Professor McGonagall

Having finished writing the reply, Anduin placed the letter into a brand-new envelope and held it out to the owl. The owl on the windowsill took the envelope with practiced ease, fastened it to its body, and flew off without looking back.

"Whoa, pretty aloof. I wonder what the magical world is like at this time—has Voldemort been defeated by Harry yet?" Anduin only had a vague impression of Harry Potter.

He'd once heard friends talk about it: Voldemort killed Harry's entire family, but when he tried to kill Harry, it backfired and he was defeated instead. But what was the magical world like in 1980? What exactly was the original plot? Anduin was genuinely clueless.

"Don't overthink it. I'll wait for Hogwarts' reply. In any world, strength is the foundation—getting stronger can't be wrong." With that thought, he went back to his daily routine. Over the summer at the orphanage, Anduin had arranged a very tight training schedule for himself: warm-up, punch training, standing meditation, aerobic training, meditation, and "telekinetic" training—now magic—all proceeding steadily.

With a disciplined life, time always passed quickly. Two days after receiving the Hogwarts acceptance letter, a special visitor came to see Anduin.

"You're saying you're Professor McGonagall from Hogwarts?" Anduin asked a middle-aged woman who appeared at his door. This woman, who called herself Professor McGonagall, wore square glasses, had curly black hair tied up in a high bun, and was dressed in deep green robes.

"That's right, I am Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts. I saw your reply, Mr. Wilson. We visit Muggle families who have no prior contact with the magical world." Professor McGonagall seemed to suddenly recall Anduin's circumstances and added, "And of course, young gentlemen living independently like yourself as well."

"Won't you invite me in for a seat, Mr. Wilson?"

"Oh, no—sorry, Professor McGonagall, please come in. I just haven't fully processed this whole magic school thing yet." Anduin stepped aside with an apologetic expression and invited Professor McGonagall inside.

Once inside, Professor McGonagall began to observe. The room was small: a bed, a desk with a chair, the desk connected to a bookshelf, a cabinet, a clothes rack, a few dumbbells neatly placed in the corner, the bed made tidily, and on the windowsill a pot of... if she wasn't mistaken, that was a pot of green onions?

The tidy room and clean, fresh atmosphere gave Professor McGonagall a favorable impression of Anduin. After all, this was an unannounced visit, proving that this new student was usually quite disciplined.

"Sorry, Professor McGonagall, the room is a bit simple." Anduin apologized and went to fetch the only chair in the room.

"No need to be polite, Anduin—you don't mind if I call you that, do you? I brought my own chair." With that, Professor McGonagall drew her wand from her robes, pointed it at the dumbbells by the wall, and in an instant, the dumbbells transformed into a wooden chair, which she sat down on lightly.

Anduin was startled by this display but didn't lose his composure. He pulled out his chair and sat down facing Professor McGonagall.

"I saw the letter said to reply by July 31st. I thought I wouldn't get a reply or a visit until August."

"That's mainly for children from wizarding families. For kids who haven't been exposed to the magical world, we visit early. And the magical world is a bit sensitive right now..." Professor McGonagall hesitated but didn't dwell on it, cutting straight to the point.

"Children with magical talent are notified to enroll at the appropriate age. Hogwarts will teach underage wizards how to control and use magic. I'm sure you've noticed some unusual things happening around you in recent years. Underage wizards gradually awaken their magic, and sometimes it can cause magic outbursts."

Anduin nodded at this, then waved his hand, and a cup floated in front of him.

Seeing this, Professor McGonagall's heart tightened. He could freely control the Levitation Charm? And this was silent, wandless spellcasting. "Mr. Anduin, are you sure you've never studied magic or been guided by anyone before?"

"Yes, Professor McGonagall. When I noticed I was different from others, I started practicing slowly—through meditation and the like. I thought it was a special ability, as we ordinary people call it. That's about it, though. I can't do what you did and turn something into a chair." Anduin said.

"You'll learn that at Hogwarts." After hearing Anduin's words, Professor McGonagall grew more pleased with the underage wizard before her. Disciplined, diligent, hardworking—what a fine magical prospect. But then she thought of the chaos in the magical world and the darkness lurking in the shadows, and a hint of anxiety crept in.

"Anduin, seeing you work so hard is heartening. Let's get going quickly—time is tight. We need to handle the handover with the orphanage and take you to prepare your school supplies."

Professor McGonagall was decisive and incredibly efficient. After a private talk with the orphanage's higher-ups, she quickly settled Anduin's school arrangements with the institution. Anduin suspected she must have used some magic, since the orphanage raised no questions at all.

"Did you use magic when talking to Mother Tries and the others? They agreed so readily." Anduin couldn't help but ask.

"A little Confundus Charm. It helps with efficiency, doesn't it?" Professor McGonagall showed a rare, slightly mischievous smile. "Don't worry, it won't have any harmful effects on them. They won't forget you, and you can still return here during your holidays."

"Alright, next I'll take you to buy your school supplies. Given your situation, I've applied for a hardship grant from the Board of Governors on your behalf. You'll receive a subsidy of twelve Galleons per year."

"Oh, right—Galleons are the currency of the wizarding world. One Galleon exchanges for seventeen Silver Sickles, and one Sickle exchanges for twenty-nine Knuts."

Had to be Britain, didn't it? Even the currency exchange was this headache-inducing. Anduin's head throbbed a little.