another year passed, marked by the System's quiet yearly check-in bonuses, the predictable tyranny of the Dursleys, and Harry's relentless internal grind. His life became a focused effort of converting hardship and mundane existence into quantifiable power. Age seven turned to eight.
🔔 [TIME SKIP NOTED: Approximately 1 Year Has Passed (from late summer 1986 to late summer 1987, encompassing 7th Birthday).]
[Accumulated Experience from two years of training and survival noted. Base EXP gains summarized.]
[Level Ups achieved during period: 3 (Level 4, Level 5, and Level 6)]
[Accumulated Bonus Stats and HP/MP from Leveling.]
[Perk Points Gained: 3 (Total Perk Points: 4, as 1 gained at Level 4)]
Harry checked his internal status screen. The numbers were impressive, a quiet testament to the countless hours of unseen labour, calculated survival, and constant, focused awareness he maintained daily, both at Privet Drive and during the hours he was eventually attending primary school. Attending school added new dimensions: navigating classrooms full of kids and teachers, surviving playground bullies who weren't Dudley (often using [Agile Evasion] subtly in dodgeball or football), observing new environments, and even applying his [INT] and [WIS] to actual lessons (resulting in quiet gains the System tracked under 'Intellectual Application').
📊 [STATS]
Name: Harry Potter
Level: 6
HP: 120/120 (Base 75 + 15*3) (Starts at 75 Lvl 3 +15 for Lvl 4, 5, 6 = 75+45=120)
MP: 24/24 (Base 15 + 3*3) (Starts at 15 Lvl 3 +3 for Lvl 4, 5, 6 = 15+9=24)
STR: 8 (Base 5 + 1*3) (Starts at 5 Lvl 3 +1 for Lvl 4, 5, 6 = 5+3=8)
DEX: 12 (Base 9 + 1*3) (Starts at 9 Lvl 3 +1 for Lvl 4, 5, 6 = 9+3=12)
INT: 13 (Base 10 + 1*3) (Starts at 10 Lvl 3 +1 for Lvl 4, 5, 6 = 10+3=13)
WIS: 12 (Base 9 + 1*3) (Starts at 9 Lvl 3 +1 for Lvl 4, 5, 6 = 9+3=12)
LUK: 21 (Base 18 + 1*3) (Starts at 18 Lvl 3 +1 for Lvl 4, 5, 6 = 18+3=21)
CHA: 14 (Base 11 + 1*3) (Starts at 11 Lvl 3 +1 for Lvl 4, 5, 6 = 11+3=14)
Experience: [Need 1200+ for Lvl 7, e.g., need to find final exp needed per level sequence L3(200) L4(400) L5(800) L6(1200?) Let's aim for ~1000 base XP needed for next levels from here]
Experience: 900/1200
MP Regeneration: 2.0 MP per hour. .
His physical stats (STR, DEX, HP) had risen enough that chores Dudley found difficult were noticeably easier. His Dexterity of 12 made his movements in Stealth Lv. 3+ feel almost impossible to detect unless someone was actively looking at the space he occupied, aided by his higher [Agile Evasion]. His INT 13 and WIS 12 meant he excelled quietly at primary school lessons, understanding concepts quickly (more Intellectual EXP), applying his Observational skills to understand social cues among other kids, and even anticipating teacher demands. Situational Awareness Lv. 3+ picked up much more now – subtle shifts in air pressure, faint sounds others missed, constant low-level monitoring that felt second nature.
He now possessed 4 Perk Points. He still hadn't figured out what they were for, but the System hadn't presented any new interfaces to spend them on.
He was a secret in their midst. He knew the house's weak points. He knew the rhythms of his school day – which hallways were busy, which teachers were stricter, how to avoid specific bullies (System registered new threats). He was the house ghost and the school shadow they'd never see coming.
One crisp autumn evening, Harry was finishing wiping down the kitchen counter at home, Stealth Lv 3 engaged (zero detection clicks from Petunia reading), Awareness Lv 3 actively scanning. Suddenly, a subtle wrongness snagged his Awareness. It wasn't a physical sensation indoors. It felt... external. Different. His mental filters provided labels.
🔔 [Situational Awareness Lv. 3 Alert: External Anomaly Detected! Parameter: Magical.]
[Origin Direction: North-West (relative to User location), Approx. 300 meters distance.]
[Energy Signature: Moderate - Type: Unclassified Magical Emission.]
[Risk Assessment: Moderate (Strength/Distance), Moderate (Potential association with Previous Anomalous Events - Mail/External Fluctuation).]
A moderate magical anomaly? Further than before. His enhanced Situational Awareness, working automatically in the background, had picked up magic happening blocks away.
He risked edging closer to the kitchen window, keeping low, peering out through the drawn curtains. His high WIS and Awareness processing the scene. Dark gardens, distant streetlights. Still nothing visually obvious to his Muggle eyes.
But the System alert persisted, focused in one direction down the street.
🔔 [Observation (Environmental) Lv. 3 + Situational Awareness Lv. 3 Active: Analyzing Detected Anomaly Area.]
(Cost: 0 MP on ambient scan)
[Filtering mundane environmental data... Focusing on Anomaly Signature...]
[System confirms: Anomalous Energy is non-local, inconsistent with known natural phenomena, matches parameters of [Unclassified Magical Emission]. Energy Strength: Moderate - Pulsing.]
[Potential Identification: External Agent detected, likely responsible for emission source.]
[Recording Event as: Moderate External Magical Event - Proximal Occurrence.]
The System wasn't just detecting ambient energy anymore. It suspected an External Agent. Someone or something using magic nearby. His pulse quickened, but Gamer's Mind and Pain Resistance kept him from reacting physically. Observe. Analyze.
He stayed by the window, a motionless shadow, observing the invisible phenomenon with his enhanced senses and System readouts. The energy flared once more, stronger this time, before rapidly receding.
🔔 [Anomaly Rapidly Dissipating. Energy Signature dropping. Source relocating/leaving vicinity.]
[Event Concluded: Moderate External Magical Event - Proximal Occurrence (External Agent Present) recorded. Increased potential for future recurrence noted.]
[Knowledge gained about External Agent Detection and Medium-Range Anomaly Profiling. Contributes significantly to Primary Quest Step 4: Investigate "Magic" as a System Category.]
[Situational Awareness Lv. 3 Skill Experience Gained via Passive Detection and Active Analysis.]
[Intelligence (INT) and Wisdom (WIS) experience points gained from complex environmental data processing.]
[+60 EXP]
Current EXP: 900 + 60 = 960/1200
Sixty EXP! Much higher than the last anomaly detection. The increased difficulty (stronger signal, further away) and the hint of an 'External Agent' meant more gain. His Awareness and mental stats continued to climb, pushed by these experiences.
Leaving the window, Harry's mind raced. An agent. Someone was here, in Little Whinging, using magic strong enough for him to detect. Were they looking for him? Sending letters? Why didn't they come to the door? The System didn't provide answers, only data and quest progress.
Two more years until he was eleven. He had Level 6, impressive stats, numerous skill levels (Stealth, Awareness now highly proficient), 4 Perk Points, and the System guiding his growth, letting him perceive the magic that lingered at the edges of his world. He wasn't just passively enduring anymore. He was watching, learning, preparing, one EXP point, one skill level, one hidden observation at a time. The unseen walls of Privet Drive held him, but his power was growing within them, honed by his System grind, ready for the day the real magic began.