'So, it wasn't a dream...'
This was the first thought I had after I woke up. I looked at the ceiling that definitely did not belong to my previous room. And then at my hands that were smaller and more delicate. Only, now I truly understood that I am a kid again.
What should I feel? Anxious? Happy? I am kinda confused about everything. It is like one of those moments when you think about how the Universe is constantly expanding and thought into what it expands... You think hard, yet you see no answer.
Moreover, the topic itself is useless to think about, but you just... can't stop. Many things happened and it got me into this feeling, so I honestly got stuck in this emotion for a few minutes. Just lying in a bed, thinking.
However, mentally I was grown up and had 30 years of life experience behind, so I got out of this mindset after only 5 or 6 minutes. No use thinking about that now, so I tried to concentrate on what's important.
I stood up and looked into the mirror in front of me. No abs, no muscles, skinny and a tad bit too tall for its age. However, I did not look unhealthy or anything like this. My skin color was healthy, and the body was brimming with life.
I started dressing up. My clothes thankfully were all here and somehow all of them washed clean. Moreover, they smelled very nice, like they were washed with conditioner in a very good washing machine. What the heck? Is it magic? Or better to be said, in this academy, what type of magic is it? I will think about it later, or maybe I can ask somebody about it.
After I finished, I went out of my room to check the washing facilities. I mean, even wizards should shower... I hope so, at least.
Unfortunately, I woke up very early, so I couldn't ask for directions from other people. Sun did not even fully appear in the sky, so I assume time was before 7a.m.
I started exploring the Gryffindor tower in which apparently, we were living. Soon, I was able to find a sink. It was better than nothing. I washed my face and tried to get myself in order. I did not have a toothbrush with me. But then I thought about how the system gave some stuff, so maybe I should ask it?
'Dear system, can you please give a toothbrush and toothpaste?'
[...Hmm... Well... I assume it will be hard to get this type of thing here. All hygiene supplies were provided in the inventory. You will find them, under the 'Hygiene' tab.]
'Thank you very much!'
I used my inventory soap, toothbrush, and toothpaste. Now, I could properly wash my face and brush my teeth.
Honestly though, where these wizards get a shower? It was never mentioned in a film. They all have clean skin and teeth, or do they have a spell for that? So hard...
I need to find a senior and ask him.
I went to the main room, which was very big, cozy and had a fireplace with fire burning in it. I sat on a couch that stood before the fireplace and checked that no one was around me. After that, I took a book about the theory of magic from my inventory. Of course, I first put my hand into my robes and then pulled out a book. Thankfully robes were wide enough and had some inner pockets.
Why theory? To check if it will give me any new skills by reading it and not using it. I feel like using can instantly increase the skill by one level. So, it is better to use it on higher-level skills.
Of course, I can be wrong. Therefore, I will need to test it on higher-leveled skills. Unfortunately, my highest level of skill right now is Speech. Is there even a book that raises it?
Suddenly, I had a thought.
'How do I get a schedule of lessons? And where should I go for them? That is so damn annoying. I know nothing about the world and that annoys the hell out of me. Wish they've thrown me into the world of Tamriel or Belgariad or some other universe I know of.'
I will wait for seniors or just follow some first-years. I should definitely follow the Granger girl. She is a nerd, so she should instinctively know where to go for knowledge.
Hope, she looks the same as in the film or at least similar to it, otherwise, I am screwed. I mean, it would be strange if I suddenly start asking who Hermione Granger is. But, if I will have no choice, I will do that. Shame? I never heard about it!
So, I delved deep into the reading. After nearly an hour of reading the book, which I read pretty deeply, I noticed somebody's presence near me. I looked up from the book and saw a girl, that looked similar to a person in the movie, which makes sense. In a movie, all actors have perfect makeup, lighting and all that. Even kids, I bet. This girl looked more like an ordinary girl from the neighborhood, except for her eyes. Her eyes were sparkling with interest and excitement.
"Hello! My name is Magnus." I said to her while putting the book to the side, remembering the page I stopped at.
She smiled and now I saw another special thing, her front teeth were slightly larger than the norm.
"Hello, my name is Hermione Granger. Nice to meet you."
She said in a bossy tone of voice and then she added.
"Fascinating book, but didn't you read it beforehand? You should go to school prepared, you know."
Yup, a nerd, just like me in past. Need to keep close to this live magic google.
"Literally, didn't have time. I have no family or friends, so I had to scramble for money and look for a place where I can buy all the needed equipment, books, and clothes. I finished all my buying's 2 days before the train left. And in those 2 days, I had to somehow get to the station, so now is the first breather I got since receiving this letter."
I quickly come up with the lie, because I thought out the background beforehand. So, all I needed to do is just to add details on top of it. I did not exist in this world, beforehand anyway. She would be hard-pressed to check all this out.
Whenever I did not think about the system, I was thinking hard to create my background. Since talking with Hagrid, I was improving, modifying and expanding my background to fit all things.
So far, my background is an orphan raised in an orphanage, from where I ran away very early. I did random jobs since childhood to get money and traveled around the world while doing these jobs. Unfortunately, my past job is not helpful in this case, but I still remember a lot of math and some basic school education, despite my age. That would make me a good assistant. Honestly, the background is crappy and full of holes, because one good placed question can destroy it.
Therefore, my only hope is to make the story dark, hard to hear and make people feel pity for me. And of course, that will give me a legit way to miss out on details. And if I will have a happy smile while telling the story, it will give the smartest people the feeling that I remain positive despite what I had to go through. Smart people have a tendency to overthink and come to conclusions based on small facts. And stupid ones, do not ask questions in the first place. So, all in all, I should be safe with this background. Thus, If I add details on top of it, they should be as vague and as normal as possible.
All these mental machinations, on the level of 'Oshen's friends', make my mind hurt, but I have no choice. In the world of magic, without school and education, I can die in the first few days after being expelled, if not killed during the expulsion.
Anyway, back to the conversation.
Granger has flushed red in cheeks and was a bit embarrassed by her attitude apparently.
"Sorry, I did not know."
γ Speech 18(68) β 19(69) γ
Wow. The speech buff is still working. Now that explains, why she believed me so hard, she got embarrassed after asking. Maybe in her eyes, my talk was very touching and had swayed her heart to feel pity for me. I did not even try being tragic right now, just telling out quickly thought out lie.
Speech is overpowered!