Over the next month, Carnie flipped through all his schoolbooks, but the only one that seemed remotely useful was The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1).
The rest were practically useless at the moment. He had already outgrown picture books, and Magical Theory felt just like reading a dry academic textbook—it made little sense without proper guidance. Even with his mature mind and greater comprehension ability, he was still a complete novice when it came to magic.
After thoroughly reading The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1), he didn't find many useful spells. He barely remembered anything from when he first watched Harry Potter years ago—just the ones that showed up frequently, like Avada Kedavra, Cruciatus, Imperius, Legilimens, Expecto Patronum, Expelliarmus, and Protego.
Knowing their incantations alone wasn't enough. Expecto Patronum was far too advanced—it was an upper-tier white magic spell, and even though he understood the principle behind it, it would be much easier to learn under a professor's guidance.
As for beginner spells, the book had the classics:
Wingardium Leviosa (Levitation Charm) Alohomora (Unlocking Charm) Locomotor Mortis (Leg-Locker Curse) Aguamenti (Water-Making Charm) Finite Incantatem (Counter-Spell)
And, of course, there was the Scourgify spell McGonagall had used for cleaning.
First-year spells weren't exactly battle-worthy. Advanced curses and hexes were still far out of reach. Even these simple spells required more than just knowing the words—magic wasn't something that could be forced out by sheer willpower.
A strange thought crossed his mind. Knowing all these dark spells… does this mean I'm destined to be a villain? He chuckled. I might end up worse than Voldemort. At least when he was my age, he didn't know this much dark magic.
But thanks to nine years of mandatory education, he had a strong moral compass. He understood right from wrong… though, if push came to shove, he could always just embrace the "everyone's evil" route.
Speaking of Voldemort, he wasn't too worried about the upcoming school year. This was the year the main story began, but Hogwarts was relatively safe—
Year One: As long as he didn't follow Harry into trouble, nothing major would happen. Year Two: No wandering alone, no poking around the Chamber of Secrets. Year Three: Learn the Patronus Charm as soon as possible. Year Four: Don't enter the Triwizard Tournament (not like he could at his age). Early game: play it safe. Late game: dominate.
No need to jinx himself with overconfidence, though. Nothing worse than setting up an expectation only to get beaten down later.
At home, Carnie focused on mastering three spells: Wingardium Leviosa, Protego, and Aguamenti.
Wingardium Leviosa was a practical spell that would come in handy often. Protego was the only defensive charm he knew, so he needed to get good at it fast. As for Aguamenti, he was curious about its mechanics. Did it convert his magic into water? Or was it drawing from moisture in the air? According to the law of conservation of energy, nothing could be created from nothing—there had to be some kind of exchange happening.
Not that his shaky knowledge of physics would stop him from practicing.
Time flew by, and soon, it was the morning of September 1st. The Stran family woke up early, knowing that the train station was quite a distance from their home. They didn't want to risk getting stuck in traffic.
By 9:30 AM, they arrived at King's Cross Station. Carnie pushed his trolley ahead while his father glanced around, looking puzzled.
"What platform are we looking for again?"
"Platform Nine and Three-Quarters."
"Right, where is it? Honey, did you find it?"
"It's right here." Carnie pointed to the wall between platforms nine and ten. "This is the entrance."
"Ah, running through walls. Yes, yes, we went over this yesterday," his father joked, stepping forward and patting the wall. "Doesn't look like I'll be getting through."
"We'll stop here, then." His mother, Lena, ruffled his hair affectionately. "Write to me often, okay?"
"Be sure to get along with your classmates," his father, Carter, added, patting his shoulder.
"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."
After giving them each a quick hug, Carnie gripped his trolley and dashed straight toward the barrier, disappearing through it.
On the other side, he was immediately greeted by the sight of a large, red steam train. Students were already boarding, chattering excitedly as they searched for compartments.
Carnie quickly moved away from the entrance—he didn't want to get run over by someone else coming through. He wasn't desperate enough to fake an injury for compensation.
The Hogwarts Express was a magnificent sight. Its polished red exterior and heavy metal build exuded a sense of reliability and strength.
Arriving early meant that there were still plenty of empty compartments. He randomly chose one, stowed away his luggage, and settled into a window seat.
Leaning against the glass, he scanned the crowd outside. He wondered if he could spot Harry or the Weasleys—they were pretty recognizable, after all. It wouldn't hurt to get familiar with the main characters early on. Better that than being just another nameless background student.
Bored, he decided against reading. Who could focus on books when they were about to step into an entirely new world?
With plenty of time left before departure, he figured he might as well take a nap.
If fate had a sense of humor, maybe when he woke up, Harry and Ron would already be sitting beside him.