After purchasing everything on my Hogwarts supply list, Professor Dumbledore and I made our way back toward the Leaky Cauldron.
The return journey felt much quieter than before.
My attention remained fixed on every little detail around me as we walked.
I memorized the layout of Diagon Alley, the locations of various shops, and several shortcuts through the crowded streets.
There was simply too much information to absorb in a single visit, but with my photographic memory, nothing I saw today would ever be forgotten.
This certainly wouldn’t be my last visit.
There were far too many books I wanted to buy, and even more magical artifacts that I intended to collect in the future.
Once we had left the Leaky Cauldron and returned to an empty London street, Dumbledore looked down at me with a gentle smile.
“I believe this will be quicker.” Before I could ask what he meant, he lightly placed a hand on my shoulder.
“There may be a slightly uncomfortable sensation.” The next instant, the world twisted.
Everything around me compressed into a narrow tunnel before violently pulling me forward.
My chest tightened as though invisible ropes were squeezing every part of my body at once.
My feet left the ground, my stomach lurched violently, and the sensation lasted only a second before the pressure vanished completely.
I stumbled forward.
“Urgh…” I immediately grabbed the nearest fence to steady myself.
For several long seconds I simply concentrated on not vomiting.
“So…” I swallowed hard.
“That’s Apparition.” It honestly felt awful.
No wonder children weren’t allowed to learn it.
Dumbledore chuckled quietly.
“One becomes accustomed to it with practice.” “It…
certainly takes some getting used to.” After another minute, the dizziness finally faded enough that I could stand normally again.
Looking around, I recognized the familiar entrance to Wool’s Orphanage.
We had returned in mere moments.
“Thank you for taking me, Professor.” “I had a wonderful day.” “And…” I smiled brightly.
“I’m looking forward to starting Hogwarts.” “I believe you’ll do quite well there, Thomas.” Reaching into one of his robes, Dumbledore handed me a neatly folded ticket.
“Keep this somewhere safe.” “You’ll need it on the first of September.” I looked down.
Platform Nine and Three-Quarters King’s Cross Station.
September 1st.
Eleven o’clock.
“I won’t lose it.” “I’m sure you won’t.” For just a moment, Dumbledore studied me with those piercing blue eyes that seemed capable of seeing straight through people.
Had this been a week ago, before I trained Occlumency and altered the orphanage’s memories, I might have felt nervous.
Now…
I simply smiled back.
Satisfied, Dumbledore inclined his head.
“Until September, Thomas.” “Goodbye, Professor.” With a soft crack, he disappeared.
I remained standing there for several seconds.
Then…
Ding!
A grin slowly spread across my face.
Finally.
I hurried inside the orphanage, greeted Mrs.
Cole, carried my new belongings back to my room, carefully closed the door behind me, and immediately opened the system interface.
“There are several things I need to do before Hogwarts begins.” First, I needed to return to Diagon Alley alone.
There were plenty of books and magical supplies that I hadn’t wanted to purchase while Dumbledore was watching over my shoulder.
Some subjects would undoubtedly have attracted unnecessary attention.
Second…
Gringotts.
Specifically, I wanted to investigate something that constantly appeared in fanfiction from my previous life.
Inheritance tests.
I had absolutely no idea whether they actually existed.
Perhaps they were completely fictional.
Perhaps there was some magical equivalent hidden within Gringotts.
Either way, asking the goblins cost me nothing.
If it existed, I intended to use it.
If it didn’t…
Then I’d simply move on.
Finally…
There was my quest reward.
Almost as if reading my thoughts, the system chimed.
Ding!
Quest Completed!
Quest: Oscar-Winning Performance Evaluation: Perfect Success Albus Dumbledore’s suspicions toward the Host have been completely eliminated.
Reward Issued.
The next line made me freeze.
Reward: Pendragon Bloodline.
Bloodline Integrated Successfully.
The Riddle Family has been rewritten as descendants of King Arthur Pendragon.
The Host has inherited both the Blood of Arthur Pendragon and the Blood of Morgana.
“…What?” I stared blankly at the screen.
“What?” For nearly a full minute I couldn’t even process what I had just read.
“The system…” “It rewrote history?” This wasn’t merely granting me a bloodline.
It had literally altered the history of the world itself.
The Riddle family was now descended from Arthur Pendragon.
Since Morgana was Arthur’s half-sister, that naturally connected me to her bloodline as well.
“…That’s insane.” I slowly sat down on my bed.
“If history itself can be rewritten…” Then how powerful was this system?
It wasn’t simply handing out rewards.
It was altering reality.
Changing bloodlines.
Changing family histories.
Changing the world.
A shiver ran down my spine.
“No.” I shook my head.
“I’m asking questions far beyond my level.” There was absolutely no point trying to understand something so far beyond me.
When I eventually reached Dumbledore’s level…
Or Grindelwald’s…
Perhaps then I’d possess enough knowledge to begin investigating the true nature of the system.
For now…
Accepting the rewards was enough.
Another notification appeared.
Perfect Quest Completion Bonus Awarded.
100 System Points Granted.
I looked at the total in the corner of my interface.
System Points: 100 “…Not much.” Still…
It was a beginning.
Opening the System Shop, I immediately browsed through several categories.
The cheapest items consisted mostly of beginner spell books, introductory potion recipes, and basic magical knowledge.
I closed the menu almost immediately.
“They’re not worth it.” With my talent, purchasing ordinary first-year spells would be a complete waste of points.
I could simply learn them myself from Hogwarts textbooks in a fraction of the time an average student required.
What I truly wanted were things that couldn’t be learned through ordinary study.
Ancient rituals.
Lost magical knowledge.
Unique bloodlines.
Founder-era magic.
Legendary artifacts.
Those were worthy of System Points.
Everything else…
“I can learn myself.” After browsing for several more minutes, I discovered that only one world was currently available.
Harry Potter World.
Every item originated from magical Britain or its surrounding magical communities.
No other universes had been unlocked yet.
Marvel.
DC.
Middle-earth.
The Fate universe.
None of them were accessible.
“For now.” I smiled.
“If the system can eventually unlock other worlds…” Then the possibilities were practically limitless.
Magic from entirely different universes.
Knowledge unavailable anywhere on Earth.
Unique bloodlines.
Legendary weapons.
Immortality methods.
The future suddenly seemed even more exciting than before.
Resting my new yew wand across my lap, I looked out the orphanage window toward the evening sky.
I now possessed Tom Riddle’s talent.
An adult wizard’s magical reserves.
The blood of both Arthur Pendragon and Morgana.
A system capable of rewriting reality itself.
And Hogwarts was only weeks away.
My second life…
Had only just begun.