Ted opened his eyes as the familiar chime of the system rang in his mind.
Today was September 1st—Hogwarts was back in session. But more importantly, it was the day his system refreshed with new knowledge from other worlds.
Ding!
[Knowledge of Other Worlds (Gold)] Activated.
New Unlock: [Konoha Village Cat Food Recipe Encyclopedia (Green)]
A collection of recipes detailing how the ninja cats of Konoha prepare their meals. Requires 190 experience points to exchange.
"Huh? Cat food?" Ted blinked, momentarily thrown off by the oddity of the unlock.
'It's like that Buff-granting food from Azeroth, huh. But this one's a cat food'
'Well, its an ordinary knowledge, but... I bet Professor McGonagall would like it, hehe,'
Decision made, Ted exchanged his experience points for the recipe.
With a flick of his wand, he cast Reducio on his luggage, shrinking it to the size of a fist before stuffing it into his pocket.
He grabbed Anzu, and Parker, and made his way to the Leaky Cauldron's entrance.
"See you later, Old Tom!" he called out as he stepped into a Muggle taxi.
He arrived at King's Cross Station early.
When he walked through the enchanted barrier onto Platform 9¾, the place was still relatively quiet.
Taking advantage of the calm, he climbed aboard the Hogwarts Express and claimed an empty compartment.
About forty minutes later, the platform filled with excited students and bustling parents.
Ted glanced out the window just in time to spot Hermione arriving with her parents.
She was all smiles as she pushed her trolley, practically glowing with excitement.
Mr. Granger, however, hesitated for a moment, his gaze softening as he watched his daughter board the train.
Pride and warmth filled his expression, but there was also a hint of melancholy.
'It must be tough, sending her off to a world so different from their own,' Ted thought.
Ted had just settled into his compartment on the Hogwarts Express when a familiar flutter of wings caught his attention.
Anzu, let out a soft caw before gliding toward the corridor.
Moments later, the door slid open.
"Ted!" Hermione's voice was bright with excitement as she stepped inside, her arms full of books, her luggage trailing behind her.
Anzu, looking quite pleased, perched himself comfortably on her shoulder.
Ted glanced up from the aged tome he had been reading and smiled.
"Hermione, you made it just in time."
She beamed and set her books down, smoothing the front of her off-white blouse.
She wore a light yellow skirt with tiny floral patterns, a touch more put together than usual—likely thanks to Mrs. Granger.
Hermione had never been particularly good at taming her wild curls, but today they were neatly combed.
"What are you reading?" she asked, taking the seat across from him.
Ted flicked his wand lazily, causing her trunk to levitate onto the luggage rack.
"An old book on King Arthur. Picked it up from a Muggle bookstore—published nearly eighty years ago. Figured it might have some magical parallels."
Hermione watched the effortless display of magic, her eyes gleaming. "Your spellwork keeps getting stronger."
"You're one to talk. I bet you leveled up over the summer," Ted teased.
"Of course!" Hermione's chest puffed up slightly as she grinned.
The expression on her face all but screamed: Ask me! Praise me! I worked hard!
Ted chuckled.
He had already noticed her improvements.
His Identification ability allowed him to gauge people's attributes, and Hermione's stats had increased significantly since they last met.
--------------------------------------------
Hermione Granger
Level 3 Wizard
Strength: 3
Constitution: 4
Agility: 4
Intelligence: 8 → 9
Perception: 6
Spirit: 9
Charm: 6
Luck: ??
Talent: [Scholar (Red)]
Skills:
Magic Level 2
Magic Resistance Level 1
Enchantment Level 2
Transfiguration Level 2
Potion Making Level 2 → 3
Herbology Level 1
-----------------------------------------------
Ted blinked.
Hermione had awakened a talent.
And not just any talent—Scholar (Red).
That was rare.
In his first year, Ted had analyzed at least seventy or eighty students.
Very few had talents, and those who did mostly had lower-tier ones.
Green at best.
Yet Hermione had unlocked a red-tier talent before even hitting fourth year?
It made sense.
Scholar was likely a tier below his own [God of Learning] (Purple) talent, but it was still a major advantage.
And her improvements were insane.
Her intelligence stat had increased by one whole point—which was huge.
And her Potions skill had leveled up during the summer, which was unheard of.
"Hermione," Ted said, lowering his book,
"how exactly did you study in Potions over the break? You couldn't use magic, right?"
She grinned.
"I studied. A lot. And I think I had a breakthrough. I was going over my notes and realized I'd been misunderstanding some of the potion interactions. Once I corrected my theories, everything just clicked."
Ted whistled.
"You studied potions without hands-on practice? That's insane."
It was no small feat.
Potion-making was one of the hardest skills to level up because ingredients were expensive, and Hogwarts students had limited access to free practice time.
Many first-years never even hit Level 1 in Potions.
Snape's infamous insults about "dunderheads" weren't just cruelty—most students genuinely struggled with the subject.
Even Neville was still at Level 0.
Poor guy.
Then there were prodigies like Harley Potter, who had inherited raw talent from her mother and received—intentional or not—special guidance from Snape.
By the end of first year, Harley had hit Level 2 in Potions, partly due to Snape making her stay after class for extra "practice" (which mostly meant chopping ingredients).
Ted himself had worked at Slug & Jiggers Apothecary Apothecary before Hogwarts, so he entered school already knowing the basics.
He had reached Level 3 only after an entire summer of brewing potions non-stop.
But Hermione?
She had jumped a level just by theory.
Scary.
Ted smirked and leaned forward. "Alright then, genius, explain your grand revelation."
That was all the invitation Hermione needed.
She launched into an enthusiastic discussion about the importance of ingredient sequencing, cauldron temperatures, and the hidden logic behind potion reactions.
Ted listened intently, throwing in his own insights.
They went back and forth, debating theories and refining techniques.
Before they knew it, the train had nearly filled up, and the familiar hum of excited students filled the air.
Just as Ted was about to suggest getting snacks from the trolley, the compartment door slid open again.
Jerry stumbled into the compartment, slightly out of breath. "Phew! Finally found you guys. Thought I was gonna miss the train."
He heaved his luggage onto the rack and flopped onto a seat with a relieved sigh.
Unlike most students, Jerry had to use the Ministry of Magic's special Floo Network to reach the platform.
Unfortunately, thanks to some bureaucratic delays, he had barely made it in time.
Outside, the Hogwarts Express released a sharp whistle, steam hissing as the train jolted into motion.
Jerry looked around. "Where's Neville? Ron? And Harley? Don't tell me they all went to the loo at the same time?"
Ted and Hermione froze mid-conversation, their eyes meeting in alarm. "Oh no," Hermione whispered.
Ted's mind raced, piecing together the puzzle.
He had spent time at the Burrow over the summer, where Ron had enthusiastically rambled about his family's adventures.
One particular story suddenly clicked into place—
Back at King's Cross, things had gone horribly wrong for their missing friends.
Neville, Ron, and Harley arrived at Platform 9¾ just in time—only to run headfirst into a problem. Literally.
The Weasley family, notorious for last-minute scrambles, had already made three trips back home to retrieve forgotten items.
By the time Ron, Neville, and Harley reached the barrier, the clock was ticking dangerously close to departure.
Adding to the chaos, Neville and Harley had run into Draco Malfoy at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour earlier that day.
A tense standoff had ensued, ending with Malfoy retreating in a flustered huff after Harley's unimpressed glare had sent him scurrying.
Afterward, the two had treated themselves to ice cream before finally heading to the station.
When the trio arrived, they fully expected to see Ted and Hermione waiting.
Instead, the entrance to Platform 9¾ refused to let them through.
Ron was the first to try, dashing toward the red brick pillar with practiced confidence—
THUD!
He crashed spectacularly, landing flat on his back, groaning in pain.
A massive lump was already forming on his forehead.
"Ron!" Neville crouched beside him. "Are you okay?!"
Ron's dazed eyes fluttered open. "Dizzy… so dizzy…"
Harley frowned. "That's weird. It's supposed to let us through."
She stepped forward, bracing herself before launching at the barrier.
THUD! Duang!
Harley, being a bit more cautious, avoided smashing her head—but her tailbone took the brunt of the impact.
She winced, hissing through her teeth. "Okay, ow. That was a mistake."
Neville hesitated before reaching out to touch the barrier.
It looked the same as always.
No shimmering magic, no indication that anything was amiss—except for the fact that it was now solid brick.
"Did we miss the window?" Neville asked, panic creeping into his voice.
"What if we can't get through anymore?!"
Ron, still clutching his forehead, groaned. "We're doomed… Snape's going to murder us."
Unbeknownst to them, a pair of large, round eyes peeked at them from a dark corner of the station.
A tiny figure dressed in a filthy, tattered pillowcase wrung his hands anxiously.
Dobby.
The same house-elf Neville had encountered before—one who had nearly scared the life out of him—was now watching from a distance, determined to save Neville Longbottom.
Dobby knew Hogwarts would be dangerous this year.
A terrible conspiracy loomed over the school, and if the great savior was harmed, it would be his fault for not acting.
He had to prevent Neville from going—no matter what it took.
Elves and goblins had their own unique magic, different from wizards.
And Dobby had cast a particularly mischievous spell on the barrier.
Normally, the entrance to Platform 9¾ required a running start to activate the passage.
It was designed to prevent unsuspecting Muggles from stumbling through by accident.
Dobby, however, had increased the required speed significantly—to nearly eighty miles per hour.
There was simply no way a twelve-year-old wizard could reach that velocity without a broomstick.
Now, the trio was stranded.
Muggle station attendants were starting to notice the group of kids loitering suspiciously near the pillar, and Neville was sweating bullets.
Ron looked like he might pass out again.
Panic set in.
Harley, however, was thinking.
She glanced around and spotted something familiar in the nearby parking lot.
The Weasleys had arrived at the station in that old, beat-up car.
Now, with the family already gone…
She turned to Ron. "Your dad's car. It can fly, right?"
Ron blinked. "Huh? Oh, yeah! It flies fast!"
"Can it fly all the way to Hogwarts?"
Neville and Ron stared at her as realization dawned.
Harley grinned. "I have a plan."
Neville: "Harley, no—"
Ron: "Harley, yes!"