July 1991.
A light rain was falling over London, and the air was thick with an impenetrable mist.
On the eighth floor of Hogwarts, inside the Headmaster's office, Minerva McGonagall, who was assisting in signing acceptance letters, felt her eyelid twitching wildly.
She put down her quill, her gaze looking past the mountain of letters at the silver-haired old man behind the desk.
"Dumbledore, is something going to happen with this year's incoming students? I suddenly have a bad premonition."
Dumbledore pushed up his half-moon spectacles.
"Minerva, an eyelid twitching is a normal phenomenon. You are not Trelawney, and no one here is going to die. There is no need to be so nervous."
"It must be that you are feeling exhausted from too much overtime recently. How about some Cockroach Clusters to replenish your sugar levels?"
He then pushed over a wide-mouthed jar.
"No thank you, Dumbledore."
McGonagall pursed her lips and shook her head, rejecting the bizarre-looking dessert.
"Actually, Albus, if possible, I suggest you switch to some other sweets, at least something more appetizing, such as..."
"Lemon Sherbets?"
Dumbledore pulled out a handful of candies wrapped in pretty wrappers. "The taste of the candies made by Muggles is indeed quite good."
"Oh, right!"
"Speaking of Muggles, Minerva, there is a young wizard from the Muggle world this year who needs you to guide him personally."
Professor McGonagall felt a surge of excitement and gripped her quill tightly.
"Professor, is it Harry..."
"No, Minerva. I have arranged for Hagrid to pick up Harry. I believe he will handle this matter well, just like when he brought Harry here back then."
"Then who is it?"
"Merlin Hunter."
Dumbledore said slowly.
McGonagall revealed a surprised expression.
"Is there something special about this child?"
"In fact, you just wrote his acceptance letter."
Dumbledore pointed at the desk.
"His name suddenly appeared in the Book of Admittance two days ago."
"Usually, the Book of Admittance senses young wizards with magical fluctuations in advance, records them, and informs me."
"But this is the first time a name has suddenly appeared so close to the start of the school term."
"And he happens to be from the exact same orphanage as Tom Riddle was back in the day."
"Although I shouldn't look at the problem with preconceived notions, it is best to confirm that he is not like Voldemort."
Hearing this, McGonagall's expression also became solemn as she understood Dumbledore's meaning.
"Very well, Professor. I will go and deliver his acceptance letter personally right now."
"Let me see, where is he right now... Hmm?"
Dumbledore's expression became exceptionally peculiar.
"Minerva, you might have to go to the Leaky Cauldron to find this young wizard."
McGonagall: ???
"Albus, did you misread it? Why would a young wizard from the Muggle world be staying at the Leaky Cauldron?"
"Although I find it hard to believe myself, that is what the Book of Admittance says."
"Alright, I will go take a look now."
McGonagall grabbed the acceptance letter she had just written and walked out of the office.
...
The Leaky Cauldron.
The owner, Tom, stood behind the counter, wiping a glass while secretly keeping a vigilant eye on the handsome young wizard in front of him.
"Merlin Hunter, are you scheming again?"
"There is absolutely no way I will listen to you about transforming anything else today, and there is no way I will let you drink any more Butterbeer!"
Hearing Tom's words, Merlin Hunter shifted his gaze away from the Butterbeer on the bar, looking incredulous.
"Tom, I am truly hurt. To think you consider the methods I gave you to be just scheming!"
"Tell me, if I hadn't suggested putting up a notice at the entrance stating that young wizards from the Muggle world could come in for inquiries, how many young wizards would you have missed out on?"
"But..."
"But what? And there's the bar's ordering system. We are in the magical era, yet you were still using verbal records. That's seriously weak! Isn't the magic marker system I recommended easy to use?"
"That..."
"That what? After my changes, hasn't the bar's business gotten better?"
"It has improved."
"Then isn't that great? You've earned so much more, so what's wrong with treating me to a glass of Butterbeer?"
Tom remained silent.
Three days ago, when this young wizard named Merlin Hunter came to the bar looking for him and said that listening to his advice could make the Leaky Cauldron better, he hadn't believed a word of it.
But after transforming the bar according to his methods, the income indeed increased by a lot.
However, he always felt as if he had been played.
Just as he was about to speak, Merlin interrupted him first.
"Additionally, I think you should try selling combo meals. Pair the main course, vegetables, steak, drinks, and dessert together, then sell them at a discount. The sales will definitely be even better!"
"I will try that tonight!"
Old Tom's eyes lit up, also feeling that this was a good idea, and he hurriedly lowered his head to write it down.
Merlin, meanwhile, quietly took the freshly poured Butterbeer from the bar and checked the system prompt in front of him.
[Detected that the host has transformed the Leaky Cauldron]
[Transformation scale: Small. Distributing reward.]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining item: One pound of Mithril - An extraordinary metal refined through dwarven craftsmanship, characterized by being lightweight, durable, and having a strong affinity for magic.]
"It turned out to be Mithril?"
Merlin was a little surprised.
He had crossed over into the Harry Potter world three days ago, and his current identity was an adopted child at Wool's Orphanage.
The essential system for a transmigrator had also been bound.
The World Transformation System.
As long as he transformed the magical world, he could obtain rewards. The greater the transformation, the better the rewards.
Considering he didn't know magic and had no money.
His ability to transform the magical world was still insufficient, so he could only choose to start with the simplest method.
That was transforming the Leaky Cauldron.
Because he wasn't very familiar with the transportation routes.
He had to transfer buses several times before finding this bar that connected the wizarding world and the Muggle world.
And he spent a bit of time getting Old Tom to agree to his transformations.
He had milked the Leaky Cauldron for rewards a total of three times through these transformations.
The first transformation rewarded him with an Encyclopedia of the Magical World, which recorded common magical materials and magical creatures, as well as some local customs.
The second transformation rewarded him with the talent of Magic Affinity.
The third time was now, giving him one pound of Mithril.
Although it was a good item, Merlin was curious.
Obviously, this kind of metal didn't exist in the original work, so why would the system issue this reward?
"Creak."
Before he could think too much, the door of the bar was suddenly pushed open.
In walked a witch wearing a green cloak and a pointed hat. She had a stern face full of authority, looking like someone not to be trifled with at first glance.
She stood at the door, her gaze locked onto Merlin.
After a moment, she spoke slowly.
"Mr. Merlin, I am Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am here to deliver your acceptance letter."
"But, before that, I have a question. Why are you at the Leaky Cauldron?"