Morning arrived like a held breath easing out, soft and pale through thin curtains that barely clung to their rail. The light settled over the small room—quiet, cramped, and stale with dust—and Elias opened his eyes as if the world might vanish if he moved too quickly.
There were no machines this time.No monitors.No cold metal bed.
Just silence.
Elias lay still, waiting for the echo of pain that had been his constant companion in his previous life. It didn't come. Only a dull ache lingered in his ribs, fading like a bruise.
His hands felt lighter—smaller.His whole body felt… wrong.
He sat up slowly, the thin blanket slipping from his shoulders.
His reflection in the cracked wardrobe mirror startled him:a ten-year-old boy with dark hair streaked in unnatural white, cheeks still soft with childhood, but eyes—
Eyes that flashed gold for a split second before dimming.
Elias touched his cheek.Then his hair.
The white streaks glowed faintly in the morning light.
Not normal.Not human.
Not safe.
A chime sounded in the corner of his vision.
[SYSTEM STATUS: CALM]Holy Power: StableArcane Power: SettlingRecommended Action: Explore. Strengthen. Prepare.
Elias slid off the bed and walked around the tiny apartment.
There was barely any furniture—an old mattress, a flimsy table, and a wardrobe missing one door. No photographs. No toys. No signs that the previous occupant had been loved.
He swallowed.
Whoever this body belonged to, they hadn't been cared for. That, at least, matched the quiet ache in his chest.
He dressed in secondhand clothes—slightly too large, sleeves swallowing his wrists—and stepped outside into the sharp, chilly morning.
Little Whinging was painfully normal.
Identical houses.Over trimmed hedges.Streets so clean they almost looked sterile.
He walked slowly, watching strangers sip tea in kitchens, dogs bark from fenced gardens, mothers usher children into cars.
Everything looked so peaceful that for a moment Elias wondered if he had imagined the demon from the night before.
Then the system whispered:
[Holy Perception: Active]Minor disturbances detected. Nothing hostile.
He exhaled.
Safe.For now.
McGonagall's Eyes
As he passed a hedge, something flicked its tail atop it.
A large gray cat with sharply intelligent eyes sat perfectly still, watching him.
Elias slowed.
Magic hummed softly in the air around the creature.
The cat narrowed its eyes—too aware to be ordinary.
Before he could speak, it leapt down and vanished around the corner.
A ping chimed.
[Animagus Detected]Identity: Minerva McGonagallStatus: Observing
Action Recommended: Keep walking.
Elias's breath stuttered.
"Why is a Hogwarts professor spying on me already?"
The system responded with its dry tone:
[Because your aura is abnormal.]
He tugged his jacket tighter and kept moving.
A Girl with a Book
The town center was small, but buzzing quietly with morning activity.
And that was when he felt it.
A pulse—soft, warm, steady.Not holy.Not demonic.Magic.Pure and bright.
Elias looked across the street.
A girl sat on a bench under a bus stop shelter, legs tucked close, a thick book open in her lap. She flipped pages with mechanical precision, eyes focused and intense.
Bushy brown hair.Brown eyes.A small frown of concentration.
Hermione Granger.
His breath caught.
The resonance hit him immediately—like his chaotic power took a breath and steadied itself.
The system flared:
[ARCANE RESONANCE DETECTED]Target: Hermione GrangerAnchor Potential: HighWarning: Emotional proximity unsafe at current Host stability.
Elias stepped back as if burned.
He shouldn't interact with her.He wasn't ready.His power was unstable.Dangerous.
He turned away.
Only once did he glance back.
Hermione paused mid-page-turn, brows knitting faintly.She looked around, sensing something she couldn't name.
Her gaze swept over him.
Paused for half a heartbeat.
Then she returned to her book.
Elias felt something in his chest ease—and something else ache.
He walked on.
The Wand That Didn't Want Him
Diagon Alley was unreachable without magical transport.
But Elias needed a wand.
He followed the system's directions to a half-hidden side shop squeezed between a charity bookstore and a boarded-up laundromat.
A tarnished bell jingled as he entered.
The shop smelled of cedar and dust.Crates stacked to the ceiling.Wands without boxes.Old spellbooks piled like junk.
"State your business," croaked a witch behind the counter.
Elias swallowed."I need a wand."
She studied him—small boy, glowing hair streaks, nervous but not weak.
"Family name?" she asked.
Elias opened his mouth.
The system flared violently:
[WARNING]Surname LockedRevelation: UnsafeHost not awakened
"I… don't know," he said truthfully.
Her expression sharpened with suspicion.
"Then this is all I can offer you."
She produced a thin, scratched wand.
"Temporary. Won't bond. Might spark. Try it."
Elias reached out—
The moment his fingers touched it:
CRACK!
Blue light raced up his arm.The wand split in half.Smoke curled from the pieces.
The witch recoiled, frightened.
"What are you, child?"
Elias lowered his head.
"…I'm not sure."
Night Again
The sky dimmed toward evening by the time Elias reached the apartment.
His muscles ached.His thoughts spiraled.His holy power pulsed uncomfortably beneath his skin.
He curled on the mattress, blanket around him.
Maybe he'd sleep.
Maybe tonight would be quiet.
He closed his eyes—
A cold breath slid across his neck.
Then—a whisper:
"…found you…"
Elias bolted upright.
The system chimed:
[DEMONIC PRESENCE APPROACHING]Rank: FBehavior: HuntingEstimated Distance: 32 meters
"No… not again," Elias whispered.
His heart thudded painfully.
The demon drifted outside—too close to Hermione's street.
He stood, trembling.
He couldn't let it wander.
He couldn't risk it reaching her.
He was scared.
But he stepped toward the door anyway.
And as he walked into the cold night, he didn't notice the tall shadow watching from an alley across the street:
A hook-nosed man with black eyes sharp enough to cut.
Severus Snape watched the strange, flickering aura around the small boy.
"Impossible," he murmured.
But he did not leave.
Not tonight.