"My name is... Arthur," I finally said, with all the seriousness my preteen voice allowed.
I said it slowly. In my head, it sounded elegant, as if a ray of divine light were about to illuminate me and an angelic choir were singing "Aaaahh" in the background as I said my new name.
Silence.
The four of them looked at me.
Godric (the one in red) raised an eyebrow, assessing whether my name came with epicness included.
Rowena (the one in blue) tilted her head slightly as if analyzing the etymology and possible psychological traumas associated with me.
Helga (the one in brown) smiled with a sweetness that said, "Aww, a kid trying to impress, how cute."
Salazar (the one in green) simply looked at me as if I were a hamster trying to be intimidating.
"Arthur, huh?" Godric repeated, with an elegant accent and a tone that mixed curiosity with suspicion. "A strong name for someone so... small."
I nodded with dignity, pulling up my pants again.
"For someone destined for greatness," I added. "You know... epic things."
Did I say it with too much confidence? Yes.
Was it obvious I was improvising? Absolutely.
Rowena took a step closer, sizing me up with those eyes that seemed to see right through my bones, flesh, soul, and even my lies.
"And where are you from, Arthur?" she asked. "You don't look like you're from around here."
Oh great. Question number one of the interrogation, I said to myself.
"I come from... far away," I said, pointing toward the forest as if that explained everything. "Very far away. From a place with... a lot of magic. But different. Yes. Very different... Exotic."
Helga stifled a laugh, though her eyes sparkled with amusement. Salazar, on the other hand, seemed to be debating whether to classify me as a lost magical creature, a crazy kid, or a minor threat.
Godric stepped forward and offered me his hand to help me up. I hesitated a little but accepted. He lifted me up with force, which was surprising for someone who sounded so elegant.
"Well, Arthur," he said, "if you say you can do magic..."
I swallowed hard. No, don't say it, sir, don't say it, please...
"Why don't you show us a little?" he finished expectantly.
And there I was. The universe once again throwing me headfirst into the void without a parachute.
My smile froze, my hands sweated harder, and my pants fell down again (from emotional pressure, I guess), and all I could think was,
"Arthur... I hope your legend includes dying recklessly on your first day."
Okay, it's your time to shine.
Or die.
Or get set on fire.
But let's hope it's the first one.
I straightened my back and feigned absolute confidence, lifting my chin as if I were about to cast the most legendary spell of all, when in reality I didn't even know how to write in this world.
"Magic?" I said with a confident smile. "That's easy."
A blatant lie, expert level.
I held out both hands in front of me, as I had seen in a hundred movies, anime, and video games. Then I closed my eyes... I prayed internally to all the gods available: the mythological, the Christian, the pagan, the Norse, the Olympian, the Egyptian, and even the god of WiFi, in case he had interdimensional contact.
Just in case, I also clenched my buttocks; you never know which muscle activates magic.
Please, something, anything. A spark, a little light, a breeze... whatever. Don't humiliate me in front of the medieval Avengers.
I took a deep breath. I concentrated my soul, my desires, my traumas, and my non-existent pension on that thought... to do magic.
Then I felt it.
A warm sensation started in my stomach. Like that tingling feeling you get when you're about to confess your feelings to that special someone, or when you've eaten something of dubious origin and you're playing intestinal Russian roulette.
The energy rose through my chest, my arms, until it reached my hands. My skin tingled and my fingers tickled.
Suddenly, PFF! A small flame burst from my palms.
Real.
Alive.
Orange.
MAGIC!
I opened my eyes wide, surprised but maintaining a look of "obviously, I've been able to do this since I was in diapers."
"There it is," I said, with a smile that said, "I told you I could do it, bro."
The four of them stared.
Godric raised his eyebrows, impressed. Rowena watched with genuine interest. Helga let out a soft "oh, how cute," and Salazar... well, he narrowed his eyes, analyzing whether he should put me in a jar or recruit me.
While they processed, inside me it was a different story.
MY INSIDE THOUGHTS AT THAT MOMENT:
"IT WORKED! IT WORKED! I'M A FUCKING WIZARD! TAKE THAT, WORLD, I'M NOT JUST A MUGGLE! I HAVE MAGIC!!! See, Mom? This was the career that was worth it, not engineering! Clenching my butt cheeks was the key, I knew it!"
The little flame flickered a little. I just watched it in wonder. It wasn't a special effect, it wasn't a coincidence, it wasn't my imagination. It was real magic. For the first time since this madness began, I smiled genuinely.
It slowly went out, like a tired birthday candle, and I lowered my hands with practiced elegance (not really, they were shaking).
The four of them exchanged glances and then turned to where I was standing.
The boy they had rescued, still trembling and his face stained with smoke, looked at me with a mixture of fear and admiration... perhaps he suspected that I too was a freak or something dangerous.
The man in red stepped forward and proudly pounded his chest.
"I am Godric Gryffindor," he said with a broad smile. He sounded brave, full of charisma, and I almost felt like applauding him for no reason.
My brain short-circuited.
Excuse me? Gryffi-what?
But before I could process it, the woman in blue stood elegantly beside him.
"Rowena Ravenclaw. It's a pleasure to meet you, Arthur," she said in a voice so intelligent that I felt compelled to straighten my posture so as not to appear rude.
Again, my brain was trying to process the information: Raven... claw... Like a claw? What an epic surname!
Then, with a kindness that made me want to hug her without permission, the woman in brown spoke.
"I'm Helga Hufflepuff. Don't be afraid, dear. No one is going to hurt you now."
Okay, that surname did sound like some kind of sweet snack or the sound a rabbit makes when it sneezes, but I kept my internal comments to myself... out of respect and fear of some magical retaliation.
Finally, the man in green stepped forward with subtle elegance but with a hint of superiority that could be smelled from miles away.
"Salazar Slytherin," he said, with a slight bow of his head, as if the air itself owed him reverence.
And then my brain connected all the dots: Gryffindor. Ravenclaw. Hufflepuff. Slytherin.
"Okay, Arthur... you just landed headfirst into the Harry Potter universe."
My lips made a silent "oh," but on the outside I tried to keep a straight face, as if to say, "Sure, I know everyone who has a mythological animal surname or makes weird noises."
Godric smiled, looking between the other boy and me.
"What you just did isn't a trick," he said. "It's real magic. Without training, it can be very dangerous, both to you and to others."
The boy nodded weakly. I nodded vigorously, still deciding whether to be excited, terrified, or happy about the magic.
Rowena added.
"And while it's admirable that you've managed to channel energy without instruction, you'll need guidance if you don't want to... blow up a house, a forest, or yourself."
I swallowed hard. The safety priorities in this world were scary.
Helga came over and put a hand on each of our shoulders with a smile full of warmth and affection.
"If you come with us, we can teach you to control and improve your gift. You won't be alone."
Salazar gave us one last penetrating, appraising look... as if he were already classifying whether we would be geniuses or future traumas to his reputation.
"Magic is a gift," he said, "but not everyone knows how to use it wisely. It will be... interesting to see which side of history you end up on."
Great.
Now I felt that in addition to learning magic, there was social pressure and epic expectations included. Not bad for the first day.
Godric extended a hand toward the path between the trees.
"If you trust us, come. Your future begins here."
I looked at the four of them. I looked at my hands, which a moment ago had created fire. I turned and looked at the boy who still seemed to be waiting to wake up from a nightmare.
I thought:
"Okay, Arthur... you survived thieves, a random portal, turning into a child, and you just performed magic in front of the founders of Hogwarts... What's the worst that could happen now?"
I took a breath... and took the first step, trying to appear calm, brave, and completely unimpressed... even though inside I was screaming like a fangirl at a concert.
"Of course I'll accompany you," I said with a smile that probably looked more nervous than heroic.
The four great wizards seemed satisfied with my answer. The other child nodded, albeit with less enthusiasm and surely some recent emotional trauma included in the package.
We took a couple of steps when I remembered the small problem I had: my pants were still huge, my shirt hung like a sheet, and my shoes looked like they had been borrowed from some kind of depressed clown.
I cleared my throat shyly.
"Ahem... excuse me, before we go..." The four of them stopped and looked at me. "Could you do something about this?" I said, pulling at my pants for the fifth time. "It's just... it was the only thing I could find."
The four of them looked at my clothes. Godric let out a short laugh, Rowena smiled elegantly, Helga bent down tenderly to look at the hems of my shirt, and Salazar simply raised an eyebrow, wondering if it was possible to die of embarrassment.
Rowena took out her wand, which was beautiful and refined, by the way, and made a slight circular motion. A flash of light passed over me.
My T-shirt, pants, and modern shoes were transformed into:
A light, dark blue robe, tailored to my size (my pants no longer slipped down, great!).
A blue-gray cape with silver trim, which fell stylishly over my shoulders. I think it would be approved by any wizard's handbook.
Sturdy boots, laced up to mid-calf, perfect for walking through the woods without tripping every five steps.
I touched the fabric, impressed. It felt comfortable, flexible, and... epically medieval.
"Wow... I mean... Wow" was the most intelligent thing that came out of my mouth.
"Much better, it's important that you're comfortable. We have a long way to go," said Helga, delighted.
"At least you no longer look like a child wandering around after getting lost at a Muggle fair," Salazar muttered ironically.
I decided to ignore the hint because I was too busy twirling my cape like a child who had just discovered that his parents had given him a new costume.
Godric signaled for us to follow him down the path that opened up between the trees.
"Good," he said enthusiastically, "Now that you are ready, it is time to take you to a safe place. To a fortress where we train and guide others with gifts like yours."
Rowena added proudly, with an intellectual gleam in her eyes.
"It is a place where you can learn to master magic, develop your potential, and become someone extraordinary."
Helga smiled, warm as a fireplace in winter.
"There you will have friends, food, and a home if you so desire."
Salazar, with a subtle and mysterious smile, added.
"We call it... Hogwarts."
The name hit me hard, and a chill ran down my spine.
HOGWARTS.
The place every Harry Potter fan dreamed of going to, even if just to see it. I would have preferred not to have fallen into the middle of some medieval forest, turned into a child, and nearly died.
"I'M AT HOGWARTS!!! Well, the stone version of Hogwarts, but it's still HOGWARTS!" I said in my mind, finishing processing all these revelations.
The boy they rescued swallowed nervously, but also nodded. I took a deep breath, looked at the four founders... the founders, holy cow, and took a step forward without removing the smile from my face, advancing toward my new destiny.