After Louise fell asleep, Ben was left alone with his thoughts, thinking about his next steps. His situation was deplorable now. He found himself in a completely unfamiliar world with no way to return. In addition to this, Ben was defenseless now, as he did not have a wand with him. Sighing heavily, he began to run through all the options in his head.
-Haa... I'm totally fucked... - Ben summed it up briefly.
-Although... It's not that bad. - The man continued, shifting his gaze to the sleeping Louise. Although this girl was wayward, she seemed to Ben to be a good person. And she was also beautiful, so Ben didn't mind spending some time in her company.
Deciding to give up thinking, Ben tried to fall asleep. However, sleeping on a pile of straw was uncomfortable, so after half an hour of fruitless attempts, Ben refused to sleep. Rummaging through a small bag hanging from his belt, Ben pulled out the very box he had found in the ruins.
-What is it? - Ben asked the question in his mind. He had been trying for quite a long time to determine the true essence of this thing, but he was no closer to solving it.
Turning the box in his hands, Ben examined it carefully. Suddenly, he noticed something strange. The runes on his left hand began to glow, causing a reaction from the box. Runes also began to appear on it, but Ben was not familiar with them. The only thing the man noticed was the similarity of the runes on his hand and the runes of the box. It made Ben think.
'Was this thing created in this world? But how did she end up in those ruins?' - Running through the stream of thoughts in his head, Ben came to the conclusion that there was some kind of connection between his world and this world. This conclusion encouraged Ben. He did not think that so soon he would stumble upon a clue that would help him find his way home.
However, Ben soon felt something begin to empty his magic core. A stream of magical energy headed towards the black box in Ben's hands. Having decided not to take any chances, the man immediately put the box back into the bag, stopping pouring magical energy into it.
'It was dangerous... It's better not to touch this thing for a while.' - Ben had been studying dark magic for some time, so he was well acquainted with various curses and their consequences. The reaction of the unfamiliar object was very unusual, which did not allow Ben to take this box lightly. Therefore, despite his sincere interest, Ben decided to first study the runes in order to protect himself as much as possible.
Due to the unplanned emptying of the core, Ben felt drowsy. Ben settled comfortably on the straw and slowly began to fall asleep. A lot of shocking things had happened in his life lately, but Ben even liked it. While studying at Hogwarts, he became a fanatic of magic, so he was excited about the opportunity to explore something new and unknown.
'Just wait, Tom... When I return, I will destroy you.' - Not forgetting about revenge on his friend, Ben finally fell asleep. However, his sleep did not last long.
***
-Finally... After several thousand years... I have found you, my successor... However, I see that you are not ready yet... - In his dream, Ben vaguely heard an unfamiliar male voice.
-Well, I'll wait a little longer... Don't disappoint me...
***
-Hey you, wake up! - Early in the morning, Ben was woken up by Louise's voice.
-5 more minutes... - Ben muttered sleepily, turning away to the wall, which irritated Louise.
A strange voice that Ben heard in his dream made him wake up in the middle of the night. Having spent many years in the magical world, Ben has learned well that nothing happens for nothing. Lying on the uncomfortable straw with thoughts of that voice, Ben could barely close his eyes.
'I am going to sleep on the bed tonight... No matter what it costs me.' - Ben decided firmly.
-I told you... Wake up! - Waving her magic wand, Louise once again blew up the surrounding space, but she achieved her goal, as the explosion finally woke Ben up.
***
After a small incident in the room, Ben and Louise went to the courtyard of the academy, where the sophomore tea party was taking place. Their appearance aroused interest from the students, but both of them were already used to this. Therefore, ignoring the stares from the side, they took an empty table and asked the maid to serve tea.
-It could have been softer... - Ben was indignant, sitting at the table opposite Louise. He clearly didn't like this kind of awakening.
-It's your own fault, you should have woken up right away. - Louise waved it off, shifting all the blame onto Ben. She was a little annoyed that once again her spell ended in an explosion.
-Whatever you say... - Ben had no desire to argue with this girl. He felt that Louise had a short temper, so he decided not to annoy her once again.
-Shouldn't classes be going on now? Why are we just sitting and drinking tea? - Ben asked.
-The Academy gives students some time to get to know their familiars better, so there will be no lessons in the coming days. - Louise replied, slightly disappointing Ben. He had planned to attend several classes to learn about the magic of another world, but it turned out that he would have to wait a few days.
-Haa... In that case, I suggest you take a break in the next few days. - Exhaling, Ben gave up, to which Louise simply nodded, putting a small piece of cranberry pie in her mouth.
Watching this girl, Ben thought that spending time this way was also a good thing. At Hogwarts, he was constantly busy learning and training, which is why he rarely relaxed. In addition, in two lifetimes, Ben had never entered into a romantic relationship and rarely communicated with girls, so communicating with Louise was a pleasant experience for him. However, her character slightly spoiled the overall picture.
-You filthy plebeian! Watch where you're going! - There was an angry shout not far from the table where Louise and Ben were sitting.
-Please forgive me, sir... - In response to the scream, the girl's plaintive apologies sounded
Turning to the source of the sound, Ben saw a blond student who was arrogantly looking at the maid sitting at his feet. After a quick assessment of the situation, Ben came to the conclusion that the maid had accidentally bumped into this guy.
'Is this such a big problem? The clown...' - Ben chuckled. He had seen many such people at Hogwarts, so he was not surprised to find such a thing in another world.
-Never mind, it's none of our business. - Louise said indifferently, taking a sip of tea. Apparently, such situations were not uncommon.
However, Ben ignored her words. He liked to put everyone who behaved arrogantly without reason in their place. It gave Ben great pleasure to see the expression of pain and humiliation on the once arrogant faces.
-Do you remember when you asked me to prove that I'm from another world? So, look carefully. - Ben said with a smile on his face, getting up from his seat.
-What do you want to do? - Louise asked worriedly. She had a bad feeling about it.
-Just watch... Hey, you painted peacock! - Ben shouted, arrogantly attracting the student's attention. At that moment, Louise realized that problems could not be avoided.
~~~
Once again, I was delayed, but fortunately, I will be able to focus on this story soon. I have to finish all the other things in about 10 days. Please wait a little longer, I have a lot of ideas on how to develop this story.