[Rohan's POV]
It was noon, and I sat at the Leaky Cauldron, not for the food but to read the wizarding newspaper. Luckily, there wasn't much except 'strange weather near Hogsmead,' so I sighed with relief.
My body still hurt a bit from what happened yesterday, but at least I didn't hurt anyone.With that my job here was done. My goal for this trip was to get magical items and do the box experiment for the ancient one. Helping Olivia wasn't part of the plan, but it might help in the long run. Now I just had to wait to return, and all I had to do was plan for the next two months in the MCU. After what happened yesterday, I knew I had to get stronger.
I took out a small diary from my pocket and drew a 2x2 grid. I wanted to do a simple SWOT analysis. I wrote "strengths," "weaknesses," "opportunities," and "threats" in each box and started thinking carefully to fill them.
First, I wrote threats. Of course, Voldemort was one. Next, Litarally any wizard could be a threat. In the MCU, SHIELD and other organizations were potential threats, mutants and inhumans maybe? and also fucking Keng. I needed to keep an eye out for him somehow.
Next, were strengths. Apart from jumping between worlds, I had the ancient one's help, even though it was a give-and-take situation. At least I could trust her for now at least. Second, i had my phone with an AI that i knew very little of. I had a team of wizards ready to use and my most valuable asset was access to plot details.
For weaknesses, I had plenty. No combat experience, not physically fit, unable to use magic from either world, and no special abilities besides jumping between worlds every two months at the moment.
Looking at my weaknesses made me feel fustrated, but I kept going to the last box, Opportunities. It was the trickiest to fill because it required me to think about everything I knew from Harry Potter and Marvel. Opportunities included being in the Marvel Universe with technology so advanced, it resembled magic and access to plenty of magical artifacts. I could also get help from unique people there.
After thinking it all through, my conclusion was that I could get stronger by using tools, whether they were tech or magical. That meant I needed to focus on finding them. Now, as for my physical body, I needed to figure out how to get stronger, but it was easier said than done. My options were limited.
There were procedures that could help, but being a muggle in the Harry Potter world made it difficult. On the other hand, in the MCU, there were many options. I could consider cybernetics or genetic enhancements, but they were risky with sideeffects. I could also take the spider that made Spider-Man, but I didn't know its origin, and it might tie me to the Spider-Verse, which could be problematic.
So, my best option seemed to be the super soldier serum. It could quickly turn me into a fighter with no downsides, Unfortunately, I'd have to make my own since there was no perfected serum yet. The problem was, I had no idea who could help me create the serum. There were some that came to mind but seeking help from them could bring more trouble in my way.
After assessing everything, I realized that my first priority for now should be money, as it had been the most helpful lately. Everything was able to do this past month was because of money. With that in mind, I left the Leaky Cauldron. My next stop was to finally meet my aunt. No one knew I had come back yet, so today marked my official return to London. I hailed a cab and headed to her office.
It took me a while to get to the place. It was quite a distance, and the building looked more like a warehouse than an office. Back in the early '80s, during the home computing boom, she had started selling IBM PC clones. Over time, it had grown into what it was today, even becoming a major competitor to Dell.
As I reached the front door, I noticed a bustling scene. Cardboard boxes were stacked high, and people were working away on assembly lines, putting together those beige computers. I weaved my way through them all and headed towards the office at the back. It was easy for me as I had been here a lot. I opened the door to her office and found her deep in her paperwork. The table was full of paper and there were people working on desks calling people so the place was loud
*Knock* *Knock*
"You're back? Why didn't you give me a heads-up? I would've picked you up from the airport," Elena said with a surprised expression.
"I wanted to surprise you," I replied with a smile.
She hurried over and gave me a warm hug.
"So, what's happening here? It looks like everyone's busier than usual," I remarked.
"Don't worry about that. We just made a big acquisition a few days ago, so everyone is busy" she said.
"Wow, what did you get?" I asked, genuinely curious.
"It's Digital Research," she looked at me and said seeming to know that I knew what it meant.
" You got DR DOS? That's a big deal! It must've cost a fortune," I commented as I DID know what it meant. Digital Research was the maker of DR DOS an operating system and the creator of THE First Operateing System Period. Even though MS DOS was the most common these days, DR DOS was still popular as it was superior then the Microsoft one and was quite popular among Tech Professionals.
"Exactly, 93 million. Our biggest acquisition yet" she said proudly.
"That's a huge sum. you must have a lot of faith in it " i could only be shocked hearing the price. Her and the investors have taken quite the risk.
" Well yes, sales have doubled since last year and we have already made a deal with IBM in the works. "
We then talked more about it. When I was little, I had barely anything to take to her, so computers became something that was we bonded over, Sometimes, i even helped her by suggesting future trends based on my knowledge. That is why she always tells me these busniess things and also takes anything i say seriously.
After a bit of catching up, she shifted the conversation. "So, how's your new school? any problem adapting to life there?"
"You've read my letters, right? It's just as I described. The lack of a network is a minor inconvenience. The air is fresh, and the mountains-" I went on to describe the place, essentially painting a picture of Kamar Taj for her.
After an hour of conversation, I brought up a more important topic.
"Actually, I was thinking, can you help me start a business?"
"Why now? You're still in school, you can do that after school " she asked, with a hint of concern.
"Well, to be honest, I want to make some money before I finish school, I want to start investing in some projects I am interested in" I admitted.
"There are no restrictions on starting a business at your age, but it'll be challenging since you won't be here most of the year. You could hire someone to manage it. I think your best bet would be to sell a program."
"program?"
"Yeah, you always liked to play with computers when you were young. i think you can try to make one" she inquired.
"Yeah, it is a good idea, sounds like a good plan, I will try making one before leaving for school," I said.
"Don't underestimate it. Creating a program, especially one that people want to buy, isn't simple," she warned.
"I'll handle it. Don't worry" I promised.
"If you can do that, then I will help you publish it. The profits will be negotiated. what do you say? " she asked
"Deal!"
After our conversation, we headed home. I couldn't go to my own place since I was alone, so I went to Elena's. It seemed like I'd be staying there for a while.
===
For the next two weeks, I stayed at Elena's place. She went to work during the day, leaving George, who's a writer, at home. It was still tricky to meet Olivia in person, but I made sure to call her regularly to check on our project's progress.
With lots of free time, I decided to learn how to use the AI on my phone. It had its own programming language, which was a bit tough to figure out. But as the days passed, I started to see its incredible potential more clearly. This AI could make almost anything, like software and even full movies. It had loads of information from my world, from random fanfiction blogs to secret government files.
One day was special because Chris was coming back from Hogwarts. Aunt Elena went to pick him up at the station, all excited.
When they came back home after a while, George, who didn't know Chris very well, wanted to make a good impression. So he organized a little welcome party, and I stayed to help him with it.
We all sat around the table, had a nice meal, and Chris told us stories about his time at Hogwarts. He left out anything about magic since George still didn't know about it. While everyone was laughing and smiling, I felt a bit sad. I thought this might be the last time we had a regular family dinner. After this year, Chris would get caught up in all the action, and I didn't even know what I'd be doing. So, this moment might be the last time things felt normal.
Seeing me being quiet, George asked, "You're really quiet today. Is something bothering you?"
I shook my head and tried to smile. "No, George, I'm just a bit tired today."
He understood and said, "Well, you should get some rest. I've noticed you spend a lot of time on that computer lately."
"Hehe, you're right," I laughed.
Just then, the phone rang. I glanced at my watch and quickly got up, saying, "You all enjoy your meal; I'll see who's calling."
I rushed to answer the phone. It was Olivia, which I expected since we had a set time for our calls every day. She would only call me in the pre determined time-frame, this way only I would pick up the phone.
I picked up the phone and talked, "A letter came... When?... Okay, I'll be there tomorrow morning, and we can talk before we go in. Bye." i put down the phone, i was really excited now. i controlled my breathing to be normal again.
After the call, I came back to the table.
"Who was it?" George asked.
"Just some salesperson," I replied. "I kept telling them we don't need a new magazine subscription, but they wouldn't stop. I finally hung up and came back."
After dinner, bedtime arrived. Elena instructed George to head to bed first, promising to join him later after putting us to sleep. The real reason was she wanted to discuss about Hogwarts with Chris. The three of us were in the guest bedroom, sitting on the bed, while Chris eagerly recounted his enchanting experiences at Hogwarts.
"And then, they called me to sit, and there was this talking hat they placed on my head. It started talking and decided which house I'd belong to."
"A talking hat, huh?" Elena remarked.
"Yes, and there are these stairs that keep moving. You have to time it right to get to a specific floor," Chris continued.
"I don't know, Chris, it sounds a bit risky, you might fall" Elena expressed her concern.
"You don't need to worry, it's not," Chris assured me.
They continued their conversation, and I couldn't help but recall that Chris had already faced a troll, even though he wasn't mentioning it. It was really dangerious.
"No, the stairs might not be that safe. someones hand or legs might get stuck and I don't think there are any safety precausions other then for falling. It's just that magical healing can fix you up really quickly, so they tend to be quite lenient in safety. I don't think safety inspections are a priority for the Ministry either," I chimed in.
"You seem to know a lot, brother. How do you know all this?" Chris inquired.
"As you know, I've explored the wizarding world on my own, and I've also read the book 'Hogwarts: A History,'" I replied.
"Not that book again," Chris muttered under his breath.
"What was that, Chris?" I asked, feigning innocence.
"Nothing," Chris hastily replied.
"It all sounds so magical. I wish I could see the castle up close," Elena mused.
"Well, you can. Third-years are allowed to visit Hogsmeade, a nearby village. So, we can get a permit to go there then," I informed them both.
"Really?" both of them asked, excited by the prospect.
"Yes," i affirmed.
"Brother, you haven't told me much about your school," Chris interjected.
"Well, There is nothing special about it. it's in a mountain region, so I can see clouds up close. The air is really fresh, and the food is fantastic," I began to describe.
"Tell me more," Chris pressed.
"No, it's getting late. We'll talk more tomorrow," I interjected.
"Rohan is right; it's late. Goodnight," Elena concluded inturrepting us.
About an hour later, when Chris was sound asleep, I quietly slipped out of bed and made my way to the bathroom. I had some work to do because tomorrow was my first meeting with Dumbledore. I needed to mentally prepare myself, just in case he attempted Legilimency. Luckily, I had a basic understanding of mind reading from my time at Kamar-Taj. I might not be able to do it, but I could at least take precautions.
I sat down, and in the quiet of the night, I began reviewing images of books I had captured from Kamar-Taj about the intricacies of the mind. This was how I spent the rest of my night.