Vid Gray was leaning on the window, watching a gray owl perched on the fence outside. It stared at him solemnly with its tawny eyes, suddenly lowered its head, spread its wings, and let out a "hoo-hoo" sound.
Vid had a rather odd expression on his face.
If he didn't see it wrong just now, did this owl just throw a letter into his mailbox?
But...
It was only 1991, and the "Harry Potter" series hadn't been published yet, right?
Reborn in this world for eleven years, he grew from a babbling baby to an eleven-year-old, always thinking he was just reborn into the original United Kingdom, and had even planned the development of his life accordingly...
He had never thought... he would actually receive a letter from an owl.
Isn't this supposed to be a materialistic world?
But... if people can be reborn, then if magic exists... it seems... quite reasonable...
—Right?
—Or maybe it was just a cruel joke.
With a bit of uncertainty in his heart, Vid pushed open the door and went out. He instinctively looked at the owl, and the owl's gaze followed him, slightly turning its head.
Perhaps it was just psychological, but Vid felt that its eyes were full of intelligence.
He held his breath, opened the mailbox, and took out the mysterious letter. When he saw the envelope clearly, his pupils shrank, and his heart skipped a beat.
On the envelope, the detailed address and "Mr. Vid Gray" were clearly written. The parchment was exceptionally thick, and the jade-green ink was not a usual color.
Turning the envelope over, the back featured a deep red wax seal and a shield crest with a large "H" surrounded by a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake.
No stamp.
—Yeah! Owl as a messenger! Of course, no stamp was needed.
Vid took a deep breath and, with slightly trembling fingers, opened the envelope.
[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore]
Eagerly, Vid skipped the long string of titles behind and went directly to the text below: [Dear Mr. Gray, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry... Deputy Headmistress (female) Minerva McGonagall]
Vid read the letter over and over again, still finding it hard to believe—was this really the world of "Harry Potter"?
He unconsciously murmured softly, "Is this real? Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?"
The owl stared at him with wise eyes, waited for a while, then lowered its head to groom its feathers, tucked in one foot, and turned its head a hundred eighty degrees to look at the scenery behind it.
Vid stood in a daze for a while, then swiftly turned and dashed back into the house, rushed into his father's study, found the finest envelope and gold powdered embossed stationery, wrote solemnly with a quill full of classical beauty and scented ink:
"Dear Mrs. Minerva McGonagall, I am very honored to receive your letter. If this is not a prank, then I am very willing to attend your esteemed school. However, I am unsure how to purchase the school supplies mentioned in the letter. I look forward to your guidance...
With the most sincere regards, wishing you all the best! Vid Gray"
The ink soaked into the letter paper and dried quickly. Vid folded it and put it in the envelope, writing on the cover [Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall (recipient)].
When he went out, he saw that the owl was still patiently waiting on the fence.
Vid approached, raising the letter: "Um... this is my reply, please deliver it to Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall."
The owl reached out a claw to grab the letter, then tilted its head, looking at him expectantly.
"Anything else... oh, please wait a moment!"
Vid had a sudden flash of inspiration, went back inside, and grabbed a handful of nuts. After handing them to the owl, it merely looked at them, then disdainfully swept them away with its wing and flew off.
Vid: "..."
Didn't it want any?
Luckily, it didn't drop the letter.
Back inside, Vid sat at the table and unfolded the acceptance letter, reading it over and over again, his heart pounding.
Only then did he feel some sense of reality about being accepted into Hogwarts.
But...
In the eleven years since he was reborn in this world, he had never discovered any extraordinary abilities—
He had never randomly flown to the top of a tree, nor bent a spoon with his mind or made a pen float out of nowhere.
Did his body truly contain magical energy?
Or—was it that the rational and objective mind of an adult unintentionally suppressed the innate power within his body?
Vid clenched his fist, then opened it again, still unable to feel that "invisible magic flowing through his body" sensation.
He stared intensely at a teacup in front of him, concentrating his imagination.
"Clang!"
Out of nowhere, the teacup trembled, then toppled over, rolled around the table for a moment, before finally settling down slowly.
Magic... was real, after all...
Vid stared at his palm, dumbfounded.
Once his emotions calmed down a bit, he dialed a phone number that he knew by heart.
"Mom... do you believe... in magic?"
...
In less than half an hour, a car screeched to a halt outside. The Greys forgot to even take the keys as they rushed down frantically.
Vid went out to greet them, but before he could say hello, he was nearly suffocated by an enveloping hug.
"Oh, my! Oh, my god! Vid, dear, you've really been accepted into Hogwarts—I'm so thrilled! Really... I've waited so long for this day—I thought—I thought you would be like us, never—never have that chance—"
His mother, Fiona, sobbed as she spoke, her tears ruining her makeup, not even caring. Vid's father, Ferdinand, hugged them, also silent, his eyes moist.
Vid sensed something odd: "Wait, what do you mean? You—" He broke away from the suffocating embrace of his parents: "You both know about Hogwarts?"
"Of course, dear!" Fiona said, patting her eyes with a handkerchief: "My mother and your grandparents were all wizards. I have longed to go to Hogwarts since I was small. But..."
Ferdinand wrapped his arms around his wife and son's shoulders, steering them inside: "Let's talk inside—so ordinary people won't see."
After a detailed explanation, Vid finally understood the situation.
It turned out his grandparents and grandmother were all wizards, and both families were on good terms. However, due to the chaos of war, Fiona and Ferdinand were both born during their times of upheaval and turned out to be duds—possessing the magic gene, but lacking the ability to cast magic.
In the midst of war, even wizards struggled to survive, let alone two duds. After confirming they lacked magical ability, the two were sent to be raised in Muggle families.
Over the years, they had fully adapted to the Muggle lifestyle, though they secretly cherished a longing for the magical world.
Yet, since Vid was born, he had never shown any magical abilities, and they thought he was a dud too, wanting to spare him the same pain of going from hope to disappointment, they hid the existence of magic from him.
"I never imagined—not in my wildest dreams—that you really were a wizard... I mean—this whole time I've been waiting, but it's already July 30th, and you still hadn't received the letter... I thought..."
Fiona both cried and laughed, and it took great effort for the father and son to calm her and send her to the washroom to freshen up.
After quieting down, Ferdinand turned to his eleven-year-old son, his eyes filled with undisguisable concern:
"Hogwarts... oh, Vid... I don't really know if, given your situation, attending that school... is a good thing or not..."