Hogwarts settled into Aditya Singhania the way a well-designed routine did—not suddenly, but inevitably.
Mornings began with the clatter of plates in the Great Hall and the low hum of a castle waking up. Aditya rose early, not because the system demanded it, but because habit had already formed. By the time most of the dormitory stirred, he was seated by the window, wand resting lightly in his hand, breathing evenly.
The system remained quiet unless prompted.
That, he had learned, was its greatest strength.
His current slots were carefully chosen.
Active Slots (2/2):–
Foundational Spellcasting Precision — 52%
Charms Application Under Supervision — 19%
Passive Slots (3/3):– Magical Core Stabilization
48%– Environmental Magic Adaptation (Hogwarts) — 37%
Subconscious Wand Alignment — 11%
No excess. No waste.
Classes passed smoothly. Professor McGonagall noted his control in Transfiguration, though she did not praise easily. Flitwick seemed quietly delighted whenever Aditya asked questions that cut through theory instead of skirting around it. Potions remained… tolerable. He followed instructions precisely, which Severus Snape regarded with thin suspicion rather than approval.
Lunches were louder.
Fred and George Weasley had claimed him almost accidentally, seating him between them on the second day and never relinquishing the position afterward.
"Noticed how you watch things?" George said one afternoon, leaning back dangerously on his chair."Like you're measuring how flammable they are," Fred added cheerfully.
Aditya didn't deny it.
Lee Jordan rounded out the group, followed occasionally by Angelina Johnson, who treated their table like neutral territory between chaos and responsibility.
It was Fred who discovered Aditya's greatest weakness.
"You don't waste magic," he said one evening, watching Aditya practice a simple charm until the effect stabilized instead of growing flashier. "That's unnatural for a first year."
Aditya paused, then shrugged. "Why waste effort?"
The twins exchanged a look.
That night, they introduced him to the castle's less-documented corridors.
Hidden staircases. Tapestries that concealed shortcuts. A one-eyed witch statue that hummed when approached from the wrong angle. None of it was dangerous—yet—but all of it expanded Aditya's understanding of Hogwarts as a living system rather than a building.
[Passive Progress Increased]Environmental Magic Adaptation (Hogwarts): +3%
By the end of the week, something subtle shifted.
During evening practice, his spellcasting precision crossed another threshold.
Progress: 60%
The system responded with calm finality.
[Achievement Logged]Consistent Spell Output — Early IntermediateReward: Mission Access Unlocked
Not a slot.
A path.
Aditya sat back on his bed, the dormitory quiet around him. Mission access implied risk. Choice. Direction.
And direction mattered.
Because even now—years before any boy with a lightning-shaped scar would arrive—Aditya knew one thing with absolute clarity.
Voldemort was not a myth.
And Hogwarts was not just a school.
It was preparation.