After Percy spoke the password, the Fat Lady swung open, revealing the entrance to the Gryffindor common room—a round hole in the wall.
Loren helped Hermione through first, then climbed in himself, and finally reached back to pull Neville up behind him.
Once inside, he took a moment to study the layout. It looked almost exactly like the one from the films he remembered: a cozy circular room filled with squashy armchairs, walls hung with portraits, and a fireplace in one corner where flames danced merrily.
While Loren was still observing, Percy was already leading the girls through one door toward their dormitory. He then returned to guide the boys through another door, up a spiral staircase.
At the top, they reached their dormitory. It was a five-person room, but privacy was well thought out—each of the five beds hung with deep crimson velvet curtains.
Loren glanced at his four roommates: Harry, Ron, Neville, and the explosive genius Seamus. Everyone was exhausted, quickly changing into pajamas and getting ready for bed.
Loren lay down but didn't sleep right away. Instead, he opened his system panel, something he hadn't checked in a while, and began planning his academic year.
"System Panel:
Name: Loren Angus
Class: Apprentice Wizard
Life Skills: … (click to expand)
Class Skills:
1. Mana Control (Advanced): Advanced mastery of magical power, allows wandless, wordless casting, though with reduced strength.
2. Mana Release (Advanced): Releases magical power around oneself—any spell must pass through this shield of mana before affecting him.
3. Alchemy (Advanced): Alchemy touching the realm of the divine.
4. Charms (Advanced): Mastery of all common spells, easy use of advanced magic.
5. Mana Detection (Advanced): Extending mana outward detects objects; when focused through the eyes, opens Mana Vision.
6. Mana Tempering (Intermediate): Consumes mana to temper the body, increasing resilience, magic resistance, and mana affinity.
7. Herbology (Intermediate): Knowledge of most herbs recorded in books.
8. Potions (Intermediate): Can brew according to recipes in textbooks.
9. Transfiguration (Beginner): Can change one object into another, but not involving living beings.
Talents:
1. Strange Knowledge: (omitted)
2. Chaotic Thinking: (omitted)
3. Universal Language Mastery: (omitted)
4. World Feedback: (omitted)
5. Self-Discipline: (omitted)
6. First-Generation Wizard Talent: (omitted)
7. Reader: (omitted)
8. Body Modification: (omitted)
9. Aura Concealment: (omitted)
System Evaluation: You must be the personal disciple of both Gryffindor and Ravenclaw."
After more than a month in the wizarding world, his alchemy had advanced considerably, evolving from a primarily scientific approach into a fusion of science and mysticism.
From the accumulated knowledge of his skills and wizarding research, he had even developed Mana Tempering—strengthening his body, boosting resistance, and increasing spell power. A perfect skill for a mage.
He had already mastered everything in the first-through-seventh-year textbooks, raising Charms to an advanced level. Now he only needed to learn more higher-tier spells. Once he had a foundation of advanced charms, he could begin researching the true essence of spellcraft.
Herbology lagged behind. Though he knew all the textbook content, he had only seen a fraction of the plants in person—mostly in shops.
Potions remained difficult. He could follow recipes, but the natural variations in herbs made consistency a challenge. Improving quality and speed would take experience.
Transfiguration was the hardest. Perhaps because of his education in his past life, he struggled with its philosophy. For now, he could only transform lifeless objects, nothing like Professor McGonagall, who could casually create living things.
After reviewing the panel, Loren thought over his position.
The Sorting Hat had placed him in Gryffindor—not a bad result. He could now stay close to Harry, observe events, and quietly leave his own mark on the story he loved.
His academic plans were clear: learn advanced spells and consult Professor Flitwick to search for the essence of magic. In Herbology, he needed practice—ideally creating a pocket dimension, a portable miniature world, where plants could grow. His unique mental space could store magically expanded objects, which gave him an edge.
For Transfiguration, he'd have to ask McGonagall directly about his difficulty creating life.
Potions had no shortcuts—only steady accumulation of experience would eventually reveal its essence.
As for research, Hogwarts' ghosts were crucial for his studies on life and death. Peeves, too, was invaluable—a spirit-like entity born not from death but from students' emotions. That made him a prime subject for studying artificial souls—perhaps even a key to pushing his alchemy into the divine realm.
Then there was the Philosopher's Stone. Loren didn't care about its Elixir of Life—he could already make "pure gold" that prolonged life. What mattered was its ability to permanently change matter. That was another key to ultimate alchemy. Two keys would guarantee his path to completion.
The twins' Marauder's Map might tie into Hogwarts' permissions system—worth studying. If he could crack it, he might even tamper with the castle's magic itself. At the very least, the Room of Requirement was a promising subject.
Ravenclaw's Diadem, one of the Founders' relics, also awaited in the Room of Requirement. It wasn't urgent—nobody else knew where it was. He could claim it when convenient.
And then there was the ultimate tool—the Time-Turner, the most accessible artifact for temporal magic. It would let him touch upon time itself.
"No, stop. If I keep thinking, I won't sleep."
He forced himself to focus on the present. For now, the simplest project was teaching the house-elves Chinese cooking. He could already make dishes that glowed with alchemical brilliance—why keep eating like a savage gnawing on meat slabs?
Amusing ideas followed. He could introduce eccentric recipes: cold dressed fish mint, century egg salad, roasted pig eyes. It wasn't about taste—it was about shocking the culinary-stagnant wizarding world with Chinese cuisine.
Then another thought struck—he could befriend Peeves by betting him to pull off mischief, like ripping off Quirrell's turban. After all, Harry's scar had burned at dinner—Voldemort was likely hiding under there, suffocating in garlic fumes.
He should befriend Hagrid, too. The big oaf was trustworthy—as long as no secrets were shared. And the Forbidden Forest was full of magical flora and fauna… perfect for testing his cooking.
How could he resist one day brewing hotpot base in Snape's classroom cauldrons, right in front of him? Potion brewing and hotpot broth weren't so different. Perhaps, with mastery, he could fuse cooking into alchemy itself.
As for his Head of House, Professor McGonagall—an Animagus who could become a cat—surely he couldn't miss the chance to give her a petting session?
Thinking of Animagi, he recalled Ron's pet rat—really Peter Pettigrew. Sharing a dorm with him for years was unnerving.
What was the counter-curse for Animagi, anyway? He'd need to look that up. If an Animagus died in animal form, would they stay that way? He remembered the quintaped—wizards cursed into beasts who stayed that way after death.
So, if he killed Scabbers and ate him, would that count as cannibalism? The thought was disturbing, but his Sichuan upbringing had him used to spice—not rodents. He wouldn't eat a rat. Nor a cat. Insects were unappealing. Dog meat… he'd tried once or twice. Maybe. Elk would've been better.
As his thoughts spiraled, more and more absurd ideas surfaced. Loren knew he had to calm down.
"Time is plenty. Don't rush."
He forced himself to empty his mind. One by one, the thoughts ebbed away until nothing remained, and his mind was finally still.
Best to avoid such deep thinking late at night—last thing he needed was insomnia.
"Sleep first. Everything else can wait."
With that, Loren closed his eyes, banishing the last stray thoughts, and let himself drift into rest.
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