Novel 4-Magic?

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/Humming.../

/~Music~/

"Hum hum... ~Just the two of us… We can make it if we tryyyy!~ Hmm... ~You and I~..."

On the very last floor of a tall apartment complex, a young man with long dark hair that went down his shoulders swiped the ground with a mop under the low sound of romantic, calming music.

Matching the pace of his swipes with the music, he didn't seem to care about the speed at which he cleaned the floor as his only worry was making it spotless... Or as good as he felt necessary.

/Swipe!/

/Swipe!/

From the windows to the walls, he cleaned everything with the utmost care, even the furniture and the shelves, something he didn't even remember ever doing in his entire life.

However, for today, he made sure to research it thoroughly as it would be a pain to stain a carpet or his sofa with some chemical he didn't quite understand what it was used for.

It was hard work, but he was committed to doing it… And also because he didn't have much in his house to begin with.

/Swipe Swipe!/

/C-Crack!/

"UGHU!!... ARG! Huff... My baaack~... Haa… Shit." The young man exclaimed as he stopped cleaning, getting uptight as he touched the lower end of his spine

/Click…/

Turning off the music speaker, the man rested on the wall, one hand on his hips as he took a deep breath.

"Huff… Damn life…" He said out loud with a tired expression and a pained tone as he looked at the kitchen, the place he just finished cleaning

"If my friends' and family's reminders that I'm getting old weren't enough, now my body is making sure I get the hint, huh?"

'Tsk, I'm still young dammit… I work out every day and do skincare from time to time, I'm spotless!'

As he looked at the wall, he remembered the sight when he saw one of his neighbors with their kid in a supermarket nearby, the little bugger went and called him 'Uncle from upstairs'!!

He had the urge to tell the little bugger to screw off, but since he had the decency of a mature man, he just smiled and waved at the child.

"Tsk, I'm younger than his mom!... By two years…" He said in a defeated tone as he walked to the kitchen

'Tche, most of my friends are either working their asses off in their careers or too busy raising their kids... And I don't blame them...'

'At least I didn't use to, until they began shoving it at my face, leave me alone!!'

He reached out to his fridge, grabbing a cold bottle before closing it with a light 'thud'.

/… Pssst!/

/Gulp!/

"Haa… I needed this."

By all means, he wasn't an alcoholic, what he had in his hands wasn't even a carbonated soda, he didn't like that either.

It was just carbonated water.

"Phew… How much more till I'm done?" He asked out loud as he cleaned some sweat from his forehead

'I cleaned the bathrooms, the furniture, and all the rooms… No, there's still a room left.'

"And I have to finish the Living Room… Sigh. Rest time's over." He said as he left the Kitchen

'I made a deadline and I'm going to do everything within it, no bitching this time.'

This 'young' man was Joshua, a very single 28-year-old young man who worked as a Hardware Engineer.

He lived alone in a 200 square meter apartment in the middle of a busy metropolitan city in some corner of the USA, and on the very last floor at that, it wasn't hard to figure out that he was better off than most.

This privilege didn't come for free, as now he had to clean and maintain everything on his own, or else his mother may come with a surprise visit to screw his ass.

Speaking of her, this apartment was bigger than his parents' house, but it wasn't like they bought it for him. On the contrary, if he could, he would've preferred a smaller house… Especially now.

This home was an heirloom from his late Grandfather who passed away around 5 years ago when he was still in University.

During his time there, he used the apartment due to its close proximity to his University, which reduced his travel time from an hour on the bus to a five-minute walk across the street.

Still, due to that, the place wasn't rented since he kept coming back to it whenever a Period was about to start, there was no way he would give up such a privilege.

He also had no interest in having someone else share the house, there were too many precious things scattered around for him to trust the place to anyone.

And it was exactly because there were still many things left to organize in the house that they never rented it off, though that was mostly because he kept delaying it...

Nonetheless, that is now a somewhat distant memory.

There was no need to worry about his grandfather's will and ownership of the property since he made it all very clear, the house itself belonged to his father but he passed it to his name since once he felt he deserved it.

It also helped that his current job, the one he got after graduation was close by.

The rest of his things were scattered as per his wishes, there was little conflict within the family, if any at all.

Thus, after graduating and living with his parents for a little while, he eventually moved places after he got sufficiently stable with his job, a chance many were in dire need of.

Since the time in between was too short, a little bit over two years, the house wasn't rented off

His birthday was on the first of October and today was the first of December, and he was currently on Vacation since otherwise, the year would pass and his vacation days would reset with the new year. 

...

/Swipe!/

With great energy, he continued to swipe away at the ground as he completed the finishing steps on the floor, and after half an hour or so of effort, he proudly glared at his hard work from a corridor on the side.

"Phew… This side's done."

'This marks the beginning of the end of my annual cleaning tradition!... One that I started a few days ago…'

It had been around two years since Joshua started living alone, and never once did he deep clean his entire home.

A broom here and there was the maximum he ever did, and although everything felt fine at first glance, whenever his parents came to visit, his mother would make sure to point out things he didn't even know existed.

Like, who even cared about how much dust had accumulated under his fridge?

Still, he dusted it off, leaving the rest for future him to deal with.

"... Oh yeah, I almost forgot." He said as he walked to a balcony close by

'My faithful knight, awaken from thy slumber!'

It was a rather bulky station with a rather thick, plate-shaped object tied to it.

At the end of the station, a few words could be read: I-Robot MAX Clean!

It was a Roomba… And for some reason, it had stickers and decorations on its body, they aided little in increasing its effectiveness.

/Bzzz…/

/Sha sha!/

After connecting the station to the wall, he pressed a button, restarting it back to life.

Of course, Joshua had already cleaned both the Roomba and the station before this, he was a rather thorough person.

His Roomba was one of the reasons he could live a more carefree life. He had no dog so the only concern he had was the little dust that accumulated over time on the ground, something the little machine was very effective in removing.

"Nice."

'If it wasn't for you, I would've been half buried in dirt by now… Literally.'

With the machine in operation, Joshua smiled as he brought his cleaning materials to the worst part of the house, the one he hadn't touched in over three years… No, maybe even more.

This house was an heirloom of his grandfather, but it wasn't the one he lived in… Joshua wouldn't be able to live in the house of his late grandfather, no matter how much time passed.

His grandfather, well… Was a rather wealthy person, having made many positive choices in life which led to him living not only long but also providing for his descendants, allowing even poor Joshua to be able to own a house amidst this housing crisis of the country.

Some may think he was one of those old men who accumulated wealth and died without doing much, but they would be very much wrong, his grandfather would consistently bring his family on trips around the world, at an average of three every year.

Sometimes he even went with his friends, one of the reasons he was still very close to them all as they had many memories together, thinking of that made him remember he had a marriage to attend soon, although there was no reason to worry about that as he had a dozen alarms and marks on calendars throughout the house.

Either way, his grandfather left behind not two houses, but four.

Four apartments he acquired during his years of investments, all now belonging to his father, his sole son… And eventually, it would be his too.

Though it 'wasn't' as good as it sounded.

Of the four apartments, one was the very house he used to live in, the other one was his parents' house, a situation very similar to his right now, given to his father when he was younger just like him.

Of the last two, one was his old house, which was now being leased off with the last one, which was much bigger than his current one, a full 350 SQM.

The one his parents lived in was the smaller one of the four, being just about over 150 SQM.

There was a time his parents thought of finding him an apartment for him to live and lease this house to someone else, but for some reason, his father threw him in here, maybe to force him to interact more with others since this was an Apartment Complex rather than throwing him in a small one-room home somewhere in some dark corner of the city.

There was also the responsibility of taking care of an apartment... Although he can't say for certain if he liked that aspect of the house, the rest was pretty neat though, the view and the atmosphere were exceptionally nice.

And his neighbors weren't assholes.

In a sense, he both loved and hated this place, if only his Roomba could clean everything and not only the ground… Then maybe he would be able to live in a more carefree way.

At the end of the day, Joshua was only a wealthy snob complaining about the weight of his own money… Oh, was it mentioned already that he was also an only child and that he also had a million in his bank? 

No?... Well, now it was… Though don't be too bad on poor Joshua, he worked rather hard during his life also, as only a tenth of that money was given to him all the way when his Grandmother died when he was still 18 years old, and half of it when his grandfather died five years ago.

The rest was all his own effort, starting with the pandemic a decade ago.

Full of free time he took in a few hobbies, with one of which ended up being rather profitable, netting him over 50K out of all that after a few years, not counting how much that earned him after.

It was mainly writing and drawing, something he stopped doing since balancing a life of working, playing, and more work wasn't easy, but it was a hobby that gave him some money after all.

At the time, he was a teenager who did not need to worry about money-related issues so he could grow as much as he wanted.

Many Americans have a main job and a side hobby at the end of the day.

It was important to say that he was also the one in charge of investing his own money, and all of those profits came from himself and his well-put investments.

So give him some credit.

Yes, Joshua was extremely privileged, given the chance to work towards something, but he did the best he could with his time, having a lot of fun with both his hobby and friends over the years.

Though still no partners, not even a kiss, barely any hand-holding and he couldn't even recall if a girl ever tried to flirt with him.

Not that he was ugly, he considered himself above average, especially considering around half of the American population was obese, him just being fit was already a huge bonus to his rating score.

Though considering how many umbrellas he lent his coworkers during his time working in his current company, the total number of women he made wet was in the negative dozen.

And… That's it, the later decade of Joshua Sanders, from an overworked undergraduate student to a growing Arch Wizard who spent his time mostly on working and making money.

Not to forget playing and… Playing some more.

No drinking, no drugs, no bad habits, just a healthy lifestyle devoid of romance and any overly dangerous adventure… As the only thing he ever hit was the gym… 

He may have no toned, eight-pack body, but he didn't have a father's belly either, far from it even.

That was mostly it for how he came into this situation, a lone man mopping the floor of a large home, sweating bullets as he did so.

Nevertheless, it was time to clean the very last room…

…

/Later.../

/POOF!/

"COUGH COUGH!... Shit… I should've at least dusted this room every once in a while." Joshua exclaimed as he waved his hand in the air, going to the corner through a pile of boxes where he opened a window with much difficulty

After that, he went to a nearby room and fetched a fan, putting it in his room to have some of the air circulating, making sure to close the door behind him as he didn't wish the dust to circulate inside the corridor he just mopped.

"Cough… Kay… How do I start this?"

'How many boxes are here?... There's even a tall cabinet here, where did he take that from? Early 20th Century or something?' He asked with a thin smile as he looked around

This room was his famed 'Trash room', the place where he threw anything he didn't have a space for.

Boxes of old things he didn't want to throw away, and some furniture he had no space for.

Over the years, he poked around here and there and his mother helped him give purpose to many items left here, but he never did dive deep into the mess, it never seemed to end no matter how many times his parents passed by and went back with a box of old stuff.

It was always something for 'tomorrow', but tomorrow never came… As he kept delaying it time and time again.

Eventually, tomorrow became devoid of meaning and he just forgot it ever existed, only conveniently popping up whenever he felt the need to stash something away.

"Ahem… Well… I'll first throw some of these old boxes away."

'I'll keep the boxes of my PC parts though… I like those.'

"... This will take a while." He said with a sigh as he took a step forward

…

/Two and a half hours later…/

"Huff… Huff… How much damn stuff is even in here?"

'I've already removed most of the stuff me and my parents stuffed inside after we cleaned the house, but why are there still so many boxes in here?'

'I know I shoved quite a few things here over the years, but it shouldn't have been this… Oh, I remember now.'

"A few years ago when the contract for the tenants of one of the other houses ended, we moved a lot of old stuff here as temporary storage, I forgot we ever did that."

'So this is only the product of the trouble we planted all those years ago… Sigh.'

'Why am I forced to clean this on my own?'

"I curse the heavens!" He exclaimed dramatically as he hit his fist against a cabinet 

/THUD!/

"ARRG!" He dramatically exclaimed in pain as he fell to the ground 

'This is what I get for cursing…'

/Click…/

"Hum?"

Maybe because the drawer was old or because he hit it just the right way, the first drawer of the cabinet opened a little, revealing its contents.

Previously, he pulled this cabinet aside to deal with it later, but fate brought both together sooner.

In fact, he hadn't even thought about opening it.

It was as if something had 'cleared' inside his head, and he found himself oddly interested in its contents.

Nothing but the childish curiosity of a man.

"What's this?" He asked out loud as he opened the drawer fully, revealing a collection of mementos

Old Photos, souvenirs of trips he didn't even remember, and a bit more.

"Is this… The drawer grandfather used to keep some of our traveling mementos? Why is it here of all places?"

'I thought we had already dealt with all of this, Father framed and copied most of the old photos onto hard drives.'

'To think some still live, a good find, he'll be happy about this... Anyway...'

/Grab…/

He grabbed a small golden whistle, he remembered that it was from an old trip to an aquarium, the whistle was used to make the dolphins jump, he stole it from one of the personnel when he wasn't paying attention, showing it to his grandfather later with a proud smile on his face.

He and his grandfather laughed quite a bit that day… Ohh the memories… They all came to him like a flood. 

"Quite a few things here… Photos of us with both grandfather and grandmother... Even a full family Photo! Mother would love these, how did it escape our search?"

'I trully thought everything grandfather had left behind had been found and that the rest was lost… Yet here are some of those very things.'

"... This was from our trip to Japan, I still remember the Sakura trees…" He said as he looked at a dried twig inside a plastic bag

"This was from our trip to England… Argentina... Australia... Egypt... And this…"

"Our trip to Disneyland?" He asked out loud in confusion as he scratched his head

In his right hand was a long black wand with a spiraling pattern, and on his left hand… A strange necklace with an even stranger mechanism at its center is composed of a small circular object at the center and five metal rings full of strange runes surrounding it, like a gyroscope.

The rings could move independently and were full of very small carvings in them, it was quite cool.

"Huh… I don't remember either of this." 

'I do have a wand from when we went there but… I don't remember this one, did Grandpa buy one for himself as well?'

'Not unsurprising, given how much he used to play with me, maybe the memories just washed away with time.'

He then checked the necklace, figuring what it was supposed to represent.

Supposed because…

"This must be a timer turner, no?... But don't they have ampules in the middle or something?" He asked out loud as he scratched his head, feeling something was odd about this toy

'Am I misremembering things?'

Scratching his head in wonder, he eventually just shook it off as being either something very specific, a counterfeit, a bad product, or another completely unrelated toy he bought elsewhere.

So without putting much thought into it, he wore it around his neck, focusing on something else...

Since he now had a wand in his hand…

"... Harry Potter… The boy who lived… Come to die." He said in a raspy tone as he imitated a certain someone, giggling from time to time as he waved the wand around

"..."

/Silence…/

Joshua locked eyes with the wall, as if it were the greatest enemy he ever had.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!!!" He exclaimed as he pointed the wand at the wall

Unseen by him, his wand moved relatively close to the strange turner, pointing directly at it…

/Bzz.../

A small spark jumped from the wand to the turner, causing the carvings within to light in extremely dim light for just the blink of an eye...

"Aha… I think I have the talent for it." He said with a chuckle as he placed the wand atop the cabinet

"This was a great find, all of these memories…"

/Baddum.../

"Woah…"

/Step back…/

Suddenly, Joshua experienced extreme dizziness, taking a step back as he touched the wall for support.

His vision turned slightly and his body felt strange, like gravity had changed momentarily.

"What was that?" 

/Baddum…/

His heartbeat suddenly felt so… Strong.

'... Something's wrong with me.' Joshua immediately noticed, making a rush out of the room, his sense of balance slowly breaking apart with each step as his thoughts ran like thunderbolts in the sky

"My cellphone… Where the fuck are you when I need it?!" He asked out loud as he barged into his room

"There, now…"

/THUD!/

But midway to his cellphone, his body went limp as he collapsed on the ground, his eyes hollowing out as he closed them silently.

He still breathed faintly, but 'he' wasn't there anymore.

His heartbeat calmed, and everything went back to normal.

And around his neck, still intact despite the fall, the strange turner began to move as it shone faintly.

All of the rings spun around the center before they all...

Aligned.

...

/Not long after…/

/Chua cha chu cha!/

"Urg… Huh? I'm moving... What the…"

His head pulsating a little and his vision turbid, Joshua awoke in a padded and comfortable red pattern seat, with his body resting on a wall next to a window where, strangely enough, not only did he hear strange sounds echoing from within, but also… The outside was moving?

Trees... Mountains... Rivers...

Wait a minute, what were those sounds? 

Most importantly! Where was he?!

"Whhhha…? Where in the…"

Joshua slowly came into conscience, quickly realizing that he didn't seem to be in his room once more.

Fearful for his own safety, he quickly inspected himself, knocking his glasses off his face by mistake.

"Shit, my glasses." He mumbled to himself as he got down from the seat. which seemed unexpectedly large

"Hum?"

'These… Aren't my glasses.' He thought silently as he picked them up

A pair of dark silvery glasses with a few scratches here and there on its frame and lenses, they were completely circular and rather elegant… If he were an elderly person that is.

He had a pair of Speedo Glasses, they were… A bit sharper on the edges and completely black.

But this wasn't the end of his troubles.

'Wait… My hand… MY HAND!!'

Quickly getting up from the ground, Joshua touched his hand in horror as he realized how small each of his fingers were in comparison to everything around him.

Either he had been thrown into a world of giants… Or his height had diminished.

But all of that was quickly answered as he sat back on the seat… 

Because now he was face to face with the window, and his reflection.

"..."

Disbelief was plastered across his face as he gazed at the familiar yet unfamiliar face staring back at him from across the distant green plains.

He kept touching his own face and body as he looked at himself.

That wasn't him, yet who else could it be if not him?

He blinked one eye, and it replied, he blinked both at once, only to realize how stupid that was…

But that was enough to prove how flabbergasted he felt.

/Touch…/

He touched his chest, trying to calm down his rising emotions as he breathed quickly, almost going into a panic… When he felt something unusual.

There was something underneath his clothes.

'This is… The necklace. The turner, for some reason I still have it… It feels bigger… Much bigger…'

"J-Just what is going on?..." He asked out loud before understanding that being so conspicuous was bound to attract the wrong kind of trouble

Until he figured out what was going on, he had to act... Natural.

With that in mind, he also took some time to check his appearance.

He seemed to be wearing some sort of coat, but when in the body of a child, it only made him feel goofy yet somewhat cute.

Together with that, he had a beige wool hat and a pair of dark boots that were relatively shiny, making him look like a little businessman.

'Just… Urg… How did I get here?' He thought silently as he breathed heavily, trying to calm himself down

Joshua always believed that he would be able to keep his calm in unexpected situations, but that was quickly proving to be the contrary…

However, the more he thought about it, the calmer he became, he slowly accepted his situation and threw aside the other possible scenarios, taking the most absurd possibility as the most rational of them all, since the otherwise rational answer made no sense here.

Still, with that, the slumbering thoughts of never being able to return to his own body were slowly encroaching upon his mind, causing him to lose the little composure he had amassed in this small frame of time.

Fear… Restlessness… And something else crept into the four corners of his brain.

But he could only suppress those, as even if they were well-founded emotions, he had no space for them right now.

He needed to figure out some things first, only then could he entertain any thoughts about returning home.

'I need… Information. The more I know, the better it'll be for me… For all I know it may be possible for me to solve this situation easily as long as I understand it.'

Joshua's first thought was to look around himself, his pockets.

'Nothing on the right side… Wait…'

/Cling cling…/

Joshua shoved his hand in his front pocket, quickly pulling a few things from within.

"Coins?... They look to be made of copper." 

There was the image of a goat, together with a few letters that read: Unum Knut.

The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite tell why.

'Oh! There's still something else.' He thought after he placed the coins back in his pockets

/Pull…/

"A note?... God… It's written in… Children scribbles? What horrible calligraphy..."

"I can't read this!" Joshua said dramatically as he squinted his eyes

'It's written… URG! In British!!'

All jokes aside, Joshua easily read through the handwritten note, but the more he read, the more he squinted his eyes.

"Well, if the grammar wasn't older than my grandma's vocabulary I might've been able to understand half of these sentences… But ignoring them this seems to be a shopping list of some kind."

'First is the Uniform section, which is crossed out… But… What is this?'

Joshua was flabbergasted by what was written in it... What his original body had supposedly bought.

"One Standard Pointy Hat?... One Dark Winter cloak?… One pair of protective gloves?" He asked out loud as he raised one of his eyebrows

'... Where in the Nine Hells and Seven Heavens am I going?' Joshua thought silently as he squinted his eyes, trying to piece together this mess

"Why would I need a pointy hat?... Am I a Wizard? I thought there were still a few years left before I got the Title..." He said with a smirk before he focused again

He continued to read the message, eventually finding the next phrase rather useful!

"... All students' clothes must carry name tags at all times…!" He read out loud as his eyes opened wide

But before he made any assumptions, he thought:

'I learned two things with this, the first one being I'm going to a school, and the second one is that I can find my name in the uniform… But do I have it with me?' 

He looked around and lo and behold, he saw luggage atop his head in an open compartment.

It was a little hard to take it out since he had to be on his tiptoes atop the seat to get it, but he eventually managed to pull it out without falling into what would most likely be a terrible accident.

/Shuffle.../

Quickly going through its contents, he saw some of the items, worn books and clothes mostly, clearly not new, together with the most important of all, his name tag.

"Joshua… Sanders… Woah, I got the chills there for reading my own damn name…" He said sarcastically as he sighed 

'Well, I don't know what I expected to read… But it seems this… Body, possess the same name as mine.' He thought silently as he touched his chest

'At least that's one question answered.'

/Cling cling…/

"Hum?"

As he messed around with the items in his bag, he heard the clear chime of metal coming from a small bag.

'More coins?... But golden. Are these all Gold coins per chance?' He thought with some surprise

'One… Five coins.'

"This doesn't look like much… It's quite a pretty coin." He mumbled out loud as he inspected it

There was a dragon with its wings opened in the face of the coin, it brought him a strange and heavy sense of familiarity, one much, much stronger than anything he had felt before.

The coin itself was rather well made, but what mattered were the words written in its surface: Unum Galleon.

"Unum Galleon… Galleon… Wait a minute…"

'Galleon?... That Galleon?' He thought silently as sweat fell from his forehead 

Everything began to fall in place like meteors assembling into a Planet!

Next to the bag of coins was a note with the same shabby calligraphy as before, it read: "To buy "it", nothing else! Important!" Together with the draining of a long distorted stick with some sparks coming out of its tip

There were also several numbers on the paper indicating previous transactions, such as a previous one where he exchanged two Galleons for all of his second-hand books, and uniform.

Another three Galleons were exchanged with an old man that was poorly drawn… Likely the materials written in the first note?

There were a few other smaller transactions but they were all very small, but it was all recorded. These seemed to have been paid out of his own pocket and not of the initial sum of money written on the transaction note.

"Putting this situation aside for now... This is strange, if the rest of this money is for the rest of the list… Why are most of the items still unchecked?"

'This would mean that I wouldn't be able to buy everything needed despite exchanging for second-hand items and such.'

'At least all of the books are checked but… Their Titles are… Hard to believe.' He thought as his expression went grave

Joshua wanted to keep his thoughts rooted in reason… At least for as long as possible until he finished going through all of his clues so he could form a conclusion without any form of bias.

But it was not like his current situation was anything resembling that.

So he jumped the books, but when he did so, his lingering thoughts were almost forcibly confirmed…

"A Pewter Cauldron, a set of vials, telescope, scales… And last but not least…"

"A wand." He said as he rested his head on the couch

'And of course, that isn't crossed, explained by the previous childish note.'

'... Unless I'm mixing things, upon crossing all dots, I have reached a conclusion towards my current predicament.'

/Chu cha.../

For the next few seconds, Joshua remained completely silent as he took it all in, going over everything he found out so far while also trying to formulate appropriate responses for them.

And what he found out is that apart from his current appearance, everything could easily have been created just for the sake of pranking him.

Yet... What about his body? Was there any real explanation for it?

So he decided to consider the... Supernatural truth...

"..."

But the longer he thought about it, the more… Excited he became!

His fears were still there, but they were now competing for space with another overwhelming emotion!

It was now a fight for resilience, which of his emotions would last the longest…

His great excitement?…

Or his ever-increasing fear of his reality?...

Only time will tell.

…

/Creak creak creak…/

/Pull!/

As Joshua checked his trunk for items, someone passed by his cabin, opening the sliding door next to him slowly, startling him slightly as he was still going through his things.

It was an old woman holding a silvery tray full of items. 

"Hello child, would you like some sweets?"

"Sweets?" Joshua questioned as he got up from his seat

'She must be...'

"But of course, anything on the trolly, from Flavor beans to Pumpkin Pastries." She said with a warm smile as she looked at Joshua

"Well…"

'Currently, money is a problem, but as long as I don't touch that bag, it shouldn't come as a problem at all.'

'It's not like I would be able to buy anything on the list with those small copper coins anyway, they don't look that valuable, everything on the list is quite pricy anyway.'

"What can I get with these?" He asked as he took the coins from his pocket

"Oh? That's about… 31 Knuts. With that amount, anything you desire dear."

"Hm..."

'31 Knuts... Yup, there's little on the list I can buy with that.'

'Might as well try something out.'

"Then… Uh… Can I get these?" He asked as he pointed at a few different sweets

"Let me see, Chocolate frog, Flavor beans, Caldroom cake… About 16 Knuts, will that be all?"

"... Do you sell water too?"

"Hum? Why would I sell water? How can one even sell water?" She asked with an amused expression1

"... Uh… Because otherwise… My mouth would get dry?"

/Chuckle/

"You have a rather great creativity dear, you can drink water anytime by going to the restaurant a few sections behind me."

"Here, have these for making me laugh a little." She said as she took a few sugar canes from the trolley

"Until next time." She said as she continued with her journey

/Whispers.../

Joshua soon heard her voice from a cabin near his, but he ignored it.

"..."

Instead, he paid attention to the items at hand.

'I was never a fan of sweets but… I can't avoid such a chance.'

'If this is a very lifelike dream or something else, I still need to experiment with this.'

He started with the chocolate frog, curious about it at first.

/Open… Ribbit!/

/Close!/

"Huff... That startled me."

'The frog chocolate… It looked at me... It looked at me...' He thought with a serious expression as he looked at the box

'This is the real deal...'

"How do I eat this?..." He thought with a tired and complex expression as he felt the chocolate frog struggle within its container

…

His experiences with the candies were rather interesting.

From shoving the frog in his mouth and battling his instincts of spitting it out to almost coughing to death due to eating a Pepper flavor beam, he eventually opened the window, letting some air enter his cabin after he let out a fiery burp.

"..."

He silently stared at the distance, complex emotions rising in his chest.

'I once told myself that I would give my life to experience any signs of magical forces, and that if I one day did see one, I would die satisfied.'

'But now that I'm actually here, I can't quite accept it.'

'Is the price to be here the abandonment of everything I achieved?... It feels… Hollow.'

'Yet, I cannot shake off this rising excitement... I hate this.'

"..."

He tapped on his couch a few times before getting up in a hurry.

'I can't stand still, I just can't!'

The desire to explore and experience new things was quickly taking over his body, a massive torrent of ideas and emotions was taking shape in his mind as he paced around inside his cabin.

Memories flashed and linked together, becoming long strings as he formulated his course of action.

'I… I need to think through this clearly.'

'If things go the way I think they will... I can't leave the train for now.'

'But standing still isn't an option either.'

'I need… More information, just enough so I can answer any critical question.'

"Hum… Aha!" 

Joshua had an "Eureka!" Moment.

He quickly went through his books, and in no time, he found what he was looking for.

A diary.

'As I thought.'

'I also used to write in a diary when I was younger, but I never really wrote anything conclusive.'

'And as I grew older, the diary was exchanged for an Agenda for me to mark things on.'

'I'm still not sure what I currently am, but this has started to make me take a stance.'

'The same name, similar appearance, and now, even similar habits…'

'Maybe this body is just another version of me. But if that's the case…'

'What about my real body?'

'And if I assume my body is still there… What about Joshua's original Soul?'

'... Did I completely take over? Or from the start, he was never there?'

'Was Joshua fated to be possessed? Or is there some stranger high power at play?...'

Many questions, some reasonable and others not so much flooded his mind as he tried to figure out his situation from all kinds of angles…

But eventually, he shook his head as he started to read the book.

It wasn't very long, he would be done in no time.

/Chu cha chu cha!/

There was still a long way until their destination, the School of Wizardry…

Hogwarts.

…

/A few hours later…/

The sun slowly vanished on the horizon, turning the clouds pink as the day came to an end...

/FUUUUU!/

"Hm?"

Under the loud steam whistle of the train, Joshua was taken aback as he turned to his window.

He saw a long expanse of trees surrounding a massive somewhat circular lake…

At its center, a large castle illuminated by the faint rays of the dusking sun stood.

"... We've arrived." Joshua said out loud as he looked outside through the window

/Close…/

He closed the book on his hand, Introduction to Magical Theory by Rotter Stick while also marking the page he stopped at before resting his head on his couch.

'The adventure starts now…'

'This is a good time to revise everything I know about myself…'

'Name, Joshua Sanders, no extra surnames, parents unknown...'

'Eleven years old, birthday on the first of October, and according to a calendar I found, about a month from now.'

'Hogwarts terms start on the first of September and it ends in June.'

'For some reason, in this life, I'm British, and to top that, I'm an orphan, hence my current financial situation… Not only that, it's currently 1884.'

'I feel… Strange about this, but since Joshua's origins are completely different from mine, then I won't fret much about having no family because the only ones I truly care about are not of this world.'

'Going back to my wealth, all of those coins I used to buy candies? They were pretty much my entire self-earned fortune, money that was exchanged for everything the previous me made...'

'How I made it concerns me... But it's 1884, so I probably worked at a factory... And thankfully I'm alright, all fingers looking good...'

'The rest of it was used to buy normal clothes and other basic necessities from toothbrushes to pens and so on, and the passage for me to get to the train station.'

'The rest of all those were those coins in my pockets.'

'As for the Galleons, they were part of the basic bursary given by Hogwarts to help students buy their first-year supplies. Although I'm impressed how it wasn't enough despite that.'

'From the diary, I learned that about a few months ago, my orphanage was contacted by a strange old man wanting to see me. That man soon proved to be a wizard, a professor of Hogwarts sent to me to inform me of my magical legacy or whatever.'

'That man was none other than Professor Fig, an old and renowned Warlock and the professor of Magical Theory of Hogwarts.'

'He came to me to teach me a few things and he was also the one that provided me with all of the second-hand books for free while also being the one that helped me with the gathering of basic supplies, albeit not all since we didn't manage to buy second-hand items for everything, at least not for a price he agreed with.'

'According to the diary, he said he would procure substitutes for me and that I should spend the rest of the money on a wand.'

'He's quite kind, but this is the environment of Hogwarts, each professor is much closer to their students than in my original world.'

'Things are too systematic there, even relationships in a sense.'

'In any case, this is all due to a lack of funds, not because Hogwarts was having financial problems, on the contrary, this should be a rather well-off era for the academy.'

'This came due to a recent change caused by the newly elected Headmaster who cut the basic bursary for muggle students by more than half.'

'Because of this, even by buying second and third-hand items I still don't have enough, I may even lack enough to buy a wand.'

'What a time to be alive.'

'It's incredible that despite the help I received from Fig, I still lack enough to buy everything.'

'Not that I can complain, at least for now...'

"..."

'As for the rest of the diary... I made my way to King's Cross Station platform 9 3/4 and we departed around 11 am. I don't have a pocket watch on me but it should be around 6 given how the sky is dusking.'

'And I took over between 1 to 3 Pm, I can't say for certain when since I haven't left my cart since I took over... Due to that, my throat's rather dry and I need to pee...'

'Anyway, that sums up almost everything about my past, which isn't much but that's a boon from a certain perspective.'

'I don't have to worry about anything aside from my name… And unless someone related to me appears in the school or in the future when I do leave it, I won't have any problems with my identity.'

/DIN DIN DIN/

The chime of a bell echoed on the train, this was a reminder for all students to change their clothes into the appropriate uniform.

Most students were still wearing casual clothes, which was fine but they were now at Hogwarts.

This was written in his journal, otherwise he wouldn't have known.

"I only have one complaint about this…" He said as he took off his coat

'My underwear is too damn bulky.'

Unfortunately, for a modern man in the 21st century, being thrown into the late 19th century, there was certainly quite a gap in both culture and technology.

However, what could he do? There was only one thing he could do to change his situation…

Learn magic!

So with a quick pull of the curtain by the door, he started to undress.

He also reminded himself to pass by a bathroom if there was any and to take a sip of water before he returned to his room to organize his bag.

…

/Later.../

Although he felt a bit upset about his bulky clothes, it wasn't that bad since wizard clothes were actually quite comfortable.

Or at least, they should've been, but his clothes are second hand so they're not only somewhat worn out but they're also made of worse textile materials.

But they didn't smell nor were they itchy, they were just subpar to his trousers back on modern Earth.

"Alright… Guess I'm about done?" He asked out loud as he checked himself on the mirror

'I don't have a mirror so I'm going to believe I look presentable, I already passed by the bathroom and my throat's okayish now...'

'There's nothing missing and my bag's closed...'

'Wait, I forgot my nametag… Alright!'

Joshua's appearance wasn't that bad, but he was definitely far from his prime.

'I did have a glow-up when I was around 16… I'm still a bit far from that.'

'Assuming this Joshua will look like me… I do wonder about that.'

/Knock knock…/

Joshua was checking himself on the glass window as best as he could when he heard someone knock on the door.

"Hm?"

He turned around and opened the door, revealing a slightly chubby child holding a small bag.

"Pardon my intrusion, if it please thee, I am Revelus Bulstrode... In search of a cabin wherein to change raiment, for I have been expelled from mine own." The boy said politely as he gave Joshua a courteous bow

Behind him, Joshua saw a tall man with slightly tanned skin, he had a golden brown badge with a large "P" written on it.

A prefect, likely here to make sure all of the children were changing their clothes without causing trouble.

He smiled at Joshua, trying to encourage him to accept.

"..."

Meanwhile, Revelus was tense.

This boy in front of him had a rather sharp gaze.

He wasn't looking down on him or anything, but he felt as if he was being stared at by an adult, and that made him feel a bit suffocated.

He was never good at dealing with adults...

"Feel free to enter, there's lots of space here." Joshua replied as he turned around to grab his own luggage

"Ah? Much obliged!" Revelus said as he took a step inside

"..."

'He has a strange way of speaking...'

/Smile/

The prefect smiled, happy the situation was handled well, since not all students were as willing to cooperate as the child in the cabin.

However, as he saw Joshua grab his luggage, he intervened:

"No need to lay hands on your luggage, we'll ensure timely delivery to your chambers. Just take what's necessary."

"Hm?... Okay." Joshua replied as he sat down again

/Clack!/

The prefect closed the door, leaving the two alone.

"..."

Seeing that the chubby boy was a bit awkward, Joshua grabbed his book and walked to the door, reading it in silence.

Noticing his action, Revelus quickly sprung into action, rapidly changing his clothes in minutes.

"I am much obliged for your kindness, I have concluded." He said as he turned to Joshua

"As I afore mentioned, I am Revelus Bulstrode, my lineage hath graced the halls of Hogwarts for generations. 'Tis a pleasure to make thy acquaintance!"

"... I'm Joshua Sanders… Muggle." He said calmly as he looked at the chubby boy

"..."

Revelus felt Joshua's cold gaze on him, as if he was waiting for something, a reaction, a word… 

He was being judged but he couldn't quite figure that out.

"Aye... Every journey hath its inception!" He said excitedly as he sat down, Joshua soon sat as well opposite to him

"... Sigh, would you like some? I bought a bit much." Joshua asked as he looked at Revelus

'I treated the kid a bit too harshly, expecting him to act with contempt…'

'This isn't the late 20th century, the tension between wizards isn't that high yet, to some degree...'

'The Wizarding wars have yet to happen and all of those shenanigans are yet to occur, though I can't ignore the possibilities of purebloods being assholes yet, they likely still are.'

'I just want to avoid trouble for as long as possible.'

"Indeed?! I restrained myself previously, as my mother instructed me to purchase but a scant few candy canes... Yet, she uttered naught regarding acceptance of other offerings." He said with a chuckle as he accepted Joshua's flavored beans

"..."

'I guess I'll act as if I understood what he said...'

Albeit their meeting had just occurred, the budding of a friendship was starting to form.

…

/CHUUUU!/

/Step step step/

Finally, they arrived.

It was a small but humble train station with a few stone buildings on both sides of the track with a small bridge connecting both sides for quick access.

"Very well! All hands vacate your cabins! Ideally, in a disciplined fashion!"

"...The final matter I desire is grievances concerning injuries to assail mine ears due to that... Um... Proceed forthwith!" A man exclaimed on the platform on the left of the train as the prefects led the students out of their cabins in an orderly manner

He had a raspy voice and sharp eyes, likely of a man of Asian descent.

He didn't seem pleased with his own job, surprisingly, he even seemed to hold contempt for what he was doing, as if he wanted to leave that place as fast as possible.

"One two one two!... I'm in dire need of a libation…" He said with a sigh as he watched the children disembark

(N0)

Joshua and Revelus also stepped out, gathering with the rest of the ground with the prefects around them.

"..."

'I know this guy… Yeah, the memory has come to mind.'

'Mr Moon… And that's about it, it's been a few years since I played the game.'

Although it was currently 1884, there was a Harry Potter game set around Hogwarts in the school year of 1890-91.

He half expected to see many recurring characters from that time, though at the same time not since he was still quite a few years away from it.

It was just one more concern at the back of his head.

"One, two, three… Ah, disregard it, too numerous for me to tally.." Mr Moon, Hogwarts Caretaker said after he gave up counting the students

Although Joshua did not know, it was rather strange for the Caretaker to welcome students since it was usually the job of the Keeper of Keys and Ground to grant access to the new students.

Unfortunately, he was sick today.

"Young ones, accompany me to the docks, for we shall traverse the lake together."

"I expect all to stay in close proximity... I speak in earnest; should any wander astray, I shall see fit to administer a reprimand."

"Prefects! I charge thee with ensuring none are left behind or led astray... Now, let us partake in the feast, we have little time to... Hm... Dilly dally!" He said loudly as he turned around

/Chatter…/

The children who were previously silent started talking again as they followed Mr. Moon, and Revelus was no exception.

"A feast... I have heard tell of this occasion before." He said as he turned to Joshua

"They speak of being seated and indulging to one's heart's content... The most delectable victuals shall be served forthwith, maintaining their warmth without interruption."

"..."

'When he puts like that I get hungry too.'

"Verily, dost thou not feel a modicum of curiosity toward it?" Revelus asked when he noticed Joshua's silence

"I'm... Certainly interested in the food variety of Hogwarts, but I'm currently more concerned about acquiring my wand."

"Still without thy wand?! Thou shalt incur trouble come the morrow..."

"That's what I'm concerned about." 

"Hmm... Pondering upon it shan't conjure it forth magically, but perchance thou mayst procure it post-feast? A possibility, indeed..." Revelus said as he scratched his head

"Thou might have a bit o' time if thou skippest breakfast... Yet, I'd not advise it. 'Twould be a pity to miss out on such a repast."

"... Do you plan on sorting to Hufflepuff?" Joshua asked as he turned to the side

"Eh?! How didst thou know?"

"... I'm good at guessing…"

"Hehe, I'm just seeking a place where warmth doth abide, ye know? I'd loathe to find myself in the chilly confines of Slytherin; tales tell of their chambers akin to crypts, cold and unyielding."

"I say... Who'd fancy sleeping in a coffin?"

"..."

'Be thankful no one heard you say that…' Joshua thought silently as Revelus kept blabbering on and on

On the way across the forest, Joshua saw a few interesting critters hidden amidst the bushes like a small lizard with two heads, and even an owl with feline ears.

"Can you cast Lumos for me over there?" Joshua asked as he pointed at the side

"Lumos? Certainly I can." Revelus replied as he took a dark orange wand with a wavy spiraling form, making it look like a cork remover, being rather thin as well.

It was about eleven inches long, standard size.

"Hehe, ain't she a beauty? Laurel wood, me da swears if anyone dares to swipe it, a bolt of lightning shall descend from the heavens and smite 'em!"

"... Thanks for the heads up..."

"Yeah… Hey!"

Revelus chuckled a little, not taking Joshua's words seriously as he held his wand, making a slight loop in the air as he said:

"Lumos."

/Din…/

/Flash…/

The tip of his wand lit up a little, illuminating what Joshua wanted to see.

/Mew…/

It was a rather large black cat, a lynx!

/Jump!/

"Woah!"

The moment light was flashed into its face, the Lynx jumped into the bushes and vanished.

"'Tis indeed a rather uncommon sight, keen eyes to catch it." One of the prefects said with a chuckle from the side as he watched the lynx go away

"Now, now, children, no sorcery henceforth. I shan't tolerate any breaches in the boats... Once more."

"Hey... How didst thou spy it in the darkness?" Revelus whispered to Joshua 

"I saw two bright spots in the dark, it must've been its eyes."

"I ponder what manner of creatures we shall encounter." Revelus added with an expectant gaze as he looked at the faint lights in the distance

"..."

'Me too.'

In no time at all, they hopped into a small boat, making their way into the Grand Academy of Warlocks and Witches, Hogwarts!

…

/Stop…/

The boats stopped next to a small cave underneath Hogwarts and all students hopped out as they followed the prefects up above.

There, they passed through a series of corridors and staircases, eventually stopping in front of a large set of double doors.

There, an old warlock stood with a light smile on his face.

"Welcome to Hogwarts." He said with a proud smile as he placed his hands on his back

"In but a few moments you'll all be passing through these doors and joining your classmates. But before we do that, each of you shall be sorted into a house."

"For those unaware, they are Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Slytherin, and Ravenclaw."

"For your next seven years, your house will be your family, those that will learn, grow, play, master magic, and hopefully not, be in detention with you." He said with a chuckle after clearing his throat

"In short, performing well will grant you points, conducting misdeeds will lose them, and at the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup."

"For your knowledge, last year was Hufflepuff… As rare as that comes, cough!"

"Today you all arrived earlier than expected, which is great but I'll have to check and see if things are ready, so pardon me." The old man said as he turned around, opening the doors before closing them

/Chatter…/

"Hey, hey, who do you think that old man was? He looked quite impressive." Revelus asked as he tapped Joshua's shoulder

"Uh… The Headteacher?"

"Ohhh… Right."

"..."

'Wasn't this kid… Forget it, he's just a kid.'

Joshua looked around, eventually locking gazes at a statue.

/Blink.../

'What the… Did that statue just blink or something?'

He sharpened his gaze, trying to notice even the slightest of movements…

"Joshua? Why are you staring down at the statue?"

"It moved."

"This one? I don't think they're living statues though, leave it be."

"..."

Shaking his head, he eventually looked away, only for the statue to turn its head to him once more, startling a student behind him.

Yet, like before, none believed the boy as he exclaimed to his companions.

Eventually, the Headteacher came back, dragging them into another room.

To their left, four great ampules could be seen, each with its own design and colors; those were the point counters for each house.

But this wasn't their destination, as such, they continued in a straight line crossing another door into a small corridor, and eventually, another door.

Finally, they had arrived.

The Great Hall.

"... Impressive." Joshua mumbled to himself as he looked at the massive room

Four long tables ran across the entire length of the room, full of children.

Atop the tables were golden plates and cups, restless to be used.

Above them, thousands upon thousands of candles lit up the room under a ceiling that couldn't be quite called one.

Stars and clouds replaced the ceiling, but Joshua knew that it wasn't real but an application of magic to simulate it or maybe reflect it.

At the end of the room a circular table was present, there, multiple warlocks and witches sat.

the professors, workers, and the Headmaster of Hogwarts!

"Now, stand here please…"

"Mr Herfer, I shall say some words to the new Students." The Headmaster said as he got up from his seat

"But of course Headmaster Black." Herfer said as he stepped to the side

"First, welcome, I am your Headmaster, Phineas Nigellus Black of the illustrious house of black, from now on you are to call me Headmaster Black whenever addressing me."

"I'll skip the overused talk about future and potential as I'm sure you're already aware of your 'Endless' potential, as such, I would like to remind you all to look at where you walk rather than where you'll stand."

"While at Hogwarts, you are to focus on your Academic performance. Side activities should remain as such. That's all, begin the sorting ceremony." He said out loud as he sat down once more

/Silence…/

No one applauded.

"Well then, please step forward as I call your name, I'll place the Sorting Hat at your head and then you'll join your fellow House members on the table, there's nothing to fear."

"Then without further ado, let's hear the Sorting Hat's song!"

"Well then, I've worked really hard on this one… ~Well well well, if it isn't time yet again for the Hat of hats to…~"

The sorting hat started to sing loudly, a song that encompassed the traits of all houses and their aspirations amidst a thematic rhythm.

Once he was done, the sorting hat 'bowed' and everyone clapped loudly as they cheered for the song.

Though not all of course, as Headmaster black waved his hand to HeadTeacher Herfer, telling him to go on with it.

"Understood Headmaster." Herfer said as he looked at the side 

"First… Amanda Carter, please sit on the stool as I place the sorting hat in your head."

"Mnn…"

A very shy girl stepped from amidst the crowd of students, she had deep wavy chocolate hair and deep blue eyes, quite the pretty little girl.

She walked slowly, eventually sitting on the stool as the hat was placed on her head, causing her to recoil a little.

She was extremely nervous.

"Hmmm… Yes… Amidst the nervousness of the new, I sense… Intellect, a desire to learn and lose one's fear."

"Ravenclaw!"

/CLAP!/

/CHEERS!/

"She didn't look like a Ravenclaw to me." Revelus said on the side as he whispered to Joshua

"... Said that any louder and you're not going to be popular among the ladies." Joshua said as he rolled his eyes

"And why would I want that?"

"... Ask yourself that five years from now."

"Hum…"

"Alan Maestro!"

…

"GRYFFINDOR!"

/CLAP!/

/CHEERS!/

…

"Bobert Bletchley."

…

"SLYTHERIN!"

/CLAP!/

/CHEERS!/

…

"George Avery!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

/CLAP!/

/CHEERS!/

...

"Joshua Sanders."

"..."

"Hey, that's you."

"I'm well aware." Joshua said as he took a step forward

'I got stunned there for a moment, it's so strange to be called in such a situation…'

'I still don't quite believe it.'

Joshua walked to the stool, taking a look at the professors from afar, including Headteacher Hefer.

He did not recognize the old man but he seemed rather charismatic, he genuinely seemed to enjoy being there, unlike the Headmaster.

'This is so… Bizarre.' He thought as he looked at them

But since this was a good opportunity, he smiled and waved at the professors before sitting on the stool calmly.

Some he recognized, others not.

His extreme lack of nervousness and friendliness was welcomed by all professors except for the Headmaster of course.

Headmaster black wasn't known for being kind or appreciative… The contrary even.

Professor Black as some may call him was a blood supremacist who only accepted becoming a Headmaster because he felt it would boost his reputation.

Why such a person would even be invited to be a headmaster by the English Ministry of Magic was beyond him and many, many others.

But of course, Joshua was indeed a bit nervous… But not for the ceremony itself.

He was afraid of what the Hat might feel or say about him…

Joshua knew many things, but not everything, he couldn't quite tell how the sorting hat did its business.

And he did not know what it would do upon realizing what he was.

/Poof…/

"Mnnn… MNNN??!!... Curious… Extremely so." The Sorting Hat said as it was put on Joshua's head

Its expression was one of utmost surprise as it furrowed its 'eyebrows'.

"By far, you're the strangest student I've ever sorted." The hat spoke plainly and rather coherently 

"..."

"… You have your fears… Worries."

"But it's not up to me to decide whether or not… Hum…"

"Vexing."

"What to do with ye… Gryffindor?"

"You do possess the will beyond those your age, certainly chivalrous as you're not one to break promises, your coolheadedness is commendable too but it's up to test if you can keep it in a daring situation."

"But above all, are you brave?"

"... Is that a question?" Joshua asked in a low tone as he focused on the hat, ignoring the crowd of hundreds of students, all silently gazing at him

"Maybe…"

"What about Hufflepuff?"

"Questioning your hard work would be an understatement, for you who studied more than many, stuck with a path till the end to make those around you proud."

"You are loyal to your friends, family, close ones… And certainly possess… Patience. Whenever necessary."

"But would you stick to fair play to get your point across, in the end?"

"... Are you testing me?"

"Who knows?..."

"Hum… Then maybe, it has to be… Slytherin, for your ambition might be… The biggest I have ever encountered."

"You make even the most ambitious of Slytherins feel like a child running after toys as your desires go well beyond what they could even… Dream off."

"Your thoughts run deep and they're sharp, yes… But you don't seek the lights… It's the strings in the dark that you wish to pull."

"To not prove anything to anyone else but yourself."

"Even now, you plan silently… Yes, how could I forget, there's also plenty of talent hidden within…'"

"How can there be a better house if not the garden of snakes?"

"... That makes me sound like a fabled villain, also, spare me of such a fate..."

"So the snake is not to your tastes? A shame, such ambition would've become a symbol."

"If not those three, then the safe bet might be the right set."

"You're curious for all around you and eager to discover its intricate secrets, creative even, and certainly, intelligent. The right characteristics of the Eagle."

"But too much knowledge can be poisonous, what goal are you aspiring towards?"

"... Can I not answer that?"

"Hum… Hmmm… Mnn… Troublesome, how very troublesome…"

For the next two minutes, the Hat kept mumbling names in and out, and the Headmaster seemed ready to explode due to impatience.

If not for some of the professors next to him, he might've exclaimed for the hat to hurry it up by now.

"Having difficulties? Just put me in Ravenclaw, I like the vibe of the house."

"Ravenclaw, are you certain? But…"

"We aren't going anywhere, it's been over five minutes already. Just put me in a house, I'm hungry, and the others keep looking at me, I'm getting embarrassed, can we get this done with?"

"... Maybe Hufflepuff…"

"..."

"... Fine, as there's no doubt within you, it can only be… RAVENCLAW!!"

/CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!/

/CHEERS!/

With thundering cheers, Joshua got up from his seat, unaware of the gazes on his back.

He sat next to a few students wearing the same black robe as his but with blue and golden ornaments.

They were going to be his partners for the adventures to come!

As such, the sorting continued…

…

"Seraphina Bones."

…

"GRYFFINDOR!!"

/CLAP!/

/CHEERS!/

…

"Revelus Bulstrode."

"Oh boot, that's me…"

He looked towards Joshua for a moment and the latter just gave him a thumbs up, causing Revelus to be confused before he also gave him a thumbs up, albeit he didn't know what it meant.

"Uhum… There's no questioning here. Hufflepuff!"

/CLAP!/

/CHEERS!/

"..."

'That much was expected.'

"Now now! We've tarried long enough... Begin." Headmaster black said as he got up from his seat

""...""

"Haven't ye all heard? Partake!" He said loudly as everyone started to eat

As such, every student was eventually sorted and the Start of Term Feast began!

…

/Poof!/

""Woah!""

Suddenly, all of the plates were magically filled with food and the glasses with drinks, safe ones of course.

The students ate and ate but the food never seemed to end as it kept being magically replenished.

/Ding ding… Dang…/

The sounds of cutlery were ceaseless as the kids grabbed their food, be it roast potato or a pumpkin stew, a large slab of meat or soup, whatever they wanted was within their reach.

The students also seemed to help each other, for the most part as they exchanged plates and seasonings with one another.

That was a bit harder to see in the Slytherin table though…

"HAHAHAHA!"

/BANG!/

"KYA!"

Suddenly, from all corners and walls, multiple half-translucent ghosts appeared, scaring many students as they floated around, laughing and talking with everyone in the room as they introduced themselves to the new students.

Joshua looked at it all with a blank expression, he just wanted to eat bro…

He ignored them for the most part, he could always talk with them later.

"..."

'It's good, much better than I expected… But not "that" good, at least not as good as I thought magical cuisine would taste like.' Joshua thought as he took a bite out of a piece of roast meat

'Still, it's much much better than what I would've expected to see from the late 19th-century cooking, to a certain degree, this is much better than microwaved trash, this is the era of hard work food after all.'

'Hum… In a sense… I would say it's better than most restaurants.'

'It has a more… Concise taste, stronger too. It could be a matter of preference too.'

'If I could get some seasonings from back home… Nah... This is good enough.'

'I'm just not used to British food.'

"Mn…"

Joshua kept experimenting with all kinds of foods until deserts started to appear from time to time.

"..."

As he ate food in quiet, one of the ghosts approached him from the side, looking at him with a half-curious gaze.

He stopped eating, facing the ghost as well, a girl, a lady to be more precise.

"Hello." He said with a smile as he waved at the ghost

"A pleasure to meet you child." The girl replied with a formal bow

"Mn... Wouldst uh... thou mind if I inquired as to... Uh... Thy name?" Joshua asked as he tried his best to stay in line with this century's vocabulary 

"How polite… When alive, I was Helena Ravenclaw… Now, I'm the Gray Lady, house ghost of Ravenclaw."

"Ravenclaw?... So you're…"

"Yes… Daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw… Albeit I wasn't the best of daughters there was." She said somewhat disgruntledly as she remembered the past

"Why is that?... If you don't mind me asking."

"..."

Helena seemed a bit surprised, but seeing how some of the students weren't exactly comfortable with a ghost floating around them, and the fact she also wasn't comfortable sharing her own stories around a lot of people, she eventually floated away, saying:

"When we meet again, I'll tell you." She promised with a thin smile

"..."

'Helena Ravenclaw huh…'

Joshua knew who that was of course, but just as that thought came to his mind, an idea followed suit soon after.

'Maybe… Maybe I can follow Tom's footsteps, but this time, use the Diadem for good?'

Of course, Joshua's 'for good' didn't translate to sharing.

But it certainly did not mean using it for a Horcrux…

Although his plans for the future were still in development, he had already successfully shaped many ideas within his mind.

Maybe he could get his hands on the artifact… A man could dream.

…

/Later.../

"First-year Ravenclaw! First-year Ravenclaw!" A prefect exclaimed from the side as he started gathering the children

"All First year students please follow me as we proceed to the dorms."

"..."

Joshua got up, following the man as he gathered with other first years.

He saw Revelus on the side and they waved at each other for a moment as they parted ways.

...

Under the guide of the prefect, they left the Grand Hall, turning to the left before following a long corridor leading to a tall cylindrical room with a staircase in the middle, spiraling around a pillar.

All walls were filled to the brim with paintings of people in all kinds of positions, some too bothered to even keep their position as they chatted away with another painting.

Some waved at the children, others slept or did something else entirely, some weren't even in their frames...

It was rather chaotic to say the least.

"Now, watch your step, welcome to the Grand Staircase. It has the habit of changing itself rather often so don't linger around much unless you're eager for a fall."

"If you take a turn to the left and follow the stairs down, you'll find Hufflepuff's common room, if you take the right and go down, that's Slytherin's common room."

"If you climb the stairs and go off, you'll find the statue of the one-eyed witch, if you follow the corridor and a few more staircases here and there, you'll eventually arrive at the entrance to Gryffindor's common room."

"As for our destination, it's much higher than that, so follow me. And avoid the edges if possible." He said as he started to walk

The Grand Staircase was mostly how he expected it to be given the time period, a large column of stone where the stairs materialized around it in a spiralizing pattern as one approached it.

It could prove to be rather confusing, but when many students were walking around, the staircase would often just remain still.

Even so, Joshua's legs trembled from time to time as he walked in it, so he kept to the far right of the stairs, close to the collum, trying to keep his nervousness hidden from the others.

Hearing and seeing the stairs materialize and vanish, together with the dozen meter fall into the floor caused him to feel chills down in his stomach, but eventually, as he kept his gaze on the prefect's back, they arrived without much issue, causing him to let out a sigh of relief as he was finally in stable, unmovable ground.

He would get used to those stairs, but today wouldn't be said day.

…

After climbing a few floors on the grand staircase, they finally arrived at a blue corridor, and at its end, after climbing yet another staircase, they arrived at a small room with a wooden door with a large eagle knocker on it.

"Here it is, the entrance to our room."

"To enter it, it's rather simple, you just have to solve the riddle the eagle gives you, it changes every time you enter so beware as there is no definite answer."

"Now then, give me a moment…"

/Knock knock…/

/Crunk.../

The eagle opened its beak, looking at the prefect as it shared its riddle:

"I may be quite dreadful, but I can be of great help, especially if wands cannot tie."

"But I can give you a hard time! Sometimes you can't help but try me. And after a while, I can make you glad."

"I've been blamed for someone's condition, though it was more of a joke than truth."

"What am I?" The door asked in a distant feminine tone

"Hum… Not a wand… Blamed for a condition? A potion? Maybe one that takes some time." The prefect said as he touched his chin

"Hum... Here goes nothing..."

"Skele-Gro."

/Close… Creak…/

With the answer being given, the eagle closed its wings and the door opened inward.

"Phew, that was a feisty one, I was thinking of at least twelve other potion names, we would've been here a while haha!" The prefect said out loud as he looked back, a sigh of relief scaping his lips as he relaxed

"Excuse me, what do we do if we can't answer it?" A small girl asked as she raised her hand

"See these chairs and books around?" The prefect asked as he pointed at the small room they were in

"This is the waiting room of shame, if you can't solve it, then you wait for someone who can."

"Don't try to bang on the door though, doing so will only cause it to give back a harder riddle… There was an event in the past where an angry Ravenclaw student kept banging the door, eventually causing it to change the riddle on the spot without opening."

"After a few bouts in and out trying to answer each riddle the door gave it, the student was eventually faced with one of the hardest riddles ever."

"The answer for that riddle was… The Four hundred thirty-seventh book of the forbidden section of the library… It took us a while to get it right."

"So please, do not bang on the door."

/Nod!/

Everyone nodded fearlessly.

…

"Okay, here we are."

"There are fourteen dormitories within the common room, from top to bottom within the tower, separated into two sections, one for the boys, and one for the girls."

"The lowest floor we have the first years, then the second years and so on to the last floor where the seventh years stay."

"Don't worry, even for the first years, the view is still quite nice."

As he said that, he went down another flight of stairs, eventually arriving at a large room, this was the recreation room on the first floor.

"Well now, to my right is the boys' section, to my left is the girls' section, it's clear to differentiate them by the presence of the guarding knights so don't get it wrong."

"It's prohibited for boys to enter the girls' section, so please bear that in mind."

No one raised any objection, which wasn't a surprise to Joshua.

This was a simpler, better time. At least for wizards, as both witches and warlocks possessed equal rights somewhat.

Can't say the same for Muggles… Some countries still had slavery.

Better not stay on the topic for long.

"Your belongings have already been brought up so just go in and find your room, there's a nameplate next to it."

"There are up to four students per room, you can ask our House Head later in case you wish to change rooms with someone else or anything related to the dorms."

"That's about it, goodnight everyone."

"Oh! And a reminder, first years aren't allowed outside of Hogwarts, and no wandering outside after 10 Pm, there's a big clock right over there in case you're wondering."2

"Also, you can only leave the dorm at 6 Am, so there's no point in getting up super early either."

"There are many other small rules here and there but there are guides in each one of your rooms for you all to read, do take your time to at least take a look at it, after all, we don't want anyone losing house points for a slight mistake."

"That's all from me, I have patrol duty scheduled for right about now, and albeit I'm very eager to do nothing, I have to leave."

"Goodnight everyone, see you all tomorrow morning."

""...""

Everyone looked at each other for a moment before they went on their ways, some in a hurry to get to their rooms, others more interested in exploring the area…

Many of them were tired already so it was best to leave conversations for later, though some were already comfortable with one another to just chat away their excitement in the corner.

Still, it is true that later on, some students would leave their dorms to talk with others, though not for long before going to bed.

They would still have to wake up early tomorrow.

...

/Just a few moments after.../

'Instead of going directly to his room, Joshua opted to remain in the main Hall and look around the place.'

'As he looked around, he remembered parts of the description of the area directly from the books.'

'"The deserted Ravenclaw common room was a wide, circular room, airier than any Harry had ever seen at Hogwarts."'

'"Graceful arched windows punctuated the walls, which were hung with blue- and-bronze silks: By day, the Ravenclaws would have a spectacular view of the surrounding mountains."'

'"The ceiling was domed and painted with stars, which were echoed in the midnight-blue carpet. There were tables, chairs, and bookcases, and in a niche opposite the door stood a tall statue of white marble."'

'He didn't remember all of the description, but he remembered it from the games he played.'

'Joshua hadn't read all of the HP books, and even if he had he wouldn't remember it as it was something he read over fifteen years ago.'

'He was someone who read the first book before watching the movies and playing the games, and now, most of his knowledge about it came from the games.'

'And theory videos... Those he saw quite frequently, especially as he ate...'

'Some might say he was "feeling the moment".'

'There was a certain sense of accomplishment... Being here made him feel... Incredible.'

'As if he could do anything, or better put, the future in front of him was absolutely boundless.'

'As he said before, he would give up anything to experience magic, but now that he was here, and God had yet to take his life... Why not give his all to learn it?'

'How far can he push himself in this world? The idea of what lay ahead baffled him...'

'Right now, he was in synch with his childish body, there was no way he could sleep in this state.'

'So he looked at the sky through the windows in the Hall... Until he heard someone walk behind him.'

/Step step.../

"Excuse me... Is Joshua Sanders here?"

'Joshua turned around to meet the same prefect from before, the one who just left for his patrol.'

"That would be me sir." He replied calmly 

"Perfect, I went to your room just now and didn't find you, I'm glad I found you so quickly."

"Come with me, professor Fig is looking for you."

"Professor Fig?"

...

Outside the dorm room at the Eagle door.

"Here he is professor, now, if you don't mind..."

"Go on prefect, don't mind me, I'll take over from here." Professor Fig said with a small smile as he let the prefect walk past him, focusing his gaze on the child in front of him instead

"It's been a little while since we last met, I hope the travel hasn't worn you out yet, we still have something rather crucial to tend to."

Professor Fig was an Elderly man who looked beyond his 60, yet despite so, he still had a rather concise hairline.

With gray hair and a shaved chin, Fig had a rather calm and serious appearance, one that wasn't intimidating, which coupled with his smile, made him seem quite approachable.

He usually walked around bluish brown clothes with a brown scarf around his neck, which may cause most to assume he belonged to Ravenclaw, but in truth, he was a Gryffindor.

"We do?"

/Chuckles/

"Last time, we were unable to procure all of your necessities, so it is time to solve all of it before school begins."

"We can talk more on the way... Oh, yes, do you still have the shopping list?" Fig asked as he turned around, prompting Joshua to follow

"Y-Yes I have." Joshua replied after hesitating for a moment, taking it out of his pockets 

As he changed clothes, he ended up putting them in his student cloak's pockets instead of his bag.

"Let me take a look... Hum... How many Galeons do you still have? I bet they're not that many."

"Five... Five sir."

"Don't call me sir, call me Professor Fig, no need to be so formal." He replied with a chuckle as he gave him the list back 

"Let's go over everything, I've already procured the Pewter Cauldron, the set of vials, the telescope, the brass scales, and the pair of protective gloves, so you won't need to worry about those."

"It's not just you who is in this awkward situation, after talking with some of the other teachers and the previous 7th years, we managed to gather some of their old school supplies, so they'll make do for now."

"They've already been delivered to your room, so make sure to prepare them for tomorrow."

"And in case any of them end up defective, we can work together to find a replacement."

"... Thank you professor, I'll..."

"Shush child, this is the minimum I can do for you... The minimum Hogwarts should've done, there's no nothing you owe me." He said in a rather displeased tone as his eyes sharpened 

"... That headmaster, what a deplorable move, reducing the student funds for the sake of improving the Academy's financial situation, what will taking a few hundred galleons even do to... Ahem..."

Noticing he was talking out loud about such a sensitive topic, Fig focused on the task at hand.

"I'll be taking you to Hogsmead, it's time to get you a wand."

"!"

'Finally...'

Mayhaps noticing the child's excitement, Fig smiled.

"Hush now! We have little time on our hands. Tomorrow you'll be waking up early and so will I, it would be terrible to be late for your very first Class."

"And I must admit, the first few days are always the most tiresome..."

"We'll be taking the short route to Hogsmeade, we'll be back in an hour, more than enough time to spare in case something goes amiss."

"I've already sent an owl to Gerbolt, he should be waiting for us in his shop at this hour, it would also be terrifically rude to keep him waiting, especially this late."

"Shall we?" He asked with a small smile as he looked at Joshua for a moment before resuming his walk

"..."

Silent, he ran after him, visions of a wand in his hand playing by his head as he did so, suppressing everything around him.

By the time he realized his surroundings were just as magical as the wand, he was already outside of the school...

...

Hogsmeade was a large Village just a short stroll away from Hogwarts, in fact, it was easily visible from any of the tall towers of the school, especially so at night.

The way to the Village was just as impressive as its appearance, full to the brim with all sorts of exotic plants and wildlife, though, knowing they were pressed for time, Joshua ended up ignoring it all as he focused on his task.

It's not like they would all vanish by morning anyway, he could still take a look at them later... At least from a distance since First Years couldn't leave the premises of the school unattended, even if they had older students with them.

Only professors had the authority to do so.

"..."

'This place...'

Noticing an extremely eerie aura emanating from a forest in the distance, Joshua had the feeling of turning around and running away as he looked at the dark woods in the distance, just around the corner...

"That's the Forbidden Forest, a word of advice, avoid going inside, even if not alone." Fig said as he stopped momentarily 

"The forest is habitat for all kinds of dangerous beasts, from Acromantualas to Hippogriffs and more, some so dangerous even professors may find tricky to deal with, and in large droves."

"If you ever find someone interested in the forest, do them a favor and knock them out." He said with a light laugh as he kept walking

"..."

'I have little intention of getting inside... I'm not quite interested in becoming spider's lunch.'

Shaking his head in mixed emotions, Joshua moved on.

And in no time at all, they reached their destination.

A large Village built around and atop a hill, Hogsmeade!

...

The shop's display consisted of a solitary wand lying on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window. The shop was tiny, empty except for a single, spindly chair in the corner. Thousands of narrow boxes containing wands were piled right up to the ceiling of the tiny shop, and the whole place had a thin layer of dust about it.

...

And... That's it, sorry...