#9

[T/N: I'm sure this will be brought up, so I'll address it now. There are situations where the MC should have used an advantage due to his metaknowledge, but it wasn't mentioned for one of two possible reasons.

First, the simplest explanation—it's a plot hole created by the author.

Second, there's a plausible reason why the MC isn't using his metaknowledge, even though he remembers it (thanks to Memory Palace). Maybe he's being overly cautious? I don't know.

The first reason? Not great. The second? Understandable.

I'm reading this while translating it, so please be patient and try not to focus too much on "Why isn't he doing this or that?" If you can set that aside, you'll enjoy this fic. Just give it a try—so far, the interactions and changes have been great!

Damn, I whine so fucking much! Anyways, enjoy!]

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With the ability of the Memory Palace, Ted could now confidently claim to have a photographic memory. His learning efficiency had skyrocketed, nearly tenfold.

After all, he could take down notes quickly and revisit them later to fully absorb the knowledge at night. This alone gave him a huge advantage in his studies.

Since awakening as a Psion, he had also been developing abilities related to his newfound power. His knowledge of Psions seemed to stem from Dungeons & Dragons—a world from a certain tabletop game universe. It came with its own structured power system, and aside from the abilities tied to specific branches, Ted could attempt to develop new ones on his own.

However, something odd stood out. He had asked around in the Muggle world and realized that this world lacked the classic fantasy stories he was familiar with. There was no Dungeons & Dragons, no Lord of the Rings—nothing of the sort.

Harry Potter not existing here was understandable, but even Lord of the Rings and D&D? That was just bizarre.

Thankfully, he hadn't jumped straight into trying to make a fortune on Wall Street. Who knew how different the stock market would be? The general flow of historical events seemed intact, but cultural and entertainment details were completely off. It was a good reminder that things weren't always as predictable as they seemed.

Still, a Psion needed to understand the mind, so Ted picked up two books on psychology from a Muggle bookstore.

One was Psychological Types: Individual Psychology by the famous psychologist Carl Jung. His writing was clear and insightful, full of ideas that encouraged self-growth and a deeper understanding of people and the world.

The other was Social Psychology by the renowned American psychologist Gordon Allport. This book marked the formal establishment of social psychology as a science.

Ted absorbed as much as he could, but he knew it was just scratching the surface. If he ever had the chance, attending a Muggle university to study psychology in-depth would be a solid option.

That being said, even his self-study efforts had already paid off. Since awakening his psychic powers, he was in the prime stage for growth, and as a result, he managed to develop three new abilities.

The first was Speed Reading. It allowed him to instantly recall any words or symbols he had previously seen, significantly accelerating his reading speed.

With psionic energy enhancing his brain's processing, he could flip through a book and retain all its information instantly. It was like having a built-in quantum-speed scanner. On its own, it wasn't incredibly powerful, but when combined with the Memory Palace, it was invaluable.

These days, he had been practically living in Flourish and Blotts' bookstore. Their warehouse had become his treasure trove. Like a diligent squirrel preparing for winter, he tirelessly organized, read, and mentally stored books. He even stayed past his shift hours voluntarily, which made the bookstore owner so impressed (or perhaps charmed by Ted's increased Charisma) that they considered giving him a raise.

Speaking of Charisma, the second ability he developed was Subtle Influence. By maintaining a calm and friendly state of mind, he could gently nudge the mental states of those around him, making them slightly more inclined to like him.

This wasn't some grand, manipulative mind-control trick—just a minor subconscious effect that made others view him more favorably. Unlike some Psions who focused on making others fear or avoid them, Ted found himself naturally gravitating toward this ability.

The last ability was an active skill—Mental Shielding.

By focusing his psionic energy, he could suppress his mental activity, making it incredibly difficult for anyone to read his emotions or thoughts.

If a Muggle hooked him up to a lie detector, he'd pass with flying colors.

Of course, he wasn't sure if this would work against powerful Legilimency, but at least it was a step in the right direction.

On the magical side of things, he had picked up a book titled Give Your Enemy a Little Surprise. Despite sounding ominous, it was really just a guide to minor hexes and jinxes.

Dark magic was a broad term in the wizarding world, and many jinxes and prank spells technically fell into that category. The spells in this book were relatively harmless, just mischievous curses meant for a good laugh.

Ted's favorite so far was the Teeth-Lengthening Hex—Densaugeo.

This spell caused the target's front teeth to grow rapidly, turning them into oversized buck teeth. It wasn't permanent, but it was certainly embarrassing.

To test it, Ted had caught a rat and fed it for two days before casting the spell. The poor creature's incisors had grown absurdly long, making it look utterly ridiculous. When he finally released it, the little thing scurried off, squeaking furiously. If he had understood rat language, he might have thought twice about letting it go.

Learning this jinx also added Dark Magic LV1 to his skill list—a funny thought, considering how relatively harmless the spell was.

Old Tom now had a newfound respect for the little handyman he had kindly taken in.

For more than twenty days, Ted had been juggling four jobs a day while staying up late to study textbooks and magic spells under the dim light of his room. The level of discipline and perseverance he displayed was something even many adults couldn't match.

And his magical talent? Incredibly high! Exceptionally high!

Old Tom had personally seen Ted self-study the Scouring Charm, the Mending Charm, the Water-Making Spell, and even the Teeth-Lengthening Hex—all through sheer will and determination. For a young Muggle-born wizard to achieve such progress without any formal training was nothing short of astounding.

"Maybe this is one of those kids from a tough background who grows up faster?" Old Tom muttered to himself. "He'll be starting at Hogwarts this year... Maybe he and Hannah will get along."

Not long after, Ted's meals noticeably improved—he even got to enjoy meat and small cakes occasionally. And within two days, he finally met Old Tom's granddaughter: Hannah Abbott, his soon-to-be classmate.

Hannah was a rosy-cheeked little girl with two golden braids, radiating warmth and friendliness.

Ted couldn't help but think to himself: Hannah Abbott! So, she's the one!

It was still surreal to him how things had changed. Even with all the odd twists in this world, it seemed that some things—like their class placements—were still on track.

But the real shock was yet to come.

On the last day of July, after finishing his work at the apothecary, Ted wandered around Diagon Alley, trying to complete his exploration task. He had already reached 87% completion—just a few more shops left to enter before he'd be done.

As he studied the Floo-Pow headquarters—a shop that sold Floo Powder but had never seemed to open—he suddenly heard a male voice from nearby.

"Harley, what do you think of this Nimbus 2000? Should I buy you one? It could be your birthday present!"

"No, I don't like broomsticks, and I don't like Quidditch either. Give it up."

Ted's heart skipped a beat. Did he just hear—Harry?

Whipping around, he spotted a well-dressed, long-haired middle-aged man with a mustache, an elegant and composed woman, and a bespectacled girl around his own age.

The girl's glasses didn't make her seem shy or reserved—her bright, lively expression told him she was anything but timid.

Something felt off. Something was seriously... wrong.

Before he could fully process it, the clerk from the broom shop addressed the man as "Mr. Black."

Black? Sirius?! Are you freakin' serious?

And this girl—this girl was Harry? No... Harley?!

It was like a lightning strike to his brain. The butterfly effect had flapped its wings again, and now the world had shifted in ways he hadn't anticipated.

Harry Potter wasn't Harry anymore—Harry had become Harley!

No wonder Voldemort hadn't chosen her as the prophesied enemy. With his arrogant and traditionalist mindset, he would have never considered a girl as his equal or his greatest threat.

Wait—did this mean Voldemort was sexist? 

Where's a dueling glove when you need one? Someone should slap him with it!

Ted was still reeling from this revelation when he noticed Sirius was in the middle of an argument. Looking closer, he saw the unmistakable figures of two more familiar individuals—father and son, both clad in pristine, high-class robes, their platinum-blond hair shimmering under the sunlight.

Lucius and Draco Malfoy.

Sirius had a smirk on his face, the kind that screamed mischief and rebellion. "Oh, Malfoy, doing your own shopping today? Don't tell me you're here to collect rent."

Lucius, ever the aristocrat, maintained his composure, his expression unreadable despite Sirius' taunting. "At the very least, I'm still your cousin-in-law, Black. Is that really the way you speak to family? Whatever happened to your manners?"

The tension between them was thick, the weight of old grudges and family history hanging in the air. Ted watched, fascinated by the scene unfolding before him.

This world was changing in ways he never expected—and he had a feeling this was only the beginning.

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Word count: 1511