Chapter 8: Meet on Halloween
Recently, I discovered a rather mundane new function of the system: a diary-writing feature.
For someone like me, with a photographic memory, it's pretty much useless. But it's still kind of fun to record thoughts I can't really share with anyone else.
---
[September 9 – Sunny]
Penelope started school today. I wonder if she still got sorted into Ravenclaw. According to the original timeline, she would've started dating Percy in her fourth year and made it public when she became a prefect in her fifth.
Breakfast was beef noodles—finally, something besides spaghetti. Jack is awesome for making it happen; I was getting so tired of pasta.
Morning routine: exercise, think about Penelope, write letters.
Lunch: beef stew with potatoes and tomatoes. Soft, savory, better than braised beef.
Afternoon: read, nap, think about Penelope again, still waiting for her reply.
Dinner: shredded potatoes and winter melon with meatball soup—light and comforting. More reading. Still waiting.
---
[September 9 – Rainy]
Still no reply from Penelope. She must be caught up in the excitement of starting school.
Breakfast was fried noodles. Yep, definitely a morning noodle person.
Exercise, miss Penelope, and wait for the letter again.
Lunch: butter-baked snails and steak. The snails were surprisingly good—never expected to enjoy them that much.
Finally, a reply! Penelope did get into Ravenclaw. She's thrilled. Asked me if I could actually see the future. Apparently, Ravenclaw has its own library filled with notes left behind by older students.
They had their first Charms class today, taught by their Head of House, Professor Flitwick. He didn't teach any spells yet—just went over the basics and rules about using magic outside class.
They also had Astronomy—observing stars with telescopes. That's scheduled every Wednesday night.
Dinner: grilled steak with Yorkshire pudding and black tea. My favorite. More reading. Another letter.
---
[September 9 – Cloudy]
Still waiting for another letter. The excitement is building. It's not like the Hogwarts I imagined from the books and movies in my previous life—it's better. Like knowing you're marrying the person you love tomorrow and winning the lottery at the same time.
Breakfast: spaghetti Bolognese. Delicious.
Lunch: eggplant stew—soft, savory, and perfect with rice.
Penelope wrote back again. She mentioned their prefect, Tiger, a strong, burly wizard who handed out class schedules. Astronomy every Wednesday—called it. She also mentioned Professor Sprout, a short, plump witch who teaches Herbology in the greenhouses behind the castle. They also started Transfiguration—first lesson was turning matches into needles.
---
[September 9 – Clear Skies]
Still no new letter. I've been thinking—when I use the system to gain spell proficiency, the methods feel a little different from what's in the books. Is my approach better suited for me, or are the books just generalizations?
Breakfast: shrimp dumplings. A rare treat. Back in my previous life, shrimp was precious in our inland town. Even later, when things got better, shrimp was still a big deal. Whenever my family cooked it, they'd just boil it without even deveining them. Shrimp dumplings are a luxury.
Sometimes I regret not making it to university before getting pulled into this world. I could've lived independently, eaten more shrimp dishes. Strange how I miss my past life today. But I'm not an only child—I had an older brother. He'll take care of our parents, so maybe it's okay to let go.
Lunch: didn't feel hungry. Just had steak.
Penelope's new letter arrived. She's finding Ravenclaw a bit lonely—only made friends with her roommate, Kate. The others admire her, but keep their distance. She spends her time reading, but says she's starting to regret her choice. The Sorting Hat had originally wanted to place her in Hufflepuff, but she chose Ravenclaw out of pride or fear. Now, she says, even if she wanted to switch, she can't.
Funny—we both ended up writing long letters today. Maybe we're on the same wavelength, both feeling low. I could only write my thoughts in this diary.
I decided to tell her about the secret passages at Hogwarts and the Room of Requirement—hopefully, they'll add a little magic to her routine.
Dinner: just a few bites of bread. Chinese food from my memories is enough to keep me going.
---
Two months passed before I knew it. I'd been writing to Penelope nearly every day. I also focused on learning alchemy and a few practical spells like the Shield Charm. My recon skills were solid, and between exercise and reading, both my body and mind were improving steadily.
---
October 31, 1987 – Halloween
Status:
Race: Wizard
Strength: 15 (Normal human limit: 10)
Constitution: 29 (Normal: 10)
Magic Power: 21 (Normal: 10)
Skills:
Thinking Lv.3 (15%)
Body Modification Lv.3 (57%)
Alchemy Lv.2 (47%)
Spellcraft Lv.2 (22%)
Potions Lv.2 (11%)
Transfiguration Lv.2 (63%)
Gun Combat Lv.2 (23%)
Martial Arts Lv.2 (14%)
Reconnaissance Lv.1 (78%)
---
Hogsmeade—the only all-wizard village in Britain—was located near Hogwarts, founded by Hengist of Woodcroft. Hogwarts students can visit it on certain weekends starting in their third year with permission. One of the most famous stores there is Honeydukes, a renowned candy shop.
In a recent letter, I told Penelope about a secret passage leading from Hogwarts to Honeydukes, hidden behind the statue of the one-eyed witch on the fourth floor. Tap the statue and cast the spell to split it—its hunchback opens to reveal a narrow tunnel just big enough for a slim person. The journey takes about an hour.
We made plans to meet up today, on Halloween, dressed as monsters. Our meeting place: Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop in Hogsmeade, at 2 PM.
I was finally going to see Penelope—and Hogwarts—from a new angle. Visiting the wizarding village would bring the books to life in a way nothing else could.
But I decided to skip the costume. Instead, I planned to head to Honeydukes early and surprise her by sneaking up from behind. That would be even more fun.
--------------------------------+--------------------------
If you like the story please give it some power stones and reviews. And if you want to read 30 advance chapters or just want to support me please join my patreon at patreon.com/Translatingfanfics