Wade Grey lay sprawled by the window, watching a grey owl perched on the fence outside. It stared at him with serious, yellowish-brown eyes, then suddenly lowered its head, spread its wings, and hooted.
A peculiar expression crossed Weide's face.
If he hadn't been mistaken, had that owl just dropped a letter into their mailbox?
But...
It was only 1991. The Harry Potter series hadn't even been published yet, had it?
He had been reincarnated into this world eleven years ago, growing from a babbling infant to an eleven-year-old. All this time, he had assumed he was simply reborn into the UK of his original world, and he had even planned his life accordingly...
He had never imagined... he would receive a letter from an owl.
Wasn't this supposed to be a materialist world?
But... if reincarnation was possible, then if magic existed... it seemed... quite reasonable...
—Right?
—Or maybe it was just a cruel prank.
With a hint of uncertainty, Weide pushed open the door and stepped out. He instinctively looked at the owl, whose gaze remained fixed on him, its head slightly tilted.
Perhaps it was just his imagination, but Weide felt its eyes were incredibly intelligent.
He held his breath, opened the mailbox, and retrieved the mysterious letter. When he saw the envelope clearly, his pupils constricted sharply, and his heart leaped.
On the envelope, his detailed address and "Mr. Wade Grey" were clearly written. The parchment felt unusually heavy, and the emerald green ink was not a commonly used color.
Turning the envelope over, he saw a deep red wax seal on the back with a shield crest. Four animals—a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake—surrounded a large letter "H."
No stamp.
—Ah! An owl as a messenger! Of course, no stamp was needed.
Weide took a deep breath and, with slightly trembling fingers, tore open the envelope.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
Weide impatiently skipped the long list of titles that followed and looked directly at the text below: Dear Mr. Grey: We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry... Sincerely, Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress (Female)
Weide read the letter over and over again, still in disbelief—was this really the world of Harry Potter?
He unconsciously murmured, "Is this real? Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?"
The owl stared at him with intelligent eyes, waited for a moment, then lowered its head to preen its feathers, tucked one foot, and rotated its head 180 degrees to look at the scenery behind it.
Weide froze for a moment, then quickly turned and rushed back into the house. He stormed into his father's study, found his best envelope, embossed and glittered stationery, a quill with a classical aesthetic, and fragrant ink. With great solemnity, he wrote:
"Dear Ms. Minerva McGonagall: I am honored to receive your letter. If this is not a prank, then I would be delighted to attend your school. However, I am unsure how to purchase the school supplies mentioned in the letter, and I look forward to your guidance...
With my sincerest regards and best wishes,
Wade Grey"
The ink soaked into the paper and dried quickly. Weide folded it and slipped it into the envelope, writing "Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall (Recipient)" on the cover.
When he went outside, he saw the owl still patiently waiting on the fence.
Weide approached, holding up the letter: "Um... this is my reply. Please take it to Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall."
The owl extended a claw and grasped the letter, then tilted its head, looking at him expectantly.
"Is there anything else... Oh, please wait a moment!"
A thought flashed through Weide's mind. He went back into the house, grabbed a handful of nuts, and offered them to the owl. It merely glanced down, then disdainfully swept them away with a wing, spread its wings, and flew off.
Weide: "..."
Not eating them?
At least it didn't drop the letter.
Back inside, Weide sat at the table, unfolding the acceptance letter and rereading it. His heart pounded.
Only then did he feel a sense of reality about being accepted to Hogwarts.
But...
In the eleven years since he had been reborn into this world, he had never discovered any extraordinary abilities within himself—
He hadn't inexplicably flown into a tree, nor had he bent spoons with his mind or made pens float in the air.
Did his body truly contain magical energy?
Or was it—that an adult's overly rational and objective mind had unconsciously suppressed the innate power within him?
Weide clenched his fist, then opened it, still feeling no sensation akin to "invisible magic flowing through my body."
He stared intently at a teacup in front of him, concentrating with all his might.
*CRASH!*
The teacup suddenly wobbled in mid-air without any external force, then toppled over, rolled around on the table, and slowly came to a stop, trembling.
Magic… it's actually real…
Wade Grey stared at his palms, stunned.
After his emotions gradually calmed, he dialed a number he knew by heart.
"Mom… do you believe… that magic exists?"
…
In less than half an hour, a car screeched to a halt outside the door. Mr. and Mrs. Grey forgot to even pull the keys from the ignition, rushing out of the car.
Wade Grey stepped out to greet them, but before he could even say hello, he was engulfed in an embrace that nearly suffocated him.
"Oh my goodness! Oh, my goodness! Weide, dear, you actually got accepted into Hogwarts—I'm so happy! Really… I've waited for this day for too long—I thought—I thought you were like us, without—without that opportunity—"
His mother, Fiona, sobbed, not caring that her tears were smudging her makeup. Wade Grey's father, Ferdinand, embraced them both, and though he said nothing, his eyes were also moist.
The more Wade Grey listened, the more something felt off. "Wait, what do you mean? You—" He struggled free from his parents' suffocating embrace. "You both know about Hogwarts?"
"Of course!" Fiona said, wiping away her tears with a handkerchief. "My mother, and your grandparents, were all Wizards. I always dreamed of going to Hogwarts when I was little. It's just…"
Ferdinand put his arms around his wife and son's shoulders, ushering them into the house. "Let's talk inside—so ordinary people don't see us."
It was only after a lengthy explanation that Wade Grey understood the whole story.
It turned out his paternal grandparents and maternal grandmother were all Wizards, and the two families were quite close. However, due to the war, Fiona and Ferdinand, both born amidst the upheaval, were Squibs—meaning they carried magical genes but lacked the ability to cast magic.
During the war, even Wizards themselves struggled to survive, let alone two Squibs. After confirming they had no magical abilities, they were sent to Muggle families to be raised.
Years passed, and they had fully adapted to Muggle life, though a longing for the magical world always remained hidden in their hearts.
However, since Wade Grey's birth, he had never shown any magical ability. They had assumed he was also a Squib, and to spare their child the pain of going from hope to disappointment, as they had experienced, they kept the existence of magic a secret.
"I never thought—I truly never thought you were a Wizard… I mean—I've actually been waiting all this time, but it's already July 30th, and you hadn't received a letter… I thought…"
Fiona cried and laughed, finally being calmed by her husband and son before heading to the bathroom to wash up.
Once things settled down, Ferdinand looked at his eleven-year-old son, his eyes filled with unconcealed worry:
"Hogwarts… Alas, Weide… I really don't know if it's a good thing for someone with your background to go to that school…"
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