The morning finally arrived.
I woke up earlier than usual, completed my morning routine, straightened my bed, washed up, and made sure my room looked spotless.
If Dumbledore really was coming today, then every tiny detail mattered.
First impressions were difficult to change, especially when the person judging you was one of the greatest wizards in history.
After everything was finished, I retrieved the Encyclopedia of Mind Arts from my system inventory and continued reading.
Even after over a hundred days of study inside my Personal Dimension, I had barely scratched the surface of everything the book contained.
The deeper I read, the more fascinating magic became.
Every page revealed entirely new theories about the mind, memory, emotions, consciousness, and the soul itself.
If this was only one branch of magic, I couldn’t even imagine what the rest of the magical world had to offer.
As I was completely absorbed in reading, a familiar mechanical voice echoed inside my mind.
Ding!
Quest Detected!
I immediately stopped reading.
A translucent blue screen appeared before my eyes.
Main Quest: Meeting Albus Dumbledore Albus Dumbledore is on his way to invite you to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Choose one of the following options.
Option One: Put on an Oscar-winning performance and convince Dumbledore that you are nothing more than a cute, innocent orphan.
Reward: Random Magical Bloodline.
Option Two: Reveal your true dark personality to Dumbledore and embrace your destiny.
Reward: Complete Knowledge of the Three Unforgivable Curses.
Option Three: Reveal your knowledge of the future and attempt to change the wizarding world together with Dumbledore.
Reward: Complete Knowledge of Love Magic.
I stared at the three choices for several moments before letting out a quiet sigh.
“The system really likes giving ridiculous options.” The third option was the first to be discarded.
“Telling Dumbledore I’m from the future?” That sounded like the fastest possible way to ruin everything.
Best case scenario, he’d think I’d completely lost my mind.
Worst case?
He’d insist on examining my memories to determine whether I was telling the truth.
If he entered my mind deeply enough, he would eventually discover that I became Voldemort in the future—or at least discover memories from another life that no eleven-year-old should possess.
That was an unacceptable risk.
If Dumbledore believed I would become the next Dark Lord, he might decide the safest solution was to imprison me before I ever reached Hogwarts.
Or worse.
“No thanks.” Then there was the second option.
I almost laughed.
“So…
reveal my evil side to the smartest wizard alive?” That was even dumber.
I’d spend my entire Hogwarts education under constant surveillance.
Every action I took would be questioned.
Every spell I learned would be examined.
Every friendship would be monitored.
Besides…
According to my system, my talent for the Dark Arts was already unmatched.
Learning the Unforgivable Curses wouldn’t exactly be difficult in the future.
There was no need to sabotage my plans now for knowledge I could obtain naturally.
That left only one choice.
“I choose Option One.” Quest Accepted.
Objective: Convince Albus Dumbledore that you are an innocent, well-behaved child.
Reward: Random Magical Bloodline.
“A magical bloodline…” Now that was interesting.
It could be the bloodline of an ancient wizarding family.
It could be the bloodline of a magical creature like a dragon, basilisk, phoenix, or something even rarer.
Either way, it would almost certainly increase my future potential.
“Definitely worth earning.” Knowing Dumbledore would arrive at any moment, I immediately began making final preparations.
I neatly arranged my room, placed my magical book back into my system inventory, and sat quietly on my bed with an ordinary children’s novel borrowed from the orphanage library resting in my lap.
An innocent child reading quietly.
Perfect.
Only a few minutes later, there was a knock on the door.
“Come in.” The door opened and Mrs.
Cole entered with an elderly man following closely behind her.
He was tall and thin, with auburn hair and a neatly trimmed beard that had not yet grown into the legendary silver beard I remembered from the future.
His blue eyes sparkled with unmistakable intelligence behind half-moon spectacles, and although he smiled warmly, I could immediately sense the immense magical power hidden beneath his calm appearance.
Albus Dumbledore.
Even before defeating Grindelwald…
He was already terrifying.
“Tom,” Mrs.
Cole said kindly, “this is Professor Dumbledore.
He’s here to speak with you about your new school.” I looked up with carefully practiced curiosity.
“Oh.” I blinked.
“Does this have something to do with the letter I received?” Mrs.
Cole frowned slightly.
“Letter?” “I don’t remember you receiving any letter.” For a brief moment she looked genuinely confused before simply shaking her head.
“I suppose I must have forgotten.” I resisted the urge to smile.
The memory modification had worked.
Dumbledore glanced toward Mrs.
Cole before speaking politely.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like a few moments alone with young Thomas.
There are several matters concerning the school that I’d like to discuss privately.” Mrs.
Cole looked toward me.
“Would you like me to stay?” Her concern appeared completely genuine now.
I smiled reassuringly.
“No thank you, Mrs.
Cole.” “I’ll be alright.” “If I need anything, I’ll call for you.” She smiled back.
“Very well.” With that, she quietly left the room, gently closing the door behind her.
For several seconds neither of us spoke.
I looked curiously at the elderly professor before tilting my head.
“Professor…” “Are you like me?” “You can do strange things too?” A warm smile appeared on Dumbledore’s face.
“Yes.” “I believe I am very much like you, Thomas.” “I am a wizard.” “The letter you received explained that Hogwarts is a school where young witches and wizards learn to control their magical abilities.” “I’ve come to answer any questions you may have and, if you’re ready, escort you to purchase everything you’ll need for your first year.” I allowed my eyes to widen in excitement.
“Really?” “That’s amazing!” “I can’t wait to learn magic!” Then I frowned thoughtfully.
“Professor…
the letter said first-year students aren’t allowed to have broomsticks.” I looked completely puzzled.
“Why would we need brooms?” “Are students supposed to clean the castle?” For just a split second…
Dumbledore looked genuinely caught off guard.
Then he chuckled.
“No.” “In the magical world, broomsticks are one of our oldest methods of transportation.” “We also use them to play a sport called Quidditch.” “You’ll learn all about it once you begin your studies.” “Oh!” I nodded enthusiastically.
“That sounds much more interesting than cleaning.” Inside…
I nearly congratulated myself.
Someone give me an Oscar.
For the next half hour I bombarded Dumbledore with one innocent question after another.
“Do moving staircases ever make people late for class?” “Can dragons really breathe fire?” “Do owls always know where people live?” “Can magic make chocolate taste better?” “Can ghosts eat dinner?” Most of the questions were deliberately childish.
Some were genuine.
Others existed solely to reinforce the image of an excited eleven-year-old discovering magic for the first time.
Eventually I leaned forward.
“Professor…” “Could you show me some magic?” That wasn’t an act.
Despite everything…
Despite my memories…
Despite the system…
I still wanted to witness true spellcasting with my own eyes.
Dumbledore smiled kindly before removing his wand.
“Lumos.” A brilliant white light blossomed from the tip of the wand, illuminating the room with a soft, comforting glow.
I stared at it.
It wasn’t an explosion.
It wasn’t spectacular.
It was merely a simple ball of magical light.
Yet…
I couldn’t look away.
“So beautiful…” The words escaped my mouth naturally.
“Magic really is incredible.” For once…
I wasn’t acting.
Dumbledore’s smile became slightly warmer.
“I’m glad you think so.” Then another thought occurred to me.
“Professor…” “I have to buy school supplies, don’t I?” “Yes.” “You do.” I hesitated before looking down.
“You…
do know I’m an orphan, right?” “I don’t have any money.” “Does Hogwarts cost money too?” This time my concern wasn’t entirely fake either.
I fully intended to investigate whether I could access the Slytherin family vaults eventually.
Perhaps even the Riddle fortune.
But none of that would help me today.
Dumbledore immediately shook his head.
“Hogwarts has a fund specifically for students in your situation.” “Your tuition, books, robes, wand, and other essential school supplies will all be provided.” “You needn’t worry about the cost.” I visibly relaxed.
“Thank you, Professor.” “You’re very welcome.” After informing Mrs.
Cole that we would be leaving for several hours, Dumbledore escorted me outside.
Waiting nearby was an enormous purple triple-decker bus.
The Knight Bus.
Our journey through London was less like transportation and more like surviving a natural disaster.
The bus lurched violently around corners, squeezed between impossible gaps in traffic, and somehow never collided with a single vehicle despite breaking what had to be every traffic law in existence.
By the time we finally stopped, I wasn’t entirely convinced the ride hadn’t been designed as some bizarre magical endurance test.
We stepped inside the Leaky Cauldron before making our way into the small courtyard at the back.
Without saying a word, Dumbledore raised his wand and tapped several bricks in a precise sequence.
I watched every movement carefully.
Left.
Upper right.
Center.
Lower left.
Then the final brick.
Memorized.
The wall trembled before folding inward, revealing the magnificent street beyond.
Diagon Alley.
I stepped through the archway.
For the first time in either of my lives…
I entered the heart of magical Britain.
Witches and wizards hurried through the crowded streets carrying enchanted packages.
Owls flew overhead with letters clutched in their talons.
Cauldrons stirred themselves inside shop windows.
Books floated through the air.
Strange magical creatures peeked from cages while enchanted signs cheerfully advertised every imaginable magical service.
It was alive.
Everywhere I looked…
Magic.
Unlike the future, very few people paid attention to Dumbledore.
He wasn’t yet Headmaster of Hogwarts.
He hadn’t defeated Grindelwald.
He wasn’t Chief Warlock or Supreme Mugwump.
To the average witch or wizard, he was simply a respected professor.
“First,” Dumbledore said, “we’ll get you properly dressed.” He began leading me toward Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions.
As I followed behind him, I silently opened my system.
“System…” “Why haven’t I received my quest reward?” The reply appeared immediately.
Quest In Progress.
Reward cannot be distributed until Albus Dumbledore has completely concluded today’s evaluation of the Host.
Current Status: Observation Ongoing.
Warning: The Host may still fail the quest if Albus Dumbledore becomes suspicious.
I resisted the urge to groan.
“So I still have to keep acting…” That was going to be exhausting.
Fortunately…
I’d committed to giving an Oscar-worthy performance.
Now I simply had to see it through until the curtain finally fell.