London Orphan

"If you insist on going to that Hogwarts school, then pay the tuition and fees yourself! The orphanage won't spend a single penny on you!"

"I understand, Nurse Anna."

Sean watched Nurse Anna enter the Common Room and gently close the door.

If he made too much noise and Nurse Anna thought he had a problem with her, dinner would go from cheap pork sausages to baked beans on toast.

Without tap water, that stuff could choke him to death.

But the tap water was never clean, and drinking too much of it could make him sick. Once he got sick, all that awaited him in this poor orphanage in the southern suburbs was being claimed by Death.

How did Sean know this so clearly? Because the original owner of this body had died that way.

Illness, bitter cold, and malnutrition had taken his life. Ever since "Sean" transmigrated here last winter, he had taken it as a warning.

He tried to drink that cheap Black Tea, and he would even fight the older children for a cup of instant coffee, even if it left him unable to sleep for a day or two.

Over the past six months, he had figured out his situation.

It was now late August 1991.

This was the Croydon District of the Harry Potter world.

One of the poorest areas in London.

And Holysee Orphanage, where he lived, was the poorest orphanage of all.

Why?

Because there was only one orphanage here, and it had been opened merely for political achievements.

Just like the Britain he had known in his previous life.

At the end of 1990, the "Iron Lady," Margaret Thatcher, stepped down.

Her Thatcherism brought economic reforms, but it also markedly widened the gap between rich and poor.

The Financial City benefited from deregulation, and the gentlemen's wealth soared.

Meanwhile, traditional industrial regions and poor inner-city areas faced unemployment and cuts to public services.

This was especially apparent in the Croydon District.

Holysee Orphanage, where he lived, had not received any decent funding in five years. As a result, funds were tight. Not only did every child lack enough safe drinking water, they had only a thin blanket to get through winter.

Under such circumstances, if he could not attend Hogwarts, he might not even survive to adulthood. After all, he had always been in poor health.

Even a minor cold or fever could kill him. It was not that London's medical care was backward, but those harsh nurses might not "discover" a sick child in time.

"Hogwarts is tuition-free. As for the other fees, I have the Scholarship Professor McGonagall applied for."

Sean took a bag from the deepest corner beneath his iron bedframe. It contained one hundred and forty-three Gold Galleons, a wand, some robes, and several other items.

He had purchased everything strictly according to the minimum standards on the admission list. Even so, it had cost a full one hundred and fifty-seven Gold Galleons, leaving him with less than half of all his savings for the school year.

And tomorrow was Hogwarts' opening day.

"I have to hurry. If I don't perform well enough to get the Scholarship, I'll be finished... There definitely won't be enough Gold Galleons..."

When Professor McGonagall had brought him his admission letter and taken him shopping, she had deliberately mentioned this reward, though it was meant for outstanding young wizards.

Would Sean be outstanding?

The hope was slim. He had practiced the Levitation Charm a full five hundred times before finally learning it.

Fortunately, he had a cheat.

Name: Sean Green

Identity: Wizard

Title: None

Proficiency

Levitation Charm: Apprentice (1/300)

Lumos Charm: Apprentice (1/300)

Scourgify: Locked (27/30)

Three Apprentice-level spells can unlock the Apprentice Charms Title.

Advance: Three Beginner-level spells can unlock the Beginner Charms Title.

Yes, Sean had a Proficiency Panel. Its functions were quite practical: as long as he practiced correctly, he would receive practice count rewards. Apprentice-level spells only required thirty correct practices, and three Apprentice-level spells could unlock an Apprentice Title.

It sounded easy enough.

Yet even such a simple task had taken Sean nearly two months to barely complete, averaging one and a half correct practices per day.

His magical talent was so awful it was painful to look at. He did not know whether it was because of transmigration.

He suspected that the Magical World he had never even seen was targeting him.

Though the magical world probably did not have time to care about him.

"Today, I have to unlock that Title!"

Filled with confidence, Sean took out his wand, carefully stepped over the warped floorboards, and poked his head out through the drafty single-pane window.

The Victorian semi-detached house in the poor southern suburbs had already fallen silent.

"Good. They're all asleep. As long as I'm careful, no one will notice."

If the original owner had left him anything useful, it was this separate, secluded single room.

Though he had been assigned it out of fear that disease might spread, for Sean now, it was undoubtedly a good thing.

It meant he had enough private space to practice magic.

"Scourgify!"

Sean clearly recited the spell at the filthy poster and swung his wand in an S-shape.

Unfortunately,

the count on the System Panel did not increase.

Sean did not care. He recited the spell again and swung his wand.

Only after learning it himself did Sean understand how obscure and difficult magic was.

Take Scourgify, for example. Where should the emphasis of the incantation fall? How heavily should it be stressed? What kind of S-shape should the wand gesture form—large or small? Where should it speed up, and where should it slow down?

Sean knew that scour meant to wash, while ify meant to make something become a certain way. Together, they meant making something clean.

So, he should pause between Scour and ify. As for the S-shaped gesture, he could only rely on luck.

Fortunately, he could judge success or failure by whether his Proficiency increased, then draw experience from his past successful practices.

"Scour-g-ify!"

Sean recited the spell for the fifth time and swung his wand according to his experience.

"Faster at first, then slower. As for the final curve, it has to be wider..."

Sean muttered to himself as he strictly followed the movements that had worked before.

Then, light suddenly flared, and the stains on the poster atop the table vanished in an instant!

You practiced Scourgify once at the Beginner standard. Proficiency +3

Scourgify has been unlocked.

A new Charm Domain Title has been unlocked. Please check it.

A Wizard Talent has been unlocked. Please check it.

It worked!

Sean picked up the freshly Scourgified poster and inspected it carefully, unable to help marveling at the wonder of magic.

As for the Beginner standard, just as spell effects could vary, the standards for correct practice also differed. They were divided into Apprentice and Beginner.

Apprentice added 1 point of Proficiency, while Beginner added 3. As for whether there were standards beyond Beginner, Sean did not know. With his magical talent, having Beginner at all was already Merlin's blessing.

"Let's look at the new Title."

Sean eagerly opened the System Panel, where three new lines had appeared:

Title: Spell Novice

Slightly increases perception of spells and slightly improves Charm Talent.

Sean continued reading.

Wizard Sean, Charm Talent: Green (boosted by the Spell Novice Title; original talent was White). Note: Normal wizards are Green.

Sean drew in a sharp breath.

White Trash?!

No wonder he could not learn spells. With talent like that, even if it exploded, Sean would have to praise it for making a loud sound.

Fortunately, he had a cheat. Otherwise, it was hard to imagine how difficult his path of study would be from now on.

After a brief inspection, Sean's gaze became even more resolute.

No talent? Then repeat it!

Let me see your limit, System Panel. Add Proficiency!