The line on the System screen made Theodore Ashbourne's heart kick.
When he'd received his Hogwarts letter—the "admission token" the System equated with entry eligibility into the Chan lineage—the binding had begun. Now that he'd truly arrived at Hogwarts, the System would upgrade?
Good. This trip really was the right call; otherwise he would've missed a sky-sized opportunity.
And that new feature teased by the prompt…
"Talent Fusion—right on time," Theodore thought. "I've piled up a mess of talents: some great, some useless, some duplicates. If Fusion opens, maybe I can melt down the chaff and cast something better."
He almost itched to pull his Owlblade and fly straight to the castle. But—process first.
First-years had to cross the Black Lake their first night. Second-years and up took the usual route. He'd once wondered why the school forced brand-new students onto a slower, spookier path. Why not funnel everyone through the same doors?
History of Magic had given him the answer.
Hogwarts was founded as a refuge from the witch-hunts. In those days, the secret lake route was the only safe approach. The Founders laid heavy wards over that path; anyone who entered the castle by water received a lingering Founders' Aegis—a broad, quiet protection that drastically reduced accidents on castle grounds.
The wards still worked. That's why Hogwarts had its "safest place in Britain" reputation—less about Dumbledore alone, more about centuries of layered guardianship.
Otherwise, how had so many students in Second Year merely been petrified instead of killed? One fluke was luck. That many? Protection. And as reckless as some classes got, there'd been precious few fatalities. Unless you had Myrtle-level bad luck—or went looking for disaster—the Aegis had your back.
He kept walking while the thoughts flowed, guiding Hermione, Harry, and Ron into an empty boat.
They pushed off. Oars whispered. The lake lay flat as glass, and the castle reared into the moonlight like a mountain of stone. As they neared the cliff, the bulk of the keep seemed to hang over their heads.
"Heads down!" boomed Hagrid, right on cue. They ducked through curtains of ivy, slipped into a black tunnel beneath the castle, skimmed past the underground dock, and climbed onto gravel that crunched underfoot.
Half the first-years bolted well away from the waterline, shivering. The Black Lake was bottomless; stare at it long enough and you felt watched.
Theodore glanced back, eyes bright.
A new line had flashed on his screen:
[Kunlun, Ancestor of Mountains—at its foot lies a great lake. Dragons haunt its depths; a Dragon Palace stands upon the lakebed.]
[The Dragon Clan hoards treasures and commands cloud and rain. Even after the Investiture calamity, through the Journey to the West, dragons have ruled rivers, seas, and lakes.]
[Befriend the Dragon-Palace Lord of this lake; boons will follow.]
[Acquaintance Reward — Where Dragons Stir, Qi Flows: draw spiritual energy from robust water-veins. Synergises with Dining on Wind & Drinking Dew and Sun & Moon Essence.]
[Close Friend Reward — Water-Taming at Will: water control becomes instinct; water-type spells, easy as breath.]
[Life-and-Death Reward — Divine Power Summon Wind and Call Rain: shift the sky at a thought—gentle grace or pounding storm.]
The Black Lake "dragons" had to be the merpeople. Befriending them had perks? Unexpected—and perfect.
Even just the acquaintance tier would fill a gap he desperately felt: a way to harvest qi from water-veins. He was going to make time for a lake visit.
But first came the Sorting—and the System upgrade.
Hagrid thumped three times on the oak doors.
Theodore's pulse jumped. Was that the golden bell?
No prompt. He followed the cohort inside.
Professor McGonagall's crisp welcome. The surge of ghosts through the wall. The torches flaring in the Great Hall. The Sorting Hat's song—scene after scene out of the books. Other kids were buzzing with nerves. Theodore flexed his fingers, not from anxiety about Houses, but because—what counted as the Jade Void's bell?
Hagrid's knock hadn't done it; not McGonagall's speech; not the Hat's crooning.
Don't tell me the System bugged out now…
Just as his hopes dipped, Professor McGonagall stepped forward with a roll of parchment.
"When I call your name, you will put on the Hat, sit on the stool, and listen for your house.
"Hannah Abbott!"
A clear chime rang in Theodore's ears.
The System screen flared:
[The golden bell of the Jade Void rings. From this day, you enter under the gate of Chan. Congratulations—initiation complete!]
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