The Headmaster's office at Hogwarts.
The person sitting there was the great archmage who had made Hogwarts renowned as the safest place in the world.
And yet today, that Albus Dumbledore was wearing a peaceful smile, as if he had reached some form of enlightenment.
This situation continued even as McGonagall came up to the Headmaster's office to get some documents approved.
"Ah, Professor McGonagall. Is there a problem?"
"Ah, Headmaster. It's about the acceptance letters we're sending out this year. There's something strange about them."
Just as McGonagall, adjusting her glasses, was about to continue her report to Dumbledore, Dumbledore chuckled serenely and said.
"Professor, that is a matter I have approved under my authority as Headmaster. So there is no problem."
"But Headmaster. Matters related to admission are recorded by the sacred Book of Admittance and Quill of Acceptance, and not even you, Headmaster..."
"Ah, Professor. It seems I forgot to mention something."
As befitting the meticulous, by-the-book McGonagall, she was about to raise an issue with Dumbledore, but she stopped at his next words.
"Minerva, I am truly sorry."
Dumbledore, who, unlike usual, was calling her by her first name instead of her surname as he apologized.
McGonagall simply could not understand this situation.
Because, of all things, the eyes of the great Dumbledore were moist with tears!
Looking closely, that peaceful, enlightened smile was also a smile of complete resignation, like that of a cow being led to the slaughterhouse.
No, had the great wizard truly gone senile?
At this point, even the error in the acceptance letter no longer seemed like a major problem.
Dumbledore smiled benevolently at McGonagall, whose pupils were trembling violently, and said.
"Ah, dear. The time of judgment has come."
Kee-roo-rook!
Tap, tap.
Suddenly, along with the cry of a bird, the sound of tapping came from the window of the Headmaster's office.
McGonagall, who had unconsciously turned her gaze toward the sound, couldn't help but be startled.
"Good heavens, a phoenix?"
She never thought she would see another phoenix besides Fawkes in her lifetime. As if it knew Fawkes, the phoenix at the window saw him and began to flap its wings and cry out.
Screee! Scree!
McGonagall asked Dumbledore.
"Headmaster, have you acquired a new familiar?"
Dumbledore let out a hearty laugh as if the suggestion was absurd and answered.
"Oh, Professor McGonagall. How could that be?"
"Then that phoenix is..."
"A grim reaper, come to take me away."
"Pardon?"
Dumbledore, with a lonely smile as if he were going to his death, approached the phoenix outside the window.
Click.
Kee-roo-rook!
Dumbledore held out his hand to the phoenix, which was crying as if to hurry him, and said to McGonagall.
"Well then, Professor. I have a place to be for a moment... no, I'm not sure if I'll be able to come back."
If I do return safely, I will be truly sorry for a while.
Leaving behind those enigmatic words, Dumbledore's form vanished in an instant along with the phoenix.
McGonagall's mouth fell open at the bewildering sight that had unfolded before her eyes.
Screee!
All that remained in the silent Headmaster's office was a single male phoenix, flapping its wings madly.
A certain beach on the Mediterranean.
Something was happening there that would make any person turn their head for a second look.
Rumble. KABOOM.
In the sea, which had been basking in the sunlight just a moment ago, lightning was striking from a clear sky.
"Attention."
Mmph, mmph!
An old man, for some reason with his mouth gagged, was standing at attention before a young boy.
In that bizarre scene, I, in the role of the young boy, spoke.
"Albus. I received a strange letter a little while ago."
You must have lost your mind, right?
Hearing those deadly words, the old man, Albus's, complexion grew even paler.
Albus tried to make some kind of excuse or protest, but no sound could escape his sealed lips.
Considering Albus's skill, he could probably break a seal of this level, but it seemed he knew what would happen if he broke a binding I had placed in this situation, as he made no attempt to do so.
In any case, we needed to talk, so after tormenting him for a bit, I released the silencing spell on Albus.
"Ahem, ahem. Sir. It's been a while."
"A while? Do you think you're in a position to be exchanging pleasantries with me right now?"
Seeing me flap the letter in my hand, Albus gave an awkward smile.
One of the good things about getting old is that your emotions don't show on your face as easily.
This was especially true when they were hidden by a white beard.
Albus, who had trained in the absolute mental defense magic of Occlumency, was very skilled at hiding his feelings, as his mind could not be read even by my Legilimency.
And yet, despite those restrictions, I could clearly feel the emotion in Albus's eyes.
The emotion hidden behind the fear of what I might do to him was, unmistakably, joy.
Don't tell me, is he getting revenge on me for ruining his plan? Is that it?
Suppressing my boiling anger, I asked Albus.
"Albus. I'll give you one chance to explain yourself. You'd better choose your words carefully."
Albus cleared his throat and said to me.
"Sir, when you took the wand, didn't you say you would act as my pawn just once?"
Flabbergasted, I replied.
"Albus. Does re-enrolling at Hogwarts look to you like something that can be done with a single use of your 'pawn pass'?"
"...Sir, are you aware that Hogwarts is a seven-year school?"
"Of course I am. What about it?"
"Sir, you enrolled as a fifth-year, so you only attended for three years, and strictly speaking, you haven't graduated y—Hmph!"
I lightly shot a spell at Albus, who was spouting nonsense. A cold sweat broke out on Dumbledore's face as he blocked the red beam with Protego.
"Where do you get off spouting such sophistry? To your own senior, who has a graduation certificate and everything."
And most importantly.
"And besides, I'm listed as a Hogwarts professor, even if it's just an honorary position. Are you telling a professor to become a first-year student?"
That's right. Before I was thrown into the 20th century.
Back when I had graduated from school and was making a name for myself in the world, Headmaster Phineas had offered me a professorship.
Of course, at the time, I was exploring the deeper concepts of ancient magic and didn't have time to be a professor.
Phineas Black, though incompetent, was more competent than anyone when it came to protecting his own position.
Phineas must have instinctively realized that my presence around Hogwarts would greatly contribute to its safety, as he had tried to maintain a relationship with me somehow.
The conclusion he had come to was an honorary professorship. It was a position that didn't require me to teach students, but in any case, I was listed as the honorary professor of the Ancient Magic subject.
It wasn't unrelated to the fact that I had set up my personal research in a cave somewhere in the Highlands near Hogwarts, so in a way, you could say Phineas benefited from me.
And now what? You're telling me to become a Hogwarts first-year?
"...Is that really true?"
How would Albus know that I had held a professorship, an honorary one at that, of which I had never served, almost ninety years ago?
Even as the Headmaster of Hogwarts, it's not normal to know the affairs of the headmaster two generations before you so well.
"And besides, is it even possible for me to re-enroll at Hogwarts?"
My admission records, as well as my O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. exam records, should all still be in Hogwarts.
At those words, Albus blinked and said.
"...Sir. Did you perhaps not know?"
"Know what?"
"Sir, for the past four years, where have you been and what have you been doing?"
Mostly touring the Muggle world and training Harry by visiting various forbidden places in different countries.
Hearing my answer, Albus sighed and said.
"Ah, no wonder."
And at Albus's next words, I couldn't hide my astonishment.
"Sir, all records related to you are currently classified as top secret within the Ministry of Magic and have been expunged."
"...??"
What?
Albus's ensuing explanation was enough to leave me speechless.
The 1950s, when various social changes were erupting. It was a time when a great war had ended in both the Muggle and the wizarding societies.
Naturally, the voice of those who did not wish for another great war grew louder, and various reform proposals poured out.
Strengthening government control over dark magic, guaranteeing the human rights of criminals, strengthening the authority of the government's judicial system, and so on.
In a word, it was a movement to reduce the power of individual wizards and strengthen regulations, to end the 'Age of Romance.'
My records, and those of a few other wizards who had not shied away from using any means necessary against Dark Wizards, must have been nothing short of a disaster for the government that led the reforms.
I, a great archmage who cared nothing for control, and who had already gained public support by establishing incredible feats, was a being who frontally denied the government's reforms.
That is, only if I 'hadn't disappeared.'
No matter how great the storm I had brought, by that time, more than half a century had passed since my disappearance.
People no longer thrilled to the stories about me, and the tale of 'Aisen Knightly' had become a legend known only to a select few.
In the end, the government had classified the information about me, whose actions directly contradicted their new policies, and had controlled and expunged the information that had spread among the public.
Well, I'll be damned.
The wizarding society, which would have been ruined long ago if not for me, had repaid my grace with enmity.
Perhaps if I had spent even a little time in the wizarding society, I would have quickly felt the sense of wrongness, but as it happened, I had been away from the magical world for the past few years and hadn't even noticed.
I realized anew that when a person is too flabbergasted, they don't even get angry.
Seeing me laugh hollowly in a state of enlightenment, Albus said cautiously.
"Ahem, Sir. Since it has come to this, how about entering Hogwarts after all?"
"You're saying that now?"
"Sir, you always regretted not having spent your younger years at Hogwarts, didn't you?"
He was right about that.
The talent for ancient magic is extremely voracious and greedy.
Until it reaches a certain level and blossoms, it devours and digests all the magical power in the body.
[T/N: Ancient Magic Users: The author here provides a unique, in-universe explanation for why Aisen (and by extension, the protagonist of Hogwarts Legacy) was a late-blooming transfer student. This talent for ancient magic consumes all of a wizard's innate magical power until they reach magical maturity around the age of 15, making them appear like a Squib. Only then does their magic manifest, allowing them to enroll at Hogwarts.]
And the time it takes to consume enough magical power to reach that certain level is around the time the body turns fifteen. That is, the age to become a fifth-year at Hogwarts.
In other words, those with a talent for ancient magic show no trace of magic in their bodies until they turn fifteen.
Therefore, those with ancient talent, including myself, had traditionally gone through the process of transferring to Hogwarts only when they became fifth-years.
Without ancient magic, I could not have become the wizard I am, but even including that, the fact that I had not spent my childhood at Hogwarts had always remained a great regret of mine.
No, but even so.
"But I'm over thirty now, and you're telling me to go and spend my school days with those snot-nosed kids?"
"Your physical age is now eleven, is it not?"
That's true, but isn't that a completely different problem?
"And Sir, after you send Harry off, you won't have anything to do but delve into ancient magic, will you?"
"So?"
"Over the past one hundred years, the number of books stored in the Hogwarts library has increased tremendously. I am certain that staying at Hogwarts will be better for your research as well."
Albus's eloquence had improved ridiculously over ninety years. It's clearly nonsense, but why am I being persuaded as I listen?
Hah. What am I to do with this?
Even so, what would I do playing with mere eleven-year-old kids?
In that time, I would rather overthrow the Ministry that did this and normalize my records.
Just then, my eyes caught sight of Harry, who was watching us with Deek from under the parasol in the back.
A look of pure anticipation. He was clearly hoping that he could go to Hogwarts with me.
...Well, it was also true that I was worried about Harry.
I was confident that I had raised him to be skilled enough to handle a troll, but he was still weaker than I was when I had been at Hogwarts for half a year.
It couldn't be helped, since the comparison was me, but Hogwarts was a rather dangerous place.
I don't know what it's like these days, but at least when I was attending, the Highlands where Hogwarts was located was a place where terrorist attacks occurred in Hogsmeade all the time.
With that thought, I sighed and said to Albus.
"Alright. Only until the end of fourth year."
"Pardon?"
"I've already done fifth, sixth, and seventh year, so I don't want to do it again. I'll at least complete the seven years."
At my words, Albus was about to break into a wide grin, so I added a condition.
"But."
"...But?"
"I'll have to check the safety of Hogwarts."
"Sir, there is no need to worry. Hogwarts is the safest place in the world, which I protect..."
"Right, that."
"...Sir?"
I took out the Elder Wand towards Albus and said.
"If the Headmaster can't even withstand an attack from a mere student, there's no reason for me to attend, is there?"
Woooooom.
The vast magical power that filled my body, now even greater than before, began to move.
Just by raising my will, the atmosphere resonated and let out a great roar.
This was different from when I had playfully fought Albus in the cave before.
No matter how much sense Albus's proposal made, I didn't like the triumphant look on his face, having gotten his way in the end.
And that wasn't all.
"And, what were you doing when my information was being classified? I looked it up the other day, and you're the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot now. The more I think about it, the more pissed off I get."
"Sir, please calm down for a moment...!"
I smiled wickedly at Albus, whose face was turning pale, and said.
"You ungrateful junior. Just try to survive for one hour."
I'll beat him with all I've got.
Seeing me like this, Albus, as if sensing his own end, muttered to himself.
"Well, well, by Merlin's beard. It seems I'll be visiting St. Mungo's for the first time in a long while."
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Guys, double the chapters today, so please give some power stones so we may rank higher this week.