THE CITADEL

It's been almost 1200 years since it was discovered in the the middle of the Atlantic Ocean by the explorers of the African Union Of Magical Science. A new continent untouched by mankind, with abundant resources and magic so concentrated it gave rise to frightening magical beasts that defied common sense. It was supposed to be the dawn of the African Union, the ladder which would bring the Union to the top of the Magical World. But alas! It was not to be. Unfortunately for them, their Eurasian and American counterparts got wind of their enormous scouting expeditions leading to the leakage of information about the CITADEL which jumpstarted the huge race for the resources whose consequences can be seen to this day.

~~excerpt from the History Of Citadel, by Ekon Zane, Former Chairman of the African Union~

...

August 1,1980

A Hospital in London

In a delivery room in a hospital, the screams of pain of a lady overshadowed her husband's encouraging voice as she pushed and contracted her abdomen and uterine muscles with all her might which soon bore result in the form of strong cries of a baby.

"The baby is out -" the Doctor said calmly as she took the checked for any abnormalities and cleaned the baby "- and safe" she added with a small smile as she handed the baby to the mother.

" Let me see my baby" a hoarse voice called out as the mother cradled the baby in her lap, a large happy smile on her face as she looked at wide inquisitive eyes of her beautiful baby boy who had stopped crying to take a look around.

"So what will we name Emilia?" an equally happy voice sounded near her ears as her Husband leaned in to take a look at their baby.

"I think Ethan will suit him quite well Jason." she replied in a tone that allowed no further discussion.

Jason could only smile wryly at his wife as he picked up his son and took a long look at him" I think Ethan Williams is a good name, Emilia"

"Of course it is, I suggested it." Emilia stated as a matter of fact.

Jason's response was to look speechlessly at his wife as he turned to face his" Your mom is really overbearing bud, hope you take after me."

'Ethan huh? Let's see what this life has in store for me' were the thoughts of the baby as it drifted to the realm of Morpheus.

...

'Its weird how strangely similar all this, well.. except for the huge tower that no one but I can see and the magic stuff that I can do which pretty much screams supernatural.' thought the 4 year old Ethan as he looked at the tower over the horizon which seemed to be piercing the clouds as he walked home with his mother from school.

'I thought I was reborn in past with some superpowers because its 1984 now but the tower pretty much invalidates this conjecture.'

' It is confirmed that this is a Magical Universe cause I swear I teleported from living room to my bedroom the other day.'

"Well, what are you thinking Ethan, you shouldn't space out while walking, you know." his mother playfully chided him as she broke him out of his thoughts." What do you think about so much, I swear whenever I am not looking you just space out"

"But Mom! I was just thinking of something to do to make you happy." Ethan replied innocently as he cocked his head to the side appearing like a cute absentminded child.

"My, where did you learn to speak such flattering words Ethan?" she asked but she appeared quite happy if the huge smile on her face was anything to go by.

'Hehe...Mom is so easy to convince, being a toddler sure has its advantages.*cough* Well now onto the important topic, I can try to learn magic myself which may be a crude but I've got no other option as I haven't seen anyone use magic as of yet so I can only rely on myself and my knowledge of web novels and fantasy books." Ethan thought resolutely as he thought of exercises and techniques to train his magic.

NIGHT TIME

After a lot of thought he added the following exercises in his magic training.

1 Build Focus. He didn't know how to do any magic except by focusing heavily and by heavily he meant heavily heavily on the thing he wanted to do which left him exhausted by the end of the session.

2 Mediate and think about the his exercises and his experiences. He didn't know if it was helpful but all the fantasy books said so right? So there shouldn't be any harm in trying it.

3 Exercise. A healthy mind requires a healthy body right? And he didn't discount the possibility that this was a magical martial arts world with chi and internal energy so he may need to develop his physical and martial prowess.

4. Learn. This was comparatively because he was a medical college student before and the adaptability of this childhood brain was off the charts if used correctly which together should give him probably the best brain in the whole world if he was optimistic. So he was pretty hopeful about his mental prowess.

This concluded his daily routine for every day henceforth.

'Hooh...I have a lot of work ahead of me. Since its midnight already I shall conclude my grand plan towards greatness and start the work from tomorrow.

...

11 months into the training

My control over the magic has improved moderately due to meditation as I have learned to differentiate between my magic, the magic emitted by the tower and the magic around in the environment itself. It's very faint but I can barely tell apart the magic due to their different natures. The magic around the tower feels controlled and less chaotic than the magic in the environment which feels more chaotic whereas my own magic feels much more soothing to me.

And visualizing things to do magic has also been going well. I have also discovered that that visualizing results more clearly while also imagining the steps in between reduces the power and control required for activation and maintenance of the spell itself. Its seem Focus or Intent is used to give direction to a spell and the visualizing of steps or procedures to get the end result provide it a definite path through which magic must go through which reduces the strain on control and avoids waste of magic which reduces the power required to maintain the spell. This discovery warrants the learning of the physical or chemical procedures required to obtain the required result because as of yet according to my discoveries, magic just acts as a intermediate and helps to skip the steps between the initial and end result which means that less the steps which require magic to fulfil them, less the strain on control and power of the caster.

Apart from this I have also been involved in rigorous physical activity which has provided me good health condition and happy parents if nothing else. I have also been pretty much blazing through school curriculum and have already skipped a class ahead much to the pride of my parents who have been bragging non stop about me to their colleagues and the neighbours and I can't say I dislike the praise that I have been getting. But I am getting extremely bored with studying in the primary school with the children because by god, are they annoying.

I still don't have any clue about the magic academy or even real magical people so I have yet to find out information about the hidden magical world that I am sure exists because I believe that the huge magic tower didn't build itself.

5 years into the training

No further breakthroughs have been made in the spells department albeit my control over magic and my magic power have gotten significantly better. I have stagnated in the research regarding spells because I have no basis or knowledge on which I can further my understanding of the concepts of magic. Just imagining the resultant effect without visualizing the intermediate steps results in much strain on the control and magic power which makes this method unfeasible. I have also tried to make the magic flow in specific directions in accordance with the spells that I want to perform, this reduces the strain on control and magic power but only marginally and most of the time the spell falls apart which results in a backlash that causes the magic of my body to be chaotic and disharmonious which usually ends up in me screaming and rolling on the ground in pain. This was only the backlash of a levitating spell, which made me wonder what will happen if someone were to lose control of a more powerful spell. Due to this possibility I have put my studies on spells on a temporary hiatus on requests of both my parents and my own decision because of how dangerous the task seems.

Ah yes, I have told my parents about magic. I mean what's the point of keeping a secret if it may be disclosed in further future and may even result in harm to them. I admit I was very embarrassed when this confession was met by my parents brushing me off thinking that it was a childish role play or something until I teleported from 1 side of room to another(brute forcing the magic by relying only on intent and visualization) in front of them which resulted in two very surprised parents and a long talk about the magic I can do. I thought that they may distance themselves from me or avoid me due to my 'uniqueness' but they were surprisingly supportive of me and even helped me further my endeavours in magic. I had never been more happy in this life and I refuse to admit that I cried while hugging my parents because of I was very relieved by their acceptance.

I have also entered the last year of my middle school education in the academic side. It was the maximum promotion that the school authorities were willing to give me because promoting me to High school would result in separating me from my friends in Middle school and may invite bullying from the Highschool peers. I think magic pairs well with the physical exercises that I have been doing because I look like 10-11 year old kid instead of 9 years old. Although this restriction has resulted in a roadblock to my further education until I become of appropriate age but I still am very ahead of the in the education curve so I shouldn't complain.

I have also yet to find information about any magical people which is disappointing to say the least.

...

August 1,1991

Williams Household

In the living room of the William's Household, a round of applause was heard as Ethan blew off the 11 candles on his birthday cake.

" Happy birthday Ethan, say aah!" His cousin, Jessie said with a mischievous look on her face as she held out her a hand and offered him a piece of cake with his friends also coming to stand next to them.

"Aaah-" He knew they were up to something so he apprehensively opened his mouth only to close it as his cousin mashed the piece of cake on his face.

"Jess-" He called out only to be cut of as his friends also flattened their respective portions on his face. " Oh you have done it now!" He warned as he cut away a piece of cake and chased after his friends and Jessie as they ran away from him.

"Ethan sure is athletic." Michael, his uncle remarked with a laugh as he watched Ethan jump over the sofa to catch Jessie.

" Well what can I say, he takes after his dad-." His father, Jason said haughtily"-...Well in mind if not the body" he added lamely after he saw the incredulous look on Michael's face as he pointed at his beer gut. "Well anyways it's time for the see the gifts " Jason started in a successful attempt to change the topic.

"Yeah let's see what Ethan got for his birthday." The kids also stopped running to voice their approval as they got ready to unpack the gifts.

...

Night

They had just finished cleaning the house after the guests left when his mom called him as she brought over a letter.

"Ethan honey, you have a letter, is it from your friends in the neighbourhood 'cause it doesn't have the sender's address?" .His mom asked.

" I don't know Mom just let me open it up and then we'll see." He opened the letter and was a bit surprised at the cursive but very neat handwriting which was unlikely to belong to any of his friends but nevertheless started to read it out loud for his mother and father.

EURASIAN WIZARDING ALLIANCE

Alliance Leaders: -

European: Albus Dumbeldore

Asian: Takegama Kazeya

Dear Mr. William's,

We are pleased to inform you that you have the talent to be a Wizard and have been selected for the Magic Institute try-outs to select a suitable academy for you to study Wizarding arts on the basis of your Magical Aptitude. If you are interested in participating in the try-outs, please write your reply on the back of the letter and we will get back to you immediately with further instructions. If you find that you are confused by the contents of this letter and have yet to be aware of magic please report to us and we'll send a representative to your location to enlighten you about these matters.

Yours sincerely

James Gordon

(Britain Branch Head,

Department Of Muggleborn Admission,

Eurasian Magical Alliance )

"It arrived! Mom, Dad it arrived! Yes finally, I have waited so long -." My happy squeak was cut off as I finally processed the letter.

'Albus fucking Dumbeldore! I am in Harry potter Universe. But... there wasn't any mention of the huge tower or the Eurasian Alliance in the movies. Is this an alternate Universe or something? Is Hogwarts still a thing? Is the Prophecy still in play?' I had too many questions with no way to answer them so I took a deep breath and calmed my mind as I thought this through and organized my reply.

I quickly took a pen from the table and wrote my reply at the back of the letter

Sir,

I am familiar with magic and I am extremely thankful to you for providing me the opportunity to take the entrance test to enter a Magical Institute. Please provide me with the details on location, date and timings of the test and enlighten me about the Magical World as I have no knowledge of it.

Yours sincerely

Ethan William's

I put the pen back and anxiously waited for the reply as I tried to calm my self. This is was it. This was my opportunity to do real orthodox magic and continue my research.

I was broken out my thoughts by a swishing sound produced by letter as words started to engrave on it's back.

Dear ,

I have to say you are in luck as a Professor of the most prestigious school in the Wizarding World is currently in visiting our branch for some business and has agreed to visit your home and introduce you to the International Wizarding Community and will personally bring you to the testing centre to decide your Aptitude and which Institute you would be admitted into. She will be the there by 9:30 pm today as your home is quite close to our Branch.

Yours sincerely

James Gordon

(Britain Branch Head)

"9:30? That's just 5 mins from now. Quick Jason, check the sofa covers and set the table, I'll prepare some snacks and Ethan you just sit there, calm yourself and think this through." My mom told my dad and I as she moved towards the kitchen and my dad set towards the couch.

'Harry Potter Universe..., this changes things so much. I have to get information from the Professor about the present Magical World and if Hogwarts exists or not? But how will they take the Aptitude test, will they test Magical power or Magic control. This was surely not a practice in Harry Potter Unive ...-' I was broken out my thoughts by sound of the doorbell.

"I'll check the door" I shouted as I ran down the hall towards the door, my heart beating furiously.

"Hello young man, you must be Ethan Williams. I am Minerva McGonagall, the Professor of Transfiguration at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the most prestigious school in all of the CITADEL and I am here to provide assistance to you and your parents on your first exposure to the Wizarding world. Now if you allow me to come in, I would explain what would be required of you." The Witch who dressed in black leggings and sweater addressed me.

"Ah yes, do come in Professor" 'My god its McGonagall, does Hogwarts exist in this timeline after all? And what happened to her clothing from the movies?' were my thoughts as I invited her in to the living room where she sat for a few seconds in silence trying to select the best words to start the conversation.

"Mr. Williams, let's start with the location of the Wizarding world. We are currently located on a small continent in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean named the CITADEL.

We moved to the CITADEL approximately 1200 years ago after which a world wide Statue Of Secrecy was implemented for reasons you will learn in the Institute to which you are selected. Now then, since we have moved our Wizarding Headquarters to the Citadel, to allow the wizards and witches of mundane origins or muggleborns to study the wonders of magic we have built branches of our main organization in the Muggle world which are installed with the Magic Detection Towers which you see on the horizon. These towers allow us to send magical waves and identify the wizards from the mundane people on the basis of reflection of magical waves as a wizard's own magic resists the outside magic and reflects the magic back which is then sensed by the tower and the Wizards present there which allows us to pinpoint your location, think of it like a Magical Radar to detect wizards. Then we begin collecting information on you so as to give you your Magi initiation on your 11th birthday as the Wizards usually reach 1st magical maturity by this age. and before you ask, this maturity signifies the complete acclimatization of your body to magic and Wizards who are born on the Citadel which has a very high concentration of magic, have the advantage of getting larger magic capacity since birth but this only does not determine their worth as control over one's magic is just as if not more important than the amount of magic they can use.

Now then lets talk about the Magical Aptitude test you are to give. It is divided into two portions- Power or Magic Capacity and Willpower Or Magic Control. You are not required to perform any magic spells for the test because of two reasons. First is that you cannot perform structured spells without reaching Magical Maturity as it may result in varying consequences from disrupting your own magic for a few minutes to even destroy your Natural Magical Conductance. I see you don't understand many of the given terms but I assure you, you will learn them in your respective Magic Institute.

This is the basic information of the Wizarding World and you will learn much more as you read books and experience it for yourself. Since it is very late at night, I shall excuse myself and give you all time to think about this information and get yourself mentally prepared for the Aptitude Test Mr. Williams." She said as we stood up and me and my parents walked her to the door. " Mrs. and Mr. Williams I bid you goodbye and I must say given your magical conductance that I can sense I have high hopes for you Ethan." With that she took her leave by tele..-no apparating without even opening the door.

After her display of casual magic, we walked back to the living room and sat back on the couch for a few minutes in silence.

"Ethan honey, I know we are not much help in this matter but give it your all tomorrow. Sleep well tonight, tomorrow is your big day son I know you will do great son" My encouraged me as she pulled me into a hug.

"Thanks mom, I will try my best." I said as I smiled to her and dad and went to my bedroom.'

Phew..., it was really hectic today. I have already made good progress regarding my Magic Control and my Power has increased by leaps and bounds since I started training. My body has also grown much stronger and fit with the added nourishment of magic and physical exercise as compared to other children my age. It's too bad that I don't have the control necessary for body regulation, as I can probably skip the some metabolic processes and eliminate wastes both consciously a subconsciously which will result in a more efficient metabolic system and may help in body strengthening. Anyways I have a physical body far ahead of others my age, good control over magic and significantly increased magic power which should allow me to level the playing ground with the wizards of the Citadel a bit who have the natural advantage of being born in a magic rich environment.

Next day, after getting the results

'I was really underestimating myself huh' I thought as I looked to the wide eyed Professor McGonagall and hopeful eyes of my parents who asked Professor McGonagall about my results.

We had just arrived at the Britain Branch of the Muggleborn Admission Department after a 2 hour drive from London, after we met with Professor McGonagall who was waiting in the lobby. She had then taken me to the testing area which was pretty empty because there were not many Muggleborn Wizards every year and even if they were, they may have also taken the exam before me as Professor McGonagall told me. We even got the results immediately after he test which was pretty quick.

"High Magical power by the Citadel standards and tremendous control over his magic for someone his age and a Muggleborn at that. Mr. and Mrs. Williams, if your child is even half as good in mind as compared to magic, I assure you he will be a powerful wizard if nothing unfortunate happens. And Ethan, I know you will proud after hearing your results but don't let that pride get to your head as your true potential will not be achieved without the necessary hard work. So I trust you will not grow complacent and let the pride get to you Head?" she sternly asked. After getting a quick 'Yes ma'am' as a reply, she seemed satisfied.

" Since you have achieved such exceptional result, I think it is time to tell you about the various Magical Institutions of the Eurasian Alliance. There are 11 total registered institutions under the European division of the Eurasian Alliance among which there are 3 most prominent Schools - Hogwarts, 'Yes its there' Beauxbatons and Durmstrang whereas the Asian division has 9 registered schools with the most prominent being Mahoutokoro School Of Magic which celebrates prestigious alumni like Takegama Kazeya who is said to be on par with Dumbeldore in Magical Prowess. As you come from Britain you have 3 schools to choose including Hogwarts which is the most favourable choice for you given your talent and I would personally recommend Hogwarts to you because I would very much like to teach a talented student such as you. So what will it be Mr. Williams ?"

"Before deciding that, can I first ask about the studying fee at Hogwarts Professor, as you can infer that my parents and I don't have much knowledge of Magical Currency."

"A mature way for one so young to handle this situation." She smiled "I assure you, you will have to pay no monetary fees for attending Hogwarts and to buy the required materials as stated in the in Muggle Protection Act which considers Muggleborns as Magical Orphans to whom the Ministry has to provide an annual stipend of 1000 galleons and a Ministry funded education at their respective schools. This amount is more than enough to buy your school supplies for a year Mr. Williams and you'll be living for most of the year at Hogwarts except for the Holidays during which you may decide to leave or stay at Hogwarts. Thus the living expenses are also included in the Education Fees which is funded by the Ministry. And if you run short on money you the exchange rate of pound to galleon is 5:1. So have you decided?" She helpfully supplied.

"I see no reason why he shouldn't attend Hogwarts Professor." My father said.

"Well said Mr. Williams. Now then, since we are done with the Aptitude test we shall shop for the school supplies today itself after setting up your setting your Identification Papers, a Gringotts Account and his Hogwarts Admission Certificate which may take up no more than an hour, if you do not have any previous arrangements for the day." After getting a quick shake of head from me she continued "I am also reluctant to announce that your parents will not be able to accompany us on the trip due to their non-magical heritage. I promise you Mr and Mrs. William's that Ethan will be back in almost 5 hours and I will personally see him to your doorstep."

"We understand Professor. Ethan you better be on your best behaviour and I don't want to hear any complaints, you hear me ?" My parents compiled.

"Yes mom" I cheekily replied.

"Don't trouble the Professor, bud and do tell me about beautiful witches you see on your trip." My father said with a wink as he ruffled my hair.

" I can hear you Jason, just wait till we get home" My mom replied in glared at him as she warned him.

"Bye mom, Bye dad. See you in 5 hours. Let's go Professor."

"Off we go then Mr. William's. Now, if you will follow me to the Floo." She smiled as we headed towards the Floo after I waved another goodbye to my parents.

" Just stand still and repeat after me 'CLOCK TOWER' "

"CLOCK TOWER" Was what I last said as I was immediately pulled into some sort of tube network but with a specific direction which I inferred were the coordinates of clock tower.

With a whoosh, I arrived in a similar Floo place but with vastly different environment. To say I was surprised was a bit of an understatement.

'Such concentrations of magic, it's no wonder that the wizards of the Citadel have a larger magic capacity. I can almost see the magic here.'

"I see you have good Senseto be able to feel the difference in magic Mr. Williams ." She said in an amused tone.

"Professor if I didn't perceive it I may as well be magic blind."

"Well now that the surprises are over let's make haste to the Shopping Complex." She said as we walked out of the crowded public lobby of the Clock Tower onto the bustling streets.

' Okay, so now there are magically powered cars, a multitude of shops, very clean and well built roads with proper sidewalks, a whole crowd of Wizards with proper fitting and practical clothes with no sign of the impractical Wizard Robes, a properly planned city, Magic Police, and from what I can see a whole city of Sane normal wizards and no sign of canon Harry Potter Universe anywhere ...Sigh, why am I even surprised anymore?' Were my thoughts as i watched a lady call over a Magic Vehicle which looked like a taxi.

" You are taking this surprisingly well Mr. Williams"

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence Professor" I replied sarcastically.

"Now... don't take this tone with me young man, I was just being nice. Come on then, since you are so energetic as to argue with me, let's get you your wand, school uniform, daily clothes, school books, personal trunk and other school supplies and a pet if you want. After getting the legal procedures done of course."

"Then let's get started Professor, we have much work to do and much less time." I encouraged myself.

"As you say, Mr. Williams, as you say" Professor McGonagall said as she walked ahead.

...

It was 4 hours later that we arrived back at the entrance of the Clock Tower.

"It sure was eye opening experience Professor" I said to her as I increased and decreased the size of my Personal Trunk which housed all my supplies, wand and legal documents and their copies while simultaneously fiddling with my new Magical Calling device. It was really just like a phone with video call function which was really convenient because communicating through letters took too much time even if they were delivered by Magical Owls.

This trip broadened my horizons and absolutely shattered my misconceptions about the Wizarding world which greatly differed to what was shown in Cannon. It was just like the modern world except more Medieval styled but more organized, neat and well ahead in the living conditions department. I guess this what you get if you give humans magic.

"Indeed . Let's get you back home. Now repeat after me 'BRITAIN M.A'"

"BRITAIN M.A" I repeated as I again felt myself in a network of tube and then whooshed on the other side with Professor McGonagall right behind me.

"Mr. Williams. " She offered her hand and I felt the familiar sensation of apparating. It was easy to get accustomed to because I had done this many many times as practice.

We arrived at the doorstep of our home as I rang the bell.

"Have you tried Apparating before Mr. Williams.?"

"Yep, can't count how many times I have used it. It is a very convenient magic, requires moderate power and control even after brute forcing the intent without using the structured spell model."

"Apart from your casual mention of doing underage magic Mr. Williams, your observations and interpretations about it are surprisingly accurate. And it makes sense why you didn't start to puke immediately after. I keep getting more and more intrigued on how far you will go Mr. Williams."

"What can I say Professor, I am just that good." I smirked dramatically.

"Coming" came the shout of my mom as she opened the door. "Oh its Professor McGonagall and Ethan, come in Professor, I will prepare some tea"

"I would have to politely decline Mrs. Williams as I have some tasks which require my attention. So I to bid goodbye to you and Ethan. I have given him all of his legal documents and his Hogwarts acceptance letter. The term starts on 1 September so you are expected to be present in the Britain Branch on 1 September by 10 am sharp.

And Mr. Williams use your free time well, I am expecting great things from you."

"Okay Professor and thanks for the lift." I bid goodbye to her.

"So what did you do today Ethan?" My Dad asked as I quickly ran to the couch as my Mum closed the door.

I filled them in on my day's experiences and the Wizarding World and then switched to other topics such as my studies, legal matters etc. which continued on till midnight after which I went to sleep.

...

I made full use of my summer break and brainstormed the entire books archive that I had bought while in CITADEL which mainly included topics like general knowledge, wizarding traditions, power distribution and history of the Wizarding world some Magic books aside from the books specified in the Hogwarts Curriculum.

I had saved some money for emergencies rather than spending all of the money on the books because I was betting on the Hogwarts Library and the Room of Requirement to fulfil my academic needs.

It was during these moments that being reborn with full memories and a baby brain showed its advantages. My learning, logical reasoning and deduction capabilities were off the charts with a very adaptable brain to boot which reduced memory bleed and made my actions more instinctive and efficient. This coupled with my physically fit body gave me ungodly hand-eye coordination.

I had finished learning the Wizarding Traditions and the general knowledge and history of Wizarding World 15 days before the start of the Hogwarts term.

Turns out that this was world diverged from Canon about 1200 years ago. At that time the Wizarding Communities were divided into the Africans, Americans (Note: Yes the American wizards rebelled more than 1300 years ago), Europeans and Asians who were allied. It was during this time that the Africans discovered the Citadel and its resources which they wanted to keep for themselves but were in turn discovered by others which resulted in a mad race between the communities for the control of the Citadel. It was after 150 years that the founders of Hogwarts were born which signified the rise of the golden age of the European Wizards. Together The 4 - Salazar Slytherin, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff and Godric Gryffindor stood at the top of magic society of that time and founded the most prestigious School of Magic-Hogwarts which holds the title even today. It was after their era that the powerful balance began to restore between the communities which had been tilted to the side of the Europeans. It was during this time that the Americans gave rise to the powerful wizard James McAvoy who was known to be as powerful as any of the founders or probably more so. The restored balance was again broken as the Americans pushed their boundaries as they began to advance under his lead. But then the Great Disaster happened. At the time of expansion famously known as the American Push, the Wizards had occupied more than half of the Citadel and were moving towards with centre where the Magical concentration was the highest. It was then that James McAvoy provoked the Sentient Ancient Creature which resulted in a quick battle and his immediate death to the shock of Americans and a huge beast tide containing countless powerful Magical Creatures which stampeded through human civilization and continuously pushed the human society to the outskirts. This destruction resulted in massive loss of knowledge because many powerful people died in the Beast Tide without passing on their inheritance resulting in their knowledge following them to their graves. Hogwarts only survived because of the its location on the then inland of the Eurasian Civilization which is now the border between the Unoccupied Territory and the Eurasian Alliance. Thus the humanity has been reduced to this state where they occupy less than half of their original land and are slowly recovering. Thus this event was termed as the Great Disaster of Humanity.

'These facts really don't support the HP Cannon but some parts of the Cannon are valid here like Harry Potter vanquishing Lord Voldemort. He is in my year by the way. So at least something is similar. But I have to take Voldemort and Dumbeldore seriously because in this world they are actual old and experienced veterans and not controlled by the plot, who won't fail time by time to kill a 'one spell wizard' because he managed to stop an Avada Kedavra with a simple Expelliarmus. For God's, it is called an Unforgivable Curse for something.

I also have to check the Room of Requirements as it will be a major help in training and reference material and may also contain some material on Parseltongue which will help in my smooth entry to Chamber of Secrets and the Basilisk.

But these are all matters of when I am in Hogwarts. For now, I should focus on the magic studies which will help in Hogwarts.'

...

August 31,1991

Courtyard

Ethan's Home

' It seems that the wand movements we use in our spells is just a way to better control your magic in required patterns to reduce the strain on our Magic control and to reduce wastage of power which reduces Magic Cost of the spells. A skilled wizard is able to conduct these patterns inside the wand itself with minimum wand movement and very minute loss of magic as the magic stays in the wand and the patterns occupy small area which also reduces the Power and the Intent provided to the spell but increases the requirement on minute control. A Compatible Wand or Magic Foci is also required because it conducts magic at least a 100 times better than our body which makes it very helpful to perform the magic.

I still haven't made any further progress regarding incantations but I do know that it eases the strain on Intent while casting the spells which is really easy to understand but hard to reproduce through other means.

I can't perform any spells above 3rd year in the normal world which are classified as Intensive Magics whose undulations may be sensed by the tower and get me in trouble with the Ministry. But it doesn't apply to me yet because I don't even know any 2nd year spells let alone some 3rd year spells.

I have mostly practiced all my 1st year spells now with incantations and somewhat reduced Wand Movements. I can perform them Silently without Wand Movements but it currently puts too much stress on my Intent and Control to use it practically and it practically drains all my magic if I try to do them wandlessly. So this matter requires much more practice. I have done all I can to prepare for Hogwarts so I can only wait for tomorrow.

...

September 1,1991

"Ethan are you ready, we don't want to be late."

"Coming dad." I shouted the reply as I ran downstairs in my Hogwarts Uniform which was pretty similar to normal school uniform with a white full sleeve shirt with Hogwarts Insignia and black trousers. As the weather was perpetually cold around Hogwarts, a blazer or sweater were also included with Hogwarts strips which I suspect may change into the colour of our house emblems after we are sorted and the same for girls except that they had skirts instead of trousers. All of it was enchanted of course with Self Cleaning and Formfitting charms which only required one to use his own magic to activate them.

As we drove to the Muggleborn Admission Centre, I was constantly fussed over by mom who was checking all my belongings and stuff I had to bring to Hogwarts for the nth time this morning.

Rest of the drive passed by relatively quickly with the fussing of my mother and inappropriate flirting advice by my father who was immediately reprimanded by my mother. It was nice... Having such supportive parents unlike my previous life where I was an orphan, juggling between foster homes.

We reached the Branch at 9:45 where in the lobby where we saw another family sitting in the waiting area quietly chatting. It was really empty except for the family and a receptionist which was to be expected given that there were only 3 wizards here at any given time including the receptionist who were changed on regular basis. Professor McGonagall told me no one liked their job posting here as it was a magic deficient environment and made it uncomfortable for those of The Citadel who were used to high magic concentration to live here which was why there were so less wizard's here.

After checking with the receptionist on what do next we headed towards the family we saw in the waiting area.

"Hello, is your daughter headed for Hogwarts too?"...

My parents greeted as they started the conversation with the girl's parents telling us to talk to each other. Seeing it had become quite awkward between the two of us just standing there in silence, I initiated the conversation.

"Hi, I am Ethan, self proclaimed future best wizard of the world" I greeted cheerfully as I offered her a handshake " And you are...?"

"Hermione" She meekly replied as she returned the handshake." And you are sure are confident Mr. Future Best Wizard." She muttered under her breath softly.

'We meet one of the Golden Trio before even going to Hogwarts. What good luck' I sighed internally. 'Well no point mulling over this, this world is different than Cannon so for all I know the Golden Trio may not even form here. And she's a smart and talented witch so she could also help me further my understanding in magic which may help her too.'

"Why yes, I am." I replied cheekily." So, have you tried any magic written in the books?"

"Of course I have, I can even do some of the starting spells." She bragged. " So can you?"

"Yep same as you. I can also do 'some' spells."

"Really?" She asked in doubt." Then show me." She challenged.

Our peaceful conversation thus lead to competition of spells which I won by a large margin much to the frustration of the witch pulling her hair in front of me."

"Arghhh, how can you cast so many spells and not even look a little bit winded and even perform some of the advanced first year spells in the book."

"What can I say, I am just that awesome" I said as I flicked my hair.

"Ethan! Behave." My Mom said in a warning tone.

"Ha-ha, your son is good Mr. Williams. I haven't seen the day where my daughter was forced to admit defeat. Son, well done, that will peg her attitude down a bit or two." Mr. Granger guffawed as he patted me on the back.

"Dad!" Hermoine shouted in betrayal.

"Seeing as how you two have become acquainted with each other, I would like to tell you that the time to depart for Hogwarts has arrived." A familiar voice said from behind as we turned to see Professor McGonagall standing there.

"Ah Professor McGonagall, we were just about to say our goodbyes."

"Now Ethan, I know you are smart, scarily so and mature beyond your years even if you don't act like it. So I trust you will handle yourself well in the Magical World. Take care of Hermione too and stick with her as you two will probably be out of your depth at Hogwarts. So help each other as she also seems new to all the magic stuff unlike you who seemed to be able to do magic from a young age." Mom told me.

"Come on now and give your Mommy a kiss." Mom said as she pulled me into a hug.

After a quick peck on her cheek I turned to Dad

"Your old man hasn't got much left to teach you bud. You always were a fast learner. So Ethan, whatever you do just give it your best" He said in a serious tone " and especially if it involves beautiful ladies." He then winked mischievously only to have his ear pulled by my mom.

'Sigh... I shall witness you sacrifice Dad and I promise to fulfil your wishes.' I cheered for my Dad internally.

"Ethan, you better not do anything your Father would do otherwise you just wait and see." She warned dangerously as she glared at my Father

"Bye Mom, Bye Dad. Love you. I'll come home for Christmas."

"Love you too, son. Sigh...they grow up so fast." Was what I heard in reply as I went to Professor McGonagall's side with Hermoine.

"Since the goodbyes are over, let us be on our way to Hogwarts."She nodded to our parents and then lead us to the Floo.

" Ms. Granger repeat after me 'DRUMSTICK SQUASHIES' " She told Hermoine as she helped her inside the Floo." 'DRUMSTICK SQUASHIES ?' " Hermione had a questioning look on her face as she vanished with a whoosh of fire.

'So Dumbeldore still has a thing for candies in this Universe huh. I guess some things don't change after all.'

"Mr. Williams." She gestured toward the Floo in a tone that stated no further questions should be asked. I guess I understand her embarrassment. I mean, anyone will embarrassed if they have to tell others that the Floo Code ĺĺto the most prestigious school in the world is a common British Candy.

I repeated the Floo Code as I felt myself appear in the tube like network but with a different anchor point which was much farther than the anchor point of Clock Tower and then reappear in a waiting room? with Hermoine on the side. It was then that I felt it.

'My god, what did they do to get such enormous magic concentration, its at least 5 times larger than the Citadel."

"Ethan, you feel it too right?" Hermoine asked in disbelief.

"Of course I can Hermione, how can I not, just look at this magic concentration."

'This really is the best and the safest place to learn magic. The students can quickly recover the magic spent and will feel it easy to convey their intent due to such large conductance area of magic here. And imagine the defences that can be powered by this amount of magic. The Founders really were a resourceful bunch to have built such a Castle from scratch.'

"Come along Mr. Williams, Mrs. Granger. We have to get you two with the other 1st years."

She said as she lead us along the various corridors of the Hogwarts castle to the an area in front of the a giant door where a group of about 70- 80 students were gathered. We blended in the group as the Professor announced.

"Silence. The Sorting Ceremony is about to begin. You all shall follow me into the great hall where you all will form a queue and wait for me call your name to be sorted. Any questions?" She asked sternly and got silence in return.

"Very well then, now follow me." She told us as she lead our way into the Great Hall where we were being eyed up by the whole school.

" The ceiling really is the enchanted to show outside sky... It was stated in Hogwarts The History page 33 2nd paragraph." Hermione 'kindly' informed me in an attempt to one up me to get revenge for her previous defeat.

"I know." I chirped." You really are a bookworm. Its 2nd paragraph 3rd line btw."

"Hey" Hermione called out, a bit offended

"Hey I am one too, no hard feeling alright. Just meant it as a compliment."

"Really-" Her question was interrupted as Professor McGonagall announced the sorting procedure.

"Now when I call your name you shall come forth, place the Sorting Hat on your head and you will be placed into your house."

"Abbot Hannah" Professor McGonagall announced as the addressed girl stepped forward and put the hat on her head. The Hat was really just like any other hat, well maintained but pointed and had some features resembling a human face on its front.

"HUFFLEPUFF" The hat announced after a minute as a round of applause thundered out from the Huffelpuf Table.

"What do you think your house is going to be Ethan?" Hermione whispered to me.

"Hmm, I think it will be Ravenclaw."

"I think mine will be Ravenclaw too. It suits my personality. I also thought I'd go to Gryffindor but the house really doesn't match my personality."

"Oh but I think it does."

"Well have to wait and see then, don't we?" Hermione smirked.

"Yes, we shall." I returned her smirk.

"Ethan Williams." Professor McGonagall announced with a look at me.

I stepped forward and place the Sorting Hat on my head and asked the questions which the hat may no the answer to.

{What do we have here? You have some questions for me Mr. Williams?}

' Do you really read the minds of the students being sorted.?'

{'No, I do not. I can only read thoughts directed at me. Otherwise it will require an ungodly amount of time to sort out each student if I were to do a full analysis of their memories. Not to mention, the amount of magic and enchantments required to be put on me for the task and the change in my installed sentience which will not be possible without destroying me and building me from scratch. The tools which are required for this task are far and few in this era and are mighty expensive and all that will only be required if you find an enchanter whose proficiency surpasses those of the Founders' combined.'} Came the reply from the Hat.

'Whoa, didn't expect you to be so forthcoming in your answers.'

{'I was merely enchanted to do so. But you are the second to ask me this question. The first was approximately 600 years ago.'}

'Second?' I asked doubtfully. Hogwarts had a history of about 1000 years and the students here were cream of the crop. So there really didn't make much sense why no other student will be curious about it.

'{You underestimate yourself. I can only talk with the students of Hogwarts and even then only once. Be it Dumbeldore or any other Wizard whose enchantment prowess doesn't surpass that of the Founders, they will be unable to converse with me. Seeing as they only get one chance and it is their 'big day' of getting sorted they don't pay attention to these details. If I talk with them inside their mind in order to stimulate them to subconsciously show me their memories to choose a suitable house for them, they merely accept as me reading their minds to give them an appropriate house. This acceptance subconsciously results in them thinking of their own personalities and qualities which I then analyse and compare with the ideals of the 4 houses and then select an appropriate house for them. Even the most prodigious Wizard will be too nervous or confident of his choice of future house to think more about it at the moment of Sorting. After which even if they realise their own actions and the may lament about the missed chance, but they will be unable to talk to me.'}

'So that's what it means by -The Sorting Hat only suggests it, but the person himself chooses the his house.'

{You have 1 more question left after which I will begin sorting you.}

'What? Is there a restriction on the number of questions asked or a time limit.'

'{The latter.}'

'Okay I think I understand why. So have got any information on the Room of Requirement or the Chamber of Secrets?.'

{Classified information. Checking for required authorization. Authorization failed. ACCESS DENIED...}

'Well it was worth a try.'

{Now that you know my inner workings, tell me which house you yourself would fit in.}

'Ravenclaw.'

{As you wish, you shall be sorted in-} "RAVENCLAW!" The Hat shouted which was followed by applause from the Ravenclaw table as my sweater stripes changed from black to blue.

I quickly went and seated myselfnear 2 other Ravenclaw students -Amanda and Anthony Goldstein I believe, and began to chat up with them as we waited for the Sorting of other students.

"Harry Potter" announced Professor McGonagall as the Great Hall was filled with murmurs and whispers under which a boy walked out of the crowd.

'He doesn't really look scrawny and he hasn't got any glasses which is not surprising since these are wizards we are talking about. Why would they not have eye correctional procedures if even the muggles have them. But did he still live in the Muggle world with his relatives?'

"GRYFFINDOR" The hat announced after not even 10 seconds. 'He really embodies the Gryffindor qualities to point that the hat didn't even have to analyse it much.'

There was a thunderous applause from the Gryffindor table as they cheered about getting The Potter, The Boy Who Lived.

"Silence."

"Hermione Granger" called Professor McGonagall as my attention shifted to her.

"RAVENCLAW." The Hat shouted after a minute of silence as Hermione walked over to the Ravenclaw table with a smug look on her face.

"So you were saying..."She taunted

"Oka okay, I admit defeat alright. Please forgive me for doubting you." I bowed to her comically.

"Okay, apology accepted." She giggled.

We started to chat as the Sorting ceremony continued as the students were sorted one by one. Ron Weasley also got sorted into Gryffindor and moved to the Gryffindor table and sat next to Harry.

'So the Golden Trio becomes Golden Duo. I had always wondered why would Hermoine, who was a massive bookworm go to Gryffindor instead or Ravenclaw.'

"Students, now that the Sorting Ceremony is over, the headmaster would like to say a few words." Professor McGonagall told us as Dumbeldore stood up.

He was dressed quite differently from the movies. He was in a grey suit with groomed beard and well trimmed hair which gave him an old but sophisticated vibe. He really had the appearance of the Headmaster of the Most Prestigious School in the World down.

"The very best of mornings to all of you... Now...To our new students, welcome and to old students, welcome back! A new year of Magical education awaits you...

Ahem- just a few more words now. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you all.

First years should note that the Magical Beast Forest is forbidden to all pupils except those who have permission from their Head Of Houses.

I have also been asked by Mr. Norwood, the Head of our Maintenance Staff to remind you that no magic is to be used between the classes in the corridors.

And finally, Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch."

"Now that the introductions are over." He clapped jovially. " The teachers will now introduce themselves to the students and then the Prefects will give the new students of their respective houses a tour of the whole school and their class schedules for the classes starting tomorrow."

As the teachers began to introduce themselves I secretly glanced at Quirrel. He had introduced himself and his subject without a stutter. He, as he introduced himself, was also one of the leading Curse Breakers in the Eurasian Alliance. I guess Dumbeldore wouldn't allow a random nobody to teach at Hogwarts. The question was if he was possessed by Voldemort or not, but it was not like I could just ask him. I can imagine how that may go.

'Hey Professor, no offense, but are possessed by Voldemort?'

I would be lucky if he just didn't Avada Kedavra me in the face.

After the Staff Introductions, the Prefects gave us a school tour which took our whole day till evening if we also included the Lunch Break And the Dinner in the Great Hall. Hogwarts was really too big for about 540-560 students to use. I guess it was built for when the Wizarding Population was at it's high as compared to now where we were still recovering from the deaths of countless wizards during The Great Disaster which had reduced the population of Wizards by more than half.

After the school tour we were ushered to the Ravenclaw Tower Common Room, which was just like a cosy, well furnished apartment, just a really big one which could house over 100 students comfortably with good lighting and squishy couches, and given the Class Schedule for the next week and were assigned our dorm rooms. The rooms were also quite big and well furnished with a large bookshelf, wide study table, a single bed with a cupboard, a large window and a single common marble bathroom with many separate bathtubs and showers for the whole Male Dormitory.

"You will each get a room for yourselves. It has the most basic Temperature Control Charms and Self Cleaning Charms. If you want some more charms, you can apply them yourself provided that it doesn't do irreversible changes to the rooms. The boys are not allowed in the girl's dormitory and vice versa. And finally, the curfew is from 9:00 pm so be remember to be back in your dorms by then, otherwise you'll get a detention." The 5th year Prefect, Penelope Clearwater finished briefing us on the basic things as she headed back to her room.

After agreeing to go to the classes together, Hermione and I went to our respective rooms to unpack and rest.

I quickly unpacked all my things from my Personal Trunk and properly organized them in my room and then changed into something more comfortable and lay on bed thinking about what to do next.

'Its time to get serious. It won't all be fun and games in the real world for us who are Muggles without a powerful backing. The only way to be successful is to be powerful and if I want to fulfil my dream the only way is to be powerful enough on my own to act as a deterrent and have powerful allies. The weak don't get to choose.

My training will depend on the teaching of the Professors, the Hogwarts Library and most of all, the Room of Requirements. Since Hermione is in the same situation, I will also take her to the RoR, under an oath of course. She may as well be a powerful ally one day, seeing as we've got similar enemies and she is intelligent and magically capable to grow into a Magical Powerhouse in the future with my aid. And hopefully, I can also obtain some information about Parseltongue from the RoR, which will help me in opening the Chamber of Secrets. I mean you want me to believe that one of most powerful people in history, would be so single minded as to be hell bent on destroying muggles and only leave a Basilisk behind, which was defeated by Dumbledore's familiar, and a 12 year old boy. There has to be something else in there, it's called Chamber of Secrets for God's sake. That's all I can think of right now except for rituals. But before using the Hogwarts's Standard Set I want to look into the RoR first.

That is all for tomorrow but for now... let me appreciate the softness of this bed.' Was my last thought as I sank further into the bed and into sleep.

Chapter notes

Constructive criticism is always welcome.

Please tell me if there are any grammatical or vocabulary errors as English is not my first language.

And if your are willing to Proofread any story and provide suggestions please PM me.

EDIT: 22/03/2020

Removed the part of House Meeting.