Chapter 1: Starting with Three Full-Level Unforgivable Curses
The morning pale light fought its way through the tiny window, casting a feeble light above the tiny room in the cellar.
Dylan Hawkwood glared at the letter on the table, his expression unmoving.
Moments earlier, he had opened the window as per usual, with the hope of fresh air flushing away the night's stench.
To his surprise, an owl flew in, its wings beating, and went straight through the window.
The creature was quite clumsy, its wings flapping wildly, nearly knocking over the candlestick on the table, before coming to rest crookedly on the old wooden surface.
A letter was tightly wrapped around its leg, the same letter Dylan now clutched in his hand.
Dylan paid it no mind at first.
But before he could shoo the owl away, he saw the crest on the envelope that looked so familiar—
A shield displaying a regal lion, an eagle in flight, a tough badger, and a cunning snake, all encircling the letter "H."
A ribbon above and below the crest had the phrase "Hogwarts" and "Let Sleeping Dragons Lie."
In an instant, his eyes froze into a set stare, as if a lightning bolt from the depths of his mind had struck him.
"Hogwarts?"
Familiar yet foreign details burst forth like a tidal wave, shattering the gates of his mind.
Hermione with her two glaring deficiencies?
"Am I actually in the Harry Potter universe?"
Dylan had always dreamed that he had transmigrated into England's past.
But he had not yet been given a glimpse of a golden finger.
His parents were typical, bland workers for an ordinary corporation, and his family was extremely poor.
Over the past decade, Dylan had put his golden-finger dreams reluctantly on the back burner.
His dream in life was to have some stock based on his vision of the way that future technology was going, and to live comfortably free from worry.
But this letter shattered his illusions!
This world was far more complex than he ever imagined. Even if he became rich in the future, it could vanish in an instant!
And all for the sake of those damn wizards, who could dominate his mind with a flick of their wands and some magic words.
There were spells like Legilimency and the Imperius Curse, which could control his mind by uttering just one word.
And this is taking into account that they would not do anything to hurt him.
If he came face to face with an evil wizard, a shot of Avada Kedavra would seal his fate forever!
The knowledge induced a spurt of terror into Dylan, bracing his typically slumping back.
Dylan removed the letter from the leg of the owl, and the owl flew out of the window.
"Anyway, at least I am going to get to learn about magic now."
Since he had already received the Hogwarts acceptance letter, he could study magic and have a chance to defend himself.
He needs to learn some defense spells before he invests in stocks!
Dylan made up his mind to focus on becoming a magic master at Hogwarts.
He would first study defense spells and take his defenses to the highest level!
After becoming strong enough, he would return to the Muggle world and live a peaceful life.
Dylan stared at the envelope for a very long time.
Finally, he leaned in, his fingers shaking a little, and tore it open, extracting the parchment inside.
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Mr. Dylan Hawkwood, Basement, 44 Anson Road.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore (Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Order of Merlin First Class)
Dear Mr. Hawkwood,
We are delighted to tell you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
You will find enclosed a list of all the books and equipment that you will need.
Term starts on September 1st. We expect your owl no later than July 31st.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress
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As Dylan read the last sentence, a weird interface materialized in front of his eyes.
"Huh?"
Dylan was surprised.
Could this be the golden finger he had waited for ten years?!
Overjoyed, Dylan began to experiment with the interface.
" Achievement System?"
The system interface was divided into four sections—a wizard's hat, a magic scroll, a magic wand, and a magic book.
The wizard's hat icon was employed to symbolize his personal data.
——————————
[Name]:Dylan Hawkwood
[Magic]:None
[Items]:New Student Starter Pack
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When he opened it, aside from the solitary name, the spell slot was empty—after all, he was now "nine out of ten orifices blocked" (an idiom meaning totally clueless).
The item slot, however, contained a starter pack, whose contents were unknown.
The magic scroll icon was linked to tasks and achievements.
When he opened it, the task list was empty.
The achievement list had a sole lit achievement—
[Achievement]:First Encounter
[Description]:You have been struck by magic! Experience this magic world and Muggles!
[Requirement]:Initial encounter with a magical occurrence.
[Reward]:Hogwarts New Student Starter Pack.
Clicking the magic wand icon opened another page.
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[Name]:Dylan Hawkwood
[Refinable Spells]:None
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Dylan scanned it, recognizing it as something to refine spells.
The magic book icon, however, was not openable, strange and without any prompts, and he was at a loss.
"It really is my golden finger!" Dylan rubbed his hands together, his eagerly fixed eyes on the starter pack in the item slot.
He opened it.
There was a new system prompt.
[New Student Starter Pack]:On opening, you will be presented with a magical creature and three full-level spells!
"What? Three full-level spells??"
Dylan's eyes lighted up.
This pack.
Full-level spells, to be bestowed at the start?
Wow!
Even imagining it was thrilling!
"With so many spells, and I've only got three, odds of getting something like a Patronus Charm are probably very low."
With foundation-level spells as an introduction, Dylan wasn't exactly stoked over the magical beast.
Whatever he got, he got; it would save him the expense of purchasing one.
With a mix of enthusiasm and fear, Dylan opened the pack.
Four golden beams flashed forth at once, shooting up through the interface sky!
Like glistening stars plummeting!
Dylan's heart thudded suddenly!
Three of the golden stars shifted constantly, then burst suddenly into black mist, swirling like a black hole in the sky!
The next instant, three mystic messages swept his mind.
Dylan saw endless forms, not just humans, but bizarre creatures of all sorts.
And stood before them, wand drawn.
First swing.
"Aaaah—
The front row of people fell onto the ground, shrieking in pain, their screams and cries endless.
Second swing.
"Thump."
The middle row was struck by green light, stiffening and falling immediately, their bodies limp and dead.
Third swing.
The people at the end became empty-eyed, like puppets.
[Message]:Congratulations, you have mastered the full-level spell—Crucio (Torture Curse)!
[Message]:Congratulations, you have mastered the full-level spell—Avada Kedavra (Killing Curse)!
[Message]:Congratulations, you have mastered the full-level spell—Imperio (Imperius Curse)!
Innumerable whispers echoed in Dylan's ears.
The combined incantations were permanently written on his soul.
Dylan thought he could cast these three full-level spells without a wand.
But looking at the three full-level spells in his spell slot, Dylan instantly lost his sight.
"I... I didn't see that wrong, did I?"
Closing his eyes, Dylan was too scared to open them.
But he didn't even need to look at the spell slot.
The three Unforgivable Curses in his mind graphically showed him how to torture other individuals.
"What the heck, system? What are you doing? Do you want me to get arrested the moment I enroll and spend the rest of my life in Azkaban?!?"
(End of chapter)