Adrian spent Sunday morning exploring the locked sections of the system shop.
Most of the powerful entries were greyed out.
Adrian caught only a few names before the shop blocked the remaining details.
[Tao Mandala Fragment — Locked] [Asgardian Healing Fragment — Locked] [Divine Lightning Fragment — Locked] [Elven Light Fragment — 500 PP] Adrian scrolled farther.
The prices jumped from hundreds of PP to thousands before the shop stopped showing him details.
“So godhood remains outside the current budget.” He filtered the list for cheap, practical magic.
[MINOR FORCE PULL] [Type: Foreign Utility Spell] [Effect: Pulls a small chosen object toward the caster over a short distance] [Fragments Required: 10] [Fragment Price: 10 PP] It was hardly divine lightning, but Adrian could imagine dozens of uses for something that brought objects directly into his hand.
Adrian bought one.
[Minor Force Pull Spell: 1/10] [PP Balance: 220] Adrian tried pulling a quill from his desk.
Nothing happened.
One fragment had started his progress.
It had not unlocked the spell.
Adrian refused to buy the remaining nine until he knew whether missions could supply them.
His bedroom door opened.
“Get dressed,” Claire said, leaning into the room.
“Your aunt and uncle are coming over for a delayed birthday lunch, and I need you downstairs helping me clean.” Before Adrian could answer, a pink screen dropped over his vision.
[PERVERT MISSION: Complete every assigned household chore without wearing underwear.] [Reward: Minor Cleaning Magic Fragment ×5 and 25 PP.] [Failure Penalty: Your underwear loudly compliments Claire whenever worn for three days.] Adrian stared at the penalty.
He had no intention of hearing his boxers compliment his mother’s cooking.
Once Claire went downstairs, Adrian changed into a T-shirt and loose tracksuit bottoms, deliberately leaving his boxers on the bed.
The loose fabric shifted against his bare skin with every step.
Claire handed him a list of chores.
Adrian started with the laundry.
The first basket she passed him contained towels, socks, and every pair of underwear she had washed that morning—including his.
He carried the basket upstairs while painfully aware that he was transporting six clean pairs without wearing any of them.
“Why are you holding that against your stomach?” Peter asked from the landing.
“Better weight distribution.” Peter looked at the basket.
“It weighs less than the cauldron.” “I learned from the cauldron.” The next job required Adrian to climb onto a dining chair and dust the upper shelves.
His loose tracksuit bottoms slipped lower every time he reached upward, forcing him to keep one hand near the waistband while cleaning with the other.
Claire entered carrying a stack of plates.
“Why are you dusting like that?” “Wand-hand coordination.” “You are holding a cloth.” “Every discipline begins somewhere.” She stared at him for several seconds before leaving.
Adrian waited until her footsteps disappeared, pulled his trousers securely back into place, and continued dusting.
His aunt and uncle arrived shortly before lunch.
His aunt complained about the traffic.
His uncle asked Peter about work.
Within five minutes, the house felt exactly as ordinary as it had before the Hogwarts letter arrived.
Adrian sat carefully and kept both feet planted beneath his chair.
The loose fabric offered far less protection while seated than it had while walking.
His aunt glanced at him across the table.
“Are you uncomfortable?” “The chair is very firm.” Peter looked down at the padded seat, then looked at Adrian.
Adrian reached for the potatoes before his father could ask another question.
Over roasted chicken, his aunt leaned forward.
“So, Adrian, which university are you heading to this autumn?” “A residential university in Scotland,” Adrian answered easily.
Peter choked on a piece of chicken and coughed into his drink.
Claire immediately turned to Adrian’s aunt.
“You mentioned terrible traffic earlier.
Are the roadworks near Guildford still there?” His aunt launched into a detailed complaint about blocked lanes, saving Adrian from explaining what kind of university required a solid pewter cauldron.
The mission remained active through lunch, dessert, and the long goodbye at the front door.
It completed only after Adrian carried the final stack of teacups into the kitchen.
[MISSION COMPLETE] [Minor Cleaning Magic Fragment ×5] [25 PP] [PP Balance: 245] Adrian returned to his bedroom, locked the door, and pulled on his boxers as though they were protective equipment.
That evening, Adrian practised Lumos, Nox, and the Levitation Charm.
Nox worked on the first attempt three times in a row.
His Levitation Charm rolled the quill several inches instead of merely tipping one end into the air.
No new fragment appeared.
Repetition improved his control, but apparently it would take another genuine breakthrough before the system rewarded him again.
He opened the interface.
[Assign 5 Minor Cleaning Magic Fragments?] “Yes.” [Minor Cleaning Magic: 5/10] Adrian pointed at a dusty corner.
Nothing happened.
“Worth checking.” A sharp tap at the window interrupted his focus.
A brown owl waited on the sill with a heavy parchment envelope.
Adrian opened the window and moved his books aside.
The owl hopped onto the desk, extended one leg, and waited while he untied the envelope.
The Hogwarts seal broke beneath his thumb.
Inside were his train ticket, the departure time, instructions for crossing onto Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, a prohibited-items notice, and a list of university clubs and student societies.
The Duelling Club immediately caught his attention.
Adrian set the letter on his bed and checked his current progression.
[Minor Force Pull Spell: 1/10] [Minor Cleaning Spell: 5/10] [PP Balance: 245] Adrian looked from the Duelling Club notice to the quill he still could not lift.
A little over a month suddenly felt much shorter.