I woke at four in the morning, as usual. The dormitory was silent, the other beds still occupied by sleeping students. I had always needed very little sleep, and wizards were known for their long lives for a reason.
Quietly, I opened my trunk. The inner shelf expanded with a soft magical hum. I took out some light clothes and headed to the bathroom.
The place was simple but cleanwhite tiled floors, ceramic sinks, and a row of showers along the wall. After freshening up, I returned to my bedside table and opened the drawer where my routine notes were kept. The parchment also contained instructions on how to find the various classrooms and important locations around the castle. Whoever wrote it clearly understood that anyone unfamiliar with the place could easily get lost in the endless corridors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Our schedule was packed. Most classes occurred daily, with a lunch break in the afternoon and dinner before Astronomy. I decided to explore the castle first. Walking through the corridors, I memorized every staircase, turn, and hallway that led to the classrooms. The Potions classroom was the farthest away , which was likely the reason it was scheduled after lunch.
Once I was done mapping the castle in my head, I headed outside. The cool morning breeze greeted me as I stepped onto the grounds, occasionally tugging at my tied hair. I made my way toward the Quidditch pitch.Sure enough, players were already practicing. One of them spotted me and descended.
Oliver Wood landed lightly beside me.
"Good morning, Taylen. Early bird, eh?"
"Always," I replied.
"Care for a little fly?"
I shook my head with a small smile.
"Nope. You continue. I'm just exploring."
Leaving the pitch behind, I made my way toward the Black Lake.
On the path, I encountered Rubeus Hagrid.
"Ay', kid. Bit early in the mornin', isn' it?" he said. We ended up having a surprisingly long conversation about magical creatures. He even mentioned that he knew my father hardly surprising, considering how long Hagrid had been at Hogwarts.
By the end of it, he invited me to visit his hut sometime for tea and cakes. I'd be more than happy to spend time with the gentle giant.
Eventually I reached the Black Lake, its dark water stretching silently under the morning sky. Even from the shore it carried an eerie feeling.
Perfect place for training.
I ran along the lakeside for a while, pushing through my cardio before moving closer to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. That spot would serve as my training area for the coming years.
I gathered several large boulders. If I lifted something extremely heavy right away, my adaptive ability would kick in and I'd bulk up far too quickly. That would definitely attract unwanted attention. Instead, I transfigured the stones into manageable weights heavy enough to challenge me, but not enough to trigger extreme growth. Using wood from nearby trees which I snapped apart with my hands I constructed basic workout equipment. With a flick of my wand, I reinforced them with durability charms.
Soon I had built:
a bench press
a leg press
a lat pulldown machine
several dumbbells
The dumbbells weighed about 100 pounds, though I also created smaller ones for Kathey. The larger machines had adjustable weights ranging from 100 to 700 pounds. It didn't take much magical stamina, but it definitely took effort. After finishing my workout, I walked toward the lake. I removed my clothes and stepped into the cold water. Then something unexpected happened. Gills formed along my neck.
"…Well," I muttered. It seemed the gods had gone all in with my adaptive abilities.
I swam effortlessly, slicing through the water like I belonged there like a merman. I didn't dive too deep though. After a few minutes I climbed back onto the shore, and the gills faded away.
With a flick of my wand along with a Scourgify, my clothes and body dried instantly. I let my hair loose and ran back toward the castle.
By the time I reached the dormitory, a few students had begun waking up. Checking my watch, I saw it was 6:10 AM. Breakfast was at seven.
In the common room, Kathey was sitting on a couch reading a Herbology book. Her purple eyes lifted briefly when I entered before returning to the page. I sat beside her and told her about my morning routine.
Her face lit up.
"Then I'm coming with you tomorrow," she said excitedly. We changed into our robes and headed to breakfast. The Great Hall wasn't very crowded yet. Kathey and I sat down with Anubis perched on my shoulder while I skimmed through the morning newspaper.
Breakfast included toast, eggs, milk, chicken, juice, and cake. While we were eating, a student nearby tripped and dropped everything. Before anything hit the floor, Kathey fired several precise spells. The dishes landed safely.
I raised an eyebrow.
"My intuition," she said calmly.
"Relax," I replied with a grin. "I'm just messing with you."
Soon Victor and Elara joined us. They were enthusiastic about joining our morning workouts.Good. I wanted my friends prepared for whatever the future might bring.
Our first class was Charms, taught by the legend Filius Flitwick. Many students struggled with the levitation spell, but Victor managed it with a bit of help from me, while Elara succeeded with Kathey's guidance. Kathey and I went a little further. We made the feather spin and rotate midair, earning house points.
Across the room, the Slytherin Avery twins glared at us. They had performed the spell before we had but we clearly outdid them.
Next came Transfiguration with Minerva McGonagall. The task was turning a matchstick into a needle. Most students managed a simple transformation.Kathey and I engraved small patterns onto ours.McGonagall awarded us additional points.
The Avery twins were still among the best but this time we obviously outmatched them.
Flying lessons followed. Kathey performed brilliantly. Even I knew a few tricks, though I deliberately held back. Still, Kathey's flying caught the attention of both Madam Hooch and McGonagall. By lunchtime, she had become the youngest Beater in Hogwarts history.
After lunch, McGonagall gathered the Gryffindor first-years for a short meeting.
She explained house rules and something interesting about dormitories.Rooms were upgraded based on academic performance.
Normal dormitory
Two-person rooms
Private rooms for prefects
That explained Oliver's current room.
Then came Potions with Severus Snape.He was exactly as intimidating as canon. Students trembled. He was noticeably less harsh toward Slytherins. Even Kathey nearly lost her temper at one point, but I managed to calm her down.
Snape, however, said nothing to me. I was brewing the Sleeping Draught with precise accuracy. He eventually stopped beside me and picked up my book.
My notes filled the margins small modifications and modified spells for experimental improvements. "Fascinating, Mr. Peverell," he said softly. "Meet me during the evening break."
Perfect. Winning Snape's interest was already on my to-do list.
After Potions came:
Defence Against the Dark Arts
History of Magic
Herbology
Defence was dull, History nearly put me to sleep, but Herbology was surprisingly enjoyable.
Kathey and I handled the Mandrakes perfectly.
Kathey even explained how their properties could help reverse petrification.
Professor Pomona Sprout was clearly impressed.
Later that evening, I met Snape in the Potions classroom. He was waiting with a journal in hand.
"Sit down, Peverell."
After a brief conversation, he asked about my knowledge and maturity. Because it was quite unusual to use those modified spells which were in my potions book and that at this age.
Finally, I told him the truth about my past experiments and the horrors conducted by followers of Voldemort. After forming a trust pact with him.
He stared at me in disbelief.
"You survived that? But it was said they all died!"
"Why would I lie after forming a magical pact, Professor?"
Eventually he understood. And we chatted for a while about me and my ideals.When I told him that I followed the ideals of Albus Dumbledore but without mercy for enemies, Snape smirked.
I actually pinched my thigh to make sure I wasn't dreaming.
At dinner, students were allowed to sit wherever they liked. Our group sat together talking and eating. At the High Table, Dumbledore and Snape were speaking quietly.
Then Dumbledore glanced toward me.
I nodded slightly.
He smiled.
Kathey nudged me.
"What happened?"
"I'll tell you later."
Our final class was Astronomy on the tower.
Kathey loved it. I found it less interesting, though I completed the assignment quickly.
Kathey stayed a bit longer studying star patterns. Eventually we returned to the dormitories and settled in for the night.
It had only been the first day.
And it was just the beginning.
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