Chapter 10
After returning to the Leaky Cauldron, Aisen suddenly realized that he was, in a sense, "free." He had intended to cut back on his charm practice time and prepare some lesson plans, only to discover that there was no real need for preparation.
Or rather, Astronomy in the original books had virtually no presence—it was little more than set dressing, with not even a proper textbook. From the scattered mentions, Aisen could only piece together what the young wizards used to learn in Astronomy class.
For example: observing the night sky, learning the names of different planets and their moons, as well as the constellations they belonged to. Then there was studying and observing the orbits of the planets. Beyond that, they had to learn to draw star charts depicting the movements of celestial bodies.
As for the purpose of teaching young wizards astronomy, Aisen was well aware that it was largely to support Divination—and clearly to assist with the branch of astrology-based divination.
But none of this posed any real difficulty for Aisen. After all, he had already purchased astronomy books and a telescope from the Muggle world. When the time came, he could simply lecture casually and coast through the entire year.
In truth, the reason Aisen wanted the young wizards to learn a sense of awe was so that, in the future, if they were ever exposed to the Muggle world, they wouldn't act without restraint.
If conflicts could be reduced, the environment in which Aisen lived would naturally become a little better.
…
On September 1st, after packing some books and his research notes on magical artifacts into his trunk, Aisen arrived at King's Cross Station.
Ever since discovering that he could gain extraordinary properties from magical artifacts, Aisen had consciously begun research in that direction. Today was the day Hogwarts term began.
Originally, Aisen could have used Floo powder to travel directly to Hogwarts and wait there with the others to receive the new students. But on a whim, he decided he wanted to check in at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters and ride the Hogwarts Express.
Truth be told, since entering the wizarding world, Aisen had spent nearly all his time between the Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley, rarely venturing out. He was quite curious to experience passing through the barrier to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters for himself.
Since the Hogwarts Express departed precisely at 11:00, Aisen was in no hurry. At 10:30, he arrived at King's Cross Station, pulling his trunk behind him.
Aisen was not wearing wizard robes, so he looked no different from an ordinary office worker. Yet he knew that, though he stood among the crowd, he now belonged to another world entirely.
Coming to the space between Platforms Nine and Ten, Aisen paused. After carefully observing, he noticed nothing unusual. But he knew the area was enchanted so that Muggles would pay it no mind.
"All right, here's the famous scene!" he muttered, then pulled his trunk forward and briskly walked straight into the solid wall—passing right through it.
For a moment everything went dark, and then the scene changed. At the same time, a clamor of voices reached Aisen's ears, with several young wizards saying goodbye to their parents before boarding the nearby Hogwarts Express.
Right tracks was none other than the Hogwarts Express. To be honest, Aisen didn't have a ticket 'As if a Hogwarts professor needed a ticket!' he thought
After showing his credentials, Aisen easily boarded the train.
Of course, perhaps because the number of students attending Hogwarts was relatively small, the steam train consisted of only five carriages. Inside, Aisen found that each carriage was divided into a series of small compartments. Some compartments already had young wizards seated inside.
As Aisen passed down the corridor with his trunk, the young wizards cast curious glances his way. But he paid them no mind and simply continued to the last carriage, where he settled into an empty compartment.
He had to admit that, even after living in the wizarding world for over a year, the consistently old and worn appearance of every building and object still left him somewhat uncomfortable.
From this alone, one could see just how deep the divide between wizards and the Muggle world truly was.
Of course, it was understandable. Wizards had to keep their existence secret from Muggles, and they had withdrawn from Muggle sight as far back as before 1700. Over the centuries that followed, only a minority of wizards who didn't reject Muggles bothered to learn how far Muggle technology had advanced.
Due to limited perspective and vision, most wizards probably knew very little about Muggle life. Otherwise Hogwarts wouldn't have bothered to offer a dedicated Muggle Studies course
That Hogwarts did offer Muggle Studies showed that Dumbledore—or the headmasters across the generations—possessed remarkable foresight. Unfortunately, the course was only an elective, and its content was far from in-depth. As a result, it was generally treated by students as an easy way to earn credits.
Take Hermione, who took Muggle Studies—she dropped it after just one year, feeling there was nothing more to learn. That alone showed how superficial the class really was.
"Hey, Fred, I've got a great idea!"
"Funny, me too!"
The instantly recognizable voices drifted in. Aisen glanced out the window and saw a pair of brown-haired twins walking along the platform.
Of course Ron Weasley's infamous older twin brothers, Fred and George Weasley. They possessed extraordinary talent in pranks and alchemy.
At this stage, whenever they claimed to have a "great idea," it was almost certainly something prank- or joke-related. Thinking of this, Aisen suddenly felt that he might be able to collaborate with the twins.
After all, his system required magical artifacts, and the Weasley twins should have no trouble creating powerful ones. Even though their talents were currently directed toward pranks, a slight redirection should solve that problem.
Aisen knew from the original story that they had invented things like the Deflection Hat—an artifact capable of rebounding curses. Regardless of effectiveness, their ability was genuinely impressive.
After the Weasley twins boarded the train, another figure appeared on the platform. Sure enough, it was Harry Potter, looking utterly astonished. If he hadn't run into the Weasleys, Harry probably wouldn't have found Platform Nine and Three-Quarters at all.
At 11:00 sharp, the train departed.
"Professor Turner!"
Whether by coincidence or not, after Harry Potter boarded, he ended up in Aisen's compartment. Seeing the professor he had only recently met sitting by the window, Harry was visibly surprised.
"Mr. Potter—no need to stand there. There're still empty seats here!" It had to be admitted that the Savior did carry a protagonist's halo. Otherwise, anyone else repeatedly dancing on Voldemort's nerves would have long since been finished off.
"Just Harry is fine, Professor Turner. Do wizards really study Astronomy too?" After the initial surprise, Harry sat down opposite him and asked another question that had puzzled him.
"Yes, they do to some extent, as Hogwarts offers Divination, and the knowledge learned in Astronomy can be put to use there." Aisen gave a simple answer to Harry's question.
It had to be said that Hogwarts' curriculum was quite interesting. Although Divination was an elective, Astronomy was compulsory. In other words, the relevant astrological knowledge was something every young wizard had to master. Whether they chose to take Divination starting in third year was up to them.
"So, apart from Astronomy, what other classes do we have to take, Professor?" Harry quickly followed up with another question. Perhaps, for a young wizard raised entirely in the Muggle world, the unknown journey of magical education still caused some anxiety.
"Hmm, let me think. Besides Astronomy, first-years also take History of Magic, Charms, Potions, Herbology, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Transfiguration." After recalling for a moment, Aisen listed the courses required for first-year students.
"Of course, Harry, you don't need to worry—you might have a good wizarding talent!" Though Aisen wasn't afraid of discouraging him, he immediately added a reassuring word.
***
Want to read more and support me; join me on patreon.com/DawnOfBlood