The Gryffindor common room was unusually quiet that morning.
Word of the troll attack had spread faster than fire in the Forbidden Forest. Even among a school already steeped in magic, last night's events had shaken everyone. Whispers and half-told versions of the tale rippled from table to table in the Great Hall, from corridor to corridor, and all of them—somehow—came back to one boy.
Elias Blake.
Not just a Gryffindor. A Slytherin-born Gryffindor.
Not just a boy. A spellcrafter. A troll-slayer. A contradiction.
Hermione sat beside him at the Gryffindor table that morning, her presence closer than usual but her voice silent. She kept glancing at Elias from time to time, her face unreadable—somewhere between respect and embarrassment, gratitude and quiet confusion.
Ron and Harry had joined the table late, both clearly still reeling from the night before.
"Mate," Ron muttered, poking at his toast, "you sent that troll flying."
Harry nodded, still stunned. "You were in the common room the whole time, weren't you? How did you get there so fast?"
Elias gave them a modest shrug. "I followed the noise. Found Hermione cornered, acted before thinking. Luck, mostly."
Hermione turned slightly to him. "It wasn't luck."
Elias didn't reply. Instead, his gaze drifted upward toward the enchanted ceiling, where pale morning light filtered through artificial clouds.
—System Notification—
+200 Fate Points (Major Event: Saving Students from a Life-Threatening Threat).
+100 Fate Points (Heroic Reputation: Gryffindor House).
+25 Fate Points (Increased Affinity with Hermione Granger).
New Trait Unlocked: "Instinctive Combat" — Reflexes increased in high-pressure scenarios.
He dismissed the screen quickly before anyone could see it. But the weight of it settled inside him.
He was getting stronger. Faster. Better.
But so was the spotlight.
The Staff Meeting
Albus Dumbledore stirred his tea slowly, listening as Minerva McGonagall recounted the events of the previous night.
"I reviewed the damage myself," she said. "The troll burst through the side door of Gryffindor Tower and was neutralized within minutes. The students are unharmed, miraculously."
"And this was entirely the work of Mr. Blake?" Snape's tone was skeptical, though his eyes held more curiosity than dismissal.
"He cast a sequence of spells we don't even teach until fourth year," McGonagall said with narrowed eyes. "No hesitation. No panic. It wasn't brute force. It was strategy."
Silence hung in the air for a moment.
"His father," Snape finally said, "was not so different at that age. Except less… polite."
Dumbledore leaned forward. "What does concern me is not merely what Elias did—but what it means. The boy has talent, yes. But there's something else, isn't there?"
"He resists," Snape muttered. "Even now. The Sorting Hat nearly placed him in Slytherin."
"But he refused it," McGonagall added, "and hasn't regretted it for a moment."
Dumbledore looked thoughtful.
"And his father," McGonagall continued, "has sent yet another letter."
Snape sneered. "Another one?"
"This one was more… direct," she said. "He's demanding we 'correct' our mistake and re-sort his son into Slytherin."
Dumbledore waved his hand. "We will do no such thing."
"What shall we tell him?"
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled beneath a sudden shadow of steel. "Tell Lord Blake this: Hogwarts honors a student's will. His son has chosen. And Hogwarts has chosen to honor that choice."
The room went quiet.
Then Dumbledore looked to Snape. "Keep an eye on him."
Snape nodded silently.
System Shop – A New Investment
Later that evening, Elias returned to the Room of Requirement—his hidden sanctuary, remodeled exactly like a Muggle penthouse. A warm fire crackled beside a tall glass wall that overlooked an illusion of a London skyline.
He sat down, opened the system interface, and pulled up the shop.
Current Fate Points: 590
Occlumency (Beginner Level) – 300 FP
Memory Sorting (Support Skill) – 100 FP
Charms Mastery Scroll (Lumos, Leviosa, etc.) – 150 FP
Room Access Key (World Anchor) – 250 FP
Skill Tree Preview (Locked until Level 3)
Elias hesitated for a moment, then tapped:
Purchase: Occlumency (Beginner)
Purchase: Room Access Key (World Anchor)
-550 FP
—You have unlocked Occlumency (Beginner).
Your thoughts are now mildly shielded against surface-level intrusion. Resistance to Legilimency increased.
—You now possess a Room Access Key.
You may summon the Room of Requirement from anywhere on Earth. Limited to your magical signature.
He took a deep breath.
There were so many things he didn't understand—about the world, the politics, the secrets of Hogwarts. But this room… this system… they were his.
Whispers and Ripples
The next morning, rumors had shifted from awe to suspicion.
"He took down a troll alone?"
"No way a first-year knows spells like that."
"He's not normal. Maybe… maybe he's dark."
"I heard his father's in the Ministry."
"No, I heard his father wanted to pull him out."
Elias ignored the whispers. But he noticed Hermione walking a little closer beside him now. Not exactly as a friend—but no longer distant either.
"I read about trolls in Magical Beasts: Volume I," she said as they walked. "You knew exactly where to strike. It wasn't luck."
Elias allowed himself a small smile. "Maybe not."
"Still…" She looked away. "Thanks. For what you did."
He nodded. "Anytime."
And then she left.
But Elias's gaze lingered after her for a few more moments.