Late June, 1991.

Diagon Alley, London.

Standing by the first-floor window of his shop, Evan looked down at the bustling street below, lined with lopsided shops and filled with witches and wizards wearing cloaks and pointed hats of every color and style.

A portly wizard was chasing a particularly rebellious book that had sprouted legs; a group of young witches carried flying broomsticks, while an old man pushed a cart stacked with cages containing creatures that even Evan couldn't identify.

It was a truly magical sight, one that would fill anyone with wonder and amazement when seeing it for the first time.

Evan had felt the same in the beginning.

However, compared to those early days, much of the novelty had already faded for him.

Had he not spent most of his life since birth in the Muggle world, perhaps even this slight stirring in his heart would have been difficult to maintain.

'How time flies. Eleven years since I came into this world. I suppose it's finally time for the plot to begin,' he mused in his heart.

Indeed, Evan was not a native of this world. He was a transmigrator from Earth.

Although life had taught him many lessons in his previous life and he had hated and loved many people, he possessed no tragic past or deep-seated hatred for anyone.

He had lived an ordinary life, pursuing something substantial while secretly dreaming of becoming a cosmic-level being on a path toward infinite existence.

In fact, he understood that it was all a fantasy that would never come true. That was until one day, he was struck by an airplane that crashed into his apartment building, and he found himself reborn in this world after an instant that felt like an eternity.

More so, he had arrived with his own cheat system, though the first prompt his system gave him was not a beginner's reward but a warning.

[The User has successfully transmigrated into the world of Harry Potter.]

[Caution: Please proceed with the understanding that this is a real world and not the whimsical fantasy setting portrayed in novels and films.]

At first, Evan assumed it was merely a standard warning, reminding him that he was not dreaming and that he should not blindly rely on the plots of the books and films.

But oh, how wrong he had been.

Only after living in this world for eleven years did the cruel meaning of those words actually settle upon him.

"Truly a dark world."

Sighing to himself, Evan looked up at the white clouds in the blue sky as memories flooded his mind. Memories of how close he had come to death as an infant and was only able to live because of his mother.

Actually, as someone possessing an adult's mind, it was truly difficult for Evan to accept this new relationship.

Outwardly, he could play the role of a son, but in his heart, he could not truly acknowledge his new mother.

However, that all changed when she stood between him and death with her wand raised, injured and trembling with fear, but refusing to yield.

In his previous life, Evan had been a mischievous child who had always taken his mother's love for granted. He never truly cherished it until it was too late.

For years, he longed for that maternal affection, only for it to gradually fade from his memories with time.

Yet this woman, his new mother, who was willing to risk her life solely for his sake, for the first time in many years, stirred Evan's heart, and he once again experienced the long-forgotten warmth of maternal love.

Watching her stand between him and death, Evan realized that he did not want to lose her.

For her, he was her son. And for him, she was his mother.

After this surge of affection for his mother came an even more powerful hatred for his enemies: the remnants of the Death Eaters, who were hell-bent on killing them in revenge, all because of his brainwashed, idiotic father.

A father who, instead of caring for his post-partum wife and newborn son, had chosen to fulfill his duties as a member of the Order of the Phoenix, foolishly risking his life for James and Lily Potter's son, someone else's child, and ultimately dying in some unknown ditch alongside a Death Eater, leaving his own wife and son helpless, penniless, and surrounded by enemies seeking revenge.

Evan's hands clenched into fists as he recalled his mother's desperate pleas as she begged for help from his father's colleagues, not for herself, but for her infant son who couldn't even walk yet.

Sadly, not a single person stepped forward.

"We're struggling ourselves."

Some turned away with false sympathy, while others who could help mocked her, calling her a coward and a traitor who wanted to run away. "She's been pressuring her husband to abandon the war and hide like a frightened rabbit."

The cruelest words came from those who had called themselves his father's friends.

"Marrying you was his biggest mistake. If you fear fighting so much, then stop being a witch and go live among Muggles."

For a witch born and raised in the wizarding world, those words were like a death sentence. Yet she had said nothing, simply gathered her infant son and disappeared into the Muggle world, all for the sake of her child.

Regardless, Evan never believed his mother was wrong.

Was it wrong to want her husband to live? Was it wrong to protect her child? Was it wrong to value family above a war that had already taken so much?

And what of his father? The man who had emptied their family vault at Gringotts, leaving not a single Knut behind for his wife and son?

The man who had died protecting someone else's child while his own family starved?

Perhaps he truly was a heroic man in the eyes of others, but to Evan, it was a good thing that he had died early. Otherwise, Evan felt that he might one day have stained his own hands with patricide.

After all, how could Evan forget the struggles his mother faced in the Muggle world, a world she knew almost nothing about?

Thankfully, no matter how clueless, his mother was a witch, and Evan was not truly a child. He quickly displayed his talents, winning scholarships and awards.

He even used the piano skills he had learned in the latter half of his previous life to earn money as a child prodigy, securing multiple sponsorships, awards, and advertising contracts.

It had taken years of careful planning and relentless work, but by age ten, Evan finally accumulated enough wealth.

After exchanging Muggle currency for gold and other precious metals and then gradually converting them into Galleons through his mother, they eventually purchased this very shop in Diagon Alley, complete with the apartment above where they now lived, and named it Patricia's Puffs & Pastries.

Fortunately, after years of pursuit, most of the Death Eaters seeking revenge had either been captured and sent to Azkaban or driven deep into hiding.

This had allowed Evan and his mother to safely return to the wizarding world. Not only did it make his mother happy, but it also laid the foundation for Evan to move forward on his own journey in this world.

In truth, Evan could have exploited the loophole within the wizarding currency system by exchanging Pounds for gold, converting the gold into Galleons, then selling those Galleons back for Pounds in the Muggle world as gold and repeating the process.

However, he never did so.

First, he and his mother were still weak, and Evan remembered the system's warning, so he had no intention of taking unnecessary risks.

Second, his goal was to ensure a stable life for both himself and his mother so that he could devote his attention to Hogwarts, learning magic, exploring the wizarding world, and growing stronger.

Third, their wealth needed a legitimate and traceable source, one that could withstand scrutiny if anyone became suspicious.

As for actually exploiting loopholes, there would be plenty of time for that after he had grown stronger. Compared to his future ambitions, even robbing Gringotts itself was not entirely impossible, so he was hardly concerned about money.

"A year has passed since we moved to Diagon Alley, and my eleventh birthday has just gone by," Evan murmured to himself, watching the street below. "It should be arriving soon."

As if summoned by his words, two days later, Evan heard a tap-tap-tap against the window, and he immediately rushed over in anticipation.

Ignoring the owl entirely, he snatched the letter from its beak and grinned when he saw the Hogwarts seal.

A large wax seal bearing the letter "H," surrounded by the four house animals: a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a serpent.

"Finally."

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HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

​Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

​Mr. Evan Schulz

The First-Floor Bedroom Overlooking the Alley

Above Patricia's Puffs & Pastries

Diagon Alley, London.

​Dear Mr. Schulz,

​We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Enclosed is a list of necessary books and equipment. Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July confirming your intention to attend.

​Students should arrive at King's Cross Station, London, no later than 11 o'clock on the morning of 1 September. The Hogwarts Express departs from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters at eleven o'clock sharp.

​We trust that your magical education thus far has prepared you for the exciting years ahead. At Hogwarts, you will discover not only the wonders of magic but also the value of courage, friendship, wisdom, and perseverance.

​We look forward to welcoming you to the castle.

​Yours sincerely,

​Minerva McGonagall (Deputy Headmistress)

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