Extra 1: Enrollment

The Dursleys lived at Number 4 Privet Drive, always proudly declared themselves to be a very law-abiding family. Please, please, they never got involved in anything mysterious or strange because they simply didn't believe in such superstitions.

This family is somewhat complicated; they have a secret they don't want anyone to discover, a secret they've never wanted anyone to find out.

But trouble eventually came knocking, leaving a little boy named Harry Potter in the house, the son of Mrs. Dursley's sister, Lily Potter.

Our story begins on a sunny Wednesday.

Mr. Dursley hummed a little tune as he picked out the least desirable tie to wear to work. Neither of them noticed that a transparent owl flapped its wings and flew out from the cubicle under the stairs.

This compartment was prepared for their nephew Harry Potter.

Harry usually gets up a little earlier than usual, but today he has to get up especially early because it's his cousin Dudley Dursley's birthday.

However, when he got up, he suddenly discovered that there was a letter on his bedside table that had appeared out of nowhere.

He picked up the envelope with a puzzled look, turned on the wall lamp, and carefully examined the letter.

Above it is a wax seal, a shield emblem, and a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a capital "H".

Whose letter is this?

He was curious, but found that it read, "1991, County Surrey, Little Whinging, Number 4 Privet Drive, cupboard under the stairs, for Mr. Harry Potter."

Do letters need to include the year?

Harry flicked away a spider that was coiled on the envelope, and curiously opened the letter. It read:

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Headmaster: Phineas Black

Dear Mr. Potter:

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

On behalf of the entire faculty and staff, I extend my warmest congratulations on your outstanding magical potential.

We eagerly await your arrival on September 1st, when the Hogwarts Express train will be ready to take you to our beloved school.

The envelope contains a list of supplies you need, essential books, and a ticket for the Hogwarts Express train. Your parents or guardians are welcome to accompany you to Diagon Alley to purchase the necessary items.

Congratulations again on receiving your acceptance letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! We eagerly await your reply via owl before July 31st.

Deputy Headmistress (Female)

Sincerely, Matilda Weasley

Magic school?

Harry pulled down his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He figured this must be some kind of prank—could it be Dudley? Playing this prank as a joke for his birthday?

However, just as he pushed up his glasses and touched the scar, he felt a sudden darkness engulf his vision.

When he woke up again, Harry found himself in a small town that looked quite old.

"What... happened to me?" Harry stood up and looked around cautiously.

Then he discovered that a red-haired woman had appeared in front of him at some point.

The woman didn't look very old—about the same age as Aunt Petunia —but she seemed much more approachable Aunt Petunia.

After all, Aunt Petunia was mean-spirited and treated him very unkindly.

"Mr. Harry Potter?" the woman asked.

"Yes, Lady," Harry replied timidly.

"Don't be nervous, Mr. Potter." The woman smiled warmly. "My name is Matilda Weasley. You should have received your acceptance letter, right?"

"You, you're the Deputy Headmistress?" Harry's eyes widened; he thought it was a prank!

"Yes," Mrs. Weasley nodded. "I know your situation is a bit special, but that's alright."

Harry asked hesitantly, "But, but I can't go to Hogwarts. My aunt won't pay my tuition. She's planning to send me to a school called Stonewall High School."

"Stonewall High School?" Mrs. Weasley thought for a moment. "It's a school for Muggle, isn't it? Don't worry, Mr. Potter."

Harry paused, not understanding the word Mrs. Weasley had just used.

"Muggle? What's Muggle?" he asked.

"Oh, we usually call anyone who can't use magic Muggle," Mrs. Weasley replied with a chuckle.

"Then I need to go home and let them know," Harry said cautiously. "I only glanced at the acceptance letter before being sent here. My aunt and uncle will be very worried if they find I'm missing."

Are you in a hurry?

Probably not. They might celebrate losing their burden by having lavish meals for several days.

"Alright, alright," Mrs. Weasley nodded. "It sounds like the acceptance letter has been turned into a Portkey, but we never do that—so, Mr. Potter, do you still have that acceptance letter?"

Harry raised his hand and handed the notice to Mrs. Weasley.

However, what he didn't notice was that the "1991" before the location on the notification letter had disappeared.

Mrs. Weasley took out her wand and examined it, but found no magic.

"How strange," Mrs. Weasley clicked her tongue in amazement. "I've never seen anything like it before. So, this is your address, right? Number 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, County Surrey?"

"Yes, Lady." Harry nodded cautiously.

"Let's go take a look together," Mrs. Weasley said. "I'm sure I can convince your family."

She didn't ask Harry about his parents, because in this era, even Muggle didn't live in ideal conditions, and death was a common occurrence.

The fact that a young child doesn't live with his parents and that his aunt decides which school he attends speaks volumes.

To avoid bringing up painful memories for her classmates, Mrs. Weasley decided to avoid the topic altogether.

However, when they arrived in County Surrey, Harry discovered that Privet Drive was not the Privet Drive he remembered.

These houses look just like the ones in old history photos...

Wait, old photos from history class?

Could I have... traveled back hundreds of years?

"Is this the one?" Mrs. Weasley asked, pointing to one of the houses.

"Uh... there might be some issues, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said, rubbing his forehead. "What year is it?"

"1887, Mr. Potter," Mrs. Weasley replied.

1887?

A bolt from the blue struck Harry.

He clearly remembered that yesterday's calendar showed 1991!

Where did I put this?

Is this still Britain?

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said, bowing his head. "I—well, my situation is a bit special."

Mrs. Weasley sensed something was wrong and asked softly, "What's wrong?"

Harry didn't know whether he should tell the truth or not; in any case, he had no other choice.

"I'm from 1991, Lady." He finally chose to tell the truth.

"1991?"

Mrs. Weasley paused for a moment, then her expression turned serious.

"Are you telling the truth?" she asked.

"I'm sure it's true," Harry said to Mrs. Weasley. "I don't know why, but when I woke up I was... in the place where you found me before."

Mrs. Weasley didn't speak; she just looked into Harry's eyes, as if trying to determine whether the boy was lying or not.

After a long pause, she finally spoke.

"I suggest you don't mention this to anyone," Mrs. Weasley said. "Time Travel isn't a common thing, and I hope you'll keep it to yourself. It's for your safety."

"I understand." Harry nodded repeatedly; he wasn't stupid.

"Given your special circumstances, I will apply to the school for your financial aid," Mrs. Weasley added. "You can stay at my house during this time. I have a little nephew named Gareth, who is also a freshman this year. I think you two can become friends."

"Thank you, Lady." Harry really hadn't expected that this Deputy Headmistress would invite him to stay at her home.

Harry followed Mrs. Weasley to the Weasley family.

Harry had hoped to meet Mrs. Weasley's nephew, but was told that Gareth and his father had gone on a trip.

Moreover, this is Mrs. Weasley's house, not Gareth's house.

Harry stayed at the Weasley family for three days, and Mrs. Weasley finally announced some good news to him that evening.

"The Board of Governors has decided to provide you with financial assistance, Mr. Potter," Mrs. Weasley said with a smile.

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said sincerely.

"It's nothing, I didn't do anything about it," Mrs. Weasley smiled at Harry.

The Board of Governors him much financial aid; it was just enough for him to buy a magic wand and a complete set of books required by the school.

But Harry wasn't greedy. He was already quite happy to receive some financial aid, so how could he possibly ask for more?

Harry went to Hogwarts with Mrs. Weasley, where he met the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Phineas Black.

To be fair, Headmaster Black made a very bad impression on him.

After buying the wand in Diagon Alley, he stayed at Mrs. Weasley's house until the start of the School Opening before leaving for school.

"Platform Nine and Three-Quarters," Mrs. Weasley instructed Harry on how to enter the platform. "See this? Just go straight in like I did. The Hogwarts Express is inside."

After seeing Harry off on the train, Mrs. Weasley hurriedly left.

Harry dragged his suitcase through the carriage, searching for a seat.

However, he had only taken a few steps when a door suddenly opened, and a little boy with red hair emerged from it.

"Come on in," the little boy said. "There's nothing to be shy about—my aunt asked me to take care of you. Come on, put your suitcase here first."

Harry went inside and let the little boy help him put his suitcase aside.

He was Mrs. Weasley's nephew, and he instinctively felt that this little boy could be trusted.

"By the way, my name is Gareth," the little boy said. "Gareth Weasley, I hope you'll be sorted into Gryffindor with me."

"Why not Slytherin?" Harry asked curiously, having learned of the existence of the four houses in the past few days.

Gareth chuckled and explained to him, "I don't think you'd want to be sorted into Slytherin either. It's full of Pure-blood or Half-blood students. Someone like you, Muggle-born, has almost no chance of being sorted into Slytherin."

"I see." Harry nodded, then said to Gareth, "I don't want to go to Slytherin either, because I hate that Headmaster Black..."

Upon hearing this, Gareth showed an expression as if he had seen a long-lost relative.

He reached out, grasped Harry's hand, and shook it vigorously.

"From now on, you're my brother, Harry!" he said.

As they were talking, the woman pushing a cart selling snacks opened the door to the cubicle.

"Would you like some snacks, kids?"

Harry shrugged.

Pay up?

The only Galleon he had was the remaining scholarship money after buying clothes and books, which he was going to save.

"I'll have a little of everything," Gareth said, pulling a few chocolate Sickle and handing them to the Lady. "Let me think... I'll take two of these Chocolate Frog, I really like them, Lady."

After the salesperson left, Gareth laid out a long row of the snacks he had bought on the chair.

"Try these, Harry," Gareth said with a grin. "Hey, I love snacks and I can't resist buying them—I can't finish these, and it would be a shame to waste them. How about you help me finish them?"

"Thanks."

Harry nodded somewhat awkwardly, accepting Gareth's offer.

"Chew-Bubble Super Bubble Gum?"

He picked up a piece of bubble gum and looked at Gareth, who was unwrapping the packaging.

"Oh, this is a wonderful candy," Gareth said, putting down his Licorice Wand. "It can make you blow bluebell-colored bubbles that will float in a room for days without bursting—you'll see when you try it."

Harry opened the packaging and put the bubble gum in his mouth.

It was indeed quite interesting. Following Gareth's instructions, he quickly blew bluebell-colored bubbles that floated in the carriage, just like the helium balloons that Dudley had bought before.

"What are these?" he asked Gareth, picking up another bag of Chocolate Frog. "They're not real frogs, are they?"

"What?"

Gareth looked up and saw the Chocolate Frog in Harry's hand, then continued, "Oh, you wouldn't know, but Chocolate Frog come with picture cards, you know, you can collect them. They're all famous wizards and witches. I've collected about five hundred, except for Agrippa and Ptolemy."

Harry opened the Chocolate Frog and took out the picture card. The picture card showed the face of a man wearing a tall magic hat and holding a long wand. He looked very kind.

Below the picture of the Chocolate Frog is written: Merlin.

The most famous wizard of all time. Sometimes referred to as the Prince of Magic, he was a member of King Arthur's court.

"Oh, it's Merlin," Harry said.

"Don't tell me you've never heard of Merlin! Merlin's beard..." Gareth looked shocked, then said with a sudden realization, "But I'm not surprised. After all, you're Muggle-born, so it's normal that you don't know Merlin..."

Just as Harry was about to say something, he noticed that the door to the cubicle had been pushed open.

Standing at the door was an extremely beautiful little girl.

She had long, light blonde hair, but her eyes swept over the two people in the carriage with an arrogant air, finally fixing her gaze on Harry's forehead.

(I'm stuck on writer's block, so I'll write a side story about Huo Yi... If you're interested in Huo Yi's story, this one won't be stuck and I can update it quickly.)

(End of this chapter)