Chapter 62: A New Magical World

George's plan was straightforward: joining the English Quidditch team now would boost his reputation, but he didn't want to waste time on training and competitions. So, he postponed it until his fourth year. By then, Voldemort would have re-emerged, and the chaos in the wizarding world would make attending Quidditch training unnecessary.

A win-win situation.

"If you don't agree, then let's forget about it," George said, glancing back at his spellbook as Ludo hesitated.

Faced with this response, Ludo Bagman didn't dare to delay further and quickly nodded. "Agreed, agreed! I'll speak with your Headmaster right away, and we can finalize the contract today."

Four years down the line was better than never.

When he returned, Ludo could trumpet the signing of a prodigious talent for the English team, silencing any naysayers at the Ministry of Magic.

The following morning, during breakfast, owls flooded into the Great Hall as usual, delivering parcels and letters to the young wizards. However, a few gasps soon echoed through the hall.

"George! You've been accepted into the English Quidditch team!"

"Look here! It says: 'The Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports announced the discovery of a once-in-a-millennium Quidditch talent at Hogwarts. A first-year who scored 30 goals in a single match, surpassing even Viktor Krum of the Bulgarian National Team!' George, this must be you!"

"Check the back of the newspaper! There's a photo of George, Ludo, Snape, and Dumbledore together!"

Those who subscribed to the Daily Prophet quickly found the front-page article, sending the Great Hall into a frenzy. After enduring a barrage of starry-eyed questions, George finally escaped the hall.

He was thankful it was Sunday. If it had been Monday, the crowd would have been larger, and escape might have been impossible.

That afternoon, as the school buzzed with George's recruitment into the English team, a second attack occurred. Colin Creevey, a Muggle-born student, suffered the same petrifying attack as Mrs. Norris and was taken to the hospital wing.

Panic erupted. Rumors spread like wildfire, and students began moving in groups, fearful of becoming the next victim.

George remained uninvolved but visited the petrified Colin out of friendship. He trusted that with Dumbledore present, the legendary wizard wouldn't allow the basilisk to truly endanger students' lives. The attacks were likely a ploy to train the future savior, Harry Potter. After all, George couldn't believe such a massive serpent could roam the castle without Dumbledore noticing.

Meanwhile, Harry, Hermione, and Ron became even more convinced that Draco Malfoy was the heir of Slytherin. Hermione began brewing Polyjuice Potion in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom to confirm their suspicions. George, uninterested in meddling, continued his magical studies as usual.

Time flew by, and by the second week of December, Professor Snape came to the Slytherin common room to gather names of students staying at Hogwarts over Christmas.

George didn't sign up. This Christmas, he planned to return to Diagon Alley to learn wand-making.

He had been studying wand-making independently in the library but found many areas confusing. The school lacked professors knowledgeable in this field. Thus, he decided to seek out Ollivander, the master wand-maker, for guidance, even if it meant paying a high fee.

Learning to craft wands was crucial for George. In the Marvel universe, relying on hand gestures for spellcasting was too slow. Battles were won in moments, leaving no time for slow incantations.

Creating a proper wand in the Marvel universe would enable him to wield his full magical potential.

However, that night brought an unexpected turn of events.

In the Marvel universe, George was practicing the Freezing Charm in a mutant combat simulation room when a sudden, familiar pain surged through him. He froze, overwhelmed by the excruciating sensation.

"I'm splitting again?" he muttered as a fresh wave of agony washed over him.

When the pain subsided, George found himself with a new perspective—another part of his consciousness. He had suspected his soul-splitting ability wasn't a one-time occurrence.

"Let's see where this new fragment has landed," he thought, shifting his focus to the new view. Memories from the past six years flooded his mind.

This time, his new vessel wasn't human—it was a cat. Not an ordinary cat, though, but a magical feline with innate flying abilities and the power of speech.

The cat, named Goldie, had shimmering golden fur, resembling a tiny lion. Six years earlier, Goldie had hatched—not been born—from an egg. Yes, you read that right. Unlike regular cats, Goldie's species was oviparous.

After awakening its innate flight magic shortly after hatching, Goldie managed to survive in the forest. By the age of three, curiosity about its origins prompted Goldie to venture beyond the forest to explore the outside world.

Three years of wandering gave Goldie a better understanding of its surroundings. This magical world, known as Aslant, was dominated by humans and brimming with magic. Even ordinary citizens who didn't study magic relied on magical items, and streets were lined with magic shops.

One unique feature of this world was the existence of mages and the mage guilds scattered across cities.

Mages were magic users who employed spells in combat, while mage guilds functioned like mercenary organizations, taking on quests for rewards. Each guild operated as an independent entity.

During its travels, Goldie learned about the Fairy Tail Guild in the Kingdom of Fiore, rumored to be one of the nation's strongest mage guilds. Among its members was a powerful mage known as "Salamander," who had a flying, talking cat named Happy.

Goldie suspected that Happy might belong to the same species and hoped to uncover its origins by finding him. However, while traveling to Magnolia, the city where Fairy Tail was based, Goldie encountered dark guild mages. To avoid capture, it fought bravely but ultimately succumbed to the dark mages.

Thus, George's fragmented soul inherited Goldie's body and memories.