London, Charing Cross Road.
Between a large bookshop and a record store.
The Leaky Cauldron
From the outside,
the pub was unremarkable.
It was even easy for passersby to overlook.
It had an old, slightly rundown appearance,
as if time had stopped there.
Just then,
in a single room,
a blond boy was bustling about,
sorting through all kinds of strange-looking things.
There were bottles and jars of every kind,
filled with brightly colored powders and liquids, along with plant roots and stems whose original forms were hard to make out.
Besides the ingredients, he was also sorting a set of delicate but slightly worn tools.
Several heavy books lay scattered across the table.
Their covers were made of leather.
The boy gently closed each book,
arranged them neatly in alphabetical order,
and placed them in their designated spots in the trunk.
"Merlin's beard, I can't believe I still have to go to school!"
Devero sighed as if life had lost all meaning.
He had been in this world for a year.
Studying Potions under such an eccentric teacher
was already torturous enough.
The happiest time of each day was when his teacher went to school to teach.
He hadn't expected that he would have to go to school too—and to the very school his teacher worked at, no less.
Even though it was Hogwarts,
the prospect still made him miserable.
Devero hadn't originally belonged to this world.
A year ago, he had crossed over into it.
It was a soul transmigration.
He had wound up in the body of a little boy.
The boy seemed to be of mixed Chinese and European descent.
Though he had blond hair,
his eyes were dark brown.
His Asian features were unmistakable.
As for how he had crossed over—
don't ask!
It was a bloody truck!
When he woke up,
the first thing he saw was a messy head of greasy hair.
A gloomy-looking Old Bat grabbed him by one hand and lifted him off the bed.
What was his first impression of his master?
An absolute old virgin.
The man was so violent, he had to be sexually repressed.
He rubbed the hand that had been beaten red for sleeping in,
and watched as the Old Bat gave him a long list of orders before vanishing in an instant.
That was when Devero finally realized he had crossed over
into a magical world,
and become the apprentice of a Potions Master.
As a bonus, he had also learned English, a language he had never managed to study properly before.
That day, Devero had searched all over his new home.
He discovered that his teacher was Professor Snape, from the Harry Potter novels he had loved so much in his previous life!
The news left Shen Molin both delighted and terrified.
He was delighted to have wound up in the magical world he had always dreamed of.
But he was terrified to find himself saddled with a teacher like this.
In the original story, Snape had been a hero.
But to his students, there was no question he was a nightmare.
What happened afterward only confirmed it.
Snape was extremely strict.
When Devero had first arrived,
his memories were still incomplete,
so he had done a poor job with many of Snape's assigned tasks.
The punishments had been something else.
Even now, Devero felt miserable just thinking about them.
Fortunately, Devero had now more or less mastered all the skills a Potions assistant needed.
He rarely did anything that got Snape on his case anymore.
But being around the Old Bat still made him extremely uncomfortable.
That was why he dreaded going to Hogwarts so much.
Having the Old Bat watching him every single day
would be unbearable!
As for why Devero had become Snape's apprentice,
it seemed that his mother's side of the family had entrusted him to Snape.
After that, they had disappeared without a trace.
Devero had once tried asking Snape about his family.
But whenever he brought up the subject,
Snape immediately found fault with him.
That had made Devero too afraid to pry for any information.
Of course, Devero hadn't done nothing.
As soon as he arrived, he had figured out that he was in the same year as Harry and the others.
So he would be entering the story as soon as he started school.
Still, he was currently working as a child laborer for Snape.
He doubted life at Hogwarts would be any easier.
As for the familiar events from the story, he had no idea whether he'd get the chance to take part in them.
Fortunately, his current body had fairly good magical talent.
Snape hadn't taught Devero any spells,
but while making potions,
Devero had felt that he had a real knack for sensing magical ingredients.
That was one reason he had picked things up so quickly.
He was also pretty good-looking.
At least, he was much more handsome than he had been in his previous life.
It was one of the few consolations in such a miserable situation.
After packing everything,
Devero prepared to head downstairs.
He and Snape had arranged to go to Diagon Alley today to buy all the supplies and books he needed for school.
Something had happened yesterday, though he didn't know what.
Snape had suddenly brought Devero to the Leaky Cauldron ahead of schedule
and had him stay there.
He'd said he would come take Devero shopping the next day.
That was today.
Carrying a trunk nearly two-thirds his own size,
Devero headed downstairs.
Inside the Leaky Cauldron,
the pub's owner, Tom, was busy preparing for the day's business.
At the faint sound of footsteps coming from the stairs,
Tom looked up.
It was Devero.
His blond hair gleamed in the morning light.
"Good morning, Mr. Devero!"
Tom greeted him.
"Did you sleep well?"
Devero smiled faintly.
Though he looked a little nervous,
he still nodded politely.
"Good morning, Mr. Tom. Thank you for your hospitality. I slept well last night."
Tom noticed the huge trunk in Devero's hands
and couldn't help smiling.
"Looks like you've brought quite a lot! When Professor Snape left you here yesterday, he didn't tell me much. But he did say he'd come by today to take you shopping for some supplies."
Devero nodded,
feeling a little more at ease.
"Yes, Professor Snape said he'd take me to Diagon Alley. It'll be my first time there, so I'm a little nervous..."
He was actually nervous about seeing Snape.
"Don't worry,"
Tom said with a reassuring smile.
He seemed rather fond of the handsome young boy—
unlike Snape, who was nothing like him.
"Diagon Alley is a magical place. You'll love it. And with Professor Snape there to accompany you, everything will go smoothly."
He paused, then continued,
"But before you set off, would you like some breakfast? I can get you some freshly baked bread and hot tea."
At that,
Devero's eyes lit up.
He was clearly tempted by the offer.
"That would be wonderful. Thank you, Mr. Tom."
Watching Tom head into the kitchen,
Devero couldn't help thinking how nice it was to be a child.
People always looked after you when you were out and about.
He wondered if Snape had told Tom to do this.
But after thinking it over,
he decided the Old Bat would never do such a thing.
While he waited for breakfast,
Click!
Every hair on Devero's body stood on end.
That familiar feeling had returned.
He turned around.
A tall, thin wizard with pale skin
stood at the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron, dressed in a black robe.
Snape.
The nightmare Devero had endured for the past year.
He gave a slight wave, drawing Snape's attention over to him.
To be honest, he really didn't want to do this.
Before long, Snape came over.
His black hair was greasy and messy,
hanging over his forehead and down either side of his face,
obscuring part of his features.
He looked as though he were standing in shadow.
"Devero, let's go. We have a long shopping list to get through today."
Devero nodded slightly.
He stood up, ready to grab his suitcase and leave with Snape.
Just then,
Tom walked over with two breakfasts.
He set them on the table.
"Professor Snape, have breakfast first. I prepared one for you, too."
Devero gazed longingly at the food.
But he knew Snape wasn't that kind of person.
He was about to leave.
"All right, eat quickly."
Devero was astonished.
Snape had actually sat down to eat breakfast.
He froze for a moment.
Devero figured Snape might be in a good mood.
He quickly sat down.
And started eating.
Just then, Snape suddenly produced a letter from who knew where and handed it to Devero.
Devero had been a little puzzled at first.
He took a closer look.
It was an acceptance letter from Hogwarts!
The moment he saw it,
Devero immediately took the envelope.
Although Snape had made him less excited about going to Hogwarts, receiving the acceptance letter he'd once dreamed of still thrilled him.
But the moment Devero opened the letter—
[Ding!] [Qualified host detected. Entry System binding in progress...] [Binding successful!] What was going on!? Devero hadn't even had time to react before another voice sounded. [This system is called the Entry System. Everyone has their own exclusive entries, which represent their potential, talents, destiny, and so on. This system allows the host to view the entries of anyone within a three-meter radius and load and copy their entries!] [Entries are distinguished by color, ranging upward from the lowest rank: white, green, blue, purple, gold, red... In addition, there are special entries that cannot be classified by color. Their strengths vary!]
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