A Magical Reality Chapter 2: A Scholarly Relic, a harry potter fanfic

Here's chapter 2! No guarantees, but updates might be coming once around every one to two weeks.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter book series or movie series. I also don't own Ben 10 or any of it's related shows.

I woke up from a comfortable sleep to a comfortable bed. My eyes started taking stock of a well-furnished room I've seen once before.

My first day of Hogwarts.

I looked to my right to see the other four boys sleeping. I think one of their names was Terry. Terry… something. I should probably learn their names sometime soon.

I thought about how I would plan my day. I wanted to go to the Room of Requirement now, but what if I got lost? It was probably a good idea to get a little familiar with all the hallways and stairwells first. Besides, Ravenclaw had the biggest puzzle to solve getting to and from the dorms. It was literally at the top of a tower. I would have to navigate several sets of moving stars every day.

Now that I am thinking about it, it's probably intentional. Rowena Ravenclaw was probably trying to encourage problem solving skills.

Once I was familiar with the general layout of classes and such, I could give the Room of Requirement a try. Over there I could study magic and maybe even make plans for magical projects and experiments. I wanted to branch out and diversify my magic-portfolio. Side-projects were one part of that. Experimentation would be another.

But all that would be in due time.

I went to the bathroom in the dorm. It was large with four sinks and a stand, and another section for four toilets and four bathrooms. The showers were cordoned off with curtains, which was nice. I always thought open bathrooms were awkward.

I took a quick shower and changed into simple, black robes that now sported the Ravenclaw crest. Before the others could wake up, I began my trek downstairs, discreetly following some 4th years to not get lost. I kept my backpack with me, with my textbooks, notebooks, and wand inside. It was rather heavy, but this way I wouldn't have to go up the stairs again before class.

I would have to learn that feather light charm. And the one for expanding the space inside objects, too.

Many sets of staircases later- half of them moving- I came upon the great hall. It was just as beautiful as before, but in a different way. In the night it looked mystical. During the day it looked majestic. Grand.

I sat down at the partially-filled Ravenclaw table and helped myself to some pancakes. I looked to my left and saw the Cho Chang on one end. It was almost surreal to see another movie character come to life. But there she was, as real as ever.

I looked to my right and saw some of my dormmates heading towards me.

"There you are, mate! You started without us."

Was his name Michael?

"Oh hey! Yeah I wanted to get a head start" I responded, waving a speared pancake for emphasis.

"We should probably introduce ourselves," he said, getting situated at the table. He seemed like one of the more outgoing Ravenclaw types. "I'm Michael Corner. I didn't think I would be sorted into ravenclaw. I've always fancied myself a Gryffindor. My dad's a Gryffindor actually. But my mum's a ravenclaw so I can see where I get it from. I couldn't wait to start Hogwarts. Just really couldn't wait. I even stole my dads' wand a few times to practice magic. Could never steal my mom's though, she was way too careful with hiding it from me."

"Did you manage to do any spells?" I asked, curious. I would normally think that being a pureblood gave a person an advantage with magic, but seeing how in the books Hermione was at the top of the year, that probably wasn't the case.

"No, I got a few good sparks in though. I once set the couch on fire. It was fantastic. Mum got real mad at me for that, but dad just couldn't stop laughing. What about you Terry," he said, turning to the other boy. "You practice any magic yet?"

"No, err... actually I just found out I was a wizard. My dad was one too, but he kept it secret from my mom. She almost had a heart attack when I flew some cake to my hand. But she's okay with it now, after dad's explained everything. Actually now she's really excited for me to do magic when I come back in the Summer."

"You probably used magic before, right?" Michael asked. "You're definitely ahead since you solved that riddle to the common room. Are your parents magical?"

"Not really… They are magical, but I never really met them… apparently they died in the war. I was raised in an orphanage since."

"Oh," he said awkwardly, "sorry to hear that. So I was thinking… maybe we should start a group. Like a study group. We can get together after classes and won't fall behind. As Ravenclaws, we have an image to keep, you know?"

"Sorry, I don't really do study groups. I don't mind working together here and there though," I said.

"Oh okay," he replied. "We might be asking you in the future. I can't fail here, you know. My mum and dad are big on me doing well."

I noticed a girl sitting a little ways from us and listening to our conversation. She seemed too nervous to join in and I decided that I wanted to be nice. "Hi! Are you a first year too? My name is Charles Byrne, nice to meet you."

"Hello. Yes I'm also a first year. My name is Sue Li," she replied, short and to the point.

"Are your parents magical? Did you learn any magic growing up?" Michael asked.

"Yes. My parents are magical but they did not go to Hogwarts. They moved here from China. I learned some magic growing up but only a little. My parents didn't want me to do much till I started school."

"That's really cool," I said. There was probably a magical school in China where her parents studied. I had to check that out some day. Maybe they even studied branches of magic not taught in Europe.

"Thank you! They brought me to Hogwarts because they are magical ambassadors for your Ministry. I've lived in England ever since," Sue replied.

"A magical ambassador? What's that?" Michael asked.

"Umm, so different countries send ambassadors to other countries to establish relationships and ties. It's not just China, countries all over the world... "

The conversation continued as I canvassed my classmates. Not much competition so far. Not that I really cared. I didn't want to limit myself to just being the best in class. But I wouldn't mind getting a few awards throughout my schooling experience. Like a certain Tom Riddle.

Overall they seemed nice enough. I didn't plan on being best friends with anybody, but a good relationship was also a string just waiting to be pulled in the future.

I was in my first Charms class, waiting for Professor Flitwick to arrive. It was one we shared with gryffindors. Terry and Michael ended up sitting together and Sue Li had yet to arrive. I sat alone until a girl sat next to me. From what I remember, she was one of the Patil twins. I saw the blue and bronze tie and knew she was the one in Ravenclaw.

"Sorry, do you mind if I sit here? Everywhere else in the front is full and I want a good view of the board." Yes, definitely a ravenclaw.

"Sure," I answered.

"Thanks. I'm Padma by the way, " Padma said.

"I'm Charles, pleasure to meet you."

"Charles… Byrne? Oh you're the one who answered yesterday's riddle. I couldn't figure it out but I thought that maybe if I spent some time on it then I eventually would."

I just shrugged. Then I remembered. Since Padma was here, why wasn't she sitting with Parvati? Wasn't she in Gryffindor? The two houses were grouped together for Charms.

I looked around and didn't see her. "Is your sister here? I think Gryffindors and Ravenclaws are taking charms together."

She looked a little self-conscious for a second. "She was still talking to her friends at breakfast. She's already made new friends since getting here."

"I guess it's better that I'm in Ravenclaw. I'm not really good at that. I like reading more," she said.

I chuckled a bit. "Same here. Besides, I think Ravenclaw is much cooler."

She smiled back, "so much cooler."

Professor Flitwick then walked in. In my peripheral vision, I thought he was another first year due to the height.

He moved to his desk, which was situated on a small dias in the front of the class.

"My name is professor Flitwick, instructor of charms. For the remainder of your Hogwarts years, I will be teaching you about the discipline of charms in both theory and practice. Each year will build upon the material taught in your previous year until you reach NEWT level. Charms is a unique, versatile magical discipline. Unlike transfiguration…"

He continued to discuss while I thought about charms. Charms was one of my favorite brands of magic so far. Defense Against The Dark Arts was definitely cool, but it felt limited. People didn't spend the majority of their time in wizarding duels. Only in a few instances, although that would be increasing in a few years, would a wizard or witch need to fight with magic.

Charms were more varied in their applications. You could use charms to fight, but you could also use them to build, enchant, and explore. Expanding spaces, healing, flying on broomsticks… the list was really endless.

And after charms were the rest of the classes of the day. Transfiguration. History of Magic. Potions…

Potions wasn't as bad as I was expecting. It seemed that while Snape wasn't a great teacher, he was mostly petty with the Gryffindors. He was more indifferent towards the Ravenclaws, and perhaps slightly disdainful of Hufflepuffs. Apparently Hufflepuffs had a reputation for not being the sharpest tools in the shed.

I didn't have much experience with brewing any potions, but I studied some of the text book beforehand, along with the index in the back describing some ingredients. Considering that- along with the skills acquired in my small forays into cooking during my previous life- and I brewed a spotless potion.

I liked the idea of storing some of the potion for future use, but I didn't have anywhere to store it. My trunk didn't have the room, or even an adequate compartment for storing potions. I also would need to charm the vials to keep everything in a stasis, so that any potions wouldn't denature over time.

More stuff to do… I should probably write down a list.

Herbology class came and went. It was awesome to see some magical flora in action. Magical plants almost had wills of their own, and odd specifications to their nature. Some plants required moonlight instead of sunlight. Some didn't perform photosynthesis at all. Some had fibers that acted like muscle tendons, giving them the ability to be genuinely mobile. Some reacted differently depending on which species- predatorial or not- was physically touching it.

It gave me the idea of starting my own magical greenhouse. If I learned enough charms to spell my trunk like Newt, then it was a real possibility. And that way I could make potions without needing to buy any ingredients. Except for perhaps extremely rare ones. And maybe I could buy a house elf or two in the future. They could help tend to all the plants. That is, if I could one day afford them.

Then it came time for Defense Against the Dark Arts.

It was an interesting class, being centered around the idea of fighting and defending with magic. There were lots of dangerous magical creatures in the world that we would eventually study. You never knew when or if you would need to use a certain spell. Knowing the battles to come, I made the intention to practice DADA on the side.

I also made sure not to look professor Quirrel in the eye. I wasn't sure if he knew Legilimency, or if Voldemort knew it well enough for the both of them. I simply couldn't afford to let my future knowledge be used by Voldemort. I was hoping that he wouldn't be interested in reading the mind of a first year, but just in case I looked at other things. The board, his turban- it was quite the attention-grabber- my book, or even off into space, not paying attention like one of the Hufflepuffs.

The size of our desks determined who I was partnered with for each class. If three chairs were paired, I ended up working with Terry Boot and Michael Corner. If it was a set of two then it varied between Padma Patil, Sue Li, or even Neville.

Classes were not hard, but they were time-consuming and physically tiring. In my previous life, I didn't exercise much. That became worse after getting accepted into college. Transitioning to an 11 year old body made it that much harder to go up and down nine flights of moving stairs.

Throughout my first week, I tried to keep track of which staircases moved when. I also drew a rough map of where each of my classes were so I didn't get lost.

Maybe… I should steal the Marauders Map. It really would be an invaluable tool…

Or better yet, I could make one of my own. In fact I should probably write this down. And some of my other ideas too…

Notes to self:

Start practicing magic in the room of requirement.

Learn spells for expanding the inside of a trunk.

Figure out how to make a magical greenhouse. And a mundane one- it couldn't hurt.

Check room of requirement for potion vials that won't break and have stasis charms.

Make another Marauders Map. One that can, if possible, show the chamber of secrets and room of requirement. And any other rooms that nobody knows about.

There. That would do for now. I had no idea what I would be able to finish and when, so I guess there was no particular order for them. But I could go to the Room of Requirement. Tonight.

The Ravenclaw common room was quieter than other common rooms. People were silently studying or quietly conversing with each other so as not to disturb everybody else.

I made my way through the many desks, chairs, and couches to the exit, slipping outside without anybody paying attention.

According to a random student I asked two days ago, the seventh floor corridor was three hallways and two sets of stairs from the astronomy tower. The Ravenclaw dormitories were just a few hallways away.

I had my wand in hand along with my backpack, packed with all my textbooks. As I walked, I extended my magic with my wand. There was no spell or enchantment. No words, even. Just me extending my magic, connecting it to the magic around me.

Feeling magic. Touching magic. Breathing magic.

Spreading my magic towards that of Hogwarts was still a surreal experience. It was similar to Ollivanders, but greater. The magic here was dense and colorful. There was more of it, and it seemed to go on forever. And like before, focusing on moving my magic made me feel more nimble and energetic. After doing this a few times with my wand, I was sure that the magic somehow slightly reinvigorated my body.

I found myself standing in front of a portrait of Barnabas the Barmy, teaching Trolls how to dance. Taking a deep breath, I walked back and forth three times.

I want a room that has everything I need so I can study, practice magic, and brew potions with unbreakable, stasis-charmed storage vials.

A beautiful, large door appeared in the wall itself. The Room of Requirement.

Inside was a large, spacious room. There were a few couches and bookcases throughout the room. Off to the side was an isolated area with a soft-looking platform. That's probably a place to practice spells. Up ahead was an elaborate looking astronomy set. Off to the other side was a fully equipped, mini-potions laboratory. Ingredients of all sorts were on a small, shelved stand, with a larger stand a few paces behind it. Nearby was a neat stack of empty vials.

It was perfect.

Nobody could disturb me here, and I was free to study anything I wanted without anybody questioning my skill-level or progress as a first-year.

The room was so well equipped that, all of a sudden, I felt very motivated to learn.

"And who might you be?" A voice spoke.

My blood ran cold.

Somebody else is here.

On instinct I brandished my wand, looking around.

I'm so stupid. I should have learned a few DADA spells before wandering around.

"I'm speaking to you lad!" the voice said again from… somewhere above.

I looked higher up on one of the walls. There stood the portrait of a dignified looking, bearded man with old-looking glasses.

Interesting.

I re-sheathed my wand.

"I'm a student here. I don't mean to intrude, I'm just looking for a place to study."

"A student! I haven't seen one in over 300 years. Please, this is not an intrusion. You are most welcome!"

"If I may ask… Who are you?"

A portrait here, lost for over 300 years? And if the room chose to show me him, then he would definitely be a help to me in some way.

"My name is Azmuth. I am- was- a student of magic. In the year 1648, I travelled here from Arabia to study foreign disciplines as a polymath. Eventually, I myself started teaching at Hogwarts. Teaching was the best experience of my life. I wanted to continue it forever, but to my great dismay a war broke out between the human and goblin populations. Before leaving the sanctuary of Hogwarts to join the fray, I decided to make a portrait of myself. In the possible event of my death, I wanted a piece of me- even if it wasn't really me- to continue on. This portrait was among the last of my possessions that I left at Hogwarts. Eventually, my portrait somehow moved from my abandoned quarters to a massive room filled with all sorts of random items. And I stayed there until only a few moments ago when I somehow ended up here."

I just had to confirm one thing. "Are there any other portraits of you. Perhaps in the headmaster's office?"

"Unfortunately, there are none. I've been stuck in the same portrait for over 300 years."

This man was essentially a living legend. An actual polymath! I've only read about people like that before. Scholars who were so well-studied that they were considered experts in multiple fields. To think I was actually meeting one! I knew exactly what I had to do.

"My name is Charles, sir, and I just started studying at Hogwarts myself. It's a real honor to meet you, Azmuth. If it's alright with you… would you mind taking on another student? I would really love to have you as a teacher."

I couldn't help but wonder about the types of magic he encountered in his travels. Old spells long forgotten to time. Perhaps even some magical disciplines that were banned from the Hogwarts curriculum over the years by the ministry. I really wouldn't be surprised if that last one actually happened.

"Of course! It would be my joy to take on another student. Besides, I've been bored for over 300 years! But before we start, you must first tell me: how much magic do you already know?"

AN: Alrighty guys, that's it for the second chapter! Please review, encouraging reviews feed me!

I'm kinda sorry about not posting sooner, but I lost my job and forgot about the fanfic

My thoughts:

Somebody in the comments mentioned how I skipped over a few things and I wanted to address that.

The thing is, I don't want to rewrite the books. I've read a ton of fanfics where they detail the same scenario of getting a wand or going to Diagon Alley. People rewrite the books, just with their character. It gets annoying after the umpteenth time. I think it's more enjoyable when you do something unique. Either add to the story/characters/setting or interact with the story/characters/setting in a different way. Something that contributes instead of just rewriting.

I also hate when there's too much wish-fulfillment. Like the MC starting off with millions of galleons (aka, that's why my guy isn't too rich), or obscene magical power that ruins the plot. I think superficial wish-fulfillment ignores some of the greater themes of stories and life. A little wish-fulfillment is fine. Too much I can detract from the story.

Not that I'm against being OP or rich (hint, hint), it just can't be given on a silver platter.

Also, please note that I would be updating SPORADICALLY. Especially because I don't get paid for it. I might start a Pat-reon by the way. How would you feel about that?

Finally, thanks for the awesome reviews! I really, really enjoyed reading them. As for where this is going, I really want to explore different types of magic from different civilizations. This includes East Asian (Chinese, Japanese, Korean), to Native American tribes, to even mythical, magical, and lost cities. Maybe even another dimension or two!

As for plot, I am kinda struggling with this and could use some suggestions. The reviewer Klavin made an excellent point about developing some other characters, otherwise the MC would be a big fish in a small pond. Great idea! Accordingly I am still struggling to figure out what a satisfying conflict and Voldemort would look like. I don't want it to be too easy.

Please share your ideas in the reviews and let me know what you think. Also what are your ideas for a POSSIBLE romance?