I couldn't hide my bewilderment as I looked at the card in Harry's hand.
What is that doing here?
The Unknowable One. Anyone could see that it was my card.
In fact, that card had already been issued back when I was in the 19th century. I remembered being utterly flabbergasted when I saw the card back then, too.
Of course, I had accumulated more than enough achievements to be featured on a Frog Card, but why in the world was I recorded as 'The Unknowable One' and not 'Aisen Knightly'!
When I sent a letter to the wizard who makes the chocolates to ask why, the reason was truly a spectacle: 'this way is rarer and will sell better.'
The fact that he wasn't wrong made me even more furious.
And, an even more surprising fact.
That trolley witch, somehow, hadn't aged a day and was still pushing her cart.
My records were surely expunged from the Frog Cards when they were erased around the 1950s, but the fact that she had a card with my achievements clearly written on it proved that it was her.
Harry was barely suppressing a blooming grin as he looked at the card, and he whispered to me.
"Master, is this..."
"Your guess is correct."
Watching them, Ron said to Harry with a whining voice.
"Harry, can't you give that to me? I collect Chocolate Frog cards, and that one seems really rare! I'll give you five of whatever you want in return!"
For once, Harry's face was serious as he shook his head.
"No way. This is my treasure now."
Regardless of Ron's disappointment, Harry took out his wand and cast a preservation spell on the card.
Seeing this, Ron said in shock.
"Goodness, Harry! Did you just use magic already?"
Harry looked puzzled at his words and asked.
"Well, I'm enrolling in Hogwarts, a school of magic, because I can use magic, right?"
Why would I come to this school if I can't use magic?
That innocent question from Harry seemed to have struck a sore spot for Ron.
"Ah... I see, The Boy Who Lived is different..."
Seeing his reaction, Harry was flustered and whispered to me.
"Master. Don't tell me first-years normally don't know how to use magic?"
At those words, I blinked.
Is... that so?
I answered Harry.
"Harry, I actually transferred in as a fifth-year, so I don't really know how good the first-years are at magic."
I had spent a lot of time with the first-years around my seventh year, but even then, the only one I had interacted with on a magical level was Albus.
So, naturally, when I was teaching Harry, I had based the curriculum on Albus as a first-year, and on myself after about a month of learning magic.
Don't tell me the majority of first-years can't use magic? Or have the first-years of the 20th century become weaker?!
Seeing my internal shock, Harry nodded in understanding.
"Well, how could a genius understand the common folk?"
The funny thing was that Harry, as he said this, also knew that he himself was a genius.
Ron, who had been watching us whisper for a moment, asked curiously.
"But, who are you? You seem to be close with Harry."
Look at this little brat, only eleven years old, using banmal on me. Did I come to Hogwarts to be treated like this?
[T/N: Banmal (반말): Informal speech in Korean. It's used with people of the same age or younger. Ron using it with Aisen, who he assumes is also a first-year, is natural, but Aisen is internally offended.]
Just as that thought was about to bubble up, I realized that being treated like an old man wouldn't be any better.
Let's set this issue aside for now. My relationship with Harry.
Of course, in this kid's body, it's a bit awkward to say I'm his master. But to say we're just friends is also strange, since my pseudonym's last name is Potter.
Just as I was thinking, Harry spoke first.
"Uh, this is Aisen Potter, my brother."
Ron said in surprise.
"What? Your brother? No, Harry Potter doesn't have any siblings."
The point Harry had overlooked was that he didn't realize just how famous a person Harry Potter was in the wizarding society.
As Harry was stammering, I took over.
"To be precise, a relative. In terms of hangnyeol, I'm probably around an uncle. So I've pretty much raised Harry since he was young."
[T/N: Hangnyeol (항렬): A complex Korean system of generation names within a clan, which dictates the relative seniority between family members. Aisen is calculating his "rank" in the Potter family tree to create a plausible cover story.]
"Yeah, that's right."
It was a setup full of holes, but what could you do when the parties involved said so? Besides, kids this age tend to believe such things easily.
As expected, Ron believed our words and was amazed.
Kee-roo-rook.
Grrr.
Ardeura and Hedwig, who had been sleeping quietly in a corner of the compartment, cried out as if to say they found it absurd.
Ron looked at them, in the form of a parrot and an owl, and muttered wistfully.
"I wish I had a bird like an owl, too."
And then, he took out a rat from his pocket. Ron introduced the creature as Scabbers.
"Oh-kay? Scabbers, you say?"
Scabbers was an utterly unremarkable rat, or as Ron put it, 'unbelievably boring.'
Except for one thing.
One thing that caught my eye was that he had only four toes on his front paw.
When I have even the slightest suspicion, I tend to use my 'Eyes.'
Ron flinched and said.
"Y-your eyes just now! I think they flashed gold!"
I answered nonchalantly.
"How could that be? You must have seen wrong. How can a person's eyes glow?"
"I... guess so?"
Whatever. I looked at Scabbers and grinned. Found you.
I looked at Scabbers with my usual mischievous smile. So, you're the one who sullied the name of Gryffindor.
Scabbers, no, Peter Pettigrew, suddenly felt a strange chill.
I asked Ron.
"Hey, Ronald. Didn't you say just now that your rat was too boring and you wanted to dye it or something?"
"Uh, well, yeah."
"In that case, would it be alright if I transformed Scabbers into something cooler than just a simple dye job?"
"Um, cooler?"
Ron, blinking his eyes, seemed to quite like the suggestion.
Hmm, how should I change him? If I changed all his fur into needles, wouldn't that be painful for the little rat, but also cool?
Just as I was thinking, the door to the compartment slid open.
The one who peeked her head in was a pretty, but stern-looking, girl. Behind her was another boy with a dazed look on his face.
"Um, has anyone seen a toad?"
"A toad?"
Ron repeated the girl's question.
"Yes, a toad. My friend here has lost his."
"I don't think we've seen a toad."
As if she was only half-listening to Harry's answer, the girl's gaze was fixed on the wand in my hand.
"Oh, right. Ah, are you doing magic? I want to see!"
The girl naturally took a seat. Whatever. I was still thinking about how I should transform Scabbers.
Yes, the most primal pain is, of course, a burning pain.
I lightly waved my wand and transformed Scabbers.
Fwoosh!
In an instant, all the fur on Scabbers's body changed to look like it was flickering with crimson flames.
Squeak? Squeak-squeak-squeak!
It looked cool and not at all dangerous, but I had changed all of Scabbers's fur into Manticore quills.
And the tip of a Manticore's quills are famous for secreting a venom that causes a burning pain.
In other words, by now, that little rat must be feeling the pain of his entire body being on fire.
Squeak-squeak-squeak! Squeak!
Scabbers was squealing desperately, as if begging for his life, but the clueless Ron was very pleased with the sight.
"Wow, my goodness! That's so much cooler than the orange I was going to dye him!"
Meanwhile, the girl sitting in front of us was so shocked she was at a loss for words.
"Goodness! Don't tell me you just used Transfiguration, one of the most difficult branches of magic, with a non-verbal spell? How can a first-year do that?"
...Did I just use a non-verbal spell? I'm so used to it now that reciting the incantation feels stranger, so I must have made a mistake. I'll have to be more careful in the future.
Harry nudged my side and whispered.
"Master! You're going to get caught at this rate."
"I know."
After that, we introduced ourselves. The pretty girl's name was Hermione Granger, and the boy behind her was named Neville.
Hermione, upon hearing Harry's name, was surprised, saying she had seen his name in various history books, and she tilted her head when she heard that my last name was Potter.
It was a setup that would raise some questions for a clever kid.
A little while later, after Neville and Hermione had left, Ron, who had been pestered for a long time, complained as if he was fed up.
"Goodness. How can she talk so much? I can't stand know-it-alls like her."
I shrugged and said.
"She's obviously a Ravenclaw. I knew a lot of types like her among the Ravenclaws I knew."
Just then, an announcement was heard inside the train.
[We will be arriving at Hogwarts in five minutes. Please leave your luggage and prepare to disembark.]
After getting off the train, we were guided by a gamekeeper named Hagrid and headed towards Hogwarts. Hmm, is that giant fellow a half-giant?
Since giants were an extremely rare species, a half-blood of a giant and a human was extremely rare.
If he had been a dark wizard, I would have caught him and experimented on him. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the man named Hagrid seemed to have no connection to the dark arts.
And, finally, we arrived at Hogwarts.
The moon, which had risen in the sky, shone through the evening clouds and illuminated Hogwarts.
"Hogwarts."
I never thought I would come back here again. And as a student, at that.
Feeling a renewed sense of emotion, we entered the Great Hall.
But, I could hear the people in the Great Hall all whispering.
The professors, the students, everyone was whispering.
Harry looked bewildered and asked me.
"Master, why is the atmosphere like this?"
Unlike Harry, I knew the reason at a glance.
With a victorious smile on one side of my lips, I said.
"Look over there, in the middle."
"Where... ah, it's Mr. Dumbledore. Oh, dear."
As he said, the person sitting in the middle of the professor's table was the greatest wizard of this era, the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore.
If that had been all, there would have been no reason for people to whisper, but there was a big problem.
And that was that Dumbledore had undergone a very drastic image change.
"His beard is gone."
"I burned it off."
After the severe punishment disguised as a duel with me last time, Dumbledore had managed to heal all his magical wounds before the start of the term through some means.
But there was one thing he could not restore, and that was his proud beard.
I laughed heartily, feeling a sense of satisfaction.
The murmuring continued until Albus clinked his cup to quiet everyone down.
In any case, that wasn't the important thing right now.
In the Great Hall, we would first go through the most inevitable ceremony at Hogwarts, the Sorting.
Of course, the one who presides over this ceremony is the alter ego of the founders, the Sorting Hat.
A little while later, Professor Minerva McGonagall, who introduced herself as the Deputy Headmistress, began to call out the students' names one by one.
"Granger, Hermione!"
The girl named Hermione, whom I had thought would surely go to Ravenclaw, was sorted into Gryffindor. Surprising.
"Longbottom, Neville!"
Neville, whom we had seen on the train, was also a Gryffindor.
"Malfoy, Draco!"
And a somewhat familiar name. Malfoy was sorted into Slytherin.
Ah, Slytherin. A fine house.
After a long wait.
And, finally.
"Potter, Harry!"
It was our turn.
The moment Harry's name was called, the entire Great Hall was filled with the sound of whispers.
"Harry? Are you talking about the Harry Potter?"
"Come to think of it, this is the year he's supposed to enroll!"
Harry left the whispers behind him and walked confidently forward to put on the Sorting Hat.
The hat began to speak to Harry.
"Oh, this is a difficult one. You are full of courage, and you are clever. You have a good heart and a considerable desire for recognition! Interesting... where should I put you?"
Harry thought to himself.
'Oh, Hat. Just send me to Gryffindor quickly. Time is wasting.'
"Gryffindor? Are you sure? You could be great in Slytherin, you know! I am never wrong."
Harry grumbled to himself.
'If Merlin or Salazar themselves were teaching in Slytherin, I might consider it. But I already have a master in Gryffindor.'
"Hmm? You have a master in Gryffindor? Let me see... HIIIEEEK?!!?"
The Sorting Hat, which had been using Legilimency to delve into Harry's memories, could not hide its shock for a moment.
Why. For what reason!
Why is THAT person in Harry Potter's memories?!
Albus Dumbledore, have you truly gone senile?!
Harry, who was getting annoyed at the delay, muttered in his mind.
'Hat. My master told me I was a Gryffindor. So if you don't put me in Gryffindor quickly, my master, who's coming up after me, will tear you in half.'
'So hurry up and shout.'
"Hmm, I see you would be greater in Gryffindor than Slytherin! It's true! GRYFFINDOR!!!! GRYFFINDOR!!!"
The hat shouted 'Gryffindor' in an unusually high voice. For some reason, it almost sounded like a scream.
Harry smiled happily and walked towards the Gryffindor table.