In one of the many suburbs of London, eleven year old Kieran Phillips looked out of his dining room window to see an owl. It was a large owl with a letter tied to its feet. Kieran was a British boy, slightly taller than other kids his age with dark hair and blue eyes.
"Mum," Kieran yelled, "there's a weird owl by the window."
Helen Phillips, Kieran's mother, walked into the dining room and opened the window, trying to shoo the owl away. Instead, the owl flew past her and landed in front of Kieran extending its leg.
"Be careful Kieran," Kieran's mother said, "I'll get your father."
"No," Kieran replied, "I think it wants me to take the letter."
"Don't be ridiculous," Kieran's mother replied.
"No, really." Kieran said, then he proceeded to untie the letter from the owl's leg.
He spent a moment looking at it, while his mother went to find his father. When she came back with her father the owl had flown out.
His father was more concerned about the letter. "What's that you got there?" he asked.
Kieran shrugged. "I don't know," he said, and he opened it and started to read.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Mr. Phillips,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmaster
First-year students will require:
1.Three sets of plain work robes (black)
2.One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
3.One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
4.One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags.
COURSE BOOKS
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble
OTHER EQUIPMENT
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales
Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad.
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS
Kieran looked up confused, comprehension suddenly dawning.
Kieran wasn't an average boy, once he had been a teenager from the future. He had grown up in America and had fond memories of reading Harry Potter in fourth grade and watching the movies. When he came into High school, he had found out about Harry Potter fanfics and learned more about the wizarding world. However he was well aware of JK Rowling's plot holes and politics, which made it so when he had tragically died in an accident and got reincarnated, he didn't even consider he had been reincarnated into the wizarding world.
Now, it looks like he was a wizard, which was absolutely crazy. He knew that wizards in the Harry Potter universe were prone to accidental magic as children which, as Kieran started to think back, probably happened with him. He had gotten quite depressed when he was 2, he was born in the mid 2000s, and now he had been reincarnated in 1979. This vast difference in time made him miss the luxuries the future offered him. He cried when he realized he would have to wait over 20 years for the internet, youtube, and all of his favorite video games. At that exact time all the electronic devices in the household, from light fixtures to the TV started to malfunction and burnt out. There were several instances of these sorts of things but he had always chalked it up to bizarre circumstance.
Kieran had made peace with his lack of future technology access a while ago, and then started to prioritize using his future knowledge, namely getting rich. Since being a child limited what he could do, heinstead he focused on a market he knew quite well and wouldn't be out of place for a child to sink a lot of his, or his parent's money into: Video games. He was an avid video game nerd and knew about how many older games, especially well maintained and first edition ones would appreciate in value over time. He bought a nintendo entertainment system the day it was released by begging for it so hard his father imported it from America, he later bought another when it was released in the UK two years later. He bought old games and kept them well maintained to later sell for profit. He even dabbled in first edition books, as well as subtlety making hints to his father on certain companies he knew would do well.
Not that his family was poor, his family was upper middle class, both lawyers but Kieran wanted more, a life of luxury. So far, his more mature mind had led him to absolutely shine in school, and even getting accpeted to prestigious scholarships due to his abilities. He even started to enjoy himself, even joining his father when he dragged him to football (soccer) matches. Overall, he had done well setting up a good future for himself.
Now everything had turned on his head. He handed the letter wordlessly to his father, who read it intently.
"Is this a scam?" He said aloud, handing the letter to his mother.
His mother furrowed her eyebrows as she read, "It must be, I've never heard of Hogwarts before."
"Why was an owl carrying it?" Kieran asked.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Kieran's father walked to the door slowly. He glanced out a window.
"Who's there?" Kieran's mother asked. "I'm not sure, some nutter in a robe." Kieran's father replied, "It's July, must be some weird salesman."
"Well tell him to go away," Kieran's mother replied.
Opening the door, Kieran looked over to see a lady in an emerald green robe and a tall pointed hat.
Kieran's father opened the door and asked, "Hello? Who are you?"
The lady walked inside to everyone's astonishment and said, "Hello, you can call me Professor McGonagall. I am here to explain to you about the letter you just received."
Kieran's mother looked incredulous, and McGonagall decided to sit down, uninvited, in the dining room.
Kieran asked, "So, you teach at Hogwarts."
"Yes," she replied, "and as you are a muggle-born, I am here to explain to you about the magical world and later help guide you through your first steps."
Kieran decided it was best to play dumb. Meanwhile Kieran's mother piped up, "I won't stand for this scam!"
Professor McGonogall said, "Rest assured, I am not scamming you." in a rehearsed manner.
She pulled out a long stick from her robes, a wand, and pointed at a plate on the table. The plate morphed into a rat and hopped away.
Kieran's mother screamed and jumped back, Kieran's father just looked at the scampering rabbit dumbly. Only Kieran remained calm, but inside, his heart was racing. Magic! He had just witnessed magic!
"The supplies listed in your letter must be bought in Diagon Alley, located in London. If you are ready I can take you to buy them." McGonagall said.
Kieran's mother recovered and was sitting at the end of the table breathing slowly. Kieran's father snapped out of it and said, "Wait why will we be sending Kieran to a magic school! I don't know if you know but he has a great future ahead of him without the school. Is there tuition? Why haven't I heard of it before?"
McGonagall replied simply, "For many reasons magical kind is not in the view of non magical or muggle folk such as yourselves. Sometimes, muggle families have a magical child, like your son. It is quite dangerous to leave a magical person in the muggle world without proper instruction, hence the school. And no, there is no tuition."
Slowly Kieran's parents warmed up to the idea. "So if we send Kieran to this school he's guaranteed a place in your society?" Kieran's mother asked.
"Yes," McGonagall said, "And if he does well he can find good jobs in the wizarding world, and most importantly, learn to use magic."
"Mum," Kieran said, "I want to go. It's magic! Real magic! Don't tell me you won't let me do magic! It's amazing!"
Kieran's mother bit her lip. "Okay…"
"Well if you accompany me, I can lead you to Diagon Alley." McGonagall said.
"Okay," Kieran said, "Can my parents come?"
"Of course." McGonagall replied.
We traveled to London, then to Charing Cross Road. McGonagall then led us to the legendary pub, The Leaky Cauldron.
Walking in, Kieran's mother's nose scrunched up at the dark lights and smell. Saying hi to the bartender Tom, McGonagall led them to the back and tapped the bricks with her wand. The bricks pulled apart to reveal a bustling alley of shops.
Kieran's parents stared in awe. McGonagall led them to exchange money at the goblin staffed Gringotts, with Kieran staring in awe at goblins. After getting wizarding money Kieran walked through the many shops of Diagon alley. He bought all the books on his list from Flourish and Blotts. He picked up a few extra books like Hogwarts: A History to supplement his understanding of the wizarding world. There were so many details left out from the original Harry Potter books that he now had the chance to find out.
Finally, it was time for a wand.
Mr. Ollivander examined Kieran's right hand. "I see…" He said in a thoughtful voice and rifled through many wands. He brought back a bunch, vine 13 inches, oak 14 inches, and Kieran spent over 12 minutes trying out wands.
"Ah yes," Ollivander said, "Sycamore, 14 inches, phoenix feather."
Kieran took it and warmth flooded his hands, sparks flew out. "Wow…" Kieran said, "This is amazing!"
"Yes, Sycamore is a wood that favors the bold and adventurous, you will find that it pushes you to master more difficult and interesting spells. Great for Gryffindors."
Kieran paid seven galleons and met up with his parents at the leaky cauldron. After receiving his train ticket from McGonagall and specific instructions on how to board the platform Kieran was left with his parents for the remainder of the summer.
My very first fic. I was inspired by several Chinese fics I've read MTL namely Hogwarts: I'm a Model Wizard which I stole a lot of elements and plot beats from and A Magical Hogwarts and Hogwarts: Voldemort Don't Stop Me From Studying. I was also really dissatisfied with a lot of OC or SI fics on here. Not to trash on anyone's fics they just weren't as complete or the ones I was looking for. I love the Chinese fics and I understand MTL is quite difficult to read so I wanted to translate that kind of story the chinese were able to develop into Native English for people who don't want to dabble in that to see and enjoy. This is not a translation just a story that was inspired by the Chinese ones. Chapter 2 is written and ready to post if this gains traction. I own nothing.