17: Special.

After the bizarre spectacle that was Astreo and Harry's house selection, things were much duller. By the time the students realized that nothing more interesting was going to happen, dinner had already been served. 

As Astreo enjoyed his meal, he couldn't help but think about the obvious differences between this world and the world of his second life. If magic in this world was so scarce that it barely allowed for a few spells, magic in Harry Potter's world was so abundant that it allowed for truly magical food. 

Yes, did you think that Hogwarts would only serve ordinary food? Any food cooked by a wizard has small traces of pure mana in it, it is part of the cooking process.

Those who use more specialized spells can make their food store more of this ubiquitous energy, improving not only the flavor of the food but also its nutritional value. 

Wizards are naturally superior to Muggles, not only because they can use magic, but because their bodies are more resilient and have more vitality, so it stands to reason that they would need better nourishment. 

In a way, Atreus could understand why the canonical Harry Potter was so screwed up, not only was he thinner than his peers, but he was shorter and even had a hidden illness because he was part of a family characterized by superior reflexes and better dynamic vision, which made them better athletes. 

Sure, the physical and psychological abuse had a lot to do with it, and no one would minimize that at all, but also the lack of proper nutrients was like the last feather on a scale that was against poor Harry.

It was only when he started going to Hogwarts, where he was able to get better quality food for his wizarding condition, that his health began to improve. So it's no wonder that Astreo eats a lot. 

Yes, our protagonist created a food vacuum around himself. The students of Ravenclaw House looked uncomfortable at first, and some were even annoyed until someone commented. 

"Look over there, that Weasley boy and Longbottom are eating a lot too!" said a second year, causing the others to look towards the Gryffindor table. 

The same scene caused by Astreo was mirrored not only at the lion table but also at the snake table. Harry Potter himself also ate large amounts of food. 

Of course, instead of looking like pigs gorging themselves, they each had their style. While Harry and Neville ate quickly, they did so with the manners that came with their upbringing.

Ron was a little sloppier, but he wasn't the mess he usually was in his canonical version he had a certain charm and Hermione found herself watching Ron eat, her little head had no idea why this phenomenon was, so she asked Percy Weasley. 

"Why is he eating so much?" asked Hermione quietly. 

"Because he needs to replenish his nutrients. See that Ravenclaw boy over there?" Percy pointed to Astreo, whose eating was much faster, but orderly, having over 120 years of experience helped a lot, even if it didn't help with his mental maturity. 

"Nutrients? Can't they eat normally?" asked Hermione again, not quite understanding the situation. 

"You must be Muggle-born, right?" asked Percy first, receiving a nod from Hermione. 

"Muggle food has only tiny amounts of mana, but that amount can't satisfy the appetite of a young wizard. You ate a lot at home, didn't you?" asked Percy with a smile, causing Hermione to lower her head in embarrassment. 

The girl was considered a glutton by her parents, although she never gained weight, she always ate larger portions than a normal child, luckily her parents were dentists with a certain reputation, so they had an excellent business, otherwise poor Hermione would have suffered from constant hunger. 

"What happens is that they do some weird exercise that Astreo invented, and Neville is even learning to fence, so they eat too much. The food at Hogwarts is the best in Britain, so their bodies may demand that they eat so much that they'll soon be back to normal.

I know because the same thing happened to me and my brothers when we learned this strange exercise, I don't know what ideas Astreo has in his head, the boy was always so brilliant," Percy Weasley commented with a bit of envy, but in a way, he was grateful to Astreo. 

To allow his family to learn something as important as an exercise that made people have better balance, better flexibility, and better reflexes. It didn't make you physically stronger, but it made the way you moved harmonious, almost perfect.

As a result, he, who had little interest in sports but a great interest in bureaucracy, felt more capable. He even seemed to have more energy because of his better posture when sitting or walking, which allowed him to study better. 

It even allowed him to be more confident, something that made him approach the girl he liked, Penelope Clearwater, much earlier than in his original version. 

Sure, he was obsessed with the responsibilities of power, but without his innate insecurity, he wasn't as off-putting as his canonical version. 

Hermione glanced curiously at Astreo, noticing the mechanical eagle that sat on the young man's head, unfazed by the stares of others or the jerky movements of its owner.

"Why does he seem so different from the others, is he normal?" asked Hermione quietly, making Percy smile before he answered. 

"You'll have to do a lot of exploring in the library, there are books in the shops that introduce our world to Muggleborns like you, but they're not as comprehensive as the ones we have here. 

But let me tell you something, Astreo is very special, but he's also very mean. The magical world knows of his specialness, but not many take it seriously because of various attitudes, when you know what he's capable of, you'll want to be on his good side. 

After all, even the current Minister consulted him before he took office," Percy seemed to be whispering, but his words were not disguised at all, which gradually caused many students to look at Astreo. 

"I remember, isn't he the born astrologer? Like the centaurs," muttered a fourth-year girl, a fan of the divination classes. 

"That's bullshit, you know, they just look at the sky and say stuff, he does that too, right?" said a boy who wasn't convinced, maybe a little jealous of the female attention Astreo was getting and he wasn't. 

"What's up, he's not like those horses, I read about him in the Daily Prophet, his words aren't as confusing as the centaurs, it's not like he refuses to use his abilities like they do, but you know, many don't believe in seers or fortune tellers," a fifth-year girl said. 

"Astrologer or not, he's quite handsome," a first-year girl said, making her classmates giggle. 

"You were late, he's engaged," Hermione didn't know who said that, but the words caught her attention, 

"Isn't he about 11 or 12? Why is he engaged?" asked Hermione somewhat indignantly. 

Arranged marriages might have been a reality in the past, but they weren't now, and while there were areas of the world where such situations still occurred, it wasn't like you could see it up close unless you were from those places. 

Hermione grew up in a much freer environment with a sophisticated education, but she did not realize that even in the high spheres of power of the countries, arranged engagements still existed, though not as directly and abruptly as before. 

But how easy is it to raise a child with a tycoon's daughter when you're a famous politician yourself, right? It would be inevitable that as they grew up together, they would get to know each other and the spark of that long-awaited love would appear. You no longer had to force things, it was just 'nature' taking its course. 

Of course, this was all an exaggeration on the part of the writer, and the situation in that world was different from ours, but no doubt such things do happen out there, but we are so poor that we don't have access to them. 

"Like I said, you should go to the library and read more about our culture, we function differently than Muggles, at least the current ones. Many things that you may find unreal, backward, or strange are normal in our world. For example, what do you think of Santa Claus?" the Weasley boy asked again, making Hermione think. 

"Isn't Santa Claus an invention of Coca-Cola to...?" Hermione gave a long explanation worthy of her future title, Miss-Know-It-All, although that nickname was a bit of a stretch for her, at least in this version. 

"Calm down, calm down," Percy had to raise his hand to stop poor Hermione, then offered her a glass of fresh orange juice to drink.

"First of all, cola is a derivative of a potion made by a Muggle wizard in the 19th century, the version that Muggles drink is a very, very diluted one with ingredients that do not contain mana. 

Santa Claus, on the other hand, is a much more complex figure, the knowledge of him in the Muggle world is distorted and even manipulated, because the essence of our current wizards is to hide us, you know that," Percy paused to let the girl absorb his words better. 

"But what are you getting at by mentioning a fictional character?" asked Hermione finally.

"Who said he was fictional?" the grin on Percy's face made Hermione look at him strangely before she noticed that all the young wizards around them, both pure-bloods and half-bloods, had that grin on their faces. 

"Santa Claus is real? I always thought those presents were bought by my parents," the girl muttered as she realized the implications of Percy's question. 

She wasn't stupid, just a little bit braver, which is why she ended up in Gryffindor, so she quickly concluded that the figure she always thought was just a propaganda story was, in fact, real. 

"He is. Every magical child from the age of two receives gifts from him, even Muggle-born ones. Only he makes you think it was your parents who bought the presents. 

In time, Muggle's parents began to give their children presents pretending to be him. Santa Claus has taken on different forms over the years, but every year on December 24th, he comes down from the North Pole to deliver presents. 

How does he know all the children and their characteristics? How does he get past even the most powerful defenses? Better yet, how is he able to travel around the world in such a short time? And most importantly, will he change again soon? These are questions that may never be answered.

But you can write him a letter in December, it will automatically disappear when you set it to be sent to him, so his abilities are superior to us wizards. 

Many believe that he is some kind of fairy, others that he is a ghost, some even that he is a god. It is said that Merlin was one of the few who was able to travel to his workshop at the North Pole and learn a few things from him, which allowed him to create the legendary Ring of Merlin. 

Girl, the magical world is more than spells and wands, we have history, heritage, and customs. It is good that you begin to open your mind more to the possibilities, or your abilities will be limited. 

We are not all born special like Astreo or Harry, but we can all create our specialness," Percy's final advice echoed through the dining hall, leaving the freshmen with something in their hearts. 

A small flame called hope. 

----------------------

AN: Remember, this is fanfic. The Mc doesn't hide the fact that he's an astrologer, but he does hide the spells and blessings he can use. He is able to use his 'special magic' to hide some of his eccentricities under a mystical veil. 

Hermione is smart, but this version will have a little extra EQ. 

Percy Weasley, he's complicated. I used to think of him as a pedantic stiff, but think about it, the guy is literally the middle brother. Twins count as one, just in case. 

Think of him as someone who wanted more to get ahead, but was insecure, so much so that it led him to go different ways with his family, though he eventually came back to them. 

Here he is more confident, a true leader, even if he is a beginner.