"Uh, what is this...?"
Then came the sound of wings flapping.
Then.
"Maurice, I have a letter for you."
Morris immediately leaned out from the upper bunk.
Scott stood there dumbfounded, holding a very thick-looking envelope in his hand, with a look that said, "What happened?"
"You might not believe it, Morris," he said blankly, "but a winged cat just threw this in through the window."
A cat with wings?
Morris's heart skipped a beat. He immediately jumped out of bed and quickly took the envelope from Scott's hand.
This is a heavy parchment envelope with a slightly yellowish, aged hue, giving it a very high-quality feel.
It looks like a high-end product.
Morris glanced through it briefly.
There was a line of text written in bright green ink on the envelope.
[34 Ashley Street, Ashley Children's Home, second floor, east side dormitory, upper bunk by the window, Mr. Maurice Black]
In addition, there was a large blob of thick, dark red sealing wax on the back of the envelope, with a shield-shaped emblem clearly embossed on it.
The coat of arms features four animals in the center: a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake.
They are arranged together around an elegant letter "H".
Without saying a word, Morris opened the envelope.
"..."
Seeing that Maurice hadn't moved for a while, Scott curiously leaned closer. "What's this? Who wrote you this letter? This symbol looks really strange..."
Morris was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Scott, I might... not be able to go to Northwood General School."
"?"
Chapter 2 Good cat, you should eat more.
Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: Albus Dumbledore (President of the International Magical Union, President of the Wizarding Association, First Class Wizard of the Order of Merlin)
Dear Mr. Blake:
We are pleased to inform you that you have been admitted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Enclosed is a list of required books and equipment.
The semester is scheduled to begin on September 1st. We will await your reply by July 31st via owl.
Respectfully presented by Vice Principal (female) Minerva McGonagall.
...
The next morning.
Scott, in the lower bunk, was still fast asleep.
Morris lay in bed, using the light filtering through the curtains to look through the letters he had received from Hogwarts the night before.
He didn't think it was anyone's prank.
"Hogwarts…" he murmured.
This is truly a word that can evoke long-standing memories.
So, he was reborn in the world of Harry Potter in this life.
Morris quickly accepted this reality.
That might not be bad either.
Magic...
This should bring some fun to his boring life.
However, to be fair, he doesn't actually know much about Harry Potter.
He had not read any related books or watched any related movies.
Or rather, his only impression of this world was the name "Harry Potter".
Oh, and there's that Avada Slurp meme.
He didn't know why, but that one thing was imprinted in his memory.
The human brain is truly amazing.
Although no useful intelligence was found, Maurice did not feel any regret.
He wished he knew more about Harry Potter... but he didn't think that way.
He preferred the feeling of exploring the unknown to that.
The desire to explore!
For Maurice, this was the most primal driving force that propelled him forward, and it was a characteristic that remained unchanged throughout his journey.
A completely unknown magical world is far more interesting than a predictable future that has already been spoiled.
After repacking the letter and tucking it under his pillow, Maurice jumped out of bed and headed straight for the door.
There's one more thing he needs to verify.
...
Morris's "children's home" is located in a rather run-down and quiet neighborhood—which is understandable, given that land is extremely valuable in bustling areas.
The morning mist had not completely dissipated, and the air was filled with a faint smell of damp bricks and garbage.
Several early risers wrapped their coats tightly around themselves and hurried along, none of them giving the boy who emerged from the old porch a second glance.
Morris walked purposefully toward the trash can on the street corner.
"It should be around here..."
Behind an overturned trash can, a dark shadow was huddled up.
This is Morris's goal—
The carcass of an adult black cat.
This is probably a stray cat; Morris found it when he came home from school last night.
It lay there, its body still warm, but it had stopped breathing.
Judging from the black cat's emaciated appearance, it probably starved to death.
After a half-second mental preparation, Maurice picked up the poor cat's corpse.
Unexpectedly, he did not feel any discomfort, only a cool sensation in his arms.
It's quite comfortable.
The corpse's characteristic stiffness and the lightness of being lifeless gave him a sense of peace.
"Do I have some kind of perverted tendencies...?" Maurice couldn't help but begin to doubt himself.
Without lingering, Maurice carried the black cat's body quietly to the warehouse in the orphanage's backyard.
He fumbled around for almost half a minute before finding the light switch.
Turn on the light.
This is a fairly spacious area.
Since it was a warehouse, the corners were naturally filled with all sorts of odds and ends.
Broken tables and chairs, smelly blankets, several deflated balls... and a dead rat.
Now, let's get started with the preparations.
Morris placed the black cat's body temporarily on a table with a missing leg propped up by old books, then went to the pile of groceries and began rummaging through it.
...
About two hours later, Morris wiped the sweat from his brow.
"It should be about time."
He looked at the result of his work on the open space in the center of the room.
It was a pattern resembling a magic circle from some movies or TV shows.
Or rather, it was a magic circle.
The shape of the magic circle exuded an ominous aura: scarlet lines outlined two perfect concentric rings on the floor. Between the rings were densely packed, twisted, and coiled unidentified symbols, resembling some kind of unknown script.
Extremely creepy.
In fact, Maurice did not intend to paint anything so suggestive, but he only found red paint in this warehouse.
The other paints were either completely dry or used up.
Yes, pigment.