"Dear Mr. Stuart,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Enclosed is a list of required books and equipment.
The term begins on September 1st. We await your reply by owl before July 31st.
Sincerely, Minerva McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress "
After reading the letter, the Stuart family fell into a brief moment of contemplation.
"Perhaps this is just a belated April Fool's Day prank," Mrs. Stuart commented.
"A new kind of scam." As a notorious wolf in London's financial district, Mr. Langdon Stuart never hesitated to interpret human nature in a negative light.
Their son, Alan Stuart, picked up the letter with some disbelief.
He checked the school crest on the envelope again, composed of four animals, his fingertips clearly feeling the exquisite embossed patterns, confirming that he wasn't dreaming…
After all, the surprise before him was second only to his time travel!
A time traveler, London, late 20th century, an acceptance letter from a magic school… After confirming the details again, Alan felt the letter was most likely genuine.
However, he didn't rush to express his opinion, because if things went as expected, an adult wizard would be coming to explain later.
Sure enough, the doorbell rang abruptly.
Alan rushed to the door excitedly, "I'll open it."
Watching his son's agile figure, Mr. Langdon Stuart looked at his wife speechlessly, "He doesn't actually believe this is real, does he?"
"You know, he's known to recognize the fake Santa Claus in the neighborhood since he was three years old, and every Christmas he makes up all sorts of excuses to ask for extra Christmas presents."
"I think it's quite good, maybe we should pretend to be a wizarding family," Mrs. Stuart joked. Alan opened the door, and a woman who looked to be around fifty years old stood before him, wearing a black pointed hat decorated with thistle wreaths and a dark green robe.
"Good evening, madam. This is the Stuart family. May I ask what brings you here?" Alan tried his best to appear well-behaved, asking politely.
Minerva McGonagall looked at Alan through her black-rimmed glasses.
He was taller than the average twelve-year-old and possessed excellent manners.
A slight smile appeared on her serious face. "Good evening, Mr. Alan Stuart. I am Minerva McGonagall. I'm here to help you with your enrollment."
"Please come in." Alan politely led Professor McGonagall into the house.
He wasn't surprised by Professor McGonagall's visit.
He was born into a purely Muggle family, and without a real wizard making a commitment, probably no family would send their child to a wizarding school, or even Diagon Alley. Professor McGonagall had probably been waiting outside since his family started reading letters together.
"And you are?" The Stuarts stood up, looking at the suddenly appearing Professor McGonagall with some surprise.
"Minerva McGonagall, Vice-Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Professor McGonagall extended her right hand in a friendly manner.
Although distrustful of Professor McGonagall's account of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Langdon Stuart decided to wait and see. He extended his hand and gave a slight handshake. "Hello, I am Langdon Stuart."
Professor McGonagall seemed to have anticipated this. She withdrew her hand, took a wand from her robes, and began to demonstrate her talents.
"I know you two are wondering about the existence of Hogwarts, but it is real and unique." As she finished speaking, the furniture in the room seemed to come alive.
The walnut chairs bounced and sang ancient lullabies.
The table in front of Mrs. Stuart complained that her legs needed fixing.
The letter on the table sprouted gray wings and transformed into an owl, landing on Professor McGonagall's shoulder.
If it were just one or two strange changes, Mr. Stuart might have thought it was a magic show, but everything before him proved that magic was real.
"Am I dreaming?" Mr. Stuart groaned.
"No, this is magic!" Alan's eyes shone like stars as he spoke with unwavering conviction.
Professor McGonagall nodded approvingly. Although Alan was born into a Muggle family, his learning ability far surpassed that of ordinary people; clearly, he truly possessed magical talent. Belief was the first element of magic.
Then, waving his wand again, everything around him froze.
"Mr. Alan Stuart possesses unique talent, so we are delighted to invite him to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the best magic school in all of England."
After a minute or two of calming down, Mrs. Stuart couldn't help but ask, "Like Eton College?"
As a qualified transmigrator, Alan naturally received an acceptance letter from Eton College.
"If we include Azkaban in the rankings, this is how it would be," Alan muttered to himself.
Professor McGonagall nodded.
"It's my pleasure, Professor,"
Alan said, picking up the acceptance letter that had been turned back into a letter. "Where should I buy these school supplies?"
"That's exactly why I came. If you decide to enroll at Hogwarts, I'll take you to Diagon Alley to buy these items tomorrow morning at nine o'clock."
"That's wonderful!" Alan didn't give the Stuarts time to hesitate, grabbing Mrs. Stuart's sleeve. "Mama, I want to go to Hogwarts."
Mrs. Stuart looked at her husband. Although Professor McGonagall had just performed quite impressively, making her child a wizard was still not an easy decision. After all, in Europe, wizards didn't have a good reputation.
Mr. Stuart hesitated for a moment, then respectfully said to Professor McGonagall, "It's our pleasure."
Professor McGonagall obviously had other things to do that evening, so she took her leave, and Alan saw her to the door.
After confirming with his parents that he would be attending Hogwarts, Alan returned to his room, jumping excitedly on his bed.
After calming down, he began to think about his enrollment. As a transmigrator, Alan had certainly read Harry Potter, but only seen a few movies.
If he remembered correctly, young wizards would experience a "magical outburst," which was why Neville's grandmother, who hadn't experienced one even at ten, had worried that Neville was a Squib. A "magical outburst"
was when a young wizard couldn't control their magic and, in a state of emotional agitation, did incredible things, such as making glass disappear or telekinesis. Only after a "magical outburst" occurred could Hogwarts' powerful magic detect them and issue acceptance letters.
But he didn't seem to have experienced this…
Alan carefully recalled recent events; it seemed no supernatural phenomena had occurred to him.
Just as he was pondering this, a transparent data panel suddenly appeared before him.
Pokémon Trainer: Alan Stuart
Spirit: 10
Constitution: 4
Title: None
Talent: Beginner Charisma
Pokémon: None
Remaining Battles Today: 1
Gold: 0
Shop Items: None
"Claim your first Pokémon and begin your trainer journey?"
Alan suddenly understood what was going on with his 'magic overload'.
(End of Chapter)