The Harry Potter World.
After leaving the Grey Fog Space, Shiro snapped out of his daze and raised his head, glancing at the owl that was still tilting its head on the windowsill.
*So this is what it feels like to possess true power…
how exhilarating.*
Feeling his physical capabilities amplified more than tenfold, Shiro’s thoughts raced with excitement.
He quickly drafted his reply to Hogwarts, confirming that he would arrive on time to begin his first year as a young wizard.
Receiving the letter, the owl gave a soft “Goo,” turned, and soared out into the ink–black night sky.
“I hope the magic of Hogwarts lives up to the hype.”
Watching the owl fade into the distance, Shiro switched off his desk lamp.
In the next instant, his silhouette vanished from the orphanage.
To be perfectly honest, he shared absolutely no common ground with anyone at the orphanage and didn’t have a single friend.
Now that he possessed the power to rewrite his own destiny, there was no reason to linger in a place that held zero meaningful memories for him.
Shiro used *Shunpo* to tread through the air, his eyes scanning the layout of the city below as he searched for his destination.
–The Leaky Cauldron.
It was a pub completely invisible to Muggles–the non–magical populace.
Hidden right behind it lay Diagon Alley, the busiest commercial street in the entire British wizarding world.
If Shiro wanted to purchase his textbooks ahead of schedule, he had to locate Diagon Alley first, or he would be heading to Hogwarts completely empty–handed.
“The Leaky Cauldron really knows how to hide itself.
Without a guide, it’s practically impossible to find.”
Feeling a notable portion of his spiritual energy depleted, Shiro had no choice but to glide down into a deserted clearing.
Ever since the Shiro in the Demon Slayer world unlocked his Shikai, the spiritual power of all the Shiros in the Grey Fog Space had received a significant boost.
It was roughly on par with a mid–tier Lieutenant–level Soul Reaper now, though still quite a distance away from Captain–level.
Even if he kept flying with *Shunpo* until dawn, his reserves wouldn’t run dry, but his legs would definitely get tired.
Normally, an orphan like him would have a designated staff member escort him to the Leaky Cauldron as term drew near.
However, since he wanted to get to Diagon Alley early, he had to rely on his own devices.
“Wait a minute…
maybe I don’t need to find the Leaky Cauldron on foot at all.”
Standing by the curb of the road, Shiro finely tuned into the magic inside his body.
It wasn’t an overwhelming amount, but it wasn’t negligible either.
He raised his left hand, extending his arm straight out, perpendicular to his body.
*BANG!*
The thunderous sound of an explosion echoed across the empty street.
“Tsk, that actually hurts.”
The clothing on Shiro’s entire left arm had vanished into thin air, and his once–fair skin was marred with standard burn marks.
Shiro winced, using his other hand to cast *Kaidō* to treat the scorched injuries.
Although he hadn’t learned any magic yet and lacked a wand to channel it, he still possessed the abilities of his other selves.
Just now, he had used his spiritual energy to forcibly collide with his magic, forcing it to trigger on its own.
By concentrating that volatile magic in his arm, he managed to produce the sound of an explosion.
It was all bark and no bite, though; aside from burning himself, it had zero offensive value against anyone else.
Naturally, Shiro wasn’t doing this out of boredom.
*Screeech!*
Roughly five minutes later, just as the injury on Shiro’s arm completely vanished under the powerful restorative properties of *Kaidō*, a bright purple, triple–decker bus roared into view.
It traveled at a blistering speed that would be difficult to match even by modern standards, arriving from kilometers away in an instant.
It slammed to a halt right in front of Shiro, the laws of physics seemingly losing all meaning against it.
With its massive frame and bizarre structure, the words “The Knight Bus” painted across the front made it incredibly conspicuous on the street.
Yet, even if the road had been packed with heavy traffic, no ordinary person would have been able to see it.
It was, after all, a magical vehicle.
An ordinary wizard only needed to stick out their wand and emit a bit of magic, and the Knight Bus would arrive at their side at maximum speed.
Legend had it that it could take you anywhere on Earth, provided there was land to travel on.
Reaching a destination like the Leaky Cauldron would be a breeze, taking only a few minutes at most.
The only downside was that the ride quality left a lot to be desired.
Lacking a wand, Shiro had to rely on a localized magical eruption to release his power, hoping the Knight Bus would perceive the signature.
Fortunately, he succeeded; the magical vehicle accepted this borderline cheating method.
“Welcome aboard the Knight Bus.”
“Emergency transport for stranded witches and wizards.
Just stick out your wand hand, step aboard, and we can take you anywhere you want to go.”
“My name’s Stan Shunpike, and I’ll be your conductor tonight.”
A very young-looking conductor stood by the bus door, probably only in his teens.
He had a pair of prominent ears and several small pimples scattered across his face.
In his hand was a golden slip of paper.
As if reading from a script, he lazily recited the contents written on it.
“Oh–wait.
Merlin’s beard, you don’t even have a wand?
How’s that possible?
Has this old junk heap finally broken down after all these years?”
Stan hopped off the bus, intending to help Shiro with his luggage.
But when he got a clear look at the boy’s clothes and noticed there wasn’t a single spot on him to hold a wand, he let out a sudden exclamation.
He turned his head to shout at Ernie Prang, the long–time driver of the Knight Bus.
“I’m afraid the bus isn’t broken.
I really did release magic just now to summon it,” Shiro said, offering an elegant smile as he subtly drew his sleeveless arm behind his back.
“Merlin’s beard!
I never expected a young wizard your age to already master wandless magic.
That’s unbelievable.”
Though still somewhat incredulous, Stan quickly composed himself and guided Shiro onto the bus.
“Please take me to the Leaky Cauldron.”
“Can do!
The Knight Bus can go anywhere.
It’ll just be eight Sickles.
For eleven, you get hot chocolate, and for twelve, you can get a hot–water bottle and a toothbrush in a color of your choice.”
Stan began to reel off a ticket from the machine clipped to his waist, preparing to hand it to Shiro.
“Uh, I haven’t had a chance to exchange my Pounds for wizarding currency yet.
Is it alright if I pay in Pounds directly?” Shiro asked, fishing through his pockets with a touch of awkwardness.
Because he retained the maturity and perspective of an adult from his past life, he had managed to save up a decent sum of money during his time at the orphanage.
He planned to head to Gringotts, the wizarding bank in Diagon Alley, to exchange his British Pounds for wizarding currency.
Stan’s hand froze mid–air with the ticket, entirely at a loss for a moment.
The wizards who typically rode the Knight Bus were adults who usually carried at least a few Galleons–the gold currency of the wizarding world.
Younger students still in school were banned from using their wands outside Hogwarts, so they couldn’t summon the Knight Bus anyway.
In all his time working as a conductor, this was the absolute first time someone had tried to pay their fare with Muggle money.
[Previous Quests Failed!
Bonus Chapter Unrewarded.]
Let’s try again this week!