CHAPTER 9 – Platform 9¾

After I went separate ways with professor McGonagall, I first went towards Gringotts. And right in the entrance, what I could find was the mythical and always mentioned warning to the thieves.

[Enter, stranger, but take heed

Of what awaits the sin of greed

For those who take, but do not earn,

Must pay most dearly in their turn.

So, if you seek beneath our floors

A treasure that was never yours,

Thief, you have been warned, beware

Of finding more than treasure there.]

To be honest… I'll probably be able to enter here and steal when I got more power. Not like I will try, there are other ways to gain money. But… Just in case, it would be good to have a plan or two…

Going inside the place. I could see a long corridor, with a lot of goblins right and left. They were writing things, weighing things, and some of them even reading things. I went towards one of the goblins.

"Mm… Hello, sir."-I started, a little bit afraid of his appearance, but you have to understand me, they're ugly as hell…

"Yes, what may I do for a kid like you?"-Asked the gobbling with a slightly angry face, probably for interrupting him from whatever he was doing.

"I would like to know where I can make an investment in muggle companies, and ask if I can open an account here…"

"Well… First of all, to make an investment, you'll need to first own a vault here. In which case, you'll have to go there, with that other gobbling at the end of the corridor. He could help you with it. After that, you'll be able to make an investment, exchanging first galleons for pounds, and deciding in which stock you would like to invest. Though let me be clear with this, and Gringotts won't be held responsible for any loss the wizard, or witch, may incur while investing in muggle companies. With that understanding, you may proceed towards the end of the corridor, little wizard."-Said the goblin with a somewhat sneering face, though… To be honest, it's kind of hard to differentiate between their expressions…

"Thanks, sir."-I said my thanks and walked all the way towards the end of the corridor, where I could see some goblin that really resembled the one that attended Harry Potter and Hagrid the first time, they came to Gringotts, and an old goblin with white hair around a bald top of the head.

"Mm… Hello sir, I would like to know if there's a way for me to open a vault to make an investment…?"-I ask.

"Well, well, Mr…"

"Taylor, Logan Taylor."

"Well, Mr. Taylor, the thing is… We can't provide you with a vault until you reach a certain age, which I'm sure you'll know is 17yo. With that said, we can provide a trust vault, which could be used for investment, but all investment will go through us, here at Gringotts. With 5% of the winnings going to us. If that's clear, you may be able to invest in muggle companies, and also, wizard business. It's that okay with you?"

{… Heck… That's a shitty arrangement… But… Taking into account that I won't be able to make an investment back in the muggle world by myself, this is the only chance for me to actually invest in something… And right now, there's Toyota, Samsung, Apple, Microsoft… Later there's Google, Facebook, YouTube, and a few more… I could even buy some stocks of Snapchat later, and sell when it passes out… Well, that's a plan. I'll start with what I can.}

"I would like to do it like that."

"Excellent, Mr. Taylor. Now, if you could accompany me towards one of the offices to keep on discussing over the details."-Said the small gobbling.

Now, after that, we went towards a small office, in which I was made to sign a contract. Just to add to the record, I was made to use a little bit of my blood in order to link my identity to the trust vault and the inversion contract.

Also, the companies I chose to invest in were Toyota, Apple, Microsoft, and Samsung. The order of investment was 5 galleons or 24,65 pounds for both Toyota and Samsung, and 15 galleons or 73,95 pounds for both Apple and Microsoft. Of course, the arrangement was to reinvest any winning monthly into the same stock for the first year, after that, I'll come back to check the investment status, and decide further from there. But… If I'm not mistaken, all these companies would only grow, until becoming the monsters they were in my own world. And, the moment this world is out of danger, meaning when Tommy boy is dead, everything will go great. Of course. As soon as I can, I'll start investing in the muggle world with my own name.

{I hope this will go well. If not… Well, I'll be fucked up really good…}-I thought while going out of Gringotts. Hoping for everything to go as I think it would. {Thankfully… I could find the same companies here as the ones from my world.}

After making counts, I still had 12 galleons to work with. Honestly, I could go and look for some interesting books. But… How much would they cost? Would 12 galleons be enough?

{Maybe… I should just conform with what the RoR has for me. And keep these 12 galleons just in case…}

I finally decided to go towards the Leaky Cauldron, passing by Magical Menagerie, where I found a raven in a cage, looking at me. It was big. Bigger than any raven I've seen. It has a jet-black color on its feathers, still, they weren't opaque, but of a shining black. On his back he had a small decoration made of a dark blue color, that somehow… Just somehow… Reminded me of a rune. A rune I knew really well. The avalanche rune… Said symbol was like a crossbow without the string, or well, more similar to the symbol of Aries.

"May you be interested in him?"-Suddenly a woman's voice appeared from the door of the store.

"Huh? Mm… No… I don't think I have the money to buy it..."-I said. Turning towards the woman.

"Oh, don't worry boy, it's not that expensive."-Said an old British witch with a pointed hat. "You see, that raven hasn't found its owner. And somehow, it's really picky. Even then, he's been looking at you since you came from Gringotts. He has good eyesight."-Said the old witch with a smile.

{I want it!!!!}

"Mm… May I ask, how much it cost, Ma'am?"-I ask the old lady.

"Well, as I said it's not really expensive. You can buy it for only 5 galleons, which, I think, it's pretty cheap, don't you think?"-She says.

{FUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!!!! I WANT IT!!!!!}

"…"-I stare at the raven, as it stares back at me. It has black obsidian eyes, which I'm sure are not common among raven or crows.

The guy tilts its head at me and caws.

"What? Do you want to come with me?"-I ask

*CAW!!!*

{I'm going crazy, talking with a raven… But… It's just so beautiful!!!!! I want it!!!!!}

"Ma'am… I'll take it with me."-I said while taking the five galleons out of my pocket and giving it to her.

"Nice! Here you have it. I hope it bonds well with you, little friend."-Said the old witch while giving me the cage with the crow. "Also… You would probably need some food for him, right?"-She asks.

"…"-I took out another galleon. "What can you give me with this?"

"Oh, I'm sure that will be enough."-She said, and went towards the store, exiting a few moments later to give me a big bag of food for birds.

"Does he eat this?"-I ask.

"Yes, he sure does. But… Here between us… He's more of a carnivorous bird… So… You may try and feed him some steak or something like that later."

"…"-I stared at the bird.

{Dude. A raven my ass. What the hell are you? Still. You're cool as hell; I'll take you with me. And I already paid, so the deed is done.}-I thought to myself, before saying bye and thanking the old witch from the store.

After that, I went directly to the leaky cauldron. Still not knowing how to explain the fact that I didn't have any book with me, and instead came with a bird, food for the said bird, and with just 6 galleons out of the 50 she gave me… And that's not counting the two galleons I could save from the deal with Ollivander.

"Well… Mr. Taylor, I'm sure that last time I checked, there wasn't any book in the form of a very unusual raven. Unless you've transfigured it, which I doubt. So… Care to explain?"-Asked Professor McGonagall once I got inside the Leaky Cauldron.

"Sorry, Ma'am… You see… I kind of… Went with the flow… And ended up buying this little friend… And I remember that we're permitted a pet inside Hogwarts, isn't that right?"

"Yes. But mostly, pets refer to owls, rats, cats, and toads. No raven was mentioned inside the letter."-She said while looking at me sternly.

"But… Ravens are birds… As Owls… And they're highly intelligent! I thought it wouldn't matter… Couldn't there be an exception?"-I ask her with a puppy face.

"*sigh…* I'm sorry Mr. Taylor, but I'm afraid that's not a decision I can make by myself. So, you'll have to wait until I can discuss this with the director of the school. Until then, you must expect your answer to be no."-She said. "Also… What about the books you wanted to buy?"

"…"-I averted my eyes. "About that… Professor… I looked for them… But didn't find anything that seemed interesting enough… And after going out of the bookstore… I kind of went towards the bank, and found that they're able to invest in some muggle companies that I have great hopes that will grow exponentially from now on… So… I invested most of the money on them…"-I said while not looking at her at the face.

"… *sigh…* Lying, Mr. Taylor, it's not something really tolerable inside of Hogwarts, even less, if it's towards a Professor. For now, I'll forgive said infraction. But, keep it in mind, that it won't be tolerated once inside Hogwarts."-She said while looking at me sternly. "Also… That money's still going into your debt, even if you lose it in said investment. Still, I hope that everything I've heard about you is truth, and that said investment wasn't done in an impulse of stupidity, but after a rigorous thought."

"I assure you, Professor, that it was made after a long and rigorous thought. And I would have invested in them back at home, if I ever had the age, possibility, or the money, to do said investment."

"Good. With that said, our little trip to Diagon Alley's finally done. I'll take you to the orphanage. And I expect you to be inside King Cross' Station, platform 9¾, on September 1, so you can take the Hogwarts' Express. Understood, Mr. Taylor?"

"Yes, Professor McGonagall."-I answered.

"And about your bird… Well, expect a letter to get to you with the final decision. Whatever it is."

"Again, thanks, Professor."-I said.

After that, we went back towards the orphanage. It was really hard trying to explain to Miss Isabella why did I bring a bird to the orphanage. And that it was a pet I was allowed to take into the school as emotional support. This is going to be also an excuse to try and let Dumbledore accept the pet.

After that, everything was settled easier. I had my things prepared inside my room, with the Raven, which I called Muninn, placed inside his cage, close to the window. Once everything was quiet, I took out my new wand.

"Now… What am I capable of with you?"-I ask as I look at the wand. This time, totally conscious, with no trance controlling me.

{Utevo Lux}-I thought to myself, and the spell immediately appeared in the tip of my wand. The funny thing is, I had more ease when controlling it than before. If I had to focus my will to modify the spell before, now I just had to think about what I wanted to do, and it will happen. I increased and decreased the potency of the light, while making it go around the room, everywhere, up, down, around, under the bed. Everywhere I thought it going, it will just go there, changing the amount of light it gave meanwhile, and while doing so, I thought {Utevo Gran Lux} ­-Now, this is something I tried before but wasn't possible. Upgrading the spell while it was still active. Now? It was totally possible. The small orb of light upgrading to a big one instantly, illuminating all the room at once, and even out of the window.

*CAW!!!*

It was to the point that Muninn was angry at me for so much light.

"Sorry friend. I'll tone it down."-I said while returning the light to its smaller orb's form. Funny thing is, I didn't have to incant the lower version of the spell, just decrease the light until it was low enough for it to resemble the normal Utevo Lux.

[Congratulations! You've completed the hidden quest: upgrade and degrade, surprise your opponents with stronger attacks while they aren't expecting them.]

[30pts have been earned.]

[Congratulations! You've completed the hidden quest: use a wand for the first time to cast and train a spell!]

[20pts have been earned.]

"Wow… That was a nice surprise, that's 50 more points to my account. Which leaves it at 280pts. Should I start using them?"

After pondering for a bit, I decided to keep testing spells with my new wand. And I did find some things curious.

First of all, the power of my spells increased slightly, I guess that's because having a medium to cast them other than my own mind increased the potency. So… Probably, anything with a magic core could do the same, which means, that the wands from the store should have the same effect over my spells.

Another thing that I discovered, is the fact that now it was easier to manipulate some spells, like the magic rope spell, the illumination spell, and even some attacks spells like buzz or scorch, the last one I was even able to slightly modify the trajectory of the burn.

What was even more surprising, was that it was really easier to use the Find Person spell, one of the first spells you learn, and that gives you a direction and an approximation of how far it is. The spell incant is Exiva, and you just had to add the name of the person you're looking for.

Done with the wand, the wand will point towards the direction, while it will emit a light indicating the approximate distance. Greens mean that it's really close, at eye distance. Blue, that's out of sight towards that direction, white, that's still easy to get there walking, meanwhile, red indicates that's truly far away from your reach for the moments, the redder it is, the farther the person is.

I discovered testing it a few times. First, with myself, the wand literally pointed to me in green. Then I looked for Miss Isabella, and the wand pointed somewhere under my room but in the direction of the garden in blue light. Then, I asked for the book's store owner, whose name was Frederick. The wand pointed towards the general direction of the store and shone in white light. Finally, I tested asking for Harry Potter's name. And it directed me somewhere out of my room in bright red light, meaning that he was far away from me.

Another good thing was, that I tested the spell the same way I did with Utevo Lux, meaning, willing for the light to go out of the wand. And it did. So, I got myself some kind of guide wisp, making me feel like Link following Navi.

I didn't make any more testing, as that would probably show magic to Miss Isabella and everyone else in the orphanage. Which I don't plan on doing.

During the months I had before starting classes, I read and read again each book I had from the school.

This was magnificent. I not only learned a few magics, like Wingardium Leviosa, Flipendo, or Incendio. I also learned a lot about how magic worked in this world. It's not only the movement of your wand or the incant. It's all about your will. The desire to have the effect invoked.

With that said. The brain's a very important organ to make the magic work. I'm so glad that I practiced my occlumency because my memory increased considerably.

Also, there's a way to actually charge the spells before releasing, which makes them stronger once launched. Though, you should be careful with it, as overcharging will result in the spell rebounding, making the wizard being hit by it.

For the record, I tried this with my spells. Though, only to be sure, I did it with the buzz spell, the safest attack spell I had with me.

It did charge a little bit, but it seems that it had a certain limit, as I couldn't make it as strong as the energy strike spell. For the record… It backfired once… And it wasn't fun being stunned by your own energy spell…

I passed all two months of testing and learning spells while reading all the books for the first year. And it was finally the time. It was September 1st.

The good thing is, my ML got to 24. All thanks to the new magic I practice, the new tests I made, and the new theory I learned. Also, of all the spells, Wingardium Leviosa, was the one that got registered inside my spellbook after a lot of tests. The other ones… Well, it wasn't possible as I didn't test with them that much. Flipendo could send flying or even destroy a few fragile objects around here, and with Incendio, it was the risk of igniting things, so, I prefer to let them for later.

The new spells I learned with my ML going up were the Creature Illusion spell that or Utevo Res Ina, which let me cast an illusion of a monster or person over myself, then the Stalagmite Rune spell or Adito Tera, which allowed me to create a rune that invokes mud and stone to throw them towards the enemy. And finally, an Energy Beam spell, or Exevo Vis Lux, literally makes me feel like throwing a Kamehameha. But well, it would be a perfect spell to shot lasers towards Dark Wizards. But… I'm kind of intrigued if it would work against Dementors, hopes it does… Even if it's not a holly spell.

On September 1st. I was ready to go towards King Cross' Station. Miss Isabella asked me to accompany me, but she only went with me until the entrance to King Cross.

"This is the first time you've been so far away from our orphanage… Now I feel as if it was yesterday that you got here… When I heard you crying from that narrow street…"-She said while whipping a tear from her face. "Now you'll be far away from your home… All alone…"

"Don't worry Miss Isabella, I'll be fine. I know how to take care of myself {more than anyone that's attending my year, actually.}"-I said to her. "I'll also be coming back once the year ends. Thanks for bringing me here, Miss Isabella, I'll be leaving then, or I'll be late."-I said.

"It's okay, but at least give me a hug before you go."-She said before hugging me strongly. "Have a nice trip."-She kissed me goodbye.

"You too, take care Miss Isabella."-I said before going inside the station.

Now, I was walking inside King Cross's platforms, looking for the column that should take me towards platform 9¾. By the way, I got permission to take Muninn with me. So, I got my cage with the rest of my equipage.

The guy is greatly intelligent and smart, I let him go away to fly, and he's back even before I notice it. Even when I'm running around to train, he's flying behind me, or looking at me from the branch of a tree. After I run, Muninn just gets on my shoulder and goes with me towards my room, then he waits for me there in his cage while I take a shower. A really smart bird, for sure. And it's like having a hawk-sized raven with me.

After a little while, I saw a quite big family of redheads.

{The Weasleys.}-I thought.

I chose to follow them, as they would surely go towards Hogwarts' Express, and sooner than later, I saw them going through one of the columns of the station, between platforms 10 and 9.

Now, you may be asking why I didn't talk to them. Well… I always thought they were somewhat lousy, loud talking, and Ron was one of the worst characters, even if he was part of the golden trio. Not that I hate them, but, if it's not necessary, I won't talk to them.

By the way, there was almost everyone, except for Billie, who should have graduated already this year. I could see Charlie, Percy, and both twins, who would start going to Hogwarts this year, just like me.

After they all went inside the platform. I also prepared myself.

{Come on. You already died once! A little hit won't be anything!}-I self-encouraged me before running towards the column leading to the platform.

Once I passed through it. I got into the famous platform 9¾, the dream of every fan of Harry Potter! It was simply marvelous. You could see witches and wizards all over the place, a lot of students, some of them with their house colors, others in casual clothing, and even some nervous kids walking here and there, presumably from the first year like me.

And right in front of the platform. On the rails. A huge old-fashioned train, built mostly of red color with black and gold decorations. The famous Hogwarts' Express.

{I don't know if I should be glad of having died… After all… It brought me this amazing opportunity…}-I thought to myself while looking at the train that I would aboard, completely mesmerized.