Chapter Three: The Waiting Game
After the initial shock of Dumbledore's apparition had worn off, Elian was left alone in his quiet bedroom, buzzing with a new kind of energy. He picked up the heavy parchment envelope, his fingers tracing the embossed Hogwarts crest. Breaking the seal, he pulled out the letter and the accompanying list of required supplies.
One wand… (Ollivanders, Diagon Alley)
One standard size 2 pewter cauldron… (Potage's Cauldron Shop, Diagon Alley)
One set of glass or crystal phials…
Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad… (Eeylops Owl Emporium, Magical Menagerie)
His eyes scanned the list, a smile playing on his lips until a practical, sinking thought hit him. He had no money. Or rather, he had no wizard money.
He knew from the stories that the wizarding world used Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts. While his Muggle parents had left him a modest but comfortable inheritance in pounds, a vault at Gringotts filled with gold was not part of the package. He racked his brain, trying to remember the exchange rate. He thought it was about five pounds to a Galleon… which seemed almost too cheap for solid gold. The economics of it made his head spin.
"Well," he muttered to the silent room, "at least my… parents… left enough that I won't starve." The words felt strange. They weren't really his parents, not in the memories he carried, but he was their heir in this world all the same.
His excitement, however, quickly pushed aside financial worries. It was a stronger, brighter feeling than even the day his strange new awareness had first sparked to life. Almost without thinking, his hand rose to touch the pendant that always hung beneath his shirt.
He drew it out, the metal cool against his fingers. It was a beautiful, intricate thing, gold and green, shaped like an eye tightly shut. Complex, spiraling designs were etched across its surface. Any fan of the old Marvel films he'd grown up with would recognize it instantly.
The Eye of Agamotto.
When he'd first arrived in this smaller, younger body and found it around his neck, he'd assumed it was a replica. A curious bit of jewelry. Then the voice had echoed in his mind, clear and impossible to ignore.
[Ding~ Host meets activation conditions. The Supreme Mage System is initializing…]
...
[Activation successful. Binding…]
...
[Host: Elian Throne]
[System: Supreme Mage System]
[Initial System Binding Reward: The Eye of Agamotto.]
Even now, the memory sent a shiver down his spine. It wasn't just a necklace. It was an anchor. As he'd quietly explored the system in the days that followed, he'd begun to understand. It was a guide, a reservoir of knowledge meant to steer him toward becoming a master of mystical arts. Simply by living and learning, his affinity and control would grow. Rewards would come in time. It was, in many ways, a system for the patient.
There was even a section labeled [Bonus Objectives: To Be Triggered], hinting at future trials or tasks. For now, his only tangible skill was the telekinetic control he'd used on the kitchen knife—a basic, instinctual pushing and pulling of energy. The grand spells, the shimmering shields, the conjured weapons he dreamed of were still locked away, waiting for his growth.
He wasn't worried. He had time. He had a path.
The immediate problem was this school list. "I wonder what year it is," he thought, leaning back on his bed. "Is Hermione there yet? Or Luna?" His mind wandered to the characters he'd once read about, wondering if they were students, or even born. The idea of being a first-year with eleven-year-olds was awkward, but being at Hogwarts at all was the real prize. He could work around the rest.
He'd assumed, after Dumbledore's visit, that someone would arrive the next day to take him shopping. But days passed. September 1st loomed on the calendar, now only a day away. No stern professor, no friendly witch had knocked on his door. His pounds remained pounds. His cauldron was conspicuously absent.
A nagging worry set in. Had the famously busy headmaster simply forgotten him amidst whatever crises were brewing?
He hadn't.
The return of Voldemort was a storm cloud darkening the wizarding world, and Dumbledore was at the eye of it. Between clandestine Order meetings, monitoring Death Eater activity, and navigating the Ministry's wilful blindness, his schedule was a tapestry of urgent threads. Harry's disciplinary hearing had been a particular drain on his time and political capital.
Yet, the anomaly of the sixteen-year-old first-year lingered in his thoughts. It felt significant, a ripple in the fabric he couldn't ignore. So, on the afternoon before term began, Albus Dumbledore once again appeared outside 35 Carnaby Street.
When Elian opened the door to find the headmaster beaming down at him, his surprise was genuine.
"Professor Dumbledore! I didn't expect to see you again."
"I find I am in need of a visit to Gringotts myself," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling. "Gringotts is the wizarding bank, you see. Quite secure, if you don't mind the goblins. I thought you might appreciate a guide for your own shopping. Time is, as they say, of the essence."
He extended his arm. "Hold on, please. Apparition can be disorienting for the first time. We have much to procure before tomorrow's train."
Elian took a deep, steadying breath and gripped Dumbledore's forearm tightly. He nodded, bracing himself.
He was not braced enough.
Before he could even exhale, the world collapsed into a whirlwind of impossible pressure and darkness.
(End of Chapter)
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