1938.
By an unnamed small lake outside London.
A boy named Cypher Corvin sat on a tree stump.
He held a fishing rod in his hand, with a blade of grass between his lips.
The boy was tall and slender, with black hair, black eyes, and fair skin.
Yet his eyes were vacant as he stared at the seemingly tranquil water before him.
It had been eleven years since he came to this world.
Memories of the past slowly surged through Cypher's mind.
Eleven years ago.
The moment he opened his eyes, he had been taken in by the kind Madam Mary at her orphanage.
Though life at the orphanage was difficult, at least he never went hungry.
As he grew older, and because he had always been obedient and sensible,
Madam Mary had reluctantly agreed to let Cypher go fishing not long ago.
In truth, fishing was merely an excuse to conceal Cypher's secret.
In his previous life, Cypher had been an ordinary person on Blue Star, living a routine nine-to-five life every day.
One night, after watching the second Magical Creatures film before bed, he opened his eyes and found himself in this world.
At first, Cypher thought he had arrived in the Western world of an earlier era.
Until one night, when the radio broadcast a piece of news.
Citizens had seen someone flying through the sky on a broomstick.
Although the radio station later claimed it had been an acrobatic performance,
Cypher had been utterly stunned when he heard the news.
That very night.
He hurriedly tried all sorts of strange, cringe-worthy lines.
After failing again and again,
at last, with a cry of "Wingardium Leviosa!"
"Me! @##!"
According to the other children at the orphanage,
that night,
Cypher was severely scolded by Madam Mary for the first time.
No Potter, no Hermione, no Pheobe, no noseless man... Oh, wait, there was...
"Gurgle—"
One or two bubbles rose around the float.
Cypher, who had been lost in his memories, quickly came back to his senses.
He looked around.
Good. No one had noticed.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
Cypher muttered the spell softly.
A large fish that had been recklessly teasing the hook beneath the float broke through the water and flew toward him.
As the fish flew through the air toward him, Cypher skillfully
picked up the sharpened wooden stick by his feet.
With a swift motion, he impaled the large fish on it.
Then he stared vacantly at the lake again, seemingly lost in thought once more...
That made two. There was enough for dinner tonight.
Cypher used the same method to impale another fish.
Then he decided to pack up and return to the orphanage.
He would make a delicious fish soup for his younger brothers and sisters.
Clap—clap—clap
At the first clap, Cypher's entire body stiffened. At the second, he turned toward the sound.
Before the third clap had even faded, Cypher sprang up with his sharpened wooden stick, only to be frozen in midair.
"Hey! Young man, don't be so hot-tempered!"
Cypher struggled a few times and found that the wooden vines binding him were exceptionally tough.
Realizing he could not break free, he forced a friendly smile at the speaker.
Before him stood a middle-aged man holding a small wooden stick, with a bowler hat on his head.
He had a full beard and bright blue eyes.
"I mean you no harm."
The middle-aged man spread his hands and explained to Cypher.
Cypher did not answer, merely glancing silently at the wooden vines binding him.
"All right, all right. What a wary little fellow."
Without the man doing anything visible, the wooden vines slowly loosened around Cypher.
"Child, calm down. I mean you no harm."
Seeing that Cypher still clutched the wooden stick tightly, the middle-aged man said nothing more. He had realized that his sudden words had put Cypher on edge.
Cypher finally snapped out of his terrified stupor.
He had nearly been scared to death just now.
Someone had silently applauded his spellcasting performance from right behind him.
In an era where public safety was far from friendly, his reaction had indeed been understandable.
Still, he had only intended to subdue the other man. He had not meant to kill him.
For the sake of surviving in this magical world,
he had spent years giving himself enough mental preparation.
He had to be ruthless when necessary, or he would be the one to die with regrets.
But with a living person right before him, he had still chickened out. Besides, he could not beat him.
"All right, all right. Your magic's stronger than mine, so you call the shots."
Cypher threw away the wooden stick in his hand.
He spoke irritably.
"Ministry of Magic? Auror?"
The middle-aged man frowned at the question. But considering that the boy had already recited the Levitation Charm and had even advanced to the level of the Summoning Charm,
the fact that an orphan knew some things about the Magical World was no longer enough to shock him.
"Neither. My name is Albus Dumbledore, and I am a Transfiguration Class professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
"Professor Dumbledore?!"
Cypher exclaimed in surprise.
"Once you officially enroll, you are welcome to call me that. Of course, it is not as though you cannot do so now."
Dumbledore gave a playful wink, assuming Cypher was surprised that he was a professor rather than an Auror.
What Cypher was actually surprised about was that he had finally met Dumbledore before he became a white-bearded old man.
That meant that as long as he clung tightly to this powerful figure,
he would have nothing to worry about regarding his safety for decades to come.
"Then, shouldn't you introduce yourself?"
Seeing Cypher drifting off in front of him again, Dumbledore smiled and shook his head before interrupting his thoughts.
"Ah! Forgive my rudeness, Professor!"
Cypher hurriedly came back to his senses, bowed deeply to Dumbledore, and then declared loudly.
"My name is Cypher Corvin! I am eleven years old! I am an orphan from Madam Mary's Orphanage nearby!"
"Don't get excited, Corvin. No need to get excited..."
Dumbledore soothed him.
An orphan? Eleven years old? It seemed he would need to look into it...
But judging by how he behaved... perhaps I was overthinking it...
"Cypher, may I call you that?"
Cypher nodded repeatedly, staring eagerly at Dumbledore.
Could he see how talented I am and take me as his apprentice?
Cypher entertained a rather fanciful thought.
After all, in this era when resources were controlled by pure-blood aristocrats, having no backing was terribly difficult.
"Wizards are forbidden from using magic in front of Muggles. That is stipulated by the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy. Young wizards are forbidden from using magic outside school. That is stipulated by Hogwarts rules."
Though he had not heard what he wanted and felt somewhat disappointed, Cypher still looked at Dumbledore with eager anticipation.
"However, freshmen like you who have not yet enrolled are not governed by either rule. Naturally, before you enroll, Hogwarts professors must communicate with you."
He was still staring with those wide eyes...
Dumbledore rubbed his forehead, thought for a moment, and continued,
"Your letter of acceptance will be delivered to you by owl in a few days."
"Cypher, what exactly is confusing you? Please, just say it!"
Dumbledore finally could not stand it any longer, and his voice rose as well!
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