Chapter 9: The Study's Secret
Saturday felt different. The weekend with the Dursleys was always a looming threat, but today, the quiet hum of the System in Harry's mind was accompanied by the conscious knowledge of his budding abilities. He was Level 2 now, stats improved, Dexterity sitting at 7 thanks to [Agile Evasion]. His focus on being unseen and unheard felt less like desperation and more like practice.
📊 [STATS]
Name: Harry Potter
Level: 2
HP: 60/60
MP: 12/12
STR: 4
DEX: 7
INT: 9
WIS: 7
LUK: 16
CHA: 10
Experience: [Start Saturday EXP here, maybe around 130/200, reflecting steady gains from previous days. Let's set it at 140/200 to leave room for more gain later.]
Experience: 140/200
Close enough to Level 3 to feel possible today or tomorrow.
🎯 [QUEST ACCEPTED!]
Title: Survive the Week
Goal: Avoid Dudley's violent games. Minimize interactions with Petunia. Ensure daily food intake (minimum one meal/day). Do not reveal the existence of the System.
Progress: 4/7 days survived safely (Current Week Status: Sat)
Reward: +100 EXP, +1 LUK, unlock passive skill [Pain Resistance I]
Failure: Serious injury, revelation of the System, prolonged starvation. Unknown penalties.
Day five. Over halfway. The end was Monday night.
🔔 [ACQUIRED SKILLS]
Gamer's Mind Lv. 1 (Passive)
Observe Lv. 1 (Active)
Agile Evasion Lv. 1 (Passive - DEX bonus, subtle warnings)
🔔 [POTENTIAL SKILL DEVELOPMENT]
Stealth (Subtle Movement): Action Trigger: Move quietly and unnoticed. Current Progress: [High Progress]. Requires conscious, deliberate application.
Situational Awareness: Action Trigger: Scan/monitor environment for info/threats. Current Progress: [Moderate Progress]. Requires consistent conscious effort, use of [Observe] on relevant targets helps.
Today, he would focus hard on both Stealth and Situational Awareness. Maybe today was the day one of them unlocked.
Chores started the day. Preparing breakfast (+5 EXP, 145/200). Cleaning the sitting room meticulously (+7 EXP, 152/200). Every movement was careful, every step silent. He focused on the physical feeling of moving unnoticed. Stealth, Stealth, Stealth.
Mid-morning, Aunt Petunia went out to buy groceries. Uncle Vernon was preoccupied watching television. Dudley was supposed to be cleaning his room, which Harry knew meant playing video games or demolishing toys upstairs. This was an opportunity.
He was dusting the hallway near the rarely-used study. Uncle Vernon's study was usually locked, the key kept firmly on Vernon's person. But Vernon was home, maybe he'd been careless? Harry needed to know if the door was still locked without touching it. He tried a more deliberate form of [Observe] on the door itself, expanding his mental focus.
🔔 [Using Observe Lv. 1... Target: Uncle Vernon's Study Door]
(Cost: 0 MP for structure)
🚪 [STRUCTURE: Uncle Vernon's Study Door]
Description: Solid oak door. Locked. Lock Mechanism: Standard internal lock requiring specific key. Condition: Secure. Notes: Security bypassed only with matching Key Item. Key Item Status: Undetected in Immediate Proximity.
Locked. And the key wasn't right there. Disappointing. He looked around, focusing his senses, activating his Situational Awareness instinct. Was there a usual hiding spot? Petunia kept a spare vacuum cupboard key nearby… Did Vernon do anything similar? He remembered seeing the key briefly on the bookshelf ledge that day he delivered the tea. Was it a habit?
He used [Observe] again, specifically on the hallway bookshelf near the study.
🔔 [Using Observe Lv. 1... Target: Bookshelf near Study - Potential Items]
(Cost: 0 MP for item scan)
📦 [ITEM: Bookshelf (Hallway) - Item Scan Results]
Items Present: Generic dusty books (Various genres). Item found partially concealed: [Key Item - Uncle Vernon's Study Key]. Location Status: Partially Visible (Top Shelf, under red book). Condition: Dusty, Functional. Notes: Left unsecured. Risk Factor if Discovered: High.
There! The key! He found it again. Uncle Vernon, complacent at home, had hidden it lazily on the bookshelf right outside the door. This was his chance. He wouldn't have long before Uncle Vernon paused the TV or Dudley got bored. This required peak Stealth.
Harry took a steadying breath, channeling the calm focus of [Gamer's Mind] and the precise body control of his DEX 7, boosted by his intensive Stealth practice. Every cell screamed: move quietly. He advanced on the bookshelf, making not a whisper of sound. He reached out a hand, slid his fingers under the corner of the heavy red book. His fingers brushed against the cool metal.
He had it. Quick and silent. He didn't feel an explicit EXP ping for grabbing the key, but he felt a deep sense of rightness, a surge of capability. The act itself felt like adding fuel to the Stealth skill progress bar, a critical moment.
He moved immediately to the study door. Key in the lock, turn it with infinite care. Soft click. Open the door just wide enough to slip through. Side-step inside. Shut the door. Listen. Silence from within the study. Outside, faint television sounds from the sitting room. He quickly located the small metal bolt on the inside of the door and slid it home. Locked from the inside. Secure for now.
He leaned against the door for a second, heart pounding despite Gamer's Mind. He'd done it. Used [Observe], his wits, his growing Stealth, and seized the brief window of opportunity.
Now, the study itself. And the object he sensed was hidden here. He approached Uncle Vernon's desk, scanning it with [Observe]. He located the stack of paperwork, noted by the System as 'sensitive'. He focused his gaze, looking for the unexpected item, the thick envelope from the Mason's house (assuming he hadn't fully identified it or opened it at the Masons' in this revised timeline, saving the magic reveal for now).
He saw the corner of the familiar thick parchment peeking out from under the stack. He reached for it, hands trembling slightly. He pulled it out. It was the envelope from Sunday at the Mason's! He hadn't truly looked at it there, only sensed its difference and hidden it quickly. Now he could see the elegant script, the name... Mr. H. Potter.
He looked at the front of the envelope, focusing [Observe] intensely, hoping for more details.
🔔 [Using Observe Lv. 1... Target: Unfamiliar Envelope with Strange Script]
(Cost: 1 MP)
(MP Remaining: 11/12)
✉️ [ITEM: Unfamiliar Envelope]
Description: Thick, heavy parchment envelope. Address written in elegant, unfamiliar script: Mr. H. Potter, The Cupboard Under the Stairs, 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. Unique Seal: [Magical Emblem - Primary Element Detected]. No conventional postage. Detected Origin: Unknown (Possible Extradimensional or Unclassified Local Source). Detected Energy Signature: [Strong Magical Essence - Unclassified by System].
Magical Emblem. Magical Essence. Extradimensional or Unclassified Local Source. The System was using completely new labels. He held the letter, the parchment felt impossibly real. Was this... magic?
A banner unfurled in his internal view, demanding his attention, swirling with colours and power he instinctively felt were associated with this 'Magic'.
🗺️ [NEW CATEGORY DETECTED: MAGIC]
[System cross-referencing information. 'Magic' appears to be an energy form utilized by sapient entities. Evidence of this form is present within the User (Passive trace detected).]
Evidence present within the User. The System detected magic in him. Was that the strange things he sometimes did?
The banner changed again, restructuring his internal System map.
🗺️ [PRIMARY QUEST LINE DETECTED!]
Title: Embrace the Unknown: A Wizard's Journey
Description: User has encountered undeniable evidence of "Magic," an unseen world. This event indicates User's innate connection to this energy form. The associated message invites User into this hidden world.
Main Objective: Explore and Integrate into the Magical World.
Proposed Major Steps:
Investigate the Source of Magical Communication (Understand the message and its origin: "Hogwarts").
Navigate Prerequisites for Entry (Determine requirements, Acquire Supplies - likely located within or linked to the Magical world).
Integrate into the Detected Magical Society (Attend the "Educational Institution").
Investigate "Magic" as a System Category (Gain System understanding of Magic).
Status: PENDING ACCEPTANCE
This Quest Line represents a significant shift in the User's path. Accepting this Quest will redefine the User's overarching progression goals. Survive the Week will become a [Minor/Introductory Quest]. Decline or Delay at User's discretion.
The message blurred slightly before his eyes as he focused back on the physical letter. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Reading the header. The contents poured into his mind: Admission letter. Supplies needed. Diagon Alley. September 1st. It was an invitation. To leave. To learn magic. The System's objective 'Integrate into Magical Society' suddenly felt concrete, attached to a real, impossible destination.
He held the letter, the answer to all his deepest wishes condensed onto thick parchment. A magical school. A place that wanted him.
He knew he couldn't keep it out here. Not with Dudley potentially roaming, Petunia checking, Vernon returning. He needed to hide it immediately, permanently, somewhere absolutely safe from prying Dursley eyes and rummaging hands. Somewhere even Petunia's frantic cleaning wouldn't accidentally expose it.
He thought furiously, quickly, scanning the room with his eyes, letting his potential Situational Awareness scan for possibilities. The chimney? Too risky, might get dirty or burn. Under a rug? Too obvious. Back behind Vernon's important papers? Better, but not guaranteed if Vernon looked closely. The System hint from previous practice at the Masons' surfaced – the armchair?
He went to Vernon's large armchair, dropped to his knees. Using [Observe], he confirmed the slight gap behind the skirt. It was dusty, hidden. Perfect. He angled the thick envelope carefully and slid it horizontally into the gap, pushing it back as far as he could until it was out of sight, under the chair, into the darkness and dust.
Safe. His impossible treasure, secured.
He stood up, brushing the dust off his trousers. He had mere minutes. He wiped his hands on his clothes. Unlock the bolt. Listen. Uncle Vernon still distracted? Yes. Silently unlock the main door with the key, pull it inward just enough to slip out. Slip into the hall. Close door. Lock it carefully from the outside. Hide the key again exactly where he found it on the bookshelf. Then retrieve the vacuum cupboard key, put the study key in the vacuum cupboard, lock that, return that key. A cascade of small, silent, necessary actions.
Success. He hadn't been caught. He was out, the secret hidden. His lungs felt tight with the effort of holding his breath and the suppressed exhilaration.
A wave of notifications washed over him, the final verdict on his break-in.
🔔 [Action Outcome: Critical Execution of Stealth Protocol!]
[User successfully bypassed locked entry and navigated potentially hostile environment (Vernon's Study) without detection under time pressure.]
[High Application of Stealth, Observe, and Situational Awareness demonstrated.]
[Potential Skill Development Threshold Breached: [Stealth]!]
[Processing Potential Skill Unlock: [Stealth] based on consistent, deliberate, and critically successful application under pressure...]
🎉 [NEW SKILL UNLOCKED!] 🎉
Congratulations! Through consistent effort to move silently and remain unnoticed, User Harry James Potter has developed the passive skill [Stealth]!
✨ [Stealth Lv. 1 (Passive)] ✨
Description: User possesses a knack for fading into the background and moving without attracting attention. Reduces detection probability. Adds small bonus to Dexterity (DEX) and Agility when consciously attempting to move subtly.
Persistent Effect: Minor permanent increase to base Dexterity. (Applies Now!)
📊 [STATS Update!]
Name: Harry Potter
Level: 2
HP: 60/60
MP: 12/12
STR: 4
DEX: 7 --> 8 (+1 base from Stealth Lv 1)
INT: 9
WIS: 7
LUK: 16
CHA: 10
Experience: 152 + [EXP for complex Stealth/Observe/Entry + Info Acquisition]
Eight Dexterity! Stealth was now his. It, combined with Agile Evasion, meant he was astonishingly quick and silent for a small boy. The Dexterity stat of 8, along with Int 9 and Wis 7 (and building) made him less like a helpless victim and more like a small, sharp, quick creature surviving in a dangerous world.
And the EXP for that sequence?
[+25 EXP]
Current EXP: 152 + 25 = 177/200
Twenty-five EXP for that incredibly high-pressure sequence of observation, retrieval, stealth entry, object retrieval, observation of item (Magic detected, quest proposed), hiding the item, stealth exit, and re-securing the environment! It was a massive chunk of experience, recognizing the difficulty and perfect execution of his skills.
The rest of Saturday was about avoiding Dudley, continuing to practice his Stealth (now an active skill!), and Situation Awareness (still a potential one). He successfully dodged Dudley several times, relying on Agile Evasion, Stealth, and his growing awareness, adding to both those skill experiences. Dinner was meager but secured his quest goal for the day (+10 EXP, 187/200).
Curled in his cupboard on Saturday night, aching and tired, Harry reviewed the day. Stealth Lv 1 unlocked. Dexterity at 8. EXP at 187/200, only 13 from Level 3. Day 5 of the quest complete. And the incredible, terrifying, wonderful knowledge of the magical letter hidden yards away, the shimmering Primary Quest it represented sitting pending in his awareness.
He hadn't accepted it yet. Not until Survive the Week was complete. But knowing it was there, a completely different world waiting for him, transformed his cage into a waiting room.
Tomorrow was Sunday. Another day of survival. And one step closer to everything changing.