely— ordinary pedestrians walking nearby never looked toward it.
Their eyes naturally slid past the building as though it didn’t exist.
“It’s enchanted,” Sprout explained while guiding him across the street.
“Muggles can’t properly perceive magical locations like this.
Hogwarts itself uses similar concealment enchantments.” The moment they stepped inside, dim candlelight flickered across the interior.
Oddly enough, the inn somehow felt darker inside than outside.
An elderly bartender stood behind the counter polishing glasses lazily.
“Professor Sprout,” he greeted warmly.
“Good evening, Tom.” Sprout guided Ethan toward the bar.
Meanwhile, Ethan’s attention had already been completely stolen by everything else around him.
Moving newspapers.
Self-cleaning rags.
Spoons stirring soup on their own.
Even after mentally preparing himself for magic, witnessing ordinary magical life firsthand still felt surreal.
Tom noticed immediately and chuckled.
“First-year student?” “Yes, sir,” Ethan answered politely.
Tom smiled warmly.
“Lots of first-years staying here this week.
Try making a few friends if you meet any downstairs.” Then his tone softened slightly.
“No matter where you go, having friends rarely hurts.” Ethan nodded sincerely.
“Thank you for the advice, Mr.
Tom.” Professor Sprout accepted two room keys from the bartender before clapping her hands lightly.
“That’s enough socializing for tonight.
This poor child still has an exhausting day ahead tomorrow.” She ushered Ethan upstairs soon afterward.
That night, lying alone beneath flickering candlelight in the unfamiliar room, Ethan finally allowed himself to feel it fully.
Wonder.
Curiosity.
Anticipation.
A real magical world.
Not fiction.
Not imagination.
Real.
And somewhere beyond this tiny room— the gears of destiny had already begun turning.
— The next morning, thunderous knocking nearly shattered the door.
“ETHAN!” Professor Sprout’s voice boomed through the hallway with terrifying force.
“We’re leaving soon!
Up you get!” Ethan jerked awake instantly.
“Coming, Professor!” He hurriedly dressed, grabbed his belongings— then froze.
“…I forgot toothpaste and a toothbrush.” Again.
Ethan stared blankly at himself in the mirror.
“How do I keep making the same mistake across multiple lifetimes?” Some habits truly transcended worlds.
After washing up as best he could, Ethan grabbed his luggage and headed downstairs to meet Professor Sprout.
Extra chapters are already prepared… waiting to be unleashed.
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