Anna picked up the table knife, gripping the tip carefully as she cut the sugar cubes into uniform squares.
She poured the sugar into the coffee mixed with milk and stirred slowly. Anna couldn't help but whisper, "Perfect." Then, carrying the tray, she tiptoed upstairs like a clever little cat.
Gently placing the tray on the table without making a sound, she stared blankly at George's back.
"Finally done. This truly is the most difficult elixir to brew. The six-month brewing period cannot be shortened." After six months of preparation, George couldn't help but feel extremely satisfied.
"Sorry, Sister Anna, I didn't notice you." Only after putting away the potions and tidying his tools did George see Anna and the now-cooled coffee.
"Master, when you're busy, it's natural to devote yourself entirely. That's the advantage of being a great wizard. But even great wizards need to rest and eat on time." Anna felt both relieved and a little concerned seeing George neglecting sleep and meals in the magical world.
"And don't forget, Master, tomorrow is the Hogwarts enrollment day. Besides the books, supplies, clothing, and items you've prepared in advance, what else will you need to bring?" The perfect maid, Anna, would never forget the most important details.
"Really, thanks to Sister Anna's reminder—I almost forgot." The magic was truly moving. Brewing this elixir had taken six months. Before starting at Hogwarts, George dared not allow himself the slightest distraction. Luckily, it was finished before the enrollment day.
"The luggage has already been checked, but you still need to bring it. Only Sister Anna is irreplaceable. Otherwise, if you go to Wozniak, you won't see each other for a long time." George picked up a snack and stirred it seriously into his coffee as he spoke.
Hearing this, Anna let out a soft laugh, covering her mouth with both hands, her eyebrows forming crescent shapes. "Master, you really know how to make people happy. But you know, Hogwarts doesn't allow maids." George interrupted her, and Anna immediately felt better; the sadness of parting was slightly eased.
"When I go to Hogwarts, I'll leave it to Sister Anna to take care of my grandmother, so she won't have to worry about the bookstore. I can earn money easily now." After finishing his snack, George rambled on.
"I understand, Master. You're only eleven, so don't be too grown-up." Anna wiped George's mouth with a towel, cleared the table, and carried the tray downstairs. "Master, remember to rest early tonight. Don't stay up reading too late."
George left the living room, walked down the hall, and returned to his bedroom, staring at the poster of Sophie Marceau on the wall. He thought absentmindedly: Tomorrow I'll go to Hogwarts, yet I've been in this world for eleven years.
He was not an ordinary eleven-year-old boy. George had just graduated from university and started working. He was trying to catch up after China's economic boom followed by a period of stagnation. Housing prices had become prohibitively high due to rapid economic growth in previous years.
With the past two years of economic stagnation, wages were pitifully low. Long hours of overtime were unavoidable. Life in a big city was harsh. He had planned to trade his youth and health for money, believing that in the future, economic prosperity would allow health to turn into wealth.
Unfortunately, George Qiao had not worked hard enough. As an otaku, his health was worrying. After a week of overtime, he collapsed and suffered cardiac arrest. The idea of sacrificing health for money in youth ultimately led to an early death from overwork.
When he woke again, he had become someone else—also named George, but George Soros. Rebirth was always a blessing. Realizing he had returned to the 1980s, George was confident that, armed with knowledge of decades of future trends, he could amass wealth beyond what his original self had achieved.
This was a journey spanning decades. George believed he should align himself with Hollywood moguls, film princes, national icons, fashion giants, and capitalist titans.
So, by the time he could speak and walk, he was already considering how to leverage his foresight and subtly influence his parents, ensuring he would follow a path of stock-market and capital domination.
However, when his grandmother told him bedtime stories, he was enlightened—they were about the history of the magical world. Only then did George realize that his plans to be a Hollywood mogul, film prince, national icon, fashion tycoon, and capitalist overlord might have been misguided.
He had returned to the 1980s—but to the world of Harry Potter, not his original world. Perhaps the original Harry Potter world also existed?
The history of this world mirrored his original world, only with the magical world of Harry Potter added.
Companies like Apple, Microsoft, Lenovo, and Haier existed in his previous life, led by the same people. George's bedroom wall still bore a poster of Sophie Marceau, his favorite actress from his former life.
A man named George Soros, after learning more about this world's history, began, like historical figures, targeting the pound. Whether this was a parallel world or the original one, George still could not determine.
Regardless, George's rise-to-power plan needed major revisions.
With his understanding of the magical world growing, George learned much he had previously overlooked.
The British magical world had only about 3,000 people. He was shocked—he had expected the magical population to be small, but never this small.
The magical world had a complete system but managed only around 3,000 people, a number representing the magical world itself. Any new population would be detected quickly, making it impossible to escape the control of the magical society.
Being unable to escape its control also meant facing the future threat of Voldemort's resurrection. George finally understood why Voldemort was so infamous.
Voldemort had not killed many, but he could not tolerate the magical world's tiny population—around 3,000 people. In China, that would be the size of a single school, and not even a large one. But this was Britain—a powerful magical nation—so 3,000 represented the population of the entire country, including men, women, children, and even non-magical fools.
Hogwarts only admitted about ten new students per house each year—forty total across the four houses. The total number of seventh-year students was under 300. In such a scenario, it was entirely possible for everyone to know each other.
Consequently, all those Voldemort killed were closely connected to the rest of the magical world. Everyone slain had been among their peers. Under such circumstances, who wouldn't feel terrorized?
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