In the game, there's this term: "hoarding squirrel."
You know, like a squirrel stashing away nuts for the big moment.
Basil was that guy.
So, the new data on Hagrid—the Echo that'd cost gems to activate—he held off on checking it.
Same with Harry, Neville, Ron, and Malfoy's.
Plastering on a smile, he followed Hagrid down the narrow path, through the pitch-black woods.
Until they reached the edge of a glassy black lake.
Across the water, perched high on a rocky slope, loomed a massive castle. Turrets stabbed the sky, windows twinkling like stars.
"That's Hogwarts," Basil murmured.
In his mind, that dull, gray, unmovable fortress suddenly burst into color.
Time seemed to freeze.
His body vanished from the spot.
And popped up inside the mini-world in his head: Hogwarts castle, mountains, lake, docks, Quidditch pitch, Forbidden Forest—all laid out.
It started zooming in slow.
Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade, London flickered into view on the hazy edges.
That's when it hit him: this wasn't just some mental image. It was a real pocket world.
And now, the two worlds were overlapping.
[Ding! Personal info updated.]
[New: Status - Hogwarts Prep Student (20 Gems daily)]
[Zzzzt... Self-diagnostic running.]
[Missing: Achievement component. Library component. Arena component. Dance component. Homework component.]
[Missing: Forbidden Forest component... {Hall of History} vanished.]
[Magic Book component unique: {Link Parallel Worlds} changed to {Nearby World Travel}.]
[Hogsmeade. Diagon Alley. London - Unactivated.]
As the worlds synced up, Basil snapped back to reality.
Along with a flood of massive info dumps straight to his brain.
In the game, us transmigrators' big cheat was the [Magic Book].
And in the Harry Potter worlds we jumped into, we were the only transmigrator around.
All the socializing, dueling, teaming up, guild-making—it all ran through it.
The {Hall of History} was the [Magic Book] using the transmigrator's time-space gift to harness the time rifts from that Time-Turner thief smashing a pile in the Forbidden Forest. It projected future echoes.
That's where you fought projections to snag [Echoes] in the game.
{Nearby World Travel} now? It piggybacked on similar world vibes, plus the pull from the system and its missing parts, to hop over.
He'd gotten the basics on this before—needed 30k gems.
Now he had the full backstory and official name.
Activating Hogsmeade, Diagon Alley, London? Probably had to physically show up there.
He'd been to London and Diagon Alley before—no dice.
Because his mental Hogwarts hadn't fully merged with the real deal yet.
But post-merge? The mental version didn't vanish.
Its shadow stuck around.
So now, one thought, and Basil—or his spells—could pop up anywhere in Hogwarts.
He could crash potions class and start dancing, or kick back in the headmaster's office picking his toes.
Standing right here, he could zap Quirrell in the Great Hall with a Scourgify to the back of the head.
The game's top-right [Quick Map] had fused seamlessly with the whole castle—cleaner interface.
Zoom in, and he could scope every inch: bathrooms, girls' dorms included.
Which meant Professor Sprout's greenhouses? Wide open for business.
Blink, "snapshot," boom—summon card made.
If the Forbidden Forest component wasn't AWOL, he could've farmed magical creatures the same way.
Not pie in the sky.
Hogwarts was basically part of him now.
He was Hogwarts.
Heck, if his physical body bit it?
His soul wouldn't head to the afterlife.
Just burn equivalent gems, respawn anywhere on castle grounds.
Die in another world? Extra 100-gem cross-realm fee.
"Now who's scared of Voldy-shmoldy?" Basil couldn't help thinking.
He reached into thin air with his right hand—a red magic stone appeared in his palm.
Shoved it in his pocket; next second, it was back where it belonged.
Suddenly, he had the urge to teleport to the headmaster's office and tell Dumbledore, "I'm the boss now!"
"Heads down!" Hagrid's bellow snapped Basil out of his mental Hogwarts trip.
Unnoticed, he'd climbed into one of the boats—magic-propelled, gliding forward slow.
With Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
Boats only held four, so Neville politely grabbed another.
Up ahead, their boat was nearing the cliff face.
About to slip under the curtain of ivy draping the rock, into a dark tunnel to the castle's underground dock.
Basil, trailing behind, could still see everything clear.
Castle lights shimmered off the lake—no total blackout.
He also spotted the one three-kid boat.
Draco Malfoy, with Crabbe and Goyle crammed in.
Probably 'cause those two chunks took up the extra space.
"Basil, that jerk Malfoy's staring at you!" Hermione wrinkled her nose.
"Nah," Basil said, surprised. "He's eyeballing Harry."
Harry and Ron weren't paying attention.
They were lost in the solemn vibe of heading to Hogwarts.
Basil narrowed his eyes. He was in a good mood—perfect time for some fun.
"Betrayal! Shameless betrayal!" Draco glared daggers at the four-eyes kid.
He'd met Harry first.
But Harry picked the others.
Blood-traitor Weasley, blood-shame Neville Longbottom who acted Squib-ish, Granger side-branch.
Had the Malfoys really fallen that hard?
Just one summer.
Everything flipped.
No more Hogwarts Board seat.
Shops shut down on flimsy excuses.
Even Goyle was getting uppity.
Reached for those snacks without asking.
"No— this isn't real!" Malfoy roared inside.
Oblivious as the cliff vines started creeping... toward him.
Splash!
Deep in the tunnel, Hagrid held up his lantern, peering back.
"Who fell in?!"
Screams echoed nonstop.
Drowning out Crabbe and Goyle's yells.
From the lake depths, a massive tentacle coiled around the drowned Malfoy.
Surged past boat after boat.
Hoisted him right up to Hagrid's face.
Hagrid didn't hesitate—yanked off his moleskin overcoat, wrapped it around the kid.
But it was huge on Malfoy—like he was trapped under a black circus big-top tent.
His sharp, skinny little face poked out the collar, pure terror.