"Andy, come down and eat! I don't want to say it again!"
Hearing the voice from downstairs, Andy Collins groggily rubbed his eyes and forced himself out of bed.
Ottery St. Catchpole was a small village in Devon, nestled along the River Otter, where wizards and Muggles lived side by side.
Andy had lived in this village for ten years now.
When he first realized he had somehow traveled to the magical world of "Harry Potter," his surprise only lasted a moment before he quickly accepted it.
After all, in Andy's previous life, time travel was nothing new.
"No big deal," he thought.
"If I had known, I would've memorized the entire Harry Potter series!"
This wasn't the first time Andy regretted not doing so.
Although "Harry Potter" was a worldwide bestseller, in his previous life, Andy had only heard about it and never actually read the books.
They were, after all, foreign novels to him.
As for the movies…
Well, Andy had only watched the first one.
When he saw Professor Quirrell snapping his fingers to create fire but then trying to choke Harry to death instead, he felt insulted by the sheer absurdity.
"Was the director out of his mind? Or was it Quirrell who lacked common sense?"
Andy had never been able to figure out why.
And what was Quirrell thinking when he assumed Harry would die from falling off his broom?
Did Voldemort really rot his brain?
There were more moments in the movie that baffled Andy.
"Why!" he sighed.
But it was too late to question anything now.
With a spring in his step, Andy rushed down the stairs, stopping briefly to glance in the mirror.
His tousled brown curls were a bit wild, and his bright blue eyes still looked sleepy. He rubbed his face and thought, "Another handsome day."
"So lazy!" teased Isabel Collins, already seated at the table and waiting for breakfast.
Thwack!
After giving the little girl a gentle knock on the head, Andy sat across from her, panting slightly. "All you do is eat. You'll turn into a ball, and then I'll have to roll you off to Hogwarts."
"You're the one who'll turn into a ball!" Isabel glared at him and turned to their mother, Helen Collins. "Mom! Andy's picking on me again!"
"Then hit him back!" Helen replied with little sympathy as she waved her wand. The food she had prepared floated through the air, landing neatly on their plates.
"Dad, what's the news today?" Andy asked, looking toward his father, Kyle Collins.
Kyle set down the Daily Prophet and smiled. "The paper says that the Boy Who Lived—Harry Potter—is starting school this year, in your year."
Well, that was no surprise.
Having spent ten years in England since his family's return, Andy was well aware of Harry Potter's fame.
In modern terms, Harry Potter had earned a place in history.
And it all stemmed from one man—Voldemort.
In Andy's previous life, many Harry Potter fans argued that the first Dark Lord, Gellert Grindelwald, was superior to Voldemort.
They said Voldemort was nothing more than a terrorist.
However, it was precisely because Voldemort was a terrorist that the fear he instilled far exceeded Grindelwald's.
Just as wizards feared Voldemort, despite Dumbledore being more powerful.
"Great, I only have..." Isabel began counting on her fingers. "One, two, three... Six more years before I can go to school! But by then, Harry Potter will already be graduating."
"Andy, can you get me Harry Potter's autograph?" she asked, her eyes lighting up.
"You want me to ask an eleven-year-old for an autograph?" Andy grimaced. "No way! You'll have to ask for it yourself!"
Isabel pouted. "But when I get to Hogwarts, Harry will already be in seventh year..."
Andy suddenly realized something.
Starting at Hogwarts alongside Harry Potter meant seven years of chaos. But if you entered when Harry was in his seventh year, you might end up facing Voldemort right away.
Could first-year Isabel survive a battle with Voldemort's forces?
And wasn't the final battle supposed to take place at Hogwarts?
Poor little girl.
Andy scratched his head but didn't dwell on it. As survivors of the last wizarding war, his parents had their own survival strategies.
When Voldemort was at the height of his power, Andy had been a baby, lying in his crib, witnessing everything firsthand.
At that time, the family hadn't been in Devon—they were living in France.
Kyle had been tasked with persuading the French Ministry of Magic to send Aurors to support the British during the war. A recent graduate at the time, Kyle had used connections with a relative in the French Ministry to secure a position in the British Ministry of Magic's Department of International Magical Cooperation.
He had stayed there until the war ended.
Even now, more than a decade later, Kyle still worked in that department.
His current boss was Barty Crouch.
If Voldemort ever returned, Andy figured he would be safe at Hogwarts under Dumbledore's protection. But Kyle and Helen would likely take Isabel and flee back to France.
After all, there was a magic school there too—an excellent excuse.
After breakfast, Kyle left for work at the Ministry through their home's Floo network. Helen, waving her wand, tidied up the table, while the dishes cleaned themselves in the sink.
'Magic is amazing' Andy thought to himself.
No matter how many times he saw it, the magic of the Harry Potter world always fascinated him.
From a purely destructive standpoint, magic in this world wasn't overwhelmingly powerful.
But in terms of versatility and practical use, its level was remarkably high.
Over the years, Andy had read most of the magical books in the house, gaining a solid understanding of how things worked with the help of his parents.
But wizards under eleven have unstable magic, so Andy hadn't learned to cast spells yet.
"Andy, help your sister with her reading. I've got a potion to brew, and I don't want to be disturbed."
Isabel pulled a face, but Helen, giving her a sharp look, added, "If you don't study, you'll only get one meal a day from now on."
"I understand!" Isabel replied with a sigh.
(End of the Chapter).