In a dining room illuminated by the soft morning light, a group of children of varying ages eagerly awaited their breakfast for the day.
The bustling sound of laughter and conversations filled the air, but in a corner, away from the rest, sat Leo.
Unlike the enthusiasm that surrounded him, Leo had his head down, lost in thoughts about what had happened that morning.
The joy of the others contrasted with the melancholy he felt inside.
It wasn't long before the sound of clattering dishes and the strong aroma of fried eggs pulled him out of his daydream.
With a spark of determination, he lifted his head and thought, "Since I've come to the magical world and have magical talent, it's only natural that I enter Hogwarts to study..."
"That's right!" he continued his internal monologue. "If you think about it, there's not much difference between the two worlds. If I was prepared to live among gods and demigods, a bald man with no nose shouldn't be a reason for discouragement."
Leo repeated words of encouragement in his heart, feeling a bit calmer.
He wasn't scared; he simply felt disappointed.
He longed to experience a world full of real stories and myths, filled with adventures and fantastic beings.
Although the Harry Potter universe had its own charm, full of magical creatures like the Cerberus and the phoenix, those beasts paled in comparison to the level of power he had encountered in Percy Jackson.
In his mind, he could classify Hogwarts creatures as magical beasts, while those from Riordan's world were monsters, natural disasters, true scourges.
"Looking at it this way, they are two completely different realities," he thought.
"The beasts and the power systems... where the heck do my abilities come from? Their existence wouldn't make sense."
"If this were Rick Riordan's world, everything would make at least a little sense. Everything would fit."
But it wasn't...
"So why do I have these abilities?" He distractedly looked at the glass of water in front of him.
With a single thought, the liquid began to tremble.
Whenever he wanted, he could explode the glass of water at will.
This was the result of discovering he was a demigod and beginning to practice his abilities.
However, somehow, his progress felt insignificant.
He was as strong and agile as a typical adult; something impressive for a child his age, but not enough on his own scale.
As for his 'hydrokinesis,' the truth was it was even more disappointing: he could control little more than a one-liter plastic bottle.
In a fight against a healthy adult, his chances of winning were 50/50, if anything, the only advantage would be that his skin was a bit thicker.
After finishing his breakfast of fried eggs and milk, Leo hurried back to his room.
Once there, he began to review his memories, trying to find some key that would help him understand his new reality.
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find a common thread in his strange experience.
Just when he was about to give up, a glimmer caught his attention from the corner of his eye: an ancient pendant that had been forgotten.
It was an object that, if he remembered correctly, he had brought with him upon arriving in this world. According to the director of the orphanage, he had been wearing it when he appeared at the door of the place.
At first, he hadn't paid much attention to it; since it didn't seem very significant, it had been gathering dust on his nightstand.
But now, as he reorganized his thoughts, every time he looked at it, the feeling it produced was stranger.
After wracking his brain for a while, he finally remembered.
"Isn't this the pendant I bought at a stand in my previous life?"
He leaned closer and held it in his hands; the more he looked at it, the more his memories resonated.
The pendant was held by copper chains and had a pale gold charm, emanating a deep sense of mistery.
Sure! Here's the translation of your text into English:
---
'I suppose it's because I haven't grown enough yet and I need to train more.'
He wasn't too bothered; although the pendant seemed to be of no use, thanks to the panel he could understand his talents more intuitively, which would allow him to find a better training direction.
However, he felt disappointed not to find much information about his arrival in this world.
After staring at the panel for a while, he lay down on his bed and fixed his gaze on his surname.
As an orphan, he didn't have a name or a surname; Leo was the name that the orphanage owner had imposed on him.
The surname was something more serious and important, so orphans facing a very difficult start in life were assigned the surname "Expósito" in the civil registry.
This allowed them, according to the law, to change it legally quickly and for free, giving the opportunity for a new beginning and a new name for a new story.
Grateful for this, Leo decided to change his surname to Jackson when he was ten years old, simply because he thought his situation was very similar to Percy's, for obvious reasons.
Although he remembered that this happened before he knew he could be in the universe of Rick Riordan's books, he felt a bit uncomfortable knowing that this possibility existed, but in the end, he left everything as it was.
As his thoughts wandered, gradually, under the light of the stars, he fell asleep.
---
At nine o'clock the next morning, after Leo finished breakfast and explained to the matron that he would be busy all day, he received her permission.
In his room, he had made preparations.
According to the letter, today was the day he would meet with a Hogwarts teacher who would take him to buy school supplies.
He grabbed his worn backpack and some wrinkled bills he had hidden under the bed just in case.
Although the letter stated that it wasn't necessary, he preferred to be prepared.
Once he tied his shoelaces, he jogged out.
An hour later, Leo found himself sitting in a shoe store far from the orphanage, glancing at the clock from time to time, as if he were waiting for something.
He heard a muted screech and, looking behind him, he found a tall, thin man wearing a long, dark robe, like an old bat, with an aquiline nose and greasy hair that seemed to have been soaked in three liters of gel.
Before Leo could say anything, the man had already begun to speak.
"Mr. Jackson, I am Severus Snape, though for you I am Professor Snape. During your next year at Hogwarts, I will be your potions teacher."
"I will not say more words than necessary; what needs to be said is stated in the letter. I will not explain again what you should already know, unless your brain is as small as a Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Bean. Do you understand?"
Leo could only scratch his head awkwardly; although he hadn't spoken a word, he had already been inexplicably scolded.
Even before Snape spoke, Leo had recognized his identity.
It was easy to identify him, even for someone with limited knowledge after what happened in the Philosopher's Stone, which he had even somewhat forgotten.
Despite being a bit surprised, he did not think that a professor with such a character would help new students with their shopping.
As Snape said, the details had already been explained in the letter, so he got up early and read it carefully, making sure not to miss anything.
Seeing that Leo remained silent, Snape said indifferently:
"Follow me."
Leo picked up his small backpack and followed Snape with small steps.
After a few minutes of walking, they arrived at a rather narrow alley away from the crowd.
"Mr. Jackson, hold onto my sleeve tightly," Snape said.
"And don't even think about vomiting; this clothing is more expensive than anything you are allowed to pay for."
Leo wanted to reply, but before he could open his mouth, Snape continued in his gloomy voice, "We don't have all day, Mr. Jackson." Impatience flickered across his face.
'Haah... forget it,' Leo thought as he sighed internally.
"Yes, Professor Snape," he replied.
Once close, he tightly grasped the professor's sleeve.
Suddenly, a strange feeling of suction enveloped him; everything around him spun and turned upside down, and his stomach churned.
If he had to describe it, it would be like going for several spins inside a washing machine on high speed.
When he finally touched down, a moment of weightlessness was followed by intense nausea.
Recalling Professor Snape's words, he covered his mouth with his hands to control his retching.
"The first time always feels like this. After experiencing it a couple more times, you won't feel so dizzy," Snape reassured him.
To Leo's surprise, the professor seemingly possessed a hint of kindness and patiently waited for him to catch his breath and regain his color.
"Do you have the letter with you, Mr. Jackson?" Snape asked after a moment. Leo nodded.
"Good, inside there is a list of everything you need to buy," he continued.
Leo pulled the letter from one of his pockets and unfolded the sheet he had read that morning, knowing it would be useful for his shopping.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY:
UNIFORM
First-year students will need:
- Three simple work robes (black).
- One pointed hat (black) for daily use.
- One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar).
- One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings).
- (All items must have labels with the student's name.)
BOOKS
All students must have a copy of the following books:
- Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1, Miranda Goshawk.
- A History of Magic, Bathilda Bagshot.
- Magical Theory, Adalbert Waffling.
- A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration, Emeric Switch.
- One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, Phyllida Spore.
- Magical Draughts and Potions, Arsenius Jigger.
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Newt Scamander.
- The Dark Arts: A Guide to Self-Protection, Quentin Trimble.
OTHER EQUIPMENT
- 1 wand.
- 1 cauldron (pewter, size 2).
- 1 set of glass or crystal phials.
- 1 telescope.
- 1 brass scale.
Students may also bring an owl, a cat, or a toad.
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS.