Chapter 2: The Making of a Legend
Evan was about to inquire further when the cheerful applause from below beckoned him to set aside his plethora of questions. After placing the Sorting Hat back onto the four-legged table, he descended the steps.
Seeing Evan come down, the Gryffindor table made room for one more as several older students shifted aside. A pair of identical twins with fiery red hair confidently ushered Evan into the vacant seat between them, one of them speaking with exaggerated emphasis.
"Blimey, I'd wager you're the first to ever give Professor McGonagall such a run for her money during the Sorting Ceremony. That was truly..."
"Truly what?" Evan inquired, puzzled.
"Truly brave!" the other twin chimed in.
"You're destined to be a legend in our house!" They exchanged a glance and declared in unison.
Evan nearly choked on his breath at their response. These brothers' thought processes were indeed unique, and he found it somewhat unfathomable.
"Well, thank you..." Evan politely thanked the twins for their "blessing" before asking, "I'm Evan Halse. And you are?"
"I'm George Weasley, and that's Fred," one of the twins replied first, winking at Evan. "Make sure you remember next time. Fred really hates it when people mix him up..."
"Alright, George, I think I can tell you apart." Evan was well aware of the twins' identity-swapping shenanigans and would not be fooled. He turned to the other twin, "Right, Fred?"
Fred, who had been planning to prank the new student along with his brother, was momentarily dumbstruck, and George, after a brief pause, finally asked, "Wait, how did you know I'm George?"
"It's an easy guess, isn't it? Who among the first-years doesn't know about the Weasley twins' penchant for pranks?" Evan couldn't very well reveal that he'd read about them in a book, so he deftly dodged with an excuse.
"Blimey, are we that famous already? Even the first-years know?" George and Fred exclaimed in delight, taking pride in their years of dedication to challenging Hogwarts' rules.
Ron, who sat nearby wolfing down food, nearly spat everything out in surprise. When had his brothers become so notorious among the Hogwarts newbies?
George and Fred were curious about Evan's whispered conversation with the Sorting Hat; it was the first time they'd seen anyone engage with the hat for so long.
Evan, half-truthfully, brushed it off. After all, being adept in Dark Arts wasn't something to flaunt in Gryffindor.
Meanwhile, Evan skillfully steered the conversation towards the twins' adventures at Hogwarts, casually probing for information about the castle's secret passages.
Having read the original story, Evan knew that the twins possessed a magical map that revealed most of Hogwarts' hidden passageways and even showed the names of people within them.
With such a map, one could navigate the magical castle freely without fear of being caught by professors or caretakers.
Although Evan was familiar with many of Hogwarts' secrets from the books, he couldn't remember everything, so the map would still be quite useful.
The Weasley brothers, treating Evan like an adoring younger brother, unwittingly divulged plenty of information but kept mum about the magical map.
Evan wasn't surprised; it was their first meeting, after all, and even a good chat wouldn't lead them to reveal such a crucial secret. For now, Evan was content with laying the groundwork for future rapport.
Just then, an unexpected voice echoed in Evan's mind.
[Ding! Host has acquired secret information. Generating task...
Objective: Explore Hogwarts
Progress: 2/100
Description: A wizard's curiosity to explore the unknown is essential. The ancient castle holds countless secrets. Explore and understand them. As your exploration progresses, rewards will be given based on your achievements.]
Evan, taken aback by the sudden message, paused mid-conversation with the Weasley twins.
A golden finger?
He quickly realized what it was and was ecstatic.
Transported to Hogwarts without warning, Evan was thrilled and grateful for a second chance at life, despite the initial unease of the unfamiliar environment, which he had suppressed in order to maintain his disguise.
Now, he felt much more at ease.
Evan casually dismissed the Weasley brothers, who were eager to continue sharing their tales of adventure, and focused on exploring this newly emerged golden finger. After trying various methods from the novels to summon the system, a series of details finally appeared before his eyes.
[Evan Halse
Occupation: Wizard
Magic Skills: Level 1 Fear Curse (3/200)
Knowledge Theory: Level 0 Magic Item Crafting (435/500)
Magical Items:
Wand (Hawthorn wood, unicorn hair, 11 and three-quarter inches)
Magical Power: Medium
Compatibility: 72.5%
Academic Points: None
...]
The information that appeared was within Evan's expectations, but some details in the display surprised him.
"Fear Curse? Magic Item Crafting?" Evan murmured to himself. As a wizard who had just crossed over and hadn't even fully grasped his circumstances, these abilities couldn't have originated from him.
Recalling the memories that surfaced during the Sorting Ceremony, Evan realized they must belong to the original Evan Halse, the young wizard he'd displaced, who had learned these spells before coming to school.
Such situations weren't unusual among young wizards. Even Hermione Granger, born to Muggle parents, had managed to master some simple spells before starting school, not to mention those from wizarding families.
However, the Fear Curse was unfamiliar to Evan; it didn't seem to be a spell mentioned in the original books.
Evan wasn't surprised, for Harry Potter was just a novel, revealing only a fraction of the wizarding world. It was impossible to cover every spell, especially since the Dark Arts mentioned in the text were few and far between. Real Dark Wizards wouldn't be limited to just a handful of spells.
After all, who knew how many books on Dark Arts were stashed in the Restricted Section of the Hogwarts library?
More pressing for Evan was the concern over the original owner's family background. A family willing to teach their child Dark Arts before school was clearly not to be trifled with.
Evan was genuinely worried for his safety. If it were discovered that Evan Halse had been possessed by a soul from another world, who knew what kind of Dark Arts might await him...
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