Harry snapped his eyes open. He didn't feel tired in the slightest; on the contrary, a wave of pure vitality rushed through every single muscle, as if his blood had been replaced with liquid fire. He blinked a couple of times and, with a thought, summoned the translucent system screen floating in the dim light.
[HARRY POTTER]
[Race: Magical Human]
[Age: 11]
[Rank: Limit-Breaker]
[Templates:
Shin Wolford: 65% Completed
Rock Lee: 20% Completed
Daemon Targaryen: 50% Completed]
[BASE ATTRIBUTES]
| Strength | 100 |
| Agility | 155 |
| Endurance | 150 |
| Magic | 350 |
| Intelligence | 105 |
| Luck | 65 |
A massive smile spread across his face. 'Whoa... no wonder I felt so much stronger.' The difference from the day before was absolute madness; the density of his magic flow was three times its normal amount. His eyes quickly darted down to the cascade of pending notifications blinking in blue.
[Targaryen bloodline integration completed. Acquired:
* High temperature tolerance
* Dragon bond
* Dragon dreams
* Immunity to common diseases]
[Chakra descendant human DNA integration completed. Acquired:
* Chakra pathway system
* Superhuman cellular and muscular density
* Accelerated neuronal processing
* Autonomous cellular healing factor]
He stretched out on the mattress, hearing the springs protest under his weight as he felt the subtle changes in his body. He checked the pocket watch on the nightstand: five in the morning. He had so much built-up energy that staying still in bed felt almost like a punishment.
He checked his balance and, with a few taps, spent his last points in the shop to buy some sportswear. The neon green spandex from Rock Lee's template was... a crime against fashion, honestly. Instead, he chose some dark, comfortable, and durable clothes.
Before heading out, he strapped the weights that came with Rock Lee's template onto his wrists and ankles. Thanks to his magic, he configured the initial weight; he felt like he could take it up to five tons per limb if he really wanted to, but for now, he kept it at something manageable.
Harry extended his magic through the castle to test the waters. He began visualizing the energy flows and noticed that at certain specific points, the magic felt strange, almost contaminated, but it served its purpose to help him find the best route out. He moved through the corridors like a shadow and burst into the inner courtyard beneath the morning mist.
What he didn't realize was that his magic pulse did not go unnoticed. Most of the professors felt that vibration in the air; several snapped awake, jumping out of bed and grabbing their wands with that uncomfortable sensation of eyes boring into the back of their necks. Down in the kitchens, the house-elves froze for a few seconds, looked at one another, and after a collective shrug, went right back to their work.
By the hundredth lap, his legs were seriously burning.
'If my legs give out, then I've still got my arms! Let's give it everything, this is youth!', he thought with a infectious enthusiasm that made him laugh out loud. He dropped forward and continued his run balanced on his palms, feet pointing toward the sky and a massive grin on his face.
He realized the integration was definitely influencing his character, but in a great way. Shin's coldness had softened; now Lee's vibrant energy filled him with a pure, joyful motivation to push his limits, while the Targaryen heritage, instead of making him arrogant, gave him an overwhelming security—a confidence in himself so solid that he didn't feel the slightest need to prove anything to anyone.
At exactly seven o'clock, Harry returned to the Hufflepuff common room. The place already had some life to it. A couple of third-years were chatting by the fireplace and stared with their mouths wide open when they saw him walk in on his hands. Harry did a flip in the air, landing perfectly on his boots, and flashed them a huge, radiant smile.
"Good morning! The morning air is incredible out there, huh?", he let out with total casualness before heading up to the dormitory. The third-years instantly relaxed and laughed as they returned the greeting, caught up in his good vibes.
He grabbed his uniform and headed into the showers. When he finished, as he was tying his yellow and black tie, he stopped in front of the mirror.
He froze for a second, blinking in surprise. His face no longer carried the typical roundness of an eleven-year-old. His features had sharpened, becoming highly symmetrical and attractive. His green eyes looked bright, full of life, and right above his forehead, a streak of hair had turned ash-gray. Plus, he had grown a few centimeters; if he was already the tallest among his first-year classmates, now he stood out even more.
'I hope the change isn't too obvious... well, at least I don't look like the malnourished toothpick from a few months ago,' he thought, winking at himself in the mirror before heading out. Using the mental map he had mapped out earlier that morning, he walked with a firm stride straight toward the Great Hall.
The bustling noise welcomed him along with the scent of bacon and toasted bread. Harry walked over to the Hufflepuff table, waving his hand at several classmates who were looking at him with curiosity. Professor Sprout was already passing around the weekly schedules with a motherly smile. She stared fixedly at Harry for a few seconds, blinking at his appearance, before snapping out of it.
"Here you go, Mr. Peverell-Potter. Your schedule," the Head of House said cheerfully, handing him the parchment.
"Thank you very much, Professor!" Harry replied with an honest smile, taking the paper.
He unrolled the parchment to check how Monday was looking.
* Monday
* 08:00 - 10:00: Transfiguration (With Gryffindor)
* 10:30 - 12:30: Herbology (With Ravenclaw)
* 13:30 - 15:30: History of Magic (With Ravenclaw)
* Tuesday
* 08:00 - 10:00: Potions (With Slytherin)
* 10:30 - 12:30: Potions (With Slytherin)
* 13:30 - 15:30: Defense Against the Dark Arts (With Gryffindor)
* Wednesday
* 08:00 - 10:00: Charms (With Ravenclaw)
* 10:30 - 12:30: Flying (With Gryffindor)
* 22:00: Astronomy (Night Class)
* Thursday
* 08:00 - 10:00: Herbology (With Ravenclaw)
* 10:30 - 12:30: Transfiguration (With Gryffindor)
* 13:30 - 15:30: Defense Against the Dark Arts (With Gryffindor)
* Friday
* 08:00 - 10:00: Charms (With Ravenclaw)
* 10:30 - 12:30: History of Magic (With Ravenclaw)
* 13:30 - 15:30: Free Afternoon / Study
"Wow, Transfiguration first thing in the morning and with McGonagall," Justin Finch-Fletchley muttered, having sat down next to Harry while looking at the paper nervously. Suddenly, looking up, he stared blankly at Harry for a few seconds. "Hey... did you do something to yourself, Harry? You look... different."
"Bah! What would I do to myself? I just took a good shower," Harry joked, giving him a friendly slap on the shoulder that made the boy relax and let out a chuckle. "Pass me the scrambled eggs, please."
Looking up, he saw Hermione walking into the dining hall. The girl was like a whirlwind, practically dragging Padma Patil and Su Li by their robes. The moment she spotted Harry, she marched over across the hall and sat down on the Hufflepuff bench with total confidence.
"Harry! You have no idea what the Ravenclaw tower is like, it's beautiful! Good thing I didn't get lost on the stairs," Hermione blurted out all at once, catching her breath. Then she realized she wasn't alone and cleared her throat, introducing them. "Oh, these are my roommates, Padma and Su."
"Hi! Nice to meet you," Harry said with an open and sincere smile, holding out his hand.
Padma accepted the greeting, a bit surprised by how approachable and friendly the famous Boy Who Lived turned out to be, though her eyes couldn't help but take in the ash-gray streak and Harry's remarkably good posture. "The pleasure is ours, Potter. We heard about you on the train, though I see you decided to change up your style today."
"It's true Harry, you look different from yesterday," Hermione commented, narrowing her eyes as if analyzing a mystery.
"See? It wasn't just my imagination!" Justin jumped in, pointing at him with his fork.
Harry was about to make up another excuse when Susan Bones, Hannah Abbott, and Wayne Hopkins arrived. Hannah still had her hair a bit messy and was yawning up a storm.
"Good morning..." they said almost in unison, dropping onto the bench.
Susan looked at Harry for a few seconds and arched an eyebrow, smiling sideways. "Definitely more handsome than yesterday."
Harry couldn't help but let out a soft laugh and winked at Susan, making her smile.
"Here, Professor Sprout left these for you," Justin said, passing the schedules to the newcomers.
"Ugh, Transfiguration first period... we need to eat breakfast fast," Hannah commented, waking up instantly upon seeing the parchment.
Meanwhile, Hermione unrolled her own schedule and took Harry's to compare them. "Brilliant! We share almost all of Monday except Transfiguration. We have it with Slytherin later. By the way... is the library thing still on for today?"
"Of course! Count on it... oh, right, here," Harry said, reaching into his backpack and pulling out a dark-covered book to hand to her. Looking up, he saw Padma and Su watching with obvious expectation. "If you girls want to come along too, you're more than welcome."
"We'd love to, thank you," Padma replied with a much more genuine smile upon seeing the gesture.
Hermione stared at the book title with wide eyes: Origin and Practice of the Ofuda, by Tsukihara no Raizen.
"Thank you, Harry! I'll give it back as soon as I finish it," Hermione said, hugging the book against her chest like a treasure.
"Don't worry, take your time. I have the Japanese version too; the Gringotts goblins sold me both versions," Harry commented with total naturalness.
Su Li craned her neck a bit to look at the cover. "May I, Hermione?" Hermione looked at Harry for implicit permission, and he nodded. "Sure, go ahead. It's the book they use for the first years of Ofuda in Mahoutokoro."
Hearing the name of the Japanese school, the other kids at the table leaned forward, their eyes full of curiosity.
"When you finish it, could you lend it to me, Harry? Or how can I get one?" Justin asked, visibly interested.
"No problem, I'll pass it to you after Hermione. And to get it, well, the goblins have a massive catalog of books from all the schools registered in the International Confederation of Wizards. They sell them in their original language or translated into English... they have an incredibly extensive list. In fact, I'm waiting for one from Mexico: Treatise on Healing with Ancestral Plants."
By this point, half the Hufflepuff table was paying absolute attention to Harry's conversation.
"Is there any advanced Transfiguration one, Harry?" asked an older boy sitting a bit further down. Harry looked at him and thought the guy was pretty good-looking, but he didn't know who he was. Seeing his hesitation, the boy smiled kindly and held out his hand. "I'm Cedric Diggory, Harry."
"Oh, hi, Cedric. Yeah, I think I saw a few titles on the list. I think the country with the most specialization in that field is China, but their schools and sects are pretty secretive with their texts. Even so, there are several available. If you want, I can write home to have them send the full catalog and I'll share it here."
"That would be awesome, thanks," Cedric replied, and the rest of the Hufflepuffs nodded enthusiastically.
"Perfect! See you there at four then," Hermione smiled, jumping up as she saw the time on the great dining hall clock. "Come on, girls, we're going to be late!"
Harry waved them goodbye and finished his breakfast calmly. Moving his gaze, he noticed a red-haired boy at the Gryffindor table looking at him sideways with a scowl while chewing on some toast, but Harry simply brushed it off with a sip of his juice.
When he finished, he stood up along with the other first-years of his house and they headed back to the Hufflepuff common room for a brief moment to gather their classmates' Transfiguration books and make sure nobody forgot anything.
A few minutes later, the group of badgers was walking toward the classroom. As they entered the room, the whispering died down a bit. Sitting right in the middle of the professor's desk, a tabby cat remained completely motionless, watching every student who crossed the door with sharp, analytical eyes.