Hogwarts: I Obtained the Paternal System

He tipped back his head and drank it all in one go.

From Madam Pumfrey's tone, it contained Moonpetal Grass. Perhaps it was some extremely precious medicinal ingredient?

No point in refusing a free drink.

"Alright, this child has just taken his medicine and needs rest. You should leave!"

Madam Pomfrey waved her hands, driving Dumbledore and Snape out of the infirmary.

Darren had just wanted to secretly laugh at them when a wave of drowsiness washed over him. He yawned and fell into a deep sleep.

When Darren woke again, the sunlight outside the window was bright and beautiful.

More than a dozen bags of candy sat on the table, along with two sets of black wizard robes and two sets of Muggle casual clothes.

Snape must have bought the clothes.

Beside them were more than a dozen greeting cards.

Darren picked them up in confusion and discovered that they had all been sent by Hogwarts professors.

One of them was signed Quirinus Quirrell.

Darren stared at the name for a while, silently mourning the poor professor in advance.

If nothing went wrong this year, the professor would probably die without even leaving a body behind.

Darren let out a sorrowful laugh.

Seeing that he was awake, Madam Pomfrey hurried over with a smile to examine him. Then she sighed in relief. "Not bad. Your wounds have healed completely, and some of the nutrients you were lacking have been replenished. Severus's medicine works wonderfully."

Darren blinked twice. He did indeed feel exceptionally comfortable. He had not slept this soundly in a very long time.

"Madam, how long was I asleep?"

It could not have been that long, right?

"Three days, my child. You slept for three whole days. If Severus and I hadn't checked you several times and confirmed that you were simply exhausted, he would probably have insisted on sending you to St. Mungo's."

Madam Pomfrey smiled.

Darren's eyes widened blankly.

Three days!

He had missed nine temporary quests!

How had he slept for three days?

He should not have been tempted by how good Snape's potion was and gulped it all down.

No, even if he had not wanted anything from it, he still would have had to drink it.

So did this count as a work-related injury? Would the system restore those quests for him?

Clearly not. The system did not even bother responding to his unreasonable complaint.

Darren felt so miserable that he could barely breathe.

"Alright, child, you may be discharged. I hope you won't be as mischievous as those Gryffindor students, always getting yourselves sent to the infirmary."

"Gryffindor?" Darren put on a puzzled expression.

At this point, he was supposed to "not know" what Gryffindor was.

"Right, child, I forgot you came from the Muggle world. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin are Hogwarts's four Houses. The school will sort you into one when term begins, but let me tell you a little secret. During the Sorting, as long as you meet the requirements, you can take the initiative and state which House you want to join. For instance, Slytherin requires Pure-blood status, Gryffindor requires courage, Ravenclaw requires a love of learning, and Hufflepuff requires integrity. If you possess the traits a House requires, the Sorting will follow your own wishes. Back then, I wanted to pursue a Slytherin senior, so I asked to be placed in Slytherin!"

Oh?

Before Darren could ask, Madam Pomfrey had already spilled everything about the Sorting.

He had thought choosing one's House was supposed to be a well-kept secret. It seemed quite a few people knew about it.

"Oh, right, Madam, which professor will the school send to sort us?"

Darren asked again with "innocent" curiosity.

This time, Madam Pomfrey did not tell him. She merely smiled mysteriously, a touch of gloating in her expression. "Child, life needs a little mystery to be interesting. When I enrolled, my brother told me I'd have to fight a troll!"

Humming a tune, she left, leaving Darren torn between laughter and tears.

The wizarding world was quite good at messing with children.

If he had really been a Muggle-born child who knew nothing, he would probably have panicked by now.

Fighting a troll... that was the protagonist's line of work. What did it have to do with a Paternal System holder like him?

After grumbling to himself, Darren pulled the wizard robes from the table and put them on.

They fit him perfectly in every way.

Darren simply could not imagine Snape's gloomy face as he picked out clothes for him.

Once he was dressed, Darren gathered up the stack of cards and bags of candy, then walked out of the infirmary and stared blankly outside.

This time, he was genuinely lost.

He had read Harry Potter, but it was not as though he had memorized the school map from the novels!

Where was he supposed to go now?

"Mr. Darren!"

Pop!

A little elf with enormous ears, exceptionally large eyes, and a height close to Darren's appeared in front of him.

A House-elf!

"Mr. Darren, I am Peeves, a House-elf of Hogwarts. Mr. Dumbledore asked me to take care of you."

Without making it obvious, Darren carefully examined the House-elf named Peeves.

The House-elf most frequently depicted in the original story was Dobby.

A free House-elf.

While he had been at the Malfoy household, he had punished himself at the slightest disagreement. He had seemed like a nervous, eccentric House-elf.

But Peeves was not like that. She appeared very well-mannered, looking at Darren gently with a tolerant smile on her face.

"Hello, Peeves. My name is Darren Potter. Just call me Darren. I'd like to know where I'll be staying before term starts. I need somewhere to put my things."

Darren said "obediently."

The smile on Peeves's face deepened. She took Darren's hand and said cheerfully, "Alright, Darren. Your temporary accommodation has been arranged in the Gryffindor dormitory. Professor McGonagall has agreed to let you stay there until term begins."

P.S. I saw that everyone in the comments is worried that if the protagonist enters Slytherin, he might be suspected. There's no need to worry. As long as the voting results are in, we can add suitable plot developments. For example, his reason for going to Gryffindor could be that he wants to be with Harry. His reason for going to Hufflepuff could be that he wants to eat? Or that he is too kind-hearted. His reason for going to Ravenclaw could be that he yearns for knowledge. His reason for going to Slytherin might be that Professor Snape was the first person he came into contact with, so he wants to enter Snape's House. So vote boldly, everyone. In the end, the author will choose whichever House receives the most votes.

Oh, and please make your choice in the voting section. Right now, Slytherin has two votes, Ravenclaw has two votes, while Gryffindor and Hufflepuff have not received any votes yet.

Preventing Conflict

Darren nodded, understanding that Dumbledore might want him to enter Gryffindor House.

A family that had been Gryffindor for generations, combined with the fact that the protagonist would also come here—it was necessary for him to get acquainted with it in advance.

If he really did enter Gryffindor in the end, even his bed might not change.

Darren did not care which House he was sorted into. He could be a paternal figure in any House.

Even Slytherin.