At this moment, Ted's heart was filled with boundless joy—even becoming a big tycoon in an ordinary world couldn't compare to the thrill of a world with magic!
I'm going to be a wizard~
He carefully opened the letter. The first page read:
HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHART AND WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Mr. Epiphany:
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
The second page:
UNIFORM
First-year students will require:
Three plain work robes (black)
One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)
Please note that all students' clothing should bear name tags.
TEXTBOOKS
All students should have the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble
OTHER EQUIPMENT
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales
Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad.
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS.
Two sheets of parchment, thick and heavy to the touch. Holding them in his hand made his heart race uncontrollably.
Forget Apple and Jobs, forget Microsoft and Bill Gates, forget Tesla with no brakes—I'm done with all that!
I'm going to learn magic!
A triumphant voice echoed in Ted's mind:
Study magic with old Dumbledore, eight hundred cauldrons made of stainless steel.
Four houses with connections strong and tight, ten professors skilled through day and night.
Hogwarts grand with two thousand souls, jobs secure with handsome payrolls.
Hey, it's guaranteed!
"Grr-oooh~" The owl on the side, watching this excited boy lost in his fantasies, grew a bit impatient.
Owl: I'm not working overtime, you know.
"Sorry about that, please wait just a moment." Ted snapped out of it thanks to the owl, grabbed some paper and pen, and began writing his reply.
Of course he couldn't just say: I accept, come pick me up quick, Dumbledore!
He had to act hesitant and doubtful, phrasing it like an eleven-year-old would...
"Ah, thank you then, Mr. Owl."
Ted pulled out his little biscuits, crumbled some up to bribe the impatient owl postman. Better not let my reply get lost!
Watching the owl fly off into the distance, Ted's mind suddenly went ding:
"Ding~ System startup complete. Magic Card System at your service."
Well now! It's a done deal—double celebration!
Focusing again on the golden orb in his mind, new information surfaced.
Ted Epiphany
Level: 1st-level Wizard (0/1000)
EXP Pool: 0
Attributes: (Average Muggle adult values are 5)
Strength 3
Constitution 3
Agility 4
Intelligence 6
Perception 6
Willpower 7
Charisma 6
Luck ?? (Normal people at 0, fluctuates positive/negative based on state)
Talent: [Otherworldly Knowledge (Gold)]
Skills: Mana lv1, Magic Resistance lv1
Magic: (None)
Cards: (None)
Quests: (None)
Before Ted could examine it in detail, another ding sounded.
"Ding~ Quest triggered:
[Magic World! (Blue)]
In Great Britain, how can you miss the one and only magic school? Enroll—enroll you must!
Objective: Successfully enroll at Hogwarts.
Rewards: 500 EXP, +lv1 Mana, random card.
Bet you didn't expect this—magic exists in this world!"
Immediately after, another prompt chimed.
"Ding~ Talent [Otherworldly Knowledge (Gold)] triggered. Obtained knowledge [A Few Pages of Psionic Manual (Blue)]."
[A Few Pages of Psionic Manual (Blue)]: Records some insights on becoming a psionicist. Requires 400 EXP to redeem.
An image of a card appeared in his mind.
This was a card with a blue border. The artwork showed a person surrounded by swirling patterns like gas or flames around their head, as if controlling objects in front with some kind of power.
Ted probed the system's various subsections, and information emerged one by one.
This system collected experience points, stored in the EXP pool, to upgrade his class or cards and magic.
He must have some magical bloodline, born as a 1st-level wizard—that's why Hogwarts sent the letter.
If he had 1000 EXP now, he could rise to 2nd-level wizard, gaining 1 attribute point and 1 skill point. Every 4 levels granted a new talent.
Attribute points were self-explanatory, straightforward.
Skill points upgraded skills—he had Mana and Magic Resistance for now.
Talents: He had [Otherworldly Knowledge (Gold)], which triggered otherworldly knowledge each month. Consume the required EXP to redeem it.
Like this [A Few Pages of Psionic Manual (Blue)], which needed 400 EXP.
No magic learned yet, no cards either.
Quests: He had one now, an easy points grab.
"How to gain more EXP?" Ted muttered to himself.
Per the system info, training, studying, practicing magic, experiments—all gave different EXP amounts. Plus completing quests.
"And mana..." Ted reached out his hand, carefully sensing. He felt a gentle, indescribable power surging inside him.
"Is this mana?" He pointed at a sheet of paper twenty centimeters away, imagining channeling that power.
A few seconds later, the paper trembled and floated up shakily, flying right into his hand!
"Holy crap! Awesome~"
...
The next day, Ted jokingly told the matron that a place called Hogwarts magic academy had sent him a notice, and he'd replied.
The matron naturally didn't believe it. "Oh, little Ted, don't worry about it. Probably just that cheeky rascal playing a prank on you."
Ted kept busking on the street, earnings steady—small bills and handfuls of coins each day.
He waited patiently for a reply, like waiting for a computer to reboot. Patience was key.
Ted had gained a bit of fame by the market's edge now. A dozen or so people stopped daily to listen, tossing spare change or coins into his open guitar case.
Ted gave a slight bow in thanks to his kind benefactors.
His voice was top-notch, barely qualifying as heavenly. Kind ladies praised it as "a throat kissed by an angel," hoping it held up after his voice changed.
Ted tuned the strings again—the old guitar went out of tune often.
"It's getting late. Last song: Scarborough Fair, for all of you."
Ted strummed the strings and sang softly:
"Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme.
Remember me to one who lives there,
She once was a true love of mine.
Tell her to make me a cambric shirt,
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme,
Without no seams nor needlework,
Then she'll be a true love of mine..."
Scarborough Fair originated from Viking landings for trade, forming a regular market that lasted a month and a half each autumn for centuries. A town by that name still existed in modern Britain.
The lyrics dated back to at least 13th-century England, the melody even earlier from Scotland.
A child singing it felt a bit odd, but to Brits, this song was pure classic.
More and more people stopped, listening to the classic tune from the battered guitar and the clean, ragged-clothed boy's voice.
The market seemed to hush.
As the crowd lost themselves in the song, a silver-tabby British Shorthair cat sat on a nearby railing, listening too.
Scarborough Fair wasn't just a Muggle market—it was once the biggest, liveliest wizard market in 17th-century England. Though its glory had faded with time.
This wistful song was written by a wizard's Muggle family member. Not just a Muggle classic, it was a wizard favorite too.
The song ended, applause erupted. Listeners showered praise, many tossing coins into the guitar case. Ted bowed in thanks to each.
He packed up simply, slung the guitar on his back, and approached a nearby homeless man in the wall corner.
The hat before the homeless man held only a few scattered coins—business was poor today.
Ted petted the dog by the man's side, dropped a few 1-pence coins into the hat, raised two fingers to his brow in a jaunty salute. "Good luck to us, sir."
Amid the man's thanks, Ted spotted the cat on the railing nearby. He reached out and scooped it up, giving it a few casual pets.
The shorthair froze, then panicked, wriggled free fiercely, leaped to the ground, and bolted like the wind.
Ted figured his post-transmigration cat-petting skills had slipped, didn't think much of it, and hurried back to the orphanage.
All the way, that tabby British Shorthair trailed him stealthily—the look in its eyes unmistakable: I hate boundary-blind humans. Time to hunt!
Ted had just greeted the matron at the door when a knock sounded behind him as it closed.
Outside stood a tall woman, forty-something or fifty-ish, impeccably dressed and coiffed, wearing glasses, radiating authority, expression stern.
She eyed this black-haired, black-eyed, yellow-skinned, malnourished, somewhat skinny boy with a peculiar look: "Mr. Ted Epiphany?"
"Yes, that's me."
"I am the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts, Professor Minerva McGonagall..."
Guessed it. And I bet I just petted you by accident.
Oh no. I'm in for it now!