NABC Chapter 4 Pre-school self-study
Chapter 4 Pre-school self-study
The Leaky Cauldron's rooms were terrible, but Harry slept better than he had at the Dursleys'. Having experienced the exam-oriented education system in China, Mo Ran understood the importance of balancing work and rest. Even though he had high expectations for Harry, he wouldn't do anything to spoil the evening.
Overall, Mr. Potter's performance in Diagon Alley was outstanding. His composure and meticulous thinking are qualities that make Harry worthy of the title of Savior. As for his comment to Hagrid about wanting to buy clothes and new gadgets, Moran had no worries whatsoever. Based on their years of symbiotic relationship, he knew it was just Harry trying to gain Hagrid's sympathy and increase his chances of getting the key.
……
The next morning, Harry arrived at Madam Malkin's shop early. After purchasing an extra all-black robe that could completely cover his face, he went straight to Gringotts to collect his money.
"Didn't you withdraw money yesterday, sir?"
"Yes."
"Do you want to buy something expensive?"
"Yes, Nimbus 2000."
"That's quite an expense, sir. But I heard that first-year students at Hogwarts aren't allowed to bring flying brooms?"
"Huh? Ah... I wanted to practice on my own."
Two days of guiding Harry had made Gripping a bit more "talkative," but he never imagined that a goblin as clever as himself would be fooled by an eleven-year-old wizard. The two large bags of gold coins that were meant for Quidditch equipment were all spent by Harry at Flourish and Blotts. Besides Hogwarts textbooks for the older years, he also bought a considerable number of study guides for the OWLs and NEWTs wizarding exams.
The bookstore owner was overjoyed by such a large purchase!
Although his business was always booming in the month or two before Hogwarts started, he might not encounter a customer buying hundreds of books at once even once in several years. Quill pens, color-changing ink, bookmarks with beautiful illustrations… he gave away every freebie he could, except for suitcases enchanted with the Unsealable Stretch Charm. (The Unsealable Stretch Charm is an advanced spell; theoretically, it can allow a hundred wizards to squeeze into a single enchanted toilet stall. It is therefore strictly controlled by the Ministry of Magic: the Unsealable Stretch Charm cannot be used for private purposes; it can only be used for the production of specific items approved by the Ministry, such as family tents and school suitcases.)
This shopping trip, which wasn't for entertainment, didn't put Harry under any pressure; on the contrary, he felt a little excited. This delighted Mo Ran, who was secretly watching the live stream.
"A Harry who is passionate about learning and loves reading? I really want to see Miss Granger's expression when she meets her rival a month from now."
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"
……
Back at the Leaky Cauldron, Harry immediately prepaid a month's rent to the owner. Tom had originally planned to offer the boy, who had miraculously survived, a few days' accommodation free of charge, but upon learning that the boy would be staying at the pub for a month, he changed his offer to a 20% discount plus free meals.
On the first day, Harry skimmed through his first-year textbooks. Similar to the movies, his interest was mostly focused on Defense Against the Dark Arts and Flying lessons. Mo Ran understood. Frankly, when he read through Harry's eyes into the history textbook, he genuinely hoped his host would fall asleep immediately. Also worth mentioning is that this was the first time Mo Ran had learned that Harry had found the name "Hedwig" in *The History of Magic*.
The next day, after accepting the advice Mo Ran had given him in his dream, Harry began to focus on self-studying Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, and Transfiguration. He agreed with his "subconscious" thought: the duel with Voldemort was far more important than OWLs or NEWTs exams; if he couldn't defeat the Dark Lord, even the best grades were meaningless. Mo Ran wasn't surprised by Harry's awareness, but speaking of talent… our Mr. Potter could actually study Potions with the same efficiency he used for studying Defense Against the Dark Arts. Was this still the Harry who was verbally bullied by Snape in class? Wasn't he a complete Potions idiot…?
But upon closer reflection, Harry's mother, Lily, was a potions prodigy, and his grades improved dramatically after obtaining the "Advanced Potions Making" manual bearing the Half-Blood Prince's name. This might suggest that he possessed exceptional aptitude, which was simply overshadowed by his dislike of Snape...
On the third day, Harry successfully cast his first spell using his wand—Expelliarmus. As one of the most frequently used spells in duels, and also the most symbolic in the original story, Harry found it almost effortless. The red light struck the wall, creating a small crater about seven or eight centimeters deep; such magical power was clearly not something an eleven-year-old should possess. Mo Ran was somewhat unsure whether the Obscurus's presence had amplified Harry's abilities, or if this was truly Harry's level of skill being demonstrated.
On the fourth day, Mo Ran was getting a little bored. Harry had been cooped up in the guest room for far too long! Aside from eating, drinking, and using the restroom, he had hardly had a moment to rest. The priority of "how to get this kid out of the house and into Diagon Alley" had replaced "how to improve his study efficiency" as Mo Ran's most pressing concern.
On the fifth day, when Hedwig was already starting to get restless, Harry finally realized that continuing to study like this was mentally exhausting. But rather than giving himself a break, he preferred a more efficient method—actively relinquishing control of his body and taking turns studying with his other self. Mo Ran was stunned. He never imagined that he, a Chinese person who had experienced the college entrance exam, would be outdone by an eleven-year-old British boy. It was an utter disgrace…
On the sixth day, Harry's consciousness began to drift away. Mo Ran, who had originally planned to stroll around Diagon Alley, changed his attitude. A strange competitive spirit made him unleash the same study fervor he had in his past life. "So what if you're studying hard? Are you afraid of a little brat like you? Don't you know what 'hanging your head from the rafters and pricking your thigh with an awl' means? If I don't study you until you're number one in the grade, I'm not Mo Ran!"
On the seventh day, having tasted the benefits of learning through division of labor, Harry's enthusiasm grew even stronger. After successfully turning a spider in a corner into a paperclip, he decided to end his theoretical study of Potions. He sent Hedwig to deliver a letter to Hagrid and gave five Galleons to the innkeeper, Tom, to help him buy some simple potion ingredients.
On the eighth day, Mo Ran awoke. As the original consciousness of an Obscurial, he expanded his thinking in the direction of studying dark magic and defense against the dark magic. After confirming that the textbook did not mention that "Obscurials can enhance their magic by consuming living beings," Mo Ran proposed a hypothesis—Obscurials might be able to gain further enhancement by consuming magical creatures.
On the ninth day, Hedwig returned. Hagrid thanked Harry for his greeting. Along with a lot of materials not mentioned in the accompanying package, he also brought Harry a rock-hard biscuit. This exhausted Hedwig considerably. For the next week, she didn't show any of her previous restlessness.
On the tenth day, thanks to the efforts of Harry and Moran, the four courses at Hogwarts for the first year—Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Potions, and Transfiguration—were completed. Harry demonstrated a level far beyond his years, both in theoretical knowledge and spellcasting practice. Moran, having seen the Harry Potter films, wasn't sure what level Dumbledore and Voldemort had in their youth, but he was willing to believe that this Harry would grow into a wizard of equal caliber in the future.
……
On the seventeenth day, Harry finally gave himself a day off. After sending Hedwig to Hagrid's side, our Mr. Potter donned his black robe with a hood and took a stroll down Diagon Alley. "I'm going to Florin's Ice Cream Shop to buy a milk toffee ice cream first, then browse the Quidditch boutique." Looking at the exquisitely crafted Nimbus 2000s in the window, which resembled works of art, Harry was suddenly tempted to make an impulse purchase. He didn't know why he, who had never even ridden a flying broomstick, was so interested in the sport. Fortunately, Mo Ran had instilled in Harry the concept of depreciation using the example of cars beforehand; otherwise, he might have actually rewarded himself.
……
On the twenty-third day, Harry completed his second year of school, and his spell knowledge had reached the level of a fifth-year student. Unfortunately, ever since he used Excalibur to make a small hole in the wall, practicing any offensive spells indoors had become unsuitable. Spells like Stun, Flame, Shatter, Destroy, and Explode… these spells, far more destructive than Excalibur, risked demolishing the room with Harry's current magical abilities. Therefore, he could only practice common or defensive spells like Obstacles, Flurry, and Cleanse. Harry desperately needed a shooting range, a place where he could freely practice his magic; he didn't want to defeat Voldemort through mere theoretical knowledge.
……
On the thirtieth day, the third year of school came to an end. Thanks to Harry's talent and diligence, he was now starting to dislike the pace of Hogwarts' teaching. If the knowledge from the first two years was for building a foundation, then the third year was a watershed moment. Students would showcase their interests and talents at this stage and establish their future majors and learning directions. Harry sincerely hoped that the Hogwarts professors would possess a teaching level far exceeding the textbook knowledge, even if they were a bit strict. If they were all lazy and irresponsible, he would have to spend more time in the headmaster's office. After all, someone who had been repeatedly mentioned as the greatest white wizard in various books certainly didn't deserve that title.
On the thirty-first day, which was also the last day of August, Harry packed his things. With the help of his wand and magic, the task of moving those hundreds of books back and forth became much easier. The Seamless Stretcher suitcase that the owner of Flourish and Blotts had sold him was quite convenient; besides holding books, Harry also put his homemade potions inside. (Because some potion ingredients were quite expensive, Harry only chose to make some simple potions, such as hemostatics, tranquilizers, and scabies potions.) Afterwards, out of gratitude to the Leaky Cauldron owner, Harry agreed to have dinner with Tom. The steaming pea soup looked good, but Harry was less impressed with the other dishes. He tried to avoid the ingredients that looked like eyeballs and fingers, barely managing to fill his stomach, and then sincerely suggested to Tom, "Sir, I think the food you usually deliver to my door tastes much better."
On September 1st, Harry overslept. To ensure his host went to school in a relaxed mood, Mo Ran didn't intentionally create any dream scenarios. As a result, they were chased all night by a swarm of roasted eyeballs and fingers, constantly asking, "Why aren't you eating us?"
When Harry arrived at King's Cross Station with his luggage, it was already 10:30 in the morning. Standing between platforms 9 and 10, he guessed he would have to knock down a few bricks to get to platform 9, just like he did on his way to Diagon Alley. Unfortunately, Hagrid had forgotten to tell him exactly how.
"It's the same every year, Muggles everywhere. Kids, hurry up, time is running out!"
That was a short, plump woman followed by four red-haired boys. Each of her children was pushing a cart full of suitcases with owls of different colors on them.
"It's a wizard."
"It's Weasley."
Harry and Moran recognized the family's identities to varying degrees.
"Which platform is it again?"
"Platform 9! Mom, can I go?"
“Oh, Ginny, you’re too young. You can join your brothers next year. Okay, Percy, you go first.”