The first chill of October had settled into the stones of Hogwarts, crisping the morning air and brushing the castle windows with fog. Most students went about their routines unaware of the subtle shifts happening within the ancient walls—but Elias Blake had begun to notice them.
It had been a month since his quiet immersion into the life of a Hogwarts first-year. His studies had flourished with minimal showiness, his interactions were calculated, and his Fate Divergence System had grown in complexity. Behind the composed gaze he wore daily, Elias was evolving.
Each day brought another handful of Fate Points. He earned them through subtle divergences: helping Neville understand a charm before class began; quietly correcting a wrong historical fact in Binns' droning lecture; leaving a note for Hermione about a spell variation that even she hadn't encountered yet.
He didn't do it for glory. He did it to tilt the world's axis, slightly—quietly bending the threads of fate.
And tonight, his secret project awaited.
The Room of Requirement – Phase Two
Elias entered the seventh-floor corridor with a measured pace, three times pacing before the blank wall.
I need a place to grow… to learn… to create what Hogwarts never offered me.
The doorway shimmered into being. He stepped inside.
Gone was the barren chamber of his first discovery. Now it resembled something plucked out of the modern Muggle world—smooth marble floors, sleek bookcases, polished black walls veined with silver, a fireplace with controlled magical flames, and a desk made of enchanted obsidian. At its center stood a glass display with softly glowing magical blueprints and a spell matrix board Elias had been developing.
More importantly, he had refined the Access Key system. With a silver rune-etched ring on his right hand, Elias could now summon this Room of Requirement from any location in the world… if he truly needed it.
At the corner stood an enchanted cabinet connected to the System interface.
[FATE DIVERGENCE SYSTEM – SHOP]
→ Category: Advanced Spell Theory
→ Subcategory: Independent Study Tools
❖ "Project Arcanum" Blueprint – 200 FP (Locked)
❖ Basic Magical Engineering Kit – 65 FP (Purchased)
❖ Localized Time Dilation Field (Room Only) – 500 FP (Locked)
He had nearly 340 points saved now, earned in steady fragments.
But it wasn't about buying everything. It was about choosing what mattered.
Back in the Castle: Whispers and New Threads
Outside the hidden chamber, life at Hogwarts moved on.
A new rumor had begun to circulate—someone had heard Elias speaking Parseltongue in the library (a false tale started by a bored second-year Ravenclaw). Another story said he was working on private spellcraft late at night, which wasn't entirely untrue. Whispers always followed the curious and quiet ones.
Hermione had noticed him changing. He still kept to himself, but now offered quiet insight in class or corrected her in a way that didn't feel like competition. Their rivalry had cooled into an unusual form of mutual awareness, not quite trust—but not hostility either.
Ron, still skeptical. Harry, uncertain. But the professors—especially McGonagall and Flitwick—had begun to watch him more closely.
One Month In – And the Question Remains
Sitting at his obsidian desk that evening, Elias opened his notebook—the one where he outlined his goals for the year.
Master basic Occlumency.
Create a private version of the Room of Requirement to test long-range runes.
Secure access to the Restricted Section by end of term.
Learn who the Watchers are. (W.N.H.C.)
Do not allow Cassian to control your future.
He underlined the last one.
The room pulsed softly with dim golden light, reacting to his thoughts. It felt… alive.
Elias leaned back, eyes narrowing at the ceiling. One month in, he thought, and Hogwarts is already bending.
He knew others were watching him.
But they didn't know how far ahead he was already playing.