"If you insist on going to that Hogwarts for school, then pay your own tuition and miscellaneous fees! The orphanage can't give you a single Knut!"
"I understand, Caregiver Anna."
…Sean watched Caregiver Anna walk into the common room and gently close the door.
If he made too much noise, making Caregiver Anna think he had an opinion of her, dinner would change from cheap pork sausages to baked bean bread.
Without drinking tap water, that stuff could choke a person to death.
But the tap water was always unclean, and drinking too much would lead to illness. Once ill, in this impoverished orphanage in the South District, what awaited him was to be taken by the God of Death.
Why did Sean know this so clearly? Because the original owner had died of illness this way.
Disease, severe cold, and malnutrition collectively took his life. The "Sean" who transmigrated last winter had always taken this as a warning.
He tried to drink cheap red tea, and even fought for a cup of instant coffee from the older children, even if it meant one or two days of insomnia.
Over the past six months, he had understood his situation.
It was late August 1991.
This was the Croydon District of the Harry Potter world.
One of London's poorest areas.
And the Holifoss Orphanage, where he was, was the poorest orphanage.
Why?
Because there was only one orphanage here, and it was opened for political achievements.
Just like Britain he knew in his previous life.
In late 1990, the "Iron Lady" Margaret Thatcher stepped down.
Her Thatcherism brought economic reform, but also significantly exacerbated the wealth gap.
The City of London benefited from deregulation, and the gentlemen's wealth surged;
While traditional industrial areas and impoverished inner-city areas faced the dilemma of unemployment and cuts in public services.
This was particularly evident in the Croydon District.
The Holifoss Orphanage, where he was, had not received decent funding for five years, which led to its financial strain. Not only did each child not have enough safe water to drink, but they also only had one thin blanket for winter.
Under such circumstances, if he couldn't get into Hogwarts, he might not even live to adulthood, as his body had always been frail.
Even a slight cold or fever could take his life. This was not to say that London's medical care was backward, but rather those harsh caregivers; they might not "discover" a sick child in time.
"Hogwarts tuition is free. As for miscellaneous fees, I still have a scholarship applied for by Professor McGonagall."
Sean took out a bag from the deepest part of the bunk bed. It contained one hundred and forty-three Galleons, a wand, some robes, and other items.
He strictly purchased according to the minimum standards of the enrollment list. Even so, it cost a full one hundred and fifty-seven Galleons, leaving him with less than half of all his savings for this academic year.
And tomorrow was the opening day of Hogwarts.
"I have to be quick. If I don't perform well enough to get a scholarship, then I'll be finished… the Galleons definitely won't be enough…"
When he received the admission letter and purchased supplies last time, Professor McGonagall intentionally mentioned this reward, but it was for outstanding Young Wizards.
Would Sean perform outstandingly?
Hope was slim. He had, after all, practiced the Levitation Charm a full five hundred times before he learned it.
Fortunately, he had a cheat.
[Name: Xien Green]
[Identity: Wizard]
[Title: None]
[Proficiency]
[Levitation Charm: Apprentice Level (1/300)]
[Lumos Charm: Apprentice Level (1/300)]
[Scouring Charm: Unlocked (27/30)]
[Three Apprentice-level Spells can unlock the Apprentice-level Title in the Spell Domain]
[Advance: Three Entry-level Spells can unlock the Entry-level Title in the Spell Domain]
…Yes, Sean had a proficiency panel, and its function was very practical. As long as he practiced correctly, there would be a reward for the number of times. Apprentice-level Spells only required 30 correct practices, and three Apprentice-level Spells could even unlock an Apprentice-level Title.
It seemed not difficult,
But even such a simple thing took Sean two months to barely complete, averaging one and a half correct practices per day.
It could be said that his magical talent was appalling, and he didn't know if it was due to his transmigration.
He suspected the never-before-seen magical world was targeting him.
Although the magical world probably didn't have time to bother with him.
"Today, I must complete the unlocking of the Title!"
Sean confidently took out his wand, then carefully stepped onto the warped floorboards, peering out of the drafty single-pane window.
The Victorian semi-detached house located in the impoverished South District had fallen silent.
"Very good, everyone is asleep. As long as I'm careful, I won't be discovered."
If the original owner had left him anything useful, it was this independent, secluded single room.
Although it was assigned due to fear of disease transmission, for the current Sean, it was undoubtedly a good thing.
This meant he could have enough private space to practice magic.
"Scourgify!"
Sean clearly chanted the Spell at the dirty poster and waved his wand in an S-shape.
Unfortunately,
The number of times on the panel did not increase.
Sean didn't care, chanting the Spell and waving his wand again.
It wasn't until he learned it firsthand that Sean realized how obscure and difficult magic was.
For example, with this Scouring Charm, where should the stress of the Spell be? How heavy should it be? What kind of S-shape should the wand gesture draw, large or small? Where should it be faster, and where slower?
Sean knew that'Scour' meant to wash, and 'ify' meant to make something so, so together it meant to make this thing clean.
So his pause should be between'Scour' and 'ify'. As for the S-shaped gesture, he could only rely on luck.
Fortunately, he could judge success or failure based on whether his proficiency increased, and summarize experience from past correct practices.
"Scour—g—ify!"
Sean chanted the Spell for the fifth time and waved his wand according to his experience.
"Faster first, then slower, and as for the final arc, it needs to be larger…"
Sean muttered to himself while strictly waving his wand according to his successful experience.
At this moment, light suddenly flared, and the stains on the poster on the desk instantly faded!
[You have practiced the Scouring Charm to an entry-level standard, Proficiency +3]
[Scouring Charm unlocked]
[New Spell Domain Title unlocked, please check]
[A Wizard talent unlocked, please check]
Success!
Sean picked up the newly cleaned poster, examined it carefully, and then couldn't help but marvel at the magic.
As for the entry-level standard, just as there are different Spell effects, the standards for correct practice are also different, divided into Apprentice and Entry-level.
Apprentice will increase 1 point of proficiency, while Entry-level is 3 points. As for whether there are standards beyond Entry-level, Sean didn't know. With his magical talent, even having an Entry-level was a blessing from Merlin.
"Let's look at the new Title."
Sean eagerly opened the panel, and three lines of content had refreshed:
[Title: Spell Novice]
[Slightly increases perception of Spells, slightly enhances Spell talent]
Sean continued to look down,
[Wizard Sean, Spell Talent: Green (with Spell Novice Title bonus, original talent was White) Note: Average Wizards are Green]
Sean gasped, taking a sharp breath.
White trash?!
No wonder he couldn't learn Spells. With this talent, Sean would praise it for being loud even if it exploded.
Fortunately, he had a cheat, otherwise, it would be hard to imagine how difficult his future academic path would be.
After a brief check, Sean's eyes became even more determined.
No talent, then repeat!
Let me see your limit, panel, add proficiency!