"You're already studying advanced transfiguration?"
Hermione's voice rose, filled with disbelief.
*How is this guy outstudying me?*
Dylan looked over and, realizing it was her, nodded. "Yeah, but advanced transfiguration spells aren't easy. They take time to master."
Hermione blinked. *Is he showing off or something?*
For some reason, she felt a sudden urge to compete with him.
*So what if it's advanced transfiguration?*
Once she solidifies her foundation in basic transfiguration, she'll dive into the advanced stuff too!
"Neville, when you're studying *The Standard Book of Spells*, make sure to pay attention. I found some discrepancies between it and *Selected Magical Texts of the 18th Century*," Dylan advised.
"I'll ask the professor about it once term starts and let you know the details."
"Uh… thanks," Neville replied, still confused.
*What's this about the Standard Book of Spells and Selected Magical Texts of the 18th Century?*
He knew *The Standard Book of Spells* was their textbook, but what was the other one? He'd never even heard of it!
Seeing that everyone around him had fallen silent, Dylan went back to eating.
The group of stunned Gryffindors simply stared at him, this guy who seemed so different from the rest of them.
After Dylan put down his fork, Dumbledore gently waved his hand again.
The food in front of everyone vanished.
Dumbledore stood up.
"Everyone, as the new term begins, please remember the restricted areas I mentioned earlier. Especially the corridor on the right side of the fourth floor in the library—do not go near it."
"Also, do not cast spells in the hallways between classes. It's dangerous."
"Lastly, the Quidditch house teams are recruiting new players. If you're interested, contact Madam Hooch, but not until the second week of the term."
Dylan took Dumbledore's warnings about Hogwarts' restricted areas very seriously and noted them all down in his little notebook.
It wasn't that he planned to visit these places, but he had completely forgotten which areas were off-limits.
For now, he had no intention of exploring these zones.
His focus was on understanding magic, learning magic, and deepening his knowledge of magic.
When the opening feast finally ended, Dylan and Neville, led by Percy, followed the group of Gryffindors to their dormitory tower.
Dylan and Neville were assigned to the same room.
"Awesome! We get to room together!" Neville exclaimed, only to suddenly realize he'd lost Trevor again.
"Oh no! Trevor!"
His excitement was cut short.
Dylan sighed. "*Accio Trevor!*"
Once again, he cast the spell, and Trevor came floating over.
Dylan cut off the magic just before the toad reached him.
Neville, unfazed, quickly grabbed Trevor and held him close.
As for being roommates with Neville, Dylan didn't have strong feelings about it.
Overall, it was more convenient to room with someone he already knew rather than a complete stranger.
When he reached his luggage, the house-elves had already delivered his things.
Just as he was about to start unpacking, three more boys walked into the room.
"Hey, I'm Ron," a redhead said, popping up in front of him.
Dylan glanced at him. "Hi."
"Hey, we're roommates now," Harry said as he walked in.
"I'm Seamus. Nice to meet you."
Dylan nodded at them. "I'm Dylan."
It hadn't clicked at first, but seeing his roommates, he suddenly remembered that Neville was originally supposed to room with Harry.
His presence must have pushed someone else out of the room.
*Oh well, a bed's a bed.*
Dylan didn't bother overthinking it.
As someone who had mastered six advanced dark spells, he wasn't too concerned about the events Harry might face in the future.
If anyone caused trouble, he'd hit them with a *Crucio*, follow up with *Fiendfyre*, and finish with an *Avada Kedavra*!
Even if his magical reserves weren't as vast as an adult wizard's, no one would survive a sneak attack.
After quickly unpacking the essentials, Dylan decided to save the rest for tomorrow.
Before climbing into bed, he waved his wand.
"*Scourgify!*"
He cleaned both his bed and himself with a simple spell.
Then, kicking off his shoes, he climbed into bed.
Stretching out his legs, Dylan let out a big yawn.
"Magic really is the ladder of human progress."
With *Scouring Charm*, he didn't even need to bathe or wash his sheets.
That meant no more hanging clothes or drying socks.
He couldn't count how many times he'd struggled to clip socks onto the drying rack, only to have to take them down later.
What a hassle!
"I'm going to sleep. Goodnight, everyone."
As soon as Dylan lay down, Ron asked, "Aren't you going to change out of your robes?"
Dylan glanced at his wizard robes and smiled.
In the next moment, something incredible happened.
Under the watchful eyes of Neville, Harry, and the others, Dylan's robes simply vanished.
He slipped under the covers in an instant.
"What kind of magic was that?"
"I've got a pocket dimension," Dylan said, turning his back to them and closing his eyes.
Harry and Ron exchanged looks, both filled with envy.
At that moment, a thought struck Harry.
*Magic… I need to study magic harder!*
The others quickly settled in and went to sleep.
Since they'd just met, no one felt comfortable chatting too much.
The night passed quietly.
When morning came, Dylan's internal clock woke him up naturally.
Sitting up, he stretched again.
He pulled his robes out of his inventory, put them on, and glanced at his roommates.
No one had been disturbed by his movements; they were all still fast asleep.
*Peaceful as corpses.*
Dylan checked the time.
"Still early."
He decided to go check on his new owl.
Grabbing his textbooks and giving himself a quick *Scourgify*, he left the dorm.
"Oh, good morning, dear. You're the first one up," the Fat Lady said, yawning as Dylan stepped out of the Gryffindor common room.
"Good morning, Fat Lady," Dylan replied with a smile before heading straight to the Great Hall.
Before visiting the owlery, he needed to grab a bite to eat.
He quickly downed a glass of milk and two slices of toast, one slathered with jam.
After finishing his meal, he made his way to the owlery.
"Hey, Luna! I'm here to see you!"
(End of Chapter)