Hi! After not finding many SI's that I particularly liked, I decided to write one of my own. The character is driven, intelligent, and pragmatic. The story would be exploring magic and the magical world. I really hope you like it! Please tell me what you think!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter book series or movie series.

I woke up from an uncomfortable sleep to an uncomfortable bed. My tired eyes started taking stock of a dreary room I'd never seen before.

Where am I?

Memories were flowing to the forefront of my mind- as if they were already there to begin with. I lived here my whole life. This small orphanage was the only place I had ever called home…

But… that's impossible. Just yesterday I was studying late at Uni for my first semester finals. Three months ago, I started my degree in Geology…

More memories were coming through. 11 years' worth of them. A few odd happenings dotted an otherwise ordinary life experience.

Up until yesterday afternoon, when I received an owl with a letter of acceptance to a school of magic named... Hogwarts.

I looked at myself in the mirror. Dark brown hair and equally shaded brown eyes were set on a small, slightly angular, face. A boy named Charles Byrne stared back at me.

The puzzle pieces came together. Reality hit me all at once. Unless it was all a dream, this could only mean one thing.

I am in the world of Harry Potter. I have magic. And I am going to Hogwarts…

Forget college. This is the opportunity of a lifetime.

I would have to plan my next moves very carefully.

"I'm assuming you read through your letter."

"Yes, professor, erm, McGonagall," I replied, playing the role of an 11-year-old student hopeful who knew nothing of Hogwarts- or it's teachers.

"Good. Now, you may be wondering whether this is all real. Don't worry, I've introduced many muggle-borns to magic. Look closely-"

In one swift swoosh, she moved her wand through the air, transfiguring my bed into a cat. A magnificent swoosh later, and it was once again a bed.

Remarkable.

"Now that that's out of the way, let me tell you a little more about our society. The first thing you need to know is that the magical world is a secret. Muggles- people without magic- don't know about…"

My mind drifted off as she explained basics of the magical world.

I was surprised to see the professor McGonagall here. Maybe Hagrid introducing Harry to the magical world was an exception? That would make sense, since Hagrid was probably a bad person to explain the magical world to muggle parents…

And now she was here, explaining it to me. Only yesterday I arrived in this world. When I woke up today, I half expected it to all be a dream. But I woke up in the same place, in the same body…

And this body was different. I immediately noticed something different inside of me. Almost like an extra set of veins, with pure energy flowing through them.

Magic.

It made me feel powerful, in a sixth-sense kind of way. As if it was both a muscle and an extra sensory organ.

The gravity of magic was dawning on me. I had an exceptional quality that would give me, now a wizard, the ability to literally shape reality…

"-so we'll be heading to Diagon Alley," McGonagall said, snapping me out of my thoughts. "It's a short walk from here- it's where we can buy all your school supplies."

"Professor," I said, "I don't have any money... I can't really afford books and stuff…"

"You don't need to worry about that, Charles. There is a stipend for muggle-born students. We'll be heading to the wizarding bank Gringotts first."

We began walking down the streets of London. It was noticeably older. Almost vintage.

The fabled Leaky Cauldron seemed to pop out of nowhere. From the outside it appeared to be a small, dingy pub. As we went inside, I noticed it was similar to what the movies depicted: an ill-lit, dank café, where people of all sorts would sit for a drink. Through the backdoor was a walled courtyard. McGonagall took out her wand and tapped a brick in the center of the wall. The bricks then shifted and folded into each other, forming a wide arch.

"Welcome, Charles, to Diagon Alley."

I could barely believe my eyes. A sprawling street lay before me. Lopsided buildings stood several stories tall on either side. Each one had a different design and some unique merchandise on display. And each one was full to the brim with people.

I had seen the magical street many times before in the movies, but seeing it now was different. It wasn't a plastic movie set with props and characters. It was so real, so life-like, that it felt as if I were seeing Diagon Alley for the first time. A layer of depth seemed to cover every inch of the street. With just a glance, you could tell it was an old and well-treaded thoroughfare. And the people moved around with such familiarity that it gave the entire street a warm, cozy feel.

We headed down the winding street towards Gringotts. I continued to look left and right. An apothecary. A menagerie. Flourish and Blotts. Quality Quidditch supplies. Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. Gringotts…

At Gringotts, McGonagall took me to a goblin teller. "Charles Byrne would like to withdraw funds from the Hogwarts new student fund. I have authorization here…," she said, pulling out a piece of paper.

The goblin grunted and pulled out some parchment and a sharp looking quill.

"First, he must submit to a house-title test to determine whether his family already has an account."

He looked directly at me. "Prick your finger with the quill. It analyzes your blood and will let us know if you descend from any family that does business with us."

I pricked the pinky of my left hand, just enough to pierce the skin. Within a fraction of a second, the quill zoomed over the paper and started scribbling.

Byrne Household

Since 1720

"You do have an account here with us, so you won't qualify for the muggle-born fund. The account itself is too small to warrant an account manager so I'll take you down myself to the vault."

We took a refurbished looking mining cart that sped like a roller coaster through the underbelly of Gringotts. I thought I heard a roar echo from deep in the caverns. Within minutes, the cart slowed to an old looking metal door.

Vault 786. My 'family's' vault.

I was a little nervous. Up until now, I thought I awoke as a muggle born. To think I had a magical family all this time…

I opened the door to a small vault. Inside was a small pile of galleons.

I wasn't sure how much it was and what it could afford me. Judging by what I remember from the movies, this was much smaller than Harry's vault, so I wasn't rich by any means. But this did mean I didn't have to take anything from the Hogwarts fund.

I saw a small paper- a title deed. There used to be a family house that was destroyed in the war. It was destroyed by FiendFyre, so nothing was left.

I would have to check it out. Someday.

"That should be enough to last you seven years at Hogwarts," McGonagall said, "if you don't waste any."

We left Gringotts to pick up school supplies. Robes, quills, books…

I wanted to buy a ton of extra books at Flourish and Blotts, but I wasn't sure what to get and didn't want to waste funds. Besides, I didn't know what was already in the Hogwarts library. Until I found a way to make more money, I had to ensure that what I had would last me through Hogwarts.

After acquiring a cauldron, dragon-hide gloves, and telescope, the only thing I needed was awand. My own wand.

I stepped into the aged wand shop. A layer of dust seemed to be in the air. Something else was in the air, too. I could feel it. Magic?

"Ahhh. Mr. Byrne," a voice intoned from somewhere in the shop. "It seems only just yesterday I sold your mother and father their wands."

How does he know who I am? Even McGonagall didn't know…

"Your mother had a cyprus, 12 inches with the tail hair of a unicorn. Great for charms and healing spells." Ollivanders stepped out of one of the seemingly endless aisles. He continued, "your father's was a 13 inch redwood, with the heartstring of a Hebridean Black and a knack for warding and enchanting runes."

"Their deaths were tragic. Unfortunately, many of the smaller houses died off with the past wars. It's nice to see that one of them is still alive." He smiled, "how can I help you today?"

"Good morning, Mr. Ollivander. I just need a wand, I'll be starting at Hogwarts this year."

"Very well. Let's see…" he said, pulling out a tape measure. He held it up to my head, and the moment he let go it floated and swirled in the air taking all sorts of measurements.

"Let's try this one first," he said, handing me a wand. "13 inches, Hornbeam wood, and the dragon heartstring from an old Antipodean Opaleye."

The moment I touched it, I felt my magic connect. It hummed warmly in my hands and seemed to ignite a spark that flowed in my arm. A good match? On the first try? I wasn't expecting tha-

"No, no. Definitely not," the old wandmaker said, pulling the wand out of my hands.

But I liked that one…

"Try this one," he said, after disappearing and reappearing behind the aisles of wands. "Unicorn tail hair and cyprus. 14 inches and a bit swishy."

The moment it touched my fingers, I felt an inner whoosh. As if there were a mini-cloud inside me. I instinctively pushed a little magic through the wand. Several boxes and lamps started floating around me. This one also felt grea-

"Nope, not that one either."

Hey!

The enigmatic wandmaker disappeared behind a shelf. I tilted my head to the side, trying not to think of how exasperating this was.

I looked between the shelves, but couldn't see the end… Just how far back did they go?

He distracted me by appearing from an aisle on the other side. "Try this one. Vine and Dragon heartstring- this one from a Welsh Green."

I eyed him and took the wand. It felt good in my hands. Warm and… sunny? Touching it with my skin made me feel like I was glowing somehow. It was a pleasant feeling. I saw him move to take the wand and on instinct I stepped back, finally getting a chance to wave a wand before he could pull it away from my grasp.

The effect was instantaneous. Light flooded the shop. And warmth. As if the air was from a heated building on a cold, snowy day. I could feel the magic pooling within me, directing itself through the wand, and flowing through the shop…

"Absolutely not," he said, quickly pulling the wand from me.

This was too much. "Wait! I liked that one. I liked them all, actually. Can't I just take one of them and pay you for it?"

"No, we'll find the right one soon enough," he said, moving between the hundreds, no, thousands of wands in the shop. There was no way he made them all…

"This one is unique," he said, suddenly appearing from my right. "Acacia with the tail feather of a thunderbird. 14 inches."

The moment my fingers curled around the wood, my magic felt different. Enhanced. The energy flowing within me was smooth, powerful, and sharp. The effects of the previous wands felt slightly dull in comparison. I felt nimble and airy on the inside. My veins were just teeming with energy. As if they were made of pure lightning. It was exhilarating.

"I don't make wands from thunderbird feathers," he started. "I personally like to use only dragon heartstrings, unicorn hairs, and phoenix feathers- albeit there are very few. This one was made by my great grandmother. In her time, she travelled the world with my great grandfather. They had the philosophy that every magical community had something to contribute to the world at large. The wood is from an ancient Acacia tree. The feather was gifted from a thunderbird they happened to meet while flying through the Caribbean islands. It was an exceptionally rare incident that led to an exceptionally rare wand."

I gave the wand a wave. It felt dense in my hand, like it was made of something heavier than wood. The momentum of the swish helped me control and extend the magic within me. Very naturally, I felt my magic extend outside the wand and touch the surrounding shop. Wands, furniture, lights…

"I find that people have a hard time working with other wands. Unless it's a good match, there is a violent reaction. I can't tell you how many times I've had to put out fires or repair broken furniture in my shop. A good reaction with multiple wands belies a very strong magical intuition. I think we can expect great things from you..."

I was reeling, and not just from the effects of the wand.

"That will be 10 galleons, Mr. Byrne."

I was thinking about whether I would head back to the orphanage. It was so dreary, so lifeless, that I would rather just stay at the leaky Cauldron. I could comfortably afford the five sickles a night, but Professor McGonagall was watching me. Something told me she wouldn't be keen on me running away…

I let her walk me back. I watched her wait as I went indoors. The moment she apparated away- there was an audible pop- I was off.

The sun was setting as I quietly made my way through eastern London. I entered the Leaky Cauldron and gave Tom six galleons- that was enough for almost three weeks. It was fine since the semester was starting by then.

I was tired from the day's events, and not just physically. Within 48 hours, I left my home world, left my previous life, and left my body. So much already happened. And I was expecting more.

And to top it off, I was in the world of Harry Potter. I had magic. A mysterious force that could bend reality to my wishes. There were just so many possibilities.

But in addition to that were a plethora of dangers. A war was coming. Voldemort was coming. Hogwarts would be under attack. Very few places would be safe, even for a 'pureblood' like me.

Would I help with the war effort? Maybe, but I would have to be logical about it.

I sat down in my new room, thinking about my new predicament…

Firstly, my presence in this world may already be affecting the timeline. Even if I were the smallest butterfly, I had no idea what hurricanes I would be causing on the other side of the world. Change may very well be inevitable.

Therefore, I could have either of two types of change: intentional and unintentional. Unintentional changes would have unintentional side effects- events that I wouldn't foresee. I definitely didn't want that to happen. Intentional changes would have, to a degree, predictable side effects. And generally, anything that you could foresee, you could somewhat prepare for.

Intentional and calculated moves were on the table, then.

And I probably shouldn't change anything until I was powerful enough to deal with the consequences of my actions. Therefore, logically, my first step would be to become as powerful as possible within the shortest amount of time. Then I could start changing things for the better.

Three weeks flew by surprisingly fast. That first morning after my shopping spree, I tested my wand. I knew about the trace but seeing as this was a magical street- and the ministry couldn't tell exactly who cast the spell- my magical practice flew under the radar.

Practicing magic was fun. With each spell, I could feel the magic within me flow out of my wand and change my surroundings. Perhaps because of my acute sense of magic, I had little to no difficulty performing spells. In fact, I got many spells on my first try.

I also started devouring my textbooks. It was important to note that, while they were full books, they were written for children. I had an adult mind and was already consuming college level material. This was, by comparison, elementary. There weren't any complicated graphs and charts. No derivates. No analysis. Just a simple, even if long, explanation of how to perform a spell and why it worked.

There was also the fact that I loved fiction novels. Textbooks of magic were almost the same. Since magic was real, reading a simple magical textbook was a wonderous experience.

I spent some time perusing the engaging shops of Diagon Alley. The street was full of items you didn't know existed. Even items you didn't know could exist. I saw a live astronomy model that had all nine planets (apparently, pluto was still considered a planet) and their moons. I saw self-stirring cauldrons that could be somewhat programmed to follow basic instructions. I even saw a guy walking a fire salamander through the streets.

There were many things I wanted to buy, but I was afraid of bankrupting my already slim account. I went back to Gringotts to count exactly how much I had. I had a total 32 galleons, 14 sickles, and 8 knuts.

It made me feel bad about spending so much on a room at the leaky cauldron. I would have to make more or learn enough magic to be self-sustainable. At least during the summers between school terms.

I spent some more time thinking about what I wanted to do at Hogwarts. According to a daily prophet I found lying around, Harry would be starting the same year as me, which gave me a rough timeline. For the first two years things would be dangerous. Voldemort would literally be on the school grounds, albeit as two different people. A basilisk would be running around, and petrified kids would survive by the skin of their teeth.

It would probably be a good idea if I kept my head out of trouble those years. The stakes were too high, and there were too many possibilities for things to go terribly wrong.

Conversely, those two years would also be a good time to study magic on my own. Classes were one thing, but Dumbledore and Voldemort didn't get to where they were because of formal instruction.

I would have to veer off the well beaten path. And the room of requirement was probably a good start.

The horns blared as students got off the Hogwarts Express. I took a deep breath of fresh, night air and looked at the beautiful night sky.

"First years this way!" A loud voice called out. Hagrid.

He was much more impressive in the flesh. The face was the same as in the movies, but he was taller and wider. A true part-giant instead of a larger-than-average man.

I wonder how many spells he can resist. Probably something to check out one day. Magical creatures and their magical qualities...

A ton of younger kids started scuttling towards Hagrid, who was himself on a separate path from the one that older students were taking. I followed suit.

The path sloped downwards and started to curve it's way downhill. I tried to make out the shapes of Harry, Hermione, and Ron, but couldn't. It was too dark. I looked off to the side, shouldn't Hogwarts be right there?

The path winded down to a dark shore. There were small boats lined up that Hagrid instructed us to get into. I was positioned with two no-name boys and a no-name girl. As planned, I didn't want to make myself stand out. Blend with the crowd, stay inconspicuous.

As the boats glided through the water- by some charm, no doubt- we passed through a sort of tunnel that was half underwater. It was dark, and I would be scared had I not known that first years did this all the time. The breathing of the first years seemed to oddly echo across the partially submerged cavern. I felt a sixth-sense shift near the end of the tunnel. And as we left, I saw Hogwarts for the first time.

It was a beautiful, massive castle. Mammoth walls and taller towers surrounded the castle main in asymmetric fashion. There were fires lit both outside and inside, making the castle clearly visible in the night sky. It was built like a fortress, but seemed to have a homey aspect to it. It wasn't a centuries old castle later turned into a museum. It was current. It was alive.

And with the backdrop of the starry night sky and dark lake, it even looked magical.

I took a moment to ponder the size. I was no expert, but shouldn't a castle like this be able to fit thousands of people? How many people lived in Hogwarts anyway?

Let's see… about five boys and five girls were in Harry's year in Gryffindor. 10 students total. Across four houses that would be 40 students. Scaling that number across seven years would add up to 280 students. Plus all the staff, that wasn't even 300.

Surely there was more of the castle that people didn't explore. I mean, Dumbledore banned the entire third floor during the first year, right? While all the classes were still going on, presumably without interruption… How many classrooms were unused? How many hallways? Were any parts of the castle booby trapped? Did you need specific spells or passwords to locate and enter hidden hallways?

Voldemort was the first wizard to discover the chamber of secrets. Dumbledore himself only found out about the Room of Requirement by accident. Just how many sections of Hogwarts were lost to time, waiting to be discovered...

And that didn't include the fact that with magic you could enlarge spaces. For all I knew, there was an entire rainforest in some abandoned classroom.

I would have to explore it on my own time. And I would have to be careful. There could be a ton of dangerous magical creatures hidden away in the depths of the castle.

"Curious… very curious…"

The sorting hats thoughts were clear in my own mind. It was a weird sensation. I've been experiencing it for several minutes now.

"I've never had a student from another world… Let's see, you are brave when you need to be, intelligent and wiser than many adults, and definitely more ambitious than average. You would fit well anywhere but Hufflepuff."

I stifled the urge to laugh in front of the entire hall… "I was thinking Ravenclaw would be a good fit. Slytherin has too many bullies and Gryffindor has too much limelight. Besides, I'm more intellectual than ambitious or brave. At least, that's the way I think of it."

"Yes… Ravenclaw would be a perfect fit. Although I would like to know more about your world, did you really read-"

"I think that's a conversation for another time," I thought-interrupted. I didn't need the hat, or anybody for that matter, knowing what I knew of the future…

"Very well."

"Ravenclaw!"

The entire house cheered as I walked over to the table with a smile. This was so cool.

As I sat down, amidst handshakes and pats on the back, I watched the first years get sorted, paying particular attention to the ones that would be famous one day.

Hermione. Neville. Draco. Harry. Ron. They were all so young that it was hard to believe how much they would change in just a few years.

"In order to enter, we need to answer a riddle. These riddles follow logic, but it's not as simple as that. There's a bit of poetry involved," Robert Hilliard said. He was the fifth-year prefect, showing us to the Ravenclaw common room. It was in one of the towers, up a narrow flight of stairs. I couldn't wait to see the view from the windows.

There was a gilded hawk head that almost looked alive if it were not for the fact that it was made of pure gold. It spoke in an aged, feminine voice:

"What can't talk but will reply when spoken to?"

"Any takers?" Robert asked, grinning at us first years.

The riddle seemed to make sense. I could feel the answer at the tip of my tongue. What was that word again? Oh yeah, that's it.

"An echo!" I called out over the heads of students.

A mechanism within the door clicked and then it swung open.

"Well done kid," Robert said. He gave the group a pointed look, "you have to answer the riddles to get in, otherwise you will be locked out and have to sleep outside. That's why you'll notice Ravenclaws travel in groups. If one person can't get it, somebody else might."

I stepped through the ancient archway and into the Ravenclaw common room. It was elegant and archaic, with a surprisingly homy feel.

The room was wide and circular, with large, arched windows on the sides. The walls were covered with silk fabrics, both blue and bronze. The ceiling was domed and painted to show the night sky dotted with stars and galaxies. They were enchanted, although not enchanted like the great hall. The stars glowed and the galaxies swirled slowly. On the floor was a thick, midnight-blue carpet. There were comfortable couches, simple yet elegant tables, and large bookcases filled with books. A statue of Ravenclaw that was made of white marble stood beside the entrances to the dormitories above.

Our resident prefect showed us up to our rooms. It was similarly styled to the Gryffindor dorms, except with a blue and bronze aesthetic. There were also two windows, one on each side.

I stood for a moment, taking in the dorm room. It was medium sized and looked very comfortable. It would be my home for the next few years. I would learn, practice, make some friends, make more enemies, and embark on a mythical peregrination here. But there was only one thing left for now.

"I call the one on the right!"

Please review and tell me what you think!

PS. I noticed the italics were lost. Idk exactly why, so I just re-added them