AN: Make sure to come over to the QuestionableQuesting version of the story if you want to discuss any of the details of the chapters with me.

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Disclaimer: I own no source material.

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Chapter 1: Harry Potter Part 1

The next time Jin regained consciousness; it was to the sight of a wooden ceiling directly above him. 'Am I lying down? Gah, what a weird feeling.' Going from upright to lying down without a transition gave him a feeling of vertigo.

He sat up and found himself in a bed in a tavern-style room. Nothing but a bed, nightstand, a dim lamp on the said nightstand, dresser, and a small dirty mirror on the said dresser. 'Hm, interesting.' It really wasn't, but at least it wasn't a dark and dreary warehouse.

His gaze was drawn to the nightstand where an open envelope lay, and he smirked. 'Heh, I guess some traditions cross all worlds.'

He grabbed it with a sense of wonder and read the words carefully.

[To whom it may concern.

Your test results have come back.

You have aids.

Please come to St. Mungo's at your earliest convenience to have them removed.

Thank you, and please remember to use protection.]

'….'

His wonder died a horrible death.

Jin calmly placed the letter inside the lamp, where it shriveled and burst into flames before turning to ash.

Only after confirming its destruction did he lift the second letter directly underneath the first one.

[ HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

Dear Mr. Fluff.

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as an assistant groundskeeper. We expect a hectic year and understand your difficulties. Please arrive no later than the 30th of August by Floo to meet with our head groundskeeper.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress.]

"….Oi."

There were mixed feelings flowing through him at the moment. 'An assistant grounds keeper? I'm Hagrid's assistant? What happened to the Hogwarts student fantasy?'

He reread the letter a dozen times before sighing and swinging his legs off the side of the bed. 'Alright, it's not that bad. On second thought, being a student would just be a pain. The power choice said I wouldn't be able to handle anything besides charms, so it would be awkward to explain that.

As for the job, it's the year of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. I guess with everything that had to happen for all three events, Hagrid alone was a bit much to ask for. So they hired extra help this year, and I'm that extra help. Ok, that makes sense. Now, why is my last name Fluff?'

He tapped his watch and brought up his status. 'So I'm Jin Fluff now? Can't say I dislike the name but some input from my side would have been nice.' His gaze followed it down until it stopped on Magic Resistance. 'Huh, so I chose that one in the end.'

He had mixed feelings about losing the chance to be a natural Occumens, but the more he thought about it, the less it bothered him. 'This one felt more fun so screw it.'

He opened the world information app and blinked at the new tab.

[World Info:

Current World: Harry Potter

Past Worlds: N/A

Time in the current world: 364 days, 23:27:19

Background Info: Jin Fluff is muggle-born. He was orphaned by a pair of dark wizards in his youth who abducted him. A mistake during a ritual created an explosion that killed his captors and resulted in his mana core being changed. Infused with various magical reagents, he gained the magic-resistant skin of a giant at the cost of being unable to cast magic outside of charms. Once discovered, he was denied access to magical education and a wand by magical Britain's Xenophobic culture and was offered a job to go overseas and work as a magical beast handler. Talents unearthed from his accident long after he was examined assisted him in dealing with a variety of magical creatures and resulted in him being considered a prodigy. He applied to a job opening at Hogwarts, wanting to see the castle he was never able to enter in his youth.]

Jin's eyes widened as he read along. 'Holy shit, that's a story all of its own.'

He went over it a few times, ignoring the timer that counted down by the second, and focused on his new story. No memories were received when he woke up, so he assumed it was just the story the Kaleidoscope magic formed based on his power choices.

'At least it's not telling me I have to interact with people I should know but don't. It does say it's public knowledge that I have a giant's magic resistance, so does that make me a half wizard half magical creature in the publics eyes or something? The other talents should be the other extra's I chose. And wait, do I actually have any stuff?'

He looked around the room again but didn't see a single personal item besides a pair of shoes beside his bed.

'Am I….broke?' A quick skim of his inventory had him sighing in relief. Under the tab for [Currency], he found fifty galleons credited to him. 'At least I have something here besides the literal clothes on my back.'

He went over to the mirror to take a look at himself. 'Was I this….big at seventeen?' His memories of his old life didn't connect with any physical characteristics, but he recalled being relatively tall and buff at twenty-one.

But now, staring back at him in the mirror, was a new face, one with sharp facial features, tan skin, messy mahogany brown hair down to his neck, and amber gold pupils. 'How very….anime-ish. Well, at least I don't have white hair, so there's that. I guess unique eyes fit with the whole magical experiment background I've got going on as well. Besides, any wizard could just use the color-changing charm to have some fun.'

It wasn't that part that surprised him, but it was his size. At seventeen, he was already looking to be six feet tall, maybe five-eleven, and muscled. Lean but strong and built like a brick shit house. He looked nineteen, never mind seventeen.

"Damn, well it beats being a twerp again. I wonder if it's another side effect of my choices or the result from years of demanding work? The guide did say my choices could change me physically or mentally."

He spent a solid five minutes just flexing and checking himself out. He wasn't something out of Baki, but he could be a match for Laxus at the start of canon. His hands had an assortment of tiny scars looking like someone who worked with animals, but otherwise, his body was clean.

He got the narcissistic part of him out of his system and hummed to himself. "Ok, I'm clearly benefiting from something. Maybe it's the wizarding magic? I really don't have much actual knowledge to work with here but I think magic helping them look good was a part of canon? Or maybe that was fanon."

He ultimately shrugged and sat back down to hash out a game plan. His watch showed the date was July 30th, meaning he had a month before he had to head to Hogwarts. He knew nothing about magical beasts despite his background saying he was supposed to. He didn't need to show an ability to cast magic as he wasn't expected to know any. Hell, he knew very little about the world at all besides canon and fanon knowledge which he had no idea if any of it applied.

Fortunately, fifty galleons were both a lot of money and very little, given the circumstances. 'I just need it to last until I can get inside the school, then the Basilisk corpse is guaranteed money. Right now, I need information more than anything, and speaking of that, I have an ability I want to test.'

Closing his eyes, he tried to focus on what he wanted. He pictured a large snake and wet his tongue as he tried to hiss. "SSS….ssSSss….Sssnnakkkee…"

It took him a long minute to stop making a constipated face and rub his forehead in embarrassment. 'Ok, let's forget this moment in life. Maybe I should try finding a snake first, or at least a book about it before I try that again.'

Deciding to try out the other shoe, he closed his eyes a second time and tried to think about his animal form. It took a minute, but thankfully, before he started feeling silly again, a strong tug on his mind pulled him into his own psyche. In the blink of an eye, he found himself standing in a small clearing surrounded by a dense jungle.

The space felt real to his senses. The smell of the dirt, the feeling of the humid air, the sounds of dozens of animals all around him. It looked real, like he was transported somewhere in the world rather than inside his mind.

How long he marveled at the surreal scene, he didn't know, but his only warning something was happening was a growl before he woke up sweating back in the Leaky Cauldron bedroom. His heart pounded in his ears, and he felt fantom pain on his neck like something penetrated his skin.

His hand absently touched his neck and felt unblemished skin. "Right, information is important."

So far, things were….confusing. Hopefully, throwing money and time at his problems could solve things. It was time to begin his plans of world domination.

00000

Step one. Gringotts. Every Harry Potter cliché starts there.

He stood face to face at the teller's desk and looked deep into the soul of the mighty goblin before him.

"What do you want." The beast snarled.

"To know myself." Mighty Jin replied.

"This is a bank." It deadpanned.

"I wish for further services." He insisted.

The goblin gave him a cold stare and pulled out a pamphlet. "1 galleon."

Jin placed the coin on the counter and slid it over. Both exchanged their trade without breaking eye contact.

Only with the pamphlet in hand did he observe and frown. "This is a map."

The goblin grinned. "Wonderful observation, are you done wasting my time?"

"I asked for services."

"I told you this is a bank."

"Then what did I just pay for?"

"A map to the nearest clinic or brothel. Whichever one your seeking. Now get lost before I call security."

Jin gritted his teeth and put another coin on the counter. "I want an inheritance test."

The goblin didn't even look up as it sighed. "Another one, seven galleons."

Jin put the money down as the teller waved to a guard. "Follow him."

~Twenty minutes later~

"If you want to waste more money, feel free to stop by." The door to the bank slammed behind him as he was tossed out on his ass. He groaned and rolled over onto the stairs. 'Note to self, learn how to prank goblins.'

Sitting up on the marble steps with his hair falling over his cheeks, he sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose in depression. 'Ok, some cliches are just disappointing. No family bloodline and no super useful goblin tests or rituals. It's a bloody bank, why would they have those things in the first place, who the hell made that cliché? Now I'm down eight galleons and have nothing to show for it.' A few passersby's flinched at his low growl and gave him space.

He took a breath and got up while looking at the map. 'No use sulking. At least I know where to go now. Why the hell are there no street signs? There's like four extra roads besides Diagon alley and Knockturn alley.'

He marched off with purpose to the nearest second-hand bookstore. He didn't want to be an idiot a second time.

Many hours later, he walked back into the Leaky Cauldron with a black kitten riding his shoulder majestically and a tired but satisfied look on his face as he found himself a table.

The place had the look of an 18th-century tavern, and the magical vibe it had going on was somehow soothing after a long day of shopping.

The kitten jumped down onto the table and curled up as Jin petted her while he glanced over the menu and thought about his remaining funds. Some things he went shopping for made galleons look cheap, while other things like food on the menu sold for Knuts, with the most expensive dish costing two Sickles.

Considering it was 29 Knut to a Sickle and 17 Sickles to a Galleon, the food was incredibly cheap.

A soft pop to his side got his attention, and he turned to see a small house elf. "Ello sir, what cans I be getting for you's?"

'Huh, so this place has house elves, I guess it was silly to think one old man did everything himself.' He silently marveled at the creature and answered. "Hey there, can I get some of the Leaky Soup, and a small plate of tuna for my friend here?"

The house elf nodded with a smile. "Right away sir."

The elf disappeared, and a second later, a bowl of hot soup was a foot away from him on the table, and a plate of tuna was being mauled by his fluffy friend. Jin blinked and chuckled. 'Magic is awesome.'

He ate his meal while thinking about the day he had.

After getting kicked out of Gringotts, he went to a bookstore and found dozens of things he wanted to read.

00000

Jin looked up at the sign for [Wisdom's Library] bookstore and headed inside. The door jingled as he passed, and he was hit by the smell of parchment and ink.

Rows of books in piles and shelves greeted his eyes as an older man with a long beard sat behind a counter. "Oh, a customer. How may I help you young man?"

The elder had a soft and refined voice that was easily heard and somehow soothed Jin's frayed nerves from the bank. His shoulders untensed as he put on a smile. "Hey elder, I'm looking for knowledge."

The old man chuckled and ran a hand through his beard. "You're in the right place young man, but perhaps, specifying what you need may be of help."

"Right, I need books on a few subjects. General knowledge of the magical Britain, index's for magical creatures, and books on Charms and Arithmancy. Theoretical knowledge is fine, but hopefully something I can actually learn from instead of philosophy."

The elder laughed again. "Quite the list there. We should have what you need." A raised wand pointed at the shelves, and soon books began flying over one by one and stacking up. "Coming from out of the country, young man?"

Jin absentmindedly responded as he watched the books move. "Yeah, got a job here that needs me to brush up on my studies you know?"

The old man nodded and continued stroking his beard. "Wonderful, it's always nice to see more young ones seeking scholarly pursuits. Knowledge should be shared with all."

Jin chuckled and pointed at the register. "Does that mean I can get a discount."

The old man scoffed good-naturedly. "Not on your life."

"Could you at least show me a good place to start and progress from?"

"Why of course. I would be delighted to, after you pay."

"Tsk."

"Don't sass me child, I might be over a hundred years old but I can still put you over my knee."

"You wanna go old man?"

00000

The conversation devolved from there, but in the end, Jin walked away with all the books he needed. He even got a couple books on Animagi and Parselmouth for his troubles. Jin rubbed his jaw at the memory. 'That old man had a mean right hook for his age.'

Only after that did he follow the goblin's advice and make a realistic choice to stop at a side alley clinic. 'It's not like I magically know everything about my body.'

00000

The clinic he walked into was clean and professional looking and run by an older witch who preferred the simple healing arts instead of the hustle and bustle of the main hospital.

She took one look at him and raised a brow. "You pick a fight a troll young man?"

Jin rolled his puffy black eyes and scoffed. "In a manner of speaking. I'm not here for the eye; I came for a full medical checkup."

The old woman shrugged without care. "Room three in the back; take a clipboard and fill out the paperwork. I'll be with you in a moment."

"Thanks."

He grabbed the clipboard and went over it. 'I had to pay for a non-disclosure contract?' He read further and felt his brow twitch. 'Whats with all the old people around here? That old man and now this witch is blatantly telling me she will sell my information to the highest bidder if I don't pay for the contract.'

The contract ensured nothing she heard or saw could be said to another soul without his permission. Any attempt to speak of it, write it out, or even read her mind would erase the memories temporarily from her mind.

He pointed at the thing when she came in. "Oi, isn't this a blatant rip off? Your blackmailing your own clients."

She just laughed. "You haven't been around these parts have you young man? If you don't like it, go to that hectic hospital off Diagon. They will charge a leg or arm for things, sometimes both."

Annoyingly, she was right. He came to her clinic because her prices were low. He sighed and signed the contract. "Fine."

She chuckled with a dry bark kind of sound and snatched the clipboard away. "Good, now lay down and pull up your shirt. A full checkup will take some time."

Her requests from there became weird and downright strange for him to move into various positions, but it seemed she actually knew what she was doing and kept casting diagnostic spells while explaining her findings as she went along.

His skin was heavily magic resistant. It didn't make him more resistant to physical trauma, as she demonstrated by giving him a tiny cut on his arm. And his innards did not have the defense boost, meaning his eyes and mouth were weak spots.

He was kind of annoyed about that, but she slapped it out of him. "Don't be a fool; if your insides were magic-resistant as well, potions would be useless on you."

Realizing she was right, he thanked her for that and let her continue.

His Parseltounge worked fine. The old bat brought out a snake, and he shared a wonderful conversation on finely aged rat tails with it.

His name was Sir Franklebitter the Fourteenth.

She advised him that natural Animagi or not, he had to find a balance with his inner beast, or he could risk going insane. A nice piece of information to know. When he asked her how she knew that, she just scoffed at him. "Brat, you think you're the first fool to mess around with advanced stuff like that? I've dealt with dozens of morons who couldn't go to the hospital or risk getting into trouble with the ministry. It's illegal to practice without supervision."

Jin raised a brow at that. "Is that why there are less than ten registered Animagi in Britain?" The old man at the bookstore mentioned it when Jin asked for books on Animagi.

She rolled her eyes at him while getting out a syringe. "If you really believe that nonsense then your more naïve then I thought. You think half the population really cares about what the ministry says?"

He opened his mouth to respond and stopped when he realized he should really stop expecting fanon's knowledge to be accurate. "What's the needle for?"

"What do you think? Antibodies brat, you haven't gotten any of your shots in years. Did you want to catch dragon pox or something?!"

Again, Jin felt silly and said nothing.

Thankfully, he only needed a few shots, but it guaranteed him being protected from various magical illnesses for up to a decade. All magical citizens got them at the time of birth and on their tenth birthday before their bodies naturally began producing them by the time they turned twenty.

The rest of the tests were done through diagnostic spells. His growth, for example, she assumed was due to him being a natural Animagus. Unlike an artificial one, he was getting influenced by his beast before he could even turn into it.

Overall, he considered it was money well spent. She answered dozens of his questions on how to get the most out of his growth, from potions to physical exercise, too many others.

She handed him a list on the way out. "Here, I don't care what you need them for, but don't take more than the prescribed amount for these potions. You're a strong young man and can handle a lot, but you're not invincible. Don't come back half brain dead."

He took her words to heart and paid his tab.

00000

'Assuming I could just take whatever potion I wanted without a cost was stupid in hindsight. Just cuz its magical drugs doesn't change the fact that its drugs. Drugs are usually bad kids, always ask a doctor first.'

The very next stop after her clinic was the apothecary, where he purchased two dozen dru….potions recommended by the old woman for his goals. Thankfully, he didn't need to buy a trunk or anything. He just carried around a magicless pouch and pretended to keep putting things inside before placing them in his inventory.

There was a slight worry about how things would end up inside his warehouse, but a quick peek in a back alley showed it just sat on the floor. He would need to buy some furniture eventually, but for the moment, he had enough floor space.

The last few things he needed were clothes, toiletries, and the sort.

Thanks to the map, he could flip off the expensive front row Madam Malkin's shop and head to a second-hand cheaper store run by a muggle-born off the main road.

00000

The sign read [Jamies Jammies] on the window as he walked in to find what looked like a retail clothing store.

"Welcome!" A voice called out from the back, and a short brunette emerged from the back with a smile. "How can I help you today?"

Jin smiled and walked up to the counter, internally thankful for not running into another old person. What was with the ancient wizards and witches being so tough anyway? "Hey, I'm looking to get a set of new clothes. Madam Malkin's was crazy expensive, so I'm hoping for some more affordable prices."

The woman's eyes lit up at that. "Ha! That's why I'm in business. Her store only really deals with the purebloods and orphaned Hogwarts students who are told its normal to spend their school support funds on her expensive robes. That woman is ruthless."

Jin's brow twitched. "I've been realizing a lot of people around here are ruthless today."

She giggled at that. "First time off the main road?"

He grumbled but nodded. "Yeah."

She patted his shoulder in sympathy with a smile. "It's always rough the first time." She winked at him. "Diagon is the face of the market, Knockturn is where the shady stuff goes, and the rest of us are where the actual British population shops. Diagon is just best for ripping off foreigners and inflating the ego of the rich."

Jin sighed in response. "I wish I knew that earlier."

She came around the corner and pulled him into the aisles. "Don't be down hun, it's just how the world is. Forget about that. Tell me what you need in more detail."

He rubbed the back of his head in slight awkwardness. "Well, everything I guess. I'm kinda stuck with the literal clothes off my back at the moment. I can still pay; I just lost my luggage in an accident."

It was only after he spoke that he suddenly noticed the woman's hold on his arm turned to iron. Her eyes gleamed. "Oh~? Todays a fun day then."

Before he could protest, his much larger body was whisked away by the five-foot-five woman into the labyrinth of deadly cloth.

His screams of protest were ignored.

Two hours later, a thoroughly drained and disheveled-looking Jin stood at the cash register as the woman, who turned out to be Jamie, the owner, licked her lips in pure satisfaction as she rang him up. "That will be eight Galleons, twelve Sickles, and four Knuts. And that's with the discount for being so fun~."

Jin's tired eyes deadpanned at her as he placed the money on the counter. "Anyone ever tell you your scary?"

She hummed happily and put the money away. "A few ex-boyfriends might have mentioned it. Here's my number by the way if you want to go another round."

Jin scoffed. The woman got way too excited about playing dress-up. If she wasn't such a good tailor, he might have been more annoyed. He grabbed his bags and made for the door. "Yeah, I'll be sure to do that. Thanks for….the help Jamie."

She giggled behind him. "Bye Jin~."

'Why can't any of these stores be normal?'

00000

Despite Jamie's….forwardness, she made terrific clothing.

He was able to buy a complete set of shirts, pants, briefs, socks, and sweaters for a fraction of the market price. And all of them actually looked and felt great. He even grabbed a few extra things like jackets, gloves, boots, and tank tops.

None of it was enchanted, but for the price and comfort, he couldn't complain. She was very adamant about making his ass shine in his clothes, to his dismay, but he just let her do her thing.

After clothes, he headed for the general store, hesitating only for a moment outside a window for a shop that sold complete potion sets. The whole World Power Selection confused him there. Was he only unable to cast anything besides charms? Or was he unable to perform any other subject that required magic? Potions didn't have any unique spells that had to be cast, after all.

Eventually, his wallet won out, and he passed on wasting the money.

His wallet lost a moment later, however, as he passed a pet store. Did he need a pet? No. Did he want one? Yes. He bought one.

To his great heartbreak, there was no mystical phoenix egg or disguised super special creature waiting for the right owner to welcome him. Well, the kitten that stole his heart may have been extraordinary in terms of being super fluffy, and he was happy with the purchase.

00000

"Who's a good girl, you're a good girl."

"Meow."

Jin cradled the black kitten and showered her in love. The feline took one look at him from a cage in the window, and his will shattered.

The owner chuckled from the counter. "She's a cute one eh? Real troublemaker though. Most shops don't want full Kneazle breeds, they're too intelligent. Better to have mixed breeds, more attractive to buyers."

Jin walked over with the kitten in hand. "Why was she in the window then?"

The owner shrugged. "She might scratch half my customers who get to close but she's got the charm. I get more business then I lose with her there."

Jin winced at that. "Whats her price?"

The man laughed and waved a hand. "Meh, don't worry about it lad. I'll give you a discount, she grows too quickly as it is. Another couple months and she would find a way out herself. Kneazle's are tricky ones I tell ya."

Kneazle's were highly intelligent and independent magical creatures. Mostly harmless, but they had an uncanny ability to detect distrustful people and would never stay somewhere they didn't want to.

Jin looked down at the big blue eyes of the kitten and decided he didn't care. "I'll take her."

The owner nodded. "Good lad. I'll throw in a few things to take care of her, you want the full package?"

Jin looked over the list on the counter and nodded. "Yeah, no need for the cage but I'll take the rest. Oh, and can you throw in a garden snake? Just something slightly magical, no need for a pricy one."

"Want a test subject, eh? I'll set you up, lad. Give me a moment." The owner went over to a bin literally full of snakes. It seemed they were typical for food or magical experimentation.

Thankfully for his purchase, Jin just wanted a conversation partner.

00000

With his pets secure, he made a quick stop at a general store, and he was set. Now, he just had to grind.

His meal finished, he cradled his happily purring kitten and put a few Knuts on the table as he headed upstairs. When he first came down, Tom told him he had already paid for the room for the month, so now he only had to worry about food until the end of August rolled around.

With everything set, he was down to a measly six galleons. The thought of the eight he wasted at Gringotts still made him annoyed. If you asked him if he were more annoyed at the goblins or the cliché's blinding him, he would just say yes.

Pushing it aside, he pulled out his purchases and sat on the bed with his new kitten curled up on a pillow, watching him curiously.

He had stacks of books, clothes, potions, and lists of recommendations written by the witch doctor. 'Heh, witch doctor, what an appropriate name for that old bat.' He was grateful, but she was a vicious one.

Apparently, to the more wise members of wizarding society who are not associated with dark dumbasses or light preachers, there were simple ways to solve problems like lack of knowledge.

Need to learn something quick? Spend money!

Wit-Sharpening Potions were a wizard's best friend. Wit-sharpening potions quite literally increased the wit of the drinker temporarily. It didn't give you sudden knowledge or make you wiser, but it sharpened your mental focus and intelligence for a brief time and made things like retaining knowledge much more manageable.

There were plenty of warnings not to take too many due to the risk of brain damage and even natural immunity the body will build against it over time, but the upsides outweighed things. There was also the fact that they were expensive to the average wizard, which kept them from being abused. As well as the fact that it was highly recommended to take them after the age of eighteen since minors usually couldn't handle the strain.

But the witch doctor slapped him with the exact dosage he could take as his stronger body was able to handle the strain easier than most.

His plan was simple. Abuse the mental potions, study everything he purchased with a single-minded intensity, play with his kitten, and go to that school ready to take advantage of everything he could.

He had a single year, plus an extra fifty or so days with the time dilation warehouse, and everyone would be distracted by the tournament, meaning he could move around without suspicion and do whatever he needed to.

Speaking of moving around, he rubbed his chin and looked around the room. 'I wonder…. Would this cliché work?'

He coughed into his hand and spoke up. "Are there any house elves without a master around?"

….

The silence was his answer, and somehow Jin felt the judgmental eyes of his new kitten on the back of his head shaming him. 'Well, another one down the dr..'

His thoughts cut off as a series of small pops sounded to his side, and he turned to see a bizarre sight.

"Someone's be calling me?"

"A m-master?"

"He…ll…pp…m…ee…"

Three house elves, three very different conditions. Jin ignored the surprised hiss of his mighty feline and examined the trio.

The first looked normal and actually had some clothes.

The second wore a pillowcase and had a large scar on its face.

And the third was on the ground, looking like a war victim with hollow cheeks calling out for help.

Jin quickly kneeled down by the third one and winced at the smell. He turned to the well-dressed one. "How can I help this one?"

The two standing elves looked at each other for a moment before addressing him. "You's be needing to bond with him. He's starving from lack of magic from a source."

Jin looked down at the half-dead elf and internally sighed. 'Well, I did ask for a house elf; I shouldn't be complaining.'

He looked into the eyes of the third and followed his gut. "Would you like to bond with me little one?" The weak house elf nodded pleadingly.

Jin coughed into his hand and nodded thoughtfully. "Then by the power invested in me…..ok, I have no idea what I'm doing, a little help here?"

The well-dressed one responded promptly. "You's must place your hand on his head and say that he belongs to yous now, with your name."

Jin nodded and turned back only to sweat drop at his kitten pawing the half-dead elf. He picked her up by her scruff and put her on his shoulder as she meowed adorably. "No poking the dying elf."

He put his hand on the elf's head and spoke as seriously as he could manage without wincing. "I claim you as my house elf in the name of Jin Fluff." His name was not meant for a severe setting.

There was a small flash of blue light, and Jin felt something drain out of him before the half-dead house elf looked like it was hit by a time spell. Its cheeks inflated, and its body filled out before it stood up on its own legs and raised its hands up in a cheer. "I'm alive again! Thank yous, master!"

'What are you, a fucking jack in the box?' He internally commented while he kept a hand on his kitten so it couldn't reach the elf with her claws.

The little guy basically kowtowed with how grateful he was until Jin asked him to stop and sit down. He asked the other two if they wished to be bonded, and they quickly agreed.

Doing it three times in a row had him dizzy, so he sat down on the floor against the bed to speak to them, his kitten climbing into his lap to get comfortable. "So, what're your stories?"

The well-dressed one spoke up first. "I was the house elf for a minor noble family, the last master died recently and no more babies be around. The greedy goblins claimed the manor, leaving me to slowly die out until yous call sir."

Jin raised a brow at that. "Is it normal for house elves to be just tossed aside like that?"

He responded with a nod. "Indeed sir. We can live for hundreds of years on a strong source of magic, but we wither in weeks without one."

Jin felt that was pretty fucked up, but he held his tongue. If he didn't plan to do anything about it, he shouldn't complain. He just gave the elf a pat on the shoulder. "That's rough, man. Don't worry; you won't be fired as long as I'm alive."

The elf gave him a grateful nod and bowed his head. "Thank yous sir."

Jin turned to the second house elf in the pillowcase. "I's too had a master, but my master not be kind. Two weeks ago, he's die in a bar fight, nowhere to go until yous call master."

Jin felt for the little guy and gave him a pat and reassurance that he would never hurt him as they all turned to the one that almost died. "I's be young, master! Me's parents were held in cages and I be disposed for being to's small by the mean wizards. I's never bonded to a master before."

Even the other elves' winced at that one. It seems some wizards keep house elves to breed and sell like animals. 'I kinda want to give Hermione a push to help her get some rights for elves set up sooner.'

He gave the little guy another pat and quickly went about laying down the law. No self-punishment, they had to eat if they got hungry, and he wanted them to take care of themselves bodily and mentally wise.

They gave him a confused look at the last part, and he explained. "Look, I hold nothing against you guys for not having any education, but I'm giving you English language books, I want you to be able to pronounce the language correctly."

The three nodded at that and weren't against it. They did raise concerning points about getting clothing, but Jin just pointed at the well-dressed elf and explained that he wanted them to look and feel good. Dressing in a pillow case was insulting to them and made him look like a slaver or something.

As far as Jin was concerned, he wanted a symbiotic relationship. He was in charge, and he paid them in mana, and in return, they took care of things for him. Equivalent exchange and all that. It helped that they actively enjoyed work and got upset if they didn't have work to do. He even gave them days off since he really didn't need three elves at all times.

For the next year, he wanted them to sneak into the Hogwarts elf staff, so they could be near him, and so they would have stuff to do when he didn't need them. He had a lot he wanted to do, and the more he remained under the radar, the better.

Finally, he brought up the most essential point. "Alright, do you have names?" Each one shook their head, and he sighed. "Of course you don't; what the fuck is this culture."

He pointed to the well-dressed one. "Your Gol."

Then the pillowcase one. "Your Sil."

Then the one that was half dying. "And your Bron."

Simple and to the point.

They all thanked him with bright smiles, and Jin just laughed and waved them off. "For now, get yourselves into Hogwarts; you can pretend to be free elves if you need but don't tie your magic to the school; just pretend to do it. And I want you to spend at least an hour a day speaking English, alright?"

They all nodded and popped away.

A soft meow brought his attention down to the expectant eyes of his kitten. "Oh, right, you need a name as well huh?" He thought quickly and just said the first thing that came to mind. "How about shadow, you seem like a sneaky one."

The kitten tilted her head adorably before nodding imperiously and curling up with a yawn. Jin chuckled softly and just sat there for a minute in silence to think about how lucky he got that the cliché worked. 'So not all of them are trash it seems. I guess I'll just have to experiment.'

Surrounded by learning materials, he lifted the first book and potion vial. 'Might as well get started. Time waits for no one.'

00000

A month flew by in the blink of an eye.

Jin learned more about how things worked, and his boosted talent in Charms, specifically in Arithmancy, came to the front like a raging fire.

His increased talent wasn't just hot air.

Why did he pick something as dull as Arithmancy? It wasn't because he enjoyed math. It was because he figured the fastest way to learn charms was by understanding their base components, just like studying the alphabet before learning the language.

Jin didn't give a shit for wand movements. It was public knowledge that magic schools in Africa taught wandless magic from an early age, so the wand wasn't needed. Jin figured the wands were both a crutch and an enhancer. A helpful learning tool that could become a crippling device due to over-reliance, as well as an enhancer for power and casting speed.

Jin didn't have time or desire for a wand, and his study of Arithmancy proved he didn't need it. He blew through the third and fourth-year Arithmancy courses in a week, and just by understanding the basics of a charm, he figured out how to cast it.

A charm requires specified intent and will. A wizard had to specify exactly what they wanted and then had to have the willpower to alter reality to make the change happen. If you just used a water summoning charm without specifying it, it would fail because the caster didn't specify what to do with the water. Summon it where, in what shape, in what temperature, and so on.

The traditional charm used wand movements to specify the intent. Then the caster needed the will to enforce it, to visualize it coming into effect.

Finally, you had the power source, the caster's own mana. Use more mana for a more potent spell; use less for a weaker one.

It wasn't rocket science, but the little calculations were fundamental to the final picture. Without a wand, he had to change a lot of steps and learn how to mentally process things in seconds.

And he had another hidden benefit from his magic-resistant skin. His clinical study by the witch doctor proved that his internal mana was flowing into his skin. The hardest part about wandless casting was making the internal mana exit the body, which a wand helped do by pulling the mana toward the hand holding it.

But his mana was already doing it naturally without a wand, so all he had to do was one extra step of pushing it out from his skin.

Jin loved it. It was like his brain was hardwired for this type of process. After the first week, he could summon a ball of light in his palm. After a few more hours, he could change the color of the light and the shape it came in, as well as summon it from any of his fingers. By that night, he could make a flashlight from his dick.

After a few days, he was casting first-year charms. By the start of the third week, he was casting second-year charms. And after an entire month, he was finishing up third-year charms.

The difficulty was raised with each year, and he had to take more time between learning them all, but it felt like giant puzzle pieces in his head being fit together one after another.

His theory work for Arithmancy and Charms was leagues ahead, but the practical side needed time and practice to be helpful. So far, it took him close to twenty seconds to do all the mental math to cast a charm; he wanted it down to a second before he would be happy.

Of course, the Wit-Sharpening potions played a significant role in his speed. He burned through dozens of them using funds he…. acquired…. through…. donations…. and had to stop when he got nosebleeds and massive headaches. A trip to the clinic had the old bat fixing him up while she nagged him for being stupid.

You might think it was hard to pickpocket a wizard, and you would be absolutely correct.

So Jin decided to use his brain and do something else. Muggle country clubs for rich people playing golf made excellent targets for sending a house elf to grab wallets. The laws stopping elves from doing it to magical people didn't protect muggles.

Converting the money at a heavy loss in Gringotts for galleons got him all he needed. The money went toward drugs….cough…. potions, and books, so Jin considered it a worthy donation.

A lot of the money was spent on food as well. Despite the cheap prices, it felt like the more he pushed his brain with potions, the more his metabolism burned, and his elves were funneling food to him at a rapid pace.

Thankfully, he didn't use all the potions on his charm work. He read about the world, got familiar with things he needed or wanted to know, and got more comfortable.

He memorized the entire magical beast manual cover to cover and was confident he could identify a male unicorn from a female one. One had a penis, he was sure.

Jokes aside, he hoped he didn't butcher things when he actually had to work beyond the theoretical. A few fragmented memories came to him of time spent caring for horses, but they could have also been large dogs, so he didn't want to rely on past experience.

His Parseltounge skill came along nicely. Talking with the snake he bought every day helped him get a feel for how to trigger the speech style. It wasn't as simple as an on-and-off switch, but it was there waiting for him to use it.

The language was interesting because, using Arithmancy, he found that using the older language mentally or verbally to cast a charm not only empowered the spell with ambient mana, but it was faster to cast and cut out a few mental steps that using the Latin words required.

He made it a point to learn first in Latin and then convert it to Parseltongue. The snake language actually played an influential role in healing charms. A researcher from India authored a book about how they assumed ancient wizards used the language primarily for healing arts, and the magical language took on those qualities over the ages.

Jin agreed with that point, as his basic healing spells were much more potent than what the books implied. He wasn't ready to try and heal his brain from damage, but he could handle cuts and muscle damage.

Which helped immensely as a lucky stumble during one of Diagon Alley's bazaar days, where merchants could sell their wares on the street, resulted in him finding the perfect training tool. The one and only gravity enhancer waiting for a prime MC to drop by.

A failed attempt at a wizard who wanted to fly without a broom, the gravity enhancer was a bracelet that could double the gravity on the user's body. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant for the purpose so doubling the gravity was its limit, and the shelf life wasn't long, but Jin was happy with it. He figured he could make a gravity charm from studying its enchantment, and wearing it daily was putting pressure on his body at all times.

Overall, it was a very productive and active month. The elves got into the school, Shadow was being her adorable self and cleaning out the Leaky Cauldron of any mice issues, and Jin was on his way to world domination.

Oh, and he found an answer to one of his main questions about things other than charms. He could understand the coursework for Transfiguration, but no matter what he did, even the simplest spell wouldn't activate. He was utterly incapable of doing it.

Potions would blow up in his face for no reason. He could do everything perfectly, but the potion would just combust like….magic.

On the other hand, Occlumency books were not a complete failure. The meditation aspect of the books immensely helped him organize his mind, study more efficiently, and retain more knowledge. But the defense, creating fake memories, and actually entering his mental world didn't happen.

It did give him a significant boost to dealing with his Animagus form, and Jin was sure he would be able to get it to work by new year's.

By the final week, Jin decided to splurge and spent all his money on self-enhancement potions. Nutrient potions, rejuvenation potions, muscle stimulation potions, and anything else he could afford. Many of them were less commonly sold and lower in price, but it wasn't because they were rare or hard to make. It was due to a low demand since wizarding culture didn't care much for physical growth.

Jin was amazed when he realized wizarding culture could realistically make everyone Captain America level superhumans if they actually applied themselves. But such a thing was doubtful to happen as the entire culture found the concept their antithesis. Socially, being tall, pale, and aristocratic-looking was the ideal form.

Jin didn't mind, however, as he was more than willing to abuse what they had while he could. And after only a month, he felt better about his new body. The way Jin carried himself with confidence and moved with purpose made the old and new him look day and night. It didn't feel awkward and whatever muscle memory he might have retained from his old body faded away.

On the morning of August 30th, he stepped into the Floo confidentially and walked right into the giant gut of a waiting ten-foot-tall Hagrid smiling down at him. "Oh! A hugger, huh? Come here little buddy, we got an exciting year ahead of us!"

Jin felt his hard-worked spine crack from the greeting. Less than thirty seconds into his new job, and he was already incapacitated.

It was going to be a long year.

Chapter end.

AN: Thoughts?