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Chapter 1
(1): The London Orphan
“If you insist on going to that Hogwarts school, then pay for all your expenses yourself! The orphanage won’t give you a single penny!”
“I understand, Nurse Anna.”
…
Shane watched as Nurse Anna walked into the common room and gently closed the door.
If you made too much noise and she thought you had a problem with her, dinner would change from cheap pork sausages to baked beans and bread.
If you didn’t drink tap water, that stuff could choke you to death.
But the tap water was never clean. Drinking too much of it could make you sick. And once you got sick, in this poor orphanage in the southern suburbs, what awaited you was being taken away by death.
Why did Shane know this so clearly?
Because the original owner of this body died that exact way.
Disease, cold, and malnutrition took his life. Since “Shane” transmigrated here last winter, he had treated this as a warning.
He tried to drink cheap black tea instead. He would even fight for a cup of instant coffee from the older kids, even if it meant he wouldn’t sleep for a day or two.
Over the past six months, he had figured out his situation.
It was now late August, 1991.
This was the world of Harry Potter, in the Croydon district—
One of the poorest areas in London.
And the orphanage he was in, Holisse Orphanage, was the poorest one.
Why?
Because there was only one orphanage here, built just for political performance.
Just like the UK he knew in his previous life.
At the end of 1990, Margaret Thatcher, the “Iron Lady,” stepped down.
Her Thatcherism brought economic reforms, but it also significantly widened the wealth gap.
The financial district benefited from deregulation, and the wealthy became even richer;
Meanwhile, traditional industrial areas and inner-city poor districts faced unemployment and cuts to public services.
This was especially obvious in Croydon.
The Holisse Orphanage hadn’t received any proper funding for five years. As a result, money was tight. The children didn’t have access to enough safe drinking water, and in winter, each only had a thin blanket.
Under such conditions, if he couldn’t attend Hogwarts, he might not even live to adulthood—his body had always been weak.
Even a simple cold or fever could kill him.
Not because London’s medical system was bad—but because those harsh caretakers might not “notice” a sick child in time.
“Hogwarts has no tuition fees. As for other expenses, I have a scholarship Professor McGonagall helped me apply for.”
Shane pulled out a bag from the deepest part of his iron-framed bed. Inside were 143 gold Galleons, a wand, some robes, and other items.
He had followed the supply list and bought only the cheapest options, but even so, it cost him 157 Galleons. Now he had less than half of his savings left for the school year.
And tomorrow… was the first day at Hogwarts.
“I need to hurry. If I don’t perform well enough to get a scholarship, I’m finished… Galleons won’t be enough…”
When he received the admission letter and went shopping, Professor McGonagall had casually mentioned this reward—but it was only for outstanding students.
Would Shane be outstanding?
Unlikely.
He had practiced the Levitation Charm 500 times before finally mastering it.
Fortunately—
He had a cheat.
[Name: Shane Green]
[Identity: Wizard]
[Title: None]
[Proficiency]
- Levitation Charm: Apprentice Level (1/300)
- Lumos: Apprentice Level (1/300)
- Cleaning Charm: Locked (27/30)
[Three Apprentice-level spells unlock Apprentice Spellcasting Title]
[Advanced: Three Beginner-level spells unlock Beginner Spellcasting Title]
Yes, Shane had a proficiency panel.
It was extremely practical. As long as he practiced correctly, he would gain progress.
Apprentice-level spells required only 30 correct practices. Unlocking three of them would grant a title.
It sounded easy.
But even something this simple had taken him two whole months to barely complete—averaging only about 1.5 successful practices per day.
His magical talent… was honestly terrible.
He even wondered if it was because of the transmigration.
It felt like the magical world was targeting him.
Though realistically, it probably didn’t even care about him.
“Today, I must unlock the title!”
Full of determination, Shane picked up his wand. Carefully stepping over a warped floorboard, he leaned out of the drafty single-pane window.
The Victorian semi-detached houses in this poor southern suburb had fallen silent.
“Good. Everyone’s asleep. As long as I’m careful, I won’t be discovered.”
If the original owner had left him anything useful—
It was this isolated, single-person room.
Although it was given to prevent disease spread, for Shane, it was a blessing.
It meant he had enough privacy to practice magic.
“Scourgify!”
He clearly cast the spell at a dirty poster, moving his wand in an S-shape.
Unfortunately—
The panel didn’t register any progress.
Shane didn’t mind. He cast it again.
Only after learning magic himself did he realize how complicated it was.
For example, the Cleaning Charm:
Where should the emphasis be in the incantation? How strong should it be? How big should the S-shaped wand movement be? When should it be fast, and when slow?
He knew “Scour” meant to clean, and “ify” meant to make something become—
So the pause should be between “Scour” and “ify.”
As for the wand motion… it was mostly guesswork.
Thankfully, the panel told him whether his practice was correct.
“Scour—g—ify!”
On the fifth attempt, he followed his experience precisely.
“Start fast… then slow down… and make the final curve bigger…”
Muttering to himself, he executed the motion exactly as he had learned.
Suddenly—
A flash of light appeared.
The dirty poster on the table instantly became clean!
[You have practiced the Cleaning Charm at Beginner level. Proficiency +3]
[Cleaning Charm unlocked]
[New Spellcasting Title unlocked. Please check.]
[A Wizard Talent unlocked. Please check.]
Success!
Shane picked up the now-clean poster and examined it carefully, marveling at the wonders of magic.
As for the “Beginner level,” just like spell effects had different strengths, correct practice also had levels:
- Apprentice: +1 proficiency
- Beginner: +3 proficiency
As for higher levels—
He didn’t know.
With his talent, reaching Beginner was already a blessing from Merlin.
“Let’s check the new title.”
Shane eagerly opened the panel.
[Title: Spellcasting Novice]
[Slightly increases spell perception and talent]
He continued reading.
[Wizard Shane – Spell Talent: Green (boosted by title; original talent: White)]
[Note: Average wizards are Green]
Shane took a deep breath.
White-tier trash?!
No wonder he struggled to learn spells.
With talent like this, even if it exploded, he’d still have to praise it for making a sound.
Fortunately, he had his cheat.
Otherwise, his future at Hogwarts would be unimaginable.
After a brief check, Shane’s eyes grew more determined.
No talent?
Then repeat it endlessly.
Let me see your limit.
Panel—add proficiency!
