August 2, 1993, early morning.
Knock, knock, knock.
Knock, knock, knock.
A rhythmic tapping sound woke John from his sleep.
“…What the hell is that sound?” John opened his eyes groggily and checked the time.
It was only seven-thirty, half an hour before his alarm.
He followed the sound and looked toward the window, where the curtains were still tightly drawn.
John threw off the covers, got out of bed, and walked to the window.
He yanked the curtains open, squinting against the bright sunlight.
Once his eyes adjusted, he saw that the source of the noise was actually an owl.
What the hell?
Do owls wake up and go to work earlier than people do?
The owl held a yellow parchment letter in its beak.
When it saw John, it tilted its head and tapped its beak against the glass again.
Seeing an owl delivering a letter, a question mark appeared in John’s mind.
Were there still carrier pigeons in Britain in this era?
Oh right.
Today was the day the Hogwarts letter was supposed to arrive.
Could this be an owl from the wizarding world?
That made sense.
With that thought, John opened the window without hesitation, forgetting the owl was right outside.
The window smacked the owl out of the air.
The owl let out two startled squawks as it was knocked flying and dropped the letter.
It quickly flew down to grab it, then flapped back up to John’s face.
“…Would you believe me if I said I didn’t do it on purpose?” John spoke to the owl with a hint of apology.
However, the owl clearly did not accept his excuse.
It landed on John’s head in annoyance, dropped the yellow letter, and pecked his forehead hard.
John winced in pain as the owl pecked him several times.
“Ok, ok, my bad, my bad!
Stop pecking, Mr.
Owl.” He tried to pull the owl down, but it kept flapping its wings vigorously, pecking at his face while struggling to keep its balance.
Damn it!
It was still pecking!
John was starting to get annoyed.
Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside the room.
Soon after, Mrs.
Merrick pushed the door open.
“John, what happened?
Why is it so noisy in your room?” Mrs.
Merrick had been preparing breakfast when she suddenly heard a commotion coming from her son’s room and hurried over to check.
The moment she opened the door, she saw her son gripping an owl’s neck with one hand and its feet with the other.
The owl was flapping its wings wildly and squawking as it tried to escape from John’s hands.
“…What is going on here?” …
8:00 AM.
John sat in the living room, looking at the yellow letter the owl had delivered.
His mother sat beside him, gently treating the small scratches on his face from the owl’s pecking.
His father stood nearby, feeding the owl and clearly enjoying himself.
This was the Hogwarts acceptance letter that Mr.
David had mentioned to them last year.
The first thing he saw when he opened it was the Hogwarts crest.
It was shaped like a shield with a cross.
In the four corners were a lion, a snake, a badger, and an eagle, with a large capital ‘H’ in the center.
~~~ HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chief Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confederation of Wizards) Dear Mr.
Merrick, We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on 1 September.
We await your owl by no later than 31 July.
Yours sincerely, Minerva McGonagall Deputy Headmistress ~~~ On the second page (the supply list): HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY UNIFORM First-year students will require: Three sets of plain work robes (black) One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar) One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings) Please note: all pupils’ clothes should carry name tags.
COURSE BOOKS All students should have a copy of each of the following: The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling A Beginner’s Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble OTHER EQUIPMENT 1 wand 1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2) 1 set of glass or crystal phials 1 telescope 1 set of brass scales Students may also bring an owl, a cat, or a toad.
PARENTS ARE REMINDED that first-years are not allowed their own broomsticks.
~~~ The letter basically stated that he had been accepted to Hogwarts.
If he wished to enroll, he should send a reply.
A professor would visit that evening to deliver the official documents, and they could ask any questions then.
After reading it, John shared the contents with his parents.
With their approval, he wrote a short reply stating that he was willing to enroll and handed it to the owl.
The owl hooted twice in clear dissatisfaction when John gave it the letter, but it still obediently took the envelope in its beak and flew out the window.
Watching the owl fly away, his father looked a little reluctant to see it go.
A second later, his mother pushed him out the door, saying he was almost late for work and reminding him to come home early that evening.
John watched the owl slowly disappear into the distance.
After waiting nearly a year, he could not help feeling a surge of anticipation.
Living a second life was already a great blessing.
Transmigrating into this magical world full of fantasy made him even more excited.
During the past year, he had been carefully reading the book ‘A Basic Guide to Magical Households’ that Mr.
David had given him.
It introduced many aspects of a wizard’s daily life that he had never known before.
Although it was mostly a guide on how wizards could disguise themselves in Muggle society, John still picked up some interesting details from it.
For example, Floo Powder that allowed long-distance teleportation, self-cleaning spells, and flying broomsticks that people could ride.
Speaking of flying broomsticks, hadn’t he seen this idea in many movies and TV shows in his previous life?
He could not quite remember where he first saw it.
It was probably in the early 2000s, when his family still had an old color television.
Back then, they simply watched whatever was on.
Later, many fictional works adopted the concept of riding flying broomsticks.
So, had he transmigrated into a specific movie or TV show?
John shook his head and stopped thinking about it.
It didn’t matter anyway.
Since he didn’t know the plot, he might as well look forward to the stories waiting for him in the future.
…
At 6:30 PM, the family was having dinner at home.
The evening news played on the television in the living room.
This was a family habit.
Even if they weren’t watching, the TV had to be on for background noise.
“John, did the Hogwarts professor say what time they would come tonight?” Mr.
Merrick had come home early today so he could be there when his son met the teacher from Hogwarts.
“Eight o’clock.
It’s still early.” After John replied, the dining table fell silent again, filled only with the sound of forks clinking against plates.
Just as the Merrick family was eating quietly, the news anchor’s voice suddenly paused, then continued in a tense and excited tone.
[Breaking news: According to the Home Office, a criminal who has committed multiple brutal murders, Sirius Black, has escaped from a British prison.
Police say he is extremely dangerous and may be armed.
If any citizens spot this criminal, please do not approach or try to apprehend him.
Seek safety immediately and call the police.] Hearing this news, John stopped eating and turned to look at the television.
A wanted poster now appeared beside the anchor on the screen.
The man in the poster looked fierce, with messy hair and a thick beard.
The image was frozen on a frame where he was roaring, as if venting intense rage.
“Good heavens, what is the government doing, letting such a dangerous criminal escape!” Mrs.
Merrick felt a wave of worry after seeing the news.
How dangerous it would be if this criminal was wandering around London.
“Zoe, until this criminal is caught, I’ll pick you up and drop you off at work,” Mr.
Merrick said seriously as he looked at his wife.
“But sometimes I have night shifts, you…” “It’s precisely because of the night shifts that it’s dangerous.
It’s fine.
My work is almost finished, so I won’t be busy for a while.
I’m sure there will be more news about that criminal soon.
If he leaves London, we won’t have to worry as much.” Mr.
Merrick’s tone was firm.
“Honey…” Mrs.
Merrick’s eyes shimmered as she looked at her husband with deep affection.
“Darling,” Mr.
Merrick put his arm around his wife’s waist and looked at her with the same warmth.
Meanwhile, John watched his parents’ affectionate display with dead-fish eyes while he continued eating.
He remained completely unmoved.
John said nothing and focused on finishing his meal.
After dinner and cleaning up the dining room, the family sat in the living room and continued watching TV as they waited for the teacher from Hogwarts to arrive.
When the clock struck eight, a knock sounded at the door.