"Come on then, sit yourselves down! Don't be shy," Hagrid boomed, setting a plate of what could generously be called rock cakes on the wooden table. He dropped into his chair with such force that the frame groaned ominously, making everyone wince. Miraculously, the sturdy furniture held up under the strain.
"Hagrid, this is Ron, and this is Hermione—" Harry began, gesturing to his friends.
"And I'm Adrian," Adrian interjected smoothly, standing up with a polite smile. "Pleasure to meet you, Hagrid."
"Likewise, Adrian!" Hagrid's massive hand engulfed Adrian's in what was probably meant to be a gentle handshake but felt more like being grabbed by a friendly giant.
Fang, Hagrid's enormous boarhound, had taken an immediate interest in Ron, circling him and occasionally trying to rest his drooling jowls on the boy's lap. Ron kept discretely pushing Scabbers deeper into his pocket whenever the dog got too close, after recent events, he wasn't taking any chances with his pet's safety.
While Harry and Ron launched into passionate complaints about Snape's treatment in Potions class, Adrian stayed quiet, observing. Hermione frowned at their criticism but didn't argue, which was telling enough.
Adrian had mixed feelings about Snape himself. Yes, the man was clearly biased and had serious personal issues with Harry, but he was undeniably brilliant at his craft. Many of the improved potion recipes they'd be learning were Snape's own innovations. And considering the professor had essentially gifted him nine academic points in their first class...well, Adrian wasn't about to complain too loudly.
Still, it would be nice if Snape asked more challenging questions. Those points were too valuable to pass up.
"Gringotts Bank broken into?" Adrian's attention snapped to a newspaper beside the teapot. The headline was hard to miss.
Harry and Ron stopped mid-complaint, leaning over to read. The article described a break-in on July 31st, the work of dark wizards, according to Ministry speculation, though the goblins insisted nothing had been stolen.
"July 31st," Harry said suddenly, his eyes widening. "Hagrid, that's my birthday! We were there that same day!"
"Were yeh now?" Hagrid's response was almost comically evasive, his eyes darting anywhere but Harry's face. "Well, would yeh look at that. More rock cakes, anyone?"
The deflection was about as subtle as a rampaging dragon, but Harry seemed too distracted to press the issue. Adrian filed the information away, ThePhilosopher's Stone, obviously. Hagrid had retrieved it the same day, and now someone else had tried to steal it. The timeline was accelerating.
The rock cakes were, as expected, roughly the consistency of actual rocks. Harry, Ron, and Hermione gamely attempted to eat them while trying not to chip their teeth. Adrian quietly dunked his in tea when Hagrid wasn't looking, managing to soften it enough to actually swallow half of one.
When they finally escaped, laden with more rock cakes that Hagrid had enthusiastically forced into their pockets despite their protests, Adrian split off from the group as they reached the castle.
"I've got some research to do in the library," he told them casually. "See you at dinner."
It wasn't entirely a lie. He did have research to do, just not the kind that involved books.
Adrian spent the next several days systematically exploring the castle during his free periods, mapping corridors and secret passages. He told anyone who asked that he was fascinated by Hogwarts' history and architecture, which was true enough to be convincing.
Finally, on Tuesday morning of the second week, he found what he was looking for on the eighth floor: a wide corridor lined with portraits, ending in a tapestry depicting Barnabas the Barmy being clubbed by trolls.
Adrian stood opposite the tapestry, closed his eyes, and focused intently on what he needed: I need a place to practice magic safely. Somewhere private where I won't hurt anyone or break anything important.
After pacing back and forth three times, a smooth door materialized in the previously blank wall, fitting so perfectly it looked like it had always been there.
The Room of Requirement. Finally.
Adrian slipped inside, and the door sealed seamlessly behind him. The room had configured itself as a spacious training hall, bright, well-ventilated, with rows of practice dummies lining both walls.
[Ding!]
[Discovered the Room of Requirement!]
The system notification made him smile. The exploration task had jumped by three percentage points, more than the library had given him. This place would be invaluable.
"Reductor!" Adrian began his practice session, sending a white bolt of light into the nearest dummy. It exploded satisfyingly, sending sawdust flying before magically reassembling itself.
For the next hour, multicolored lights flashed throughout the room as Adrian worked through his growing repertoire: Transfiguration, Petrificus Totalus, Wingardium Leviosa, Lumos...
After nearly two weeks of intensive study, he'd mastered all the basic first-year spells to at least Level 1 proficiency. They worked consistently now, which was a vast improvement over his early attempts.
But actual combat revealed a glaring weakness, his accuracy was terrible. Fixed targets were manageable, but anything moving? He'd miss more often than not.
Curious, Adrian activated a Study Geniusexperience card during practice. The difference was remarkable. His enhanced mental ability let him predict target movement, calculate spell trajectories, and adjust his aim with precision that felt almost superhuman.
"This is incredible," he muttered, watching himself nail moving targets with ease. "It's like having combat precognition."
When the card's effect wore off, the contrast was jarring. Going from enhanced clarity back to normal thinking felt like someone had filled his brain with cotton.
After a full morning of practice, during which he'd nearly drained his magical reserves, Adrian decided to call it quits. He had Flying lessons that afternoon and needed to conserve energy.
He discovered a convenient secret passage on the eighth floor that led directly toward the Great Hall, making a mental note to map it properly later. As he stepped out of the hidden entrance, the system chimed again.
[Ding! Explored unknown passage. Hogwarts exploration progress: 40%.]
[Reward: 20 grade points]
[Bonus Reward: Collect in person from the Restricted Section, Row 7, Shelf 12, between 11 PM and 1 AM.]
Adrian's eyebrows rose. A bonus reward in the Restricted Section? Now that was interesting. The system was practically handing him reasons to break school rules, not that he minded. A visit to the Restricted Section was already in his future plans anyway. Some rules were meant to be bent, especially when valuable rewards were involved.
He'd have to plan that little midnight expedition carefully. But first, flying lessons. It wouldn't do to miss Harry's encounter with Malfoy and the Remembrall.