Once I finished setting up the manor, ensuring that it was secure with every enchantment and ward I could think of, I activated my world-travel ability once more and returned to the Harry Potter world. As soon as I arrived, I felt a new kind of link flowing through my peerage pieces. Trusting my instincts, I channeled my blessing through it, curious to see the results.
Elsewhere in the house, Serenity, Yue, Fleur, and Rachel all suddenly found silver status plates appearing in front of them.
Yue froze the moment she saw hers. The appearance of the plate was eerily similar to the ones from her old world, stirring painful memories of imprisonment, loneliness, and suffering.
[Yue, Level: 1.
Abilities: Instant Casting, Silent Casting, Multi-Casting, Mana Manipulation…]
Rachel, Serenity, and Fleur examined theirs with curiosity.
"What is this?" Fleur asked, tilting the plate in her hands as if expecting an explanation to appear.
"Good news, everyone!" I clapped my hands together as I entered the room with a grin. "I've unlocked a new ability. This one lets me bestow my own blessing. That means I can give Luna and Hermione some of my skills and protections too."
I could grant them useful abilities like All-Speak and Mental Protection, but there were limits. I couldn't share things like cultivation, which relied on specific systems that weren't compatible with the blessing. Still, it was an immense boon for them.
As I spoke, my gaze landed on Yue, who was still staring at her plate with a complicated expression. I didn't need empathy magic to know what was wrong. Without hesitation, I walked over and pulled her into a hug. She melted into my arms, wrapping herself around me as she took in a deep breath.
Rachel, who had been turning her plate in her hands, arched an eyebrow at me. "What world did you go to this time?"
"Danmachi," I answered simply, stroking Yue's hair as she held onto me. "I'll add what I know about it to the dream space so you can read it later tonight."
Rachel nodded in approval. Ever since I started sharing my knowledge of anime and manga with them, she had taken a strong interest in exploring different stories—especially fanfiction. She often spent her nights reading in the dream space or discussing alternate scenarios with me.
Fleur, on the other hand, was still examining her plate. "This 'leveling system'… it feels strange," she murmured. "I can sense something from it, like it's trying to measure me."
"Yeah, it's a different kind of power structure than what we're used to," I explained. "But there's no rush to use it. We've got time."
And time was something we had in abundance. Unlike most people, we barely needed sleep, and when we did, we had the dream space for extra training, reading, or meditation. We avoided using the inner world's time dilation most of the time—there was no real urgency. We still had two years left at Hogwarts, and we weren't in a hurry to speed through things.
---
One Month Later
The first month of summer vacation passed quickly, filled with training, magic experimentation, and some well-earned relaxation. Our magical mailbox ensured we received letters instantly, and soon enough, the results of our OWLs arrived.
Ryan Grim, Ravenclaw – Outstanding in Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, Herbology, Astronomy, History of Magic, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Care of Magical Creatures, Ancient Runes, and Arithmancy.
Yue Grim, Ravenclaw – Outstanding in the same subjects.
Rachel Roth, Ravenclaw – Also Outstandings across the board.
As expected, we had all aced our exams. It wasn't even a challenge considering how much time we had put into studying and training.
Along with our results, another set of letters arrived, formally declaring Rachel and me as Ravenclaw prefects once more.
Along with our OWLs the shopping list for this year arrived. Luna and Hermione would be meeting us at the Leaky Cauldron in two weeks for shopping as usual.
~~~~
The Leaky Cauldron was as lively as ever, filled with the usual mix of witches, wizards, and the occasional odd-looking magical creature trying to remain inconspicuous. But the moment we stepped inside, the atmosphere around our group changed.
I barely had time to take a breath before I was hit by a twin assault of soft bodies colliding into me.
"Ryan!"
Hermione and Luna crashed into me with enough force to make an ordinary person stumble. Hermione's arms locked around my waist while Luna wrapped herself around my neck, practically hanging off me. Their lips found mine almost immediately—Hermione's kiss was eager and firm, while Luna's was soft but lingering.
"You're late," Hermione murmured between kisses, her warm brown eyes filled with fond exasperation.
Luna, still wrapped around me like a koala, nuzzled my cheek.
I chuckled, sliding an arm around each of them as I pulled them closer. "Sorry traffic."
Rachel, Yue, Serenity, and Fleur stood nearby, watching the scene unfold with amused smirks. Rachel rolled her eyes but didn't comment, while Yue gave a small, knowing smile. Serenity just tilted her head, as if making mental notes about the best angles to attack me from in the future.
I let them cling to me for a little longer before reluctantly pulling back. "I've got a gift for both of you," I said, kissing each of them on the forehead and giving them my blessing. A silver card appeared in both of their hands in a flash.
Hermione and Luna glanced at them curiously.
"These are called status plates," I explained. "They won't change much for you right now, but they'll give you a few passive benefits—All-Speak, so you can understand any language, and Mental Protection to help keep out any unwanted influences."
Hermione's eyes widened as she examined the plate, her analytical mind already running through the implications. "This… this is remarkable," she breathed. "Where did you even get something like this?"
"Let's just say I picked up a few new tricks," I replied with a smirk.
Luna hummed, holding her plate up to the light. "It sparkles like a whispering dream." She smiled. "Thank you, Ryan." Without warning, she kissed me again before slipping the plate into her bag.
With our greetings out of the way, we turned our attention to the day's real purpose—shopping for the upcoming school year.
---
Diagon Alley was as bustling as ever, but with our group moving together, most people gave us a wide berth. Maybe it was the way Serenity's mere presence made people subconsciously wary, or perhaps it was the silent, graceful way Fleur moved like a Queen above others. Either way, the usual crowds weren't much of a problem.
First on our list was getting Luna's supplies for her fifth year, along with the rest of our sixth-year books. Flourish and Blotts was filled with the scent of parchment and ink, and we wasted no time collecting everything we needed.
Hermione, of course, took extra time picking up additional reading material beyond the required list. "We should always be prepared," she insisted, already stacking books in her arms.
Rachel smirked, grabbing a book titled Dark Hexes and How to Reverse Them and flipping through it before starting her own pile of books.
With books taken care of, we moved on to Madam Malkin's for new robes and clothing. Given how much we had grown and trained over the last year, it was time for some well-fitted upgrades.
Luna was particularly delighted with a set of robes that shimmered faintly under the light, as if infused with some kind of subtle magic. "These feel like moonlight woven into fabric," she mused dreamily.
I raised an eyebrow. "Do you just say the most poetic thing that comes to mind?"
"Yes." She grinned at me.
After getting our new clothes and supplies, our last major purchase was something I had been planning for a while—a brand-new Pensieve.
Unlike the one Dumbledore used, which was old and well-worn, this one was sleek and polished, enchanted with additional storage capacity for organizing memories more efficiently.
"This will be useful," Yue noted, running a finger along the edge of the bowl.
I nodded. "I've always wanted one but they are a pain in the ass to find, took me forever to get one ordered."
With everything on our list finally checked off, we spent the rest of the day leisurely exploring Diagon Alley. Luna dragged me into the Magical Menagerie to look at strange creatures, while Hermione debated the merits of new potion ingredients with a skeptical-looking shopkeeper. Rachel, Yue, and Fleur found a new enchanted jewelry store, Serenity kept a quiet watch over everything.
It was a good day—calm, fun, and filled with the kind of normalcy we rarely got to enjoy.