This World Had Demigods, Too!

After listening carefully to Aunt Petunia's account, Harley interlaced her fingers and nodded.

"I think I understand now." Harley spoke thoughtfully. "Aunt Petunia, could you make some food first? I'm a little hungry."

Aunt Petunia glanced fearfully at the black flames atop Harley's head, then immediately stood up and went to make breakfast.

The flames clung to Harley's long black hair, burning quietly without singeing a single strand.

Harley lounged against the back of her chair, gazed up at the ceiling, and raised both hands to admire her slender fingers.

In truth, a storm was already raging in Harley's mind as she kept turning over Aunt Petunia's words.

Harley regretted her parents' deaths, but she could understand how it had happened. After all, they had been outmatched, and they had made an enemy of someone.

Harley could only promise her parents' departed spirits that, if she ever got the chance, she would offer up their killer's head as a tribute to them.

Aside from that, what interested Harley most was this world's supernatural powers.

The supernatural powers in this world were strange. It seemed that only people with a certain aptitude could obtain them, and they had to rely entirely on learning.

That was unlike the Sequence Pathway. Although it also required learning a fair amount of knowledge, drinking a Potion granted one some abilities outright.

Moreover, this power was called magic. It seemed a little like the Dark Magic that could be mastered through the Demoness Pathway, yet also a little like the abilities Warlocks of the Hermit Pathway could wield.

Besides, they seemed to have some similarities to the Paragon, Wheel of Fortune, and even White Tower Pathways.

Considering her aunt was an ordinary person and only her sister had been a Witch, Aunt Petunia probably knew very little.

So Harley had a premonition that all twenty-two Pathways from her old world had corresponding powers to be found in magic.

"How interesting." Harley secretly licked her lips. "I can't wait!"

Breakfast was served soon. Harley's cousin Dudley had been cowering in his chair, trying to curl his fat body into a ball.

Now, though, he had perked up, staring eagerly at the bacon, ham, and bread on the table.

Aunt Petunia shot him a discreet glare but didn't stop him. She was clearly afraid of angering the nephew before her—no, the niece.

Harley noticed. She smiled with pursed lips, like a true young noblewoman.

"We're all family, so why are you afraid of me? Come on, let's eat."

Dudley didn't notice his mother's look at all. As soon as he heard Harley speak, he reached for the bread.

Watching Dudley's uncouth table manners, Harley frowned slightly.

Even while on the run, Harley had spent time among the nobility of various empires, and so she was used to seeing elegant people with smiles on their faces.

Only when she was traveling alone in the wilderness did Harley behave so ungracefully, and even then, it was to recover her strength quickly.

So seeing Dudley behave so crudely in front of a lady made her feel quite uncomfortable.

Harley carefully chose a piece of bread Dudley hadn't touched, paired it with bacon and lettuce, and ate in small bites. Every movement carried an elegance that seemed to come from deep within her.

Just then, the doorbell rang. Dudley kept stuffing his face; usually, Harry was the one who answered the door.

Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia looked at Harley, too, but didn't dare make a move.

"Could you answer the door, please, dear Aunt Petunia?" Harley swallowed her last bite, wiped her mouth with a napkin, and smiled at Aunt Petunia.

Aunt Petunia glanced nervously at Harley, then silently stood up and hurried to open the door.

But when she opened it, Aunt Petunia let out another gasp, and a kind, elderly voice sounded.

"Good morning. You must be Petunia! We corresponded some time ago, but I should introduce myself anyway.

"My name is Albus Dumbledore, and I'm the current headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I've come today to discuss Miss Harry—Harley Potter's enrollment at Hogwarts."

"P-Please come in!" Aunt Petunia stammered. An old man then strode into the Dursley home's living room.

By now, Harley had left the dining table, washed her hands, and was standing straight in the living room.

Uncle Vernon had witnessed it all from the dining room, his mouth hanging open in astonishment. He hadn't even seen how Harley had managed all that.

The old man strode into the living room, coming face to face with Harley's emerald-green eyes.

Harley quickly sized up her visitor. She had heard the introduction of the old man named Albus Dumbledore—

The current headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The old man was tall and thin, with silver hair and a beard long enough to tuck into his belt. He wore a robe and a purple cloak that trailed along the floor, along with silver high-heeled boots with buckles.

Behind his Half-moon Spectacles, his bright blue eyes sparkled.

The glasses sat oddly on his nose, which was crooked and looked as though it had been broken at least twice.

But that wasn't the point. The point was that the old man gave Harley an intensely dangerous feeling. Her Spirituality was sounding the alarm like crazy!

Harley would stake her beautiful face on the fact that the old man before her was at least a demigod, with one foot already in the realm of Mythical Creatures!

Seeing Harley's appearance, the old man surnamed Dumbledore paused, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes.

Hagrid had originally been meant to guide Harry this time, but Harry's name in the Book of Admittance at Hogwarts had changed to Harley.

As headmaster, Dumbledore couldn't possibly have missed such an important matter. So he had made time in his busy schedule to come in person.

Though he had expected it, seeing Miss Harley Potter with his own eyes still left Dumbledore somewhat shaken.

He was also astonished by Harley's appearance. Her features had already been lovely, but after she had taken the Witch's Potion, they had become even more delicate, greatly enhancing both her beauty and her charm.

Most importantly, Harley's appearance reminded Dumbledore of someone—someone who had died.

Dumbledore suddenly thought that, once he got back, he ought to speak with Professor Snape to prevent any irrational behavior.

"Hello, Miss Potter." Dumbledore looked at Harley through his Half-moon Spectacles.

"It's a pleasure to see you again. The last time I saw you, you were still a baby in swaddling clothes. Now you've grown into a... beautiful young lady."

"Thank you for the compliment, Headmaster Dumbledore." Harley lifted her skirt and curtsied. It all came naturally.

"You're welcome, Miss Potter. I've come to invite you to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Dumbledore said with a smile.

"I'm grateful that you thought enough of me to come in person. I'd be delighted to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

As she spoke, Harley gestured toward a seat. "Please sit and wait a moment. I'll bring you something to drink. Would you like tea, or something else?"

Meanwhile, Aunt Petunia quickly slipped into the dining room, and the noise of Dudley's crude eating promptly stopped.

Dumbledore smiled and shook his head. "Thank you very much, but there's no need. We can take care of everything very quickly." As he spoke, he sat down on the sofa.

Harley smoothed her long skirt, brought her legs together, and sat down slowly.

She occupied only a small part of the sofa, her back naturally straight and her hands resting in her lap.

Dumbledore watched Harley's practiced movements. An unreadable glint passed through his eyes before he spoke.

"The purpose of sending a teacher to guide new students is simply to show Muggle guardians who know nothing about magic that magic exists, so they'll feel comfortable letting their children attend Hogwarts.

"But I imagine Petunia already knows about magic.

"So I've come today for just two small things: first, to take you shopping for the supplies you'll need at school; second, to have a chat with you, Miss Potter, and check in on you as your headmaster."