[ You have interacted with a Fortune-Chosen Person ]
[ Fortune Increased ]
[ Reward Acquired: Animagus Form ]
Victor froze.
For a heartbeat, he simply stared at the translucent notification hovering at the edge of his vision.
This was the first time the system had ever responded so clearly.
Fortune-chosen person? he thought.
His gaze shifted—slowly, carefully—to the girl sitting opposite him.
Victor blinked once.
Her?
He thought about it for a moment. Hermione Granger—brilliant, stubborn, inexplicably always in the right place at the right time. Survived trolls, cursed objects, Dark wizards, and situations that should have gone horribly wrong.
…Yes. Lucky was one way to put it.
So that's how it works, Victor realised. Not effort. Not proximity. Fortune.
That explained a lot.
It also explained why nothing had happened until now. The people he'd interacted with so far—his family included—were many things, but fortunate wasn't one of them. If anything, history suggested the opposite.
Victor's thoughts drifted briefly to another name.
Harry Potter.
If Hermione counted as fortune-chosen, then Harry practically defined it. If simply interacting with her had triggered a reward, then sustained contact—
He stopped himself.
Victor closed the notification with a thought and looked back at Hermione.
He was smiling.
Hermione noticed immediately and tilted her head, confused by the sudden change in his expression.
"Is something wrong?" she asked.
"Nothing," Victor replied calmly. "I just found something interesting."
Hermione blinked.
Something interesting?
Her thoughts promptly short-circuited.
She glanced at him, then away, then back again.
Is he talking about… me?
Her brain stalled for a moment.
"Oh," she said, a little too quickly. "Right."
Victor smiled to himself. It was oddly amusing to watch Hermione flinch like a startled rabbit; perhaps teasing her a little more would be entertaining.
But that could wait.
He had time.
With a thought, he opened the reward.
Information unfolded quietly in his mind—not as words on a screen this time, but as understanding.
Animagus.
Unlike most magic, becoming an Animagus was not about raw power. It was about precision, discipline, and patience. The transformation required absolute control over one's magic and mind; a single mistake could result in permanent damage, or worse.
That was why Animagi were rare.
Not forbidden—just impractical for most. The process took years, required strict adherence to complex steps, and demanded emotional stability. Few wizards possessed all three.
An Animagus form was not chosen at random. It reflected the wizard's nature—personality, instincts, and magic all given shape. Once achieved, the transformation was permanent and unique.
Let's see what my Animagus form is, Victor thought.
A new notification surfaced quietly.
[ Animagus Form: Basilisk ]
Victor stared at it.
'…Huh?'
For a moment, he was genuinely at a loss for words.
'A Basilisk?' he muttered under his breath. 'What the hell?'
That made no sense.
Animagus forms were supposed to be normal animals—dogs, cats, birds. Even rare ones followed natural rules. Magical creatures were a completely different matter altogether.
A Basilisk was not just magical—it was artificially created, dark, and extremely dangerous.
So why—
Victor frowned, thinking it through.
'System reward,' he realised.
That had to be it.
The system didn't follow wizarding rules. It never had.
'A Basilisk,'Victor repeated quietly.
Whatever this was, it wasn't something he could afford to test lightly.
He will deal with that later, he decided. Very carefully.
Across from him, Hermione turned a page, blissfully unaware that her quiet compartment now contained someone who had just learned he might one day turn into one of the most feared creatures in wizarding history.
Victor glanced at her, then back at his book.
Yes.
Definitely later.
Like that, time passed as the train continued its journey north. Conversation drifted in and out of the compartment, pages turned, and the countryside outside the window slowly darkened.
The Hogwarts Express was still rattling along the tracks when a crackling voice echoed through the carriages.
"May I have your attention, please."
The noise in the train gradually quieted.
"We will be arriving at Hogsmeade Station in approximately five minutes. Will all first-year students please change into their Hogwarts robes now. Leave your luggage on the train; it will be taken to the school separately."
Hermione looked up at once. "Five minutes!"
The announcement faded with a soft hiss.
Victor closed his book and stood. "That's our cue."
They quickly changed into their black Hogwarts robes as the train swayed beneath them. Outside the window, darkness pressed close, broken only by the occasional glow of distant lanterns.
Hermione smoothed her sleeves, then tugged at the hem. "Do I look all right?"
"You do," Victor said simply.
The corridor outside filled with movement—doors sliding open, voices calling out, hurried footsteps as first-years gathered their bags.
Hermione picked up her school bag. "So we just leave our trunks?"
"Yes," Victor replied. "They'll be brought up later."
The train gave a final hiss of steam and came to a stop at Hogsmeade Station.
Victor stepped down onto the platform, the cold night air hitting his face. Hermione climbed down after him, as she looked around in awe.
Then a booming voice rang out over the noise.
"Firrs' years!"
The sound cut straight through the chatter.
"Firrs' years, over 'ere!"
A massive figure pushed his way forward, holding a lantern aloft. His wild hair and thick beard framed a broad, friendly face as he waved them closer.
"All firrs' years! Follow me! Don' leave anyone behind now!"
The first-years gathered closer, excitement buzzing through the group.
Hermione leaned closer to Victor as they walked with the group, lowering her voice.
"Wow… how is he that big?"
"He has giant blood in him," Victor replied quietly. "That's why. Full giants are much bigger than him."
Hermione's eyes widened. "Bigger than that?"
Victor nodded. "Much."
She shook her head slightly, clearly unable to imagine it.
They followed Hagrid down the narrow path until the ground sloped sharply and the lake came into view. Dark water stretched out before them, small boats with lanterns bobbing gently at the edge.
Hagrid lifted his lantern higher.
"Right then—boats this way! Four ter a boat, an' no messin' about!"
He gestured toward the water.
Victor and Hermione stepped into one of the boats, which dipped slightly under their weight before steadying itself. Without anyone touching an oar, the boat began to move, gliding smoothly across the dark water.
Hermione gripped the edge, half-excited and half-nervous. "It's moving by itself…"
Victor nodded. "Enchanted."
Hagrid's voice boomed across the lake as the boats drifted forward.
"Yeh might be wonderin' why firrs' years always come ter Hogwarts this way," he called, lantern swinging gently.
"It's tradition."
He smiled, clearly pleased to be telling it.
"The founders themselves arrived at Hogwarts by boat when the castle was first built."
"Figured it were only right the firrs' years do the same—see the castle proper"
The boats rounded a bend in the lake.
Then the castle came into view.
Hogwarts rose high above them, vast and magnificent, its many towers and turrets glowing warmly against the dark sky. Moonlight washed over the ancient stone, softening its edges and lending it an almost dreamlike glow.
Light spilled from countless windows, shimmering across the black water below, where the castle's reflection trembled and danced with every ripple.
A collective gasp rippled through the boats.
Hermione caught her breath. "It's… beautiful."
Even Victor paused, his calm expression faltering for just a moment as he took it in.
'Hogwarts has a magical pull of its own,' he thought.
The boats continued gliding forward, carrying the first-years toward the castle—toward a place that already felt larger than anything they had imagined.
For all of them, this was a sight they would never forget.
*****
A/N: So yeah—my starting goal is complete! I've published the first five chapters so readers can clearly understand the basic plot and direction of the story.
From now on, updates will be weekly, with three chapters every week on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.