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Hi everyone !
Thank you all ! We made it into the top 200, ranking 152nd! I'm proud of us, but I know we can do even better !
Thank you again, we've passed the 1,000 collection mark !
So, I'm announcing it again! For every 100 power stones, I'll release a new bonus chapter! Let's start working towards our goal of becoming one of the top fanfictions!
Second announcement: I've posted a bonus chapter on my Patreon, so if you want more, go check it out!
In the meantime, you can contribute to the release of a bonus chapter on P@tre0n.
(PS: A friend suggested I create a P@treon account. If you'd like to see advanced chapters posted on Webnovel, that's where you can find them! I'll also mention all the supporters at the end of each chapter!)
Search : StoryLabo on the website or click the link on my bio
Happy reading !
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Dawn filtered gently through the blue and bronze curtains of the Ravenclaw dormitory when Aiden naturally opened his eyes.
Waking up with a start was just a distant trauma, no more morning confusion either, just this fluid transition between sleep and wakefulness that he had appreciated since his reincarnation. His adult brain had kept its good habits, even in this new vehicle.
A concert of snoring welcomed him to reality, however.
Charlie was emitting sounds that would have scared off a Hungarian Horntail, his mouth wide open, a thin trickle of drool escaping onto his pillow. On the other side of the dormitory, Narwick was snoring with the regularity of a broken metronome, occasionally murmuring fragments of equations in his sleep.
My first roommates, Aiden thought with a tender smile that surprised him. Two little Muggle-born geniuses who snore like tractors. It's... surprisingly comforting.
He silently slipped out of his sheets, observing his two roommates with growing affection. Charlie had managed to tangle himself in his blankets to the point of resembling a poorly wrapped mummy, while Narwick was clutching his pillow against him like a teddy bear.
Adorable, he thought, leaving the dormitory on tiptoe, smiling at this touching scene of normalcy. To think I spent eleven years avoiding any form of real human attachment. These two might succeed in reminding me what it's like to have friends.
The spiral staircase of Ravenclaw Tower resonated softly under his muffled steps. The castle was immersed in that particular quietude of weekend mornings, when even the ghosts seemed to be sleeping in.
The Great Hall was indeed not very populated at this early hour. A few students scattered here and there, mainly Hufflepuffs.
The natural early risers, Aiden supposed.
And surprisingly few Ravenclaws. The Gryffindor table had the fewest people, which made Aiden smile.
Apparently, legendary courage doesn't apply to Sunday morning wake-ups. Who would have thought?
He was settling at the Ravenclaw table when a familiar voice called out to him.
- "Good morning Aiden! Sleep well?"
Penelope Clearwater was approaching, fresh as a daisy despite the early hour, a stack of parchments in her arms.
- "Like a log, thank you," he replied with a sincere smile. "My roommates are perfect chamber companions. Well, as long as you like symphonic snoring concerts."
She laughed softly.
- "A famous proverb said that he who doesn't snore like a tractor has little under the hood, something to meditate on. Here, this is your timetable." She placed a parchment in front of him. "Classes start tomorrow, Monday. Today, take advantage to explore the castle, get to know your classmates, familiarize yourself with the places."
- "Ahahah Perfect, thank you very much," he burst out laughing. "A proverb I won't forget anytime soon."
Aiden quickly scanned the timetable while serving himself and smiling. Potions with Snape, that's going to be a delight. Transfiguration with McGonagall, respectable. Defense Against the Dark Arts with Quirrell, interesting given his... tenant and his garlic fantasy. History of Magic with Binns, official nap class, and finally Charms with Flitwick, probably the most fun.
For breakfast, he contemplated the traditional English spread with some resignation. The greasy, shiny sausages, the fried eggs looking at him like accusing eyes...
No thanks. I was never a fan of sausages or eggs in the morning. In my past life, it was black coffee and toast, period.
He opted today for something more civilized, some fresh bread that he spread generously with strawberry jam, accompanied by a large glass of apple juice. Simple, efficient, and above all, didn't look like a greasy battlefield on his plate.
The return to the dormitory was an opportunity to admire Hogwarts' architecture in a new light. The portraits were still dozing in their frames, the armor content with morning reflections instead of their usual creaking. There was a serenity in these corridors that he hadn't had the chance to appreciate the day before.
Back in his room, his roommates were still snoring with admirable consistency. He settled at his desk to study his timetable more carefully.
Sunday is free, classes only start Monday. That gives me time for quite a few things.
He had planned to explore the castle, start mapping the secret passages he knew existed, maybe locate the Room of Requirement... But something else had been nagging at him since he woke up.
Since his transformation by lightning, he had felt changes. Not just physical, the elvish appearance, the white hair, the orange eyes, but something deeper. A sensation of... potential. As if his muscles, his reflexes, his coordination had been recalibrated.
Time to run some tests. If my magical awakening gave me superhuman physical abilities, better to know it now rather than discover it in Physical Education class... oh wait, they don't have that. In Defense class, then.
He rummaged through his trunk to find clothes more suitable for exercise. Dark sports pants he had bought on Diagon Alley "just in case," a simple t-shirt, decent running shoes. Nothing professional, but sufficient for his experiments.
Leaving Ravenclaw Tower, he encountered a familiar silhouette in the corridors. Cho Chang was coming down the stairs, dressed in her blue and white Quidditch outfit with a gleaming broomstick in hand.
- "Hi Aiden! Already up?"
- "Hi Cho. I've always been a morning person. You too, apparently."
She brandished her broom with a proud smile. "Quidditch training. Tryouts are approaching, and this year, I'm aiming for the starting Seeker position. I need to be at my best."
- "Ambitious. I like that." He gestured to his own outfit. "Me, I'm going to do some physical exercise. To be a perfect handsome guy."
Cho's eyes lit up with interest and some amusement at the last remark. "Oh, you do sports? What kind?"
- "A bit of everything. Running, basic weight training, light martial arts. Nothing professional, but I like to stay in shape," he replied, a bit disappointed at his joke's failure.
- "That's great! Want me to join you after my training? We could do some exercises together, and I could even show you the basics of broomstick flying if you're interested."
The offer was tempting, very tempting even, but Aiden needed to test his limits privately first. No way was he letting a pretty second-year see him potentially explode a tree with his bare hands or run at the speed of light, without exaggeration, of course.
- "That's very kind, but for today, I prefer to go solo," he replied with an apologetic smile. "To refamiliarize myself with my abilities quietly. But next week, with pleasure! You could teach me Quidditch basics, and I could show you some physical training techniques."
- "Deal!" She extended her hand, which he shook with pleasure. "See you later then. And be careful near the lake, the waters are colder than they look."
They parted ways, Cho heading toward the Quidditch pitch while Aiden headed toward the castle doors. The Scottish air was fresh and invigorating, charged with the smell of wet grass and the lake. The grounds stretched before him, vast and rolling, perfect for his experiments.
He found an isolated spot near the lake, sheltered from prying eyes, and began warming up. Basic stretches, arm rotations, flexions...
Fuck.
Everything was horribly easy. His muscles responded with supernatural fluidity, his joints moved without any resistance, no stiffness. It was like his body had become a perfectly oiled machine.
Soon, very soon I'll reach my true potential, and I'll become the green ninja! he amused himself by imitating.
He decided to start with running, hundred-meter sprints back and forth, gradually accelerating to test his limits. The first sprint was barely more than a jog. The second, a bit faster. The third...
He stopped short after the hundred meters, stunned.
I'm not even out of breath.
Worse, he had the impression of running at the same speed as an Olympic marathon athlete. That regular stride, that movement efficiency, that total absence of fatigue...
What the hell is happening to me?
He chained sprints. Ten, twenty, fifty, a hundred hundred-meter runs, gradually accelerating, testing the limits of this new machine his body had become.
After the hundredth run ,a hundredth ! he was barely warmer than at the start, and his top speed was now that of a professional sprinter.
This isn't human. This is literally not human.
He decided to move on to strength exercises. Push-ups: he stopped at two hundred, not from fatigue but from boredom. Sit-ups: same thing. Pull-ups on a solid branch: he could have continued indefinitely.
The most fascinating thing was this strange sensation in his muscles. With each exercise, he felt his muscle fibers... adapt. In real time. As if his body was analyzing the movement, identifying weaknesses, and instantly recalibrating to optimize the next performance.
I feel like my muscles are forging and adapting live. It's like having a personal trainer integrated at the cellular level.
He pushed the experiment further. Balance exercises on one foot, eyes closed: perfect. Complex coordination, chains of acrobatic movements he had never practiced: his body executed them as if he had repeated them a thousand times.
After three hours of intensive training, three hours! Aiden was finally sweating, but more from ambient heat than actual effort. His body was steaming slightly in the cool morning air, his muscles rolling contentedly under his skin.
Completely fascinated by these discoveries, he finally collapsed onto the fresh grass at the lake's edge, watching clouds drift across the Scottish sky. His entire body vibrated with deep satisfaction, like a racing engine that had just proven itself on a track.
Incredible. Absolutely incredible. I'm no longer human, that's obvious. Or I'm human version 2.0. Elf? Demigod? Elemental hybrid? Who knows...
He rolled onto his back, flexing his muscles with delight, feeling each fiber stretching and contracting with surgical precision.
- "Fuck," he murmured with a blissful smile, "I can't wait to see myself in the mirror."
Because if he had gained these superhuman physical abilities, there was good reason to believe his appearance had also continued evolving. And after this demonstration of strength and endurance, Aiden was curious to discover what exactly the magnificent monster he was becoming looked like.
But first, a little nap in the sun. Even demigods need to recover... well, I hope so.