The evening of July 15, 1991, settled quietly over the neatly trimmed lawns of Privet Drive.
"Waaahhhhh!"
A sharp, wailing cry shattered the calm.
On the grass outside No. 6, a blond boy—no older than eight—stood sobbing uncontrollably. His small hand remained curled as though clutching something precious, though his palm was now empty.
The cause of his misery was already walking away.
Cohen Norton didn't even glance back.
At eleven years old, Cohen had a slender build and neatly combed black hair. Dressed simply in a white T-shirt and blue jeans, he looked like any ordinary boy from the neighborhood. In his hand, however, was the true source of the younger boy's heartbreak—a half-eaten, fan-shaped rainbow lollipop.
Moments ago, Cohen had generously handed it over.
Moments later, he had taken it back.
"Sweets make people happy," Cohen muttered contentedly, licking the candy. "Even better if there are no cavities afterward."
For a child who was still losing and growing teeth, the idea of cavities felt distant—almost irrelevant.
Ever since his rebirth, Cohen had decided on two priorities: enjoy the carefree pleasures of childhood… and quietly complete a certain "task" along the way.
"Ding! Goodwill +1, Sin Value +1."
A mechanical voice rang in his ears.
[Note: Giving candy and then taking it back is immoral. Your conscience will condemn you.]
Cohen ignored the latter part entirely.
He always did.
To him, only the reward mattered—not the judgment.
The system had been furious when it first realized what he was doing. By exploiting loopholes, Cohen had found a way to earn both Goodwill and Sin Value from a single action. It had protested, complained, even "cried," in its own artificial way.
Cohen found that rather amusing.
After all, neither he nor the system had appeared here by accident.
A month ago, a car accident had ended one life—and started another.
Now, Cohen stood in a world that felt both familiar and strangely distant.
Privet Drive.
No. 4, home of the Dursleys.
A boy named Harry Potter, who rarely came outside.
The pieces fit together too perfectly to ignore.
Cohen knew exactly where he was.
The world of Harry Potter.
As someone who had read the original novels multiple times, he understood the implications immediately. His life—especially his childhood—would not be as peaceful as it appeared.
Harry Potter was his age.
And Harry possessed magic.
Real magic.
Objects that floated. Instant teleportation. Strange, impossible phenomena that defied every natural law.
Sooner or later, everything in this world would revolve around that boy.
And by extension… it would involve Cohen as well.
In this life, he had been given a pair of loving adoptive parents. Both were Muggles—or so it seemed. There was no trace of magic in the memories he inherited.
But the wizarding world was not kind to Muggles.
Especially not after the return of its greatest threat—Lord Voldemort.
If Cohen wanted to protect his family, he had only two options.
Leave Europe as soon as possible.
Or eliminate Voldemort before he rose to power.
"…Right. Like that's realistic."
Cohen scoffed at the thought.
Him? Fight Voldemort?
That would be suicide.
Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—he had something else.
A system.
"Open panel," he murmured.
A broken, flickering interface appeared before him, half white and half black, forming a crude circular display.
At its center were his attributes:
[Cohen Norton]
[Race: Dementor / Human / ? / ? / ?]
[Soul Integrity: 11%]
[Soul Strength: 11]
[Special Abilities: None]
[Goodwill: 1250]
[Sin Value: 250]
The word that had shocked him most, when he first saw it, was simple:
Dementor.
At first, he had refused to believe it.
Aside from having a mouth, he looked completely human. There was nothing monstrous about him.
But reality had a way of revealing itself.
Slowly. Relentlessly.
Cohen discovered that he could see souls.
Not metaphorically.
Literally.
Every person had a number floating above them—Soul Strength.
And more disturbingly… he hungered for it.
The closer he got to people, the stronger the urge became.
An instinct.
A craving.
A need to consume.
He had tested it once—on his adoptive father, Edward.
Edward had been asleep at the time.
Cohen had leaned closer…
And almost taken everything.
He stopped himself at the last second.
But not before taking something.
A fragment.
A trace.
Perhaps it was part of a soul.
Or perhaps it was something more abstract—happiness itself.
Whatever it was, it had tasted… sweet.
That was when Cohen started carrying candy.
Sweets were a substitute.
A safer alternative.
Because the truth was undeniable:
He was a Dementor… wearing human skin.
After coming to terms with that, Cohen began analyzing the system.
Its functions were simple, yet oddly useful.
He could see the Soul Strength of anyone.
That alone allowed him to judge whether someone was safe… or dangerous.
Edward had a Soul Strength of 10.
Weak enough for Cohen to affect.
But his adoptive mother, Rose, had a Soul Strength of 20.
Untouchable.
At least for now.
Cohen's own strength was tied to his Soul Integrity.
And unfortunately, his integrity was abysmal.
Still, it could be increased.
There were two methods:
Consume souls directly.
Or purchase items from the system's shops.
Naturally, Cohen preferred the latter.
He still considered himself human, after all.
The system had two shops.
The Goodwill Shop offered harmless, beneficial items—books on magic, magical creatures, plants, and tools aligned with light magic.
The Sin Shop, however, was different.
Dark.
Forbidden.
Tempting.
It sold things no decent wizard would ever touch.
Including souls.
One item in particular stood out:
[Tormented Human Soul]
[Can be used to create dark magical artifacts such as Horcruxes or spirit puppets]
[Value: 7000 Sin Value]
Cohen frowned at it.
Seven thousand points.
That was the equivalent of stealing lollipops from thousands of children.
Too extreme.
Too excessive.
Instead, he purchased Soul Fragments.
Each one cost 1000 Sin Value and increased his Soul Integrity by 1%.
It was slow.
Painfully slow.
After all his efforts, he had only gone from 10% to 11%.
Still, it was progress.
And more importantly, his current condition didn't interfere with daily life.
So there was no need to rush.
He could enjoy his remaining time as a normal child…
At least until Hogwarts came calling.
Which, apparently—
Had already happened.
As Cohen stepped into his living room, he immediately noticed a small gray owl flapping wildly near the ceiling.
There was only one explanation.
The letter had arrived.
Today was his eleventh birthday.
It was inevitable.
Yet strangely, it hadn't come that morning.
Otherwise, Cohen wouldn't have bothered going out to "earn" points.
Before he could think further, a man rushed toward him.
"Cohen! My son!"
Edward Norton looked ecstatic, his messy blond hair even more disheveled than usual. In his hand was a parchment envelope.
"You're going to Hogwarts!"
Cohen blinked.
Edward was in his forties and, as far as Cohen knew, completely ordinary.
A househusband.
A man who spent his days cooking and cleaning.
Not a trace of magic.
And yet…
Why would he be excited about Hogwarts?
A school that didn't even exist in the Muggle world?
Just recently, Edward and Rose had been preparing to send Cohen to Smelting's Secondary School.
A prestigious institution.
Edward had even emphasized the quality of the food.
So why the sudden change?
There was only one logical conclusion.
Edward was a wizard.
A hidden one.
"…Seriously?"
Cohen's thoughts spiraled.
If Edward was a wizard… then why was his Soul Strength so low?
Only 10?
That was barely above a normal Muggle.
Meanwhile, Rose had 20.
Was she the real anomaly?
Or was Edward simply weak?
Cohen didn't have enough data to decide.
"Alright," Edward said, lifting Cohen onto the sofa. "It's time we told you the truth."
Cohen nodded obediently.
Inside, he was anything but surprised.
"Dad… is a wizard."
Right on cue.
Cohen resisted the urge to respond.
After all, explaining how he already knew about magic would be… complicated.
Before Edward could continue, a voice interrupted from the staircase.
"Lower your voice. The neighbors will hear."
Rose descended gracefully, dressed in a violet gown.
Her expression was sharp.
Authoritative.
Edward immediately shrank back.
Cohen watched the transformation with interest.
This was the same woman who, moments later, softened completely as she approached him.
"Cohen," she said gently, bending down. "I'm so happy you're going to Hogwarts."
She kissed his forehead.
"I have to attend a seminar later, so I may miss your birthday party. But I'll bring you a gift. Love you."
Then she turned—her expression instantly hardening again.
"And don't scare him," she warned Edward.
With that, she left.
Silence lingered for a moment.
Then Edward grinned.
"Now then," he said, rubbing his hands together. "Ask me anything about the magical world."
Cohen almost laughed.
If only you knew, he thought.
Outwardly, he simply nodded.
"Mm-hmm."
Edward leaned closer, eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Let me say it again, just to be clear."
"I'm a wizard."
Cohen smiled faintly.
That makes two of us, he thought.
Just… not the same kind.