Chapter 5 "A Talk With Professor McGonagall"

Jerry thought back to his remarks from earlier in the yard and felt that Professor McGonagall shouldn't have a terrible impression after hearing them in the orphanage. Although he physically assaulted a few youngsters, his justification for doing so can be seen as a righteous deed.

*Knock Knock Knock*

"Coming!"

When Jerry heard the knock on the door, his eyes brightened up, and he stood up to open the door right away. The current director of the Edward Orphanage knocked on the door, and next to him stood a woman in her forties or sixties with square spectacles, a Scottish shirt, and a green robe.

"This is the Jerry Carmen you are looking for, Mrs. McGonagall!" Jerry could tell the dean was respectful from his tone, but he also appeared a little scared.

It appears that before Professor McGonagall visited the orphanage, she spoke with the director of the institution to explain the situation and demonstrate her wizarding prowess.

"Dean Bryant, Thank you. I'd like to speak with Mr. Carmen alone."

"No problem. I'll be heading that way." Bryant hastily nodded before hurriedly leaving the room.

"Greetings, Mr. Carmen." After locking the door, Professor McGonagall entered the space. She met Jerry first.

Jerry looked at Professor McGonagall and asked politely, "Hello, may I ask who you are?"

"I will be your future teacher in the Transfiguration class at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, as well as the vice principal of the institution. I'll go by Professor McGonagall." Prof. McGonagall gave an explanation.

Jerry instantly feigned that he had an epiphany, "The letter that the owl sent yesterday was written by you, so does magic actually exist in this world? In what location is the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?"

When they receive the admissions letter, young wizards who were raised in a Muggle environment will likely have similar reservations. McGonagall is accustomed to this and is skilled at winning the young wizard's trust.

She drew out her wand, pointed at the cup on the table in the room, and a beam of magic light shot out, and the cup immediately turned into a fat big orange cat.

"There has always been magic. You ought to have had some fantastic experiences growing up. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is a school that teaches you how to study and control magic. Those are the powers that come from the blood in your body."

Jerry's eyes grew wider as he observed Professor McGonagall perform magic tricks. Although he had seen the movies in his previous life, the impression was quite different when he witnessed someone waving their hand and transforming a cup into a cat.

Turning non-living matter into living matter in an instant, Jerry felt that this was indeed very magical.

Twenty minutes later,

"This describes the overall situation. Do you have any further questions?"

Jerry posed the final question after realizing he had fully accepted her as his story. "Professor, you should be aware that I am financially unable to attend Hogwarts to study magic despite my strong desire to do so."

After giving it some thought, Jerry posed his own question. He recalled that in the movie, the young wizard who was born into a Muggle family was able to exchange Muggle money for Galleons, but he assumed that the orphanage he was in would not be willing to provide him with money so that he could attend Hogwarts.

Professor McGonagall grinned, "You shouldn't be concerned about it. You will receive a stipend from the school for your regular study. After you graduate and begin working, you can repay it."

"All right, then I'm good to go!" Jerry nodded. The general scenario has previously been stated by Professor McGonagall. He has a basic understanding of certain important things thanks to his memory.

"Well, Mr. Carmen, it appears that you are not only exceedingly brave but also have a powerful capacity for comprehending." Jerry was extremely calm when Professor McGonagall stared at him with a satisfied expression in her eyes.

Professor McGonagall had earlier watched the bullying event unfold in the yard from the orphanage's gate, and she had been quite impressed by Jerry's performance at the time.

She believed that few adult magicians today exhibited the courage and maturity displayed by the eleven-year-old boy at that time, as well as the optimistic attitude in his comments.

Professor McGonagall's assessment on Jerry at this stage could be summed up as follows, "This child will grow up to be a great wizard."

----

"Okay, I will take you to Diagon Alley today and get everything you need to start school since you already understand and are willing to study magic at Hogwarts." After checking the time on her pocket watch, Professor McGonagall got up from her chair.

"Diagon Alley?" Jerry had a surprised expression on his face.

It's not that he doesn't know Diagon Alley. Rather, he merely didn't anticipate that Professor McGonagall would personally accompany him to acquire school supplies after the home visit. But after giving it some time to think about it, he finally got it.

A Hogwarts teacher most definitely doesn't need to accompany a young wizard from a typical wizarding family to Diagon Alley. As long as the wizard of the Muggle family makes it obvious to his parents that he has parents, there shouldn't be any issues.

Hermione's parents always went with her when she went to Diagon Alley to buy school supplies. If Professor McGonagall doesn't accompany him to Diagon Alley because he is an orphan, then who will?

Expecting the orphanage's director to also take care of it would be unreliable.

"It's a street where wizarding things are sold exclusively. You must visit there in order to buy everything you need for school." Professor McGonagall thought that Jerry didn't know what Diagon Alley did, so she explained it a bit.

Jerry recalled that Diagon Alley appeared to be someplace in the city of London and that the small town of Winton, where he was stationed, was not that close to the city of London. He asked, "Then how do we go there? Is it by train?"

Professor McGonagall didn't say much, but held out an arm to Jerry, saying, "No, hold my arm. It may feel uncomfortable for a while, but you need to bear with me."

Jerry's heart pounded as he wondered, and he had an idea right away.

Jerry seized Professor McGonagall's arm, and sure enough, he saw Professor McGonagall pull out her wand once more and said, "Off we go!"

Jerry instantly sensed that Professor McGonagall's arm was ready to slip away from his own, so he tightened his hold on it. Jerry immediately experienced total darkness, followed by a crackling sound like to firecrackers and hard squeezes from all sides.

He was completely unable to breathe, and his chest felt as though it were being restrained by many iron hoops. His eardrums were buried deep inside his skull, and his eyeballs were pushed back into his head. This sensation is similar to being forced out of a very small rubber tube.

Light returned to his eyes what looked like just a moment after a considerable amount of time had elapsed.

He turned his head and took a few long breaths to calm the wooziness in his head. He and Professor McGonagall were no longer in the orphanage's room. Instead, they were seen walking down a street.