Okay, picking up after Harry's return from Diagon Alley, armed with his wand, wealth, history book, and knowledge
The remaining months of summer were unlike any Harry had experienced before. Days no longer blended into a monotonous cycle of survival and hidden progress; they were carved into distinct blocks of focused training and study, dictated by the raw materials of his new life. The cupboard under the stairs felt impossibly small, impossibly Muggle, holding a wizard with a dragon's hoard in a pouch, a living wand, and knowledge that would upend the world inside.
The System, his constant guide, adapted its prioritization. [Primary Quest Step 2: Acquire Supplies] was largely 'Navigated' due to the overwhelming wealth acquired at Gringotts (PQ Progress updated to Near Completion – actual use of money for supplies outside Diagon Alley or setting up an allowance required?). [Primary Quest Step 4: Investigate "Magic" as a System Category] and [Sub-objective: Acquire External Historical Data on User Identity / Associated Historical Event] were the driving forces now, fueling targeted learning and experimentation.
He began rationing his scarce private hours ruthlessly.
Phase 1: Information Acquisition (Academic Grind)
Using his impressive [Stealth Lv. 8] and [Situational Awareness Lv. 7], he would steal away to secluded spots (parks, library corners during fleeting opportunities, even carefully vacated Dursley rooms if empty and checkable) with his purchased books. [ITEM: Book - The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts] became his most vital textbook. He devoured its contents (powered by [INT 22] and [WIS 21]), comparing it to his life events, building a System database of names (Grindelwald, Dumbledore, You-Know-Who/Voldemort), places (Azkaban, Ministry of Magic), spells (brief mentions of curses, charms), and historical conflicts.
The history book didn't mention how You-Know-Who vanished after attacking him; just that he was "vanquished" and his followers scattered. It fueled the mystery of the scar and the shared phoenix feather core. His core skill [Observe Lv. 6] was constantly trained during these reading sessions, analyzing not just physical items, but the data structure within the text, building historical profiles and cross-referencing concepts. Every chapter, every new term, every explained event provided solid EXP tailored to his INT/WIS/Observe. (+10-50 EXP depending on density/relevance of new info).
His [Gamer's Mind Lv. 6] remained essential, allowing him to absorb the horrifying details of You-Know-Who's reign without emotional collapse, processing the data of thousands of deaths and brutal acts with cold, analytical focus.
He also started cracking open the standard first-year Hogwarts textbooks using the same rigorous System method. [ITEM: Book - Standard Book of Spells (Gr1)]. He quickly realized these weren't like Muggle academic books. They described theories and incantations, but felt... incomplete without a wand. He attempted to use [Observe] on the spells themselves ([Observe]: Spell Theory - Incomplete/Requires Active Application. Parameters: Verbal Component, Wand Movement, Intent. Energy Cost: Unclassified.) - it cost MPs but provided little hard data without practical use. Still, he learned the theory, memorizing wand movements and strange words, storing them for future practice ([+5-15 EXP] per section analyzed, focused on INT/WIS/Observe).
Phase 2: Practical Experimentation (Active Skill Grind)
He needed a safe place and time to use his wand and practice [Subtle Item Manipulation Lv. 3] (and [Intent Focus Lv. 2]) without detection. Night, often after midnight, in the most secluded corner of the back garden became his classroom. He'd silently leave his cupboard ([Stealth Lv. 8], [Agile Evasion Lv. 7], [DEX 22] making it feel like breathing), Hedwig perched silently on his shoulder or watching from the shadows (**[Familiar: Hedwig] gaining passive EXP from accompanying User on night excursions, improving Awareness/Loyalty stats?), and slip into the garden (Situation Awareness Lv 7 scouting).
He focused on honing [Subtle Item Manipulation] on slightly larger or heavier objects: lifting handfuls of pebbles, nudging heavier plant pots across the soil, attempting simple levitation of small leaves (Cost: 8MP per try + varying success). This actively trained SIM, Intent Focus, and burned MP.
And then, the wand. The 'unclassified System/Ability Conduit'. Holding it, feeling the potent [Magical Energy] resonate within him, was different from just passive detection. The Standard Book of Spells described how to cast. Focus intent, move wand, say words. Harry combined the instruction with his System knowledge. Spell Incantation = Verbal Component + Wand Movement + INT/WIS Processing. Intent Focus = Raw Willpower Application + CONCENTRATION. Wand = Conduit channeling Energy. MP = ? Was spellcasting using MP or something else?
He tried a basic levitation charm ([Spell Profile: Wingardium Leviosa]). Focus intent (lift a leaf), visualize (leaf rising), say words (Wingardium Leviosa!), move wand (swish and flick). Nothing. He tried again. Nothing. Tried draining MP intentionally (Observe spam until low MP). Tried again with the spell. Still nothing. It didn't cost MP, it didn't produce an effect. The System just registered [Attempt to use Unclassified Magical Protocol: Spellcasting - Outcome: Failure. Condition: Missing Energy Input/Alignment?]
This wasn't like Subtle Item Manipulation, which cost MP and showed minute results. Spellcasting was different. Was it the verbal component? Was it the wand movement? Or was it that "Missing Energy Input"? Did spellcasting use his detected [Unclassified Magical Energy] directly, not MP? If so, how did he access and control that?
This became a critical new sub-objective under [Investigate Magic as a System Category]: Understand Spellcasting Protocol & Required Energy Input. It was a wall, and he needed data.
He occasionally encountered Dursley conflict (reducing stress = boosting Gamer's Mind, evasion = Agile Evasion, stealth = Stealth). Dudley continued his attempts at physical domination (getting larger but still unskilled - Profile: Growing Threat, Predictable Patterns). Harry used his higher-level skills to effortlessly anticipate and avoid, rarely engaging physically unless cornered, choosing to rely on his agility and near-invisibility to simply remove himself from danger (Further Evasion/Stealth EXP, less Pain Resistance checks unless he chose to take a minor hit for training, +INT/WIS EXP from quick problem-solving).
He successfully extracted resources from Dudley's room two more times before Dudley's birthday and the subsequent clearing out for 'grown-up' presents made it too risky and less fruitful. His Muggle money stash grew slightly, a symbolic but practical victory (More PQ Step 2 Sub-objective progress).
Phase 3: Integrating Knowledge and Preparing.
In the quiet safety of his cupboard after nightly excursions, Hedwig asleep beside him, he would synthesize the day's data. Reading, experimenting (successfully with Manipulation, unsuccessfully with Spellcasting), observing (Dursleys, environment, himself), tracking PQ progress. He polished his glasses, cleaned his owl's perch discreetly, prepared himself. The standard school list items (books, wand, cauldron, owl, etc.) in his inventory were confirmed, awaiting September. His own growth—stats, levels, skills—felt more vital than any material possession.
The summer months passed. August arrived, hot and still. His eleventh birthday was just around the corner. He had amassed knowledge, honed abilities, and solved some core mysteries. The 'Boy Who Lived' data was integrated. The Leaky Cauldron Access Point and money requirement for supplies were solved. The Gringotts vault represented undeniable future resources beyond the initial school shopping. But how magic truly worked, the connection between wand, spells, and his own internal energy – that remained the System's biggest unresolved question, his hardest current wall.
His Status as he entered his eleventh year was formidable.
🔔 [TIME CHECK: User has reached 11th Birthday!]
[Potential Key Event Proximity Detected - Canonical Timeline Alignment Factor: High!]
[Suggesting review of critical resources and imminent objectives.]
Stats high, skills potent, Level 12 closing on 13 (say 2600/2800 EXP from summer grind). Money secured. Standard supplies ready. Owl companion acquired. Diagon Alley path mapped. Core history understood (Boy Who Lived / You-Know-Who). Intent Manipulation mastered to a decent level. MP pool and Regen were solid resources. Perk Points remained. The fundamental mechanism of spellcasting remained elusive.
August passed in its normal heat and boredom. The Dursleys became unusually jumpy, almost as if... as if they were waiting for something specific. Harry knew what they were waiting for. The final attempt. The last chance for the magical world to contact him via their default protocol. And they would fail, because he had already circumvented their standard path entirely months ago, obtaining information via a protocol designed to bypass Muggle obstruction only after standard methods failed.
Then came the date: September 1st. The day he was meant to go to Hogwarts. No letters arrived via normal mail, because Vernon's boarding-up years ago combined with Harry obtaining the ultimatum scroll directly had likely satisfied certain automated parameters of the persistence protocols – Harry, via proxy information and action, had received notification and confirmed attendance possibility (by getting supplies, guided by Vance who would have reported back). The System confirming Leaky Cauldron as an access point and his planned use of it, followed by Vance reporting contact and needs to Hogwarts after their meeting, likely updated the school registry significantly. Harry wasn't uncontacted; he was unconventional.
He spent September 1st in his cupboard, watching the morning pass, packed small amount of clothes and his acquired supplies (wand, cauldron components, etc.) discreetly hidden but accessible. He had Hedwig perched on his shoulder, sensing the unusual tension in the Muggle air. He checked the clock. Midday. No giant forcing his way through the door. No cascade of letters. The day came and went, his trunk unpacked mentally, the great journey he prepared for... delayed? Or was the canonical date specific to a certain method of entry?
Panic threatened for a moment (immediately filtered by [Gamer's Mind Lv. 6]), but the System showed no Failure state, no error. The Primary Quest wasn't aborted. September 1st... it was just a date mentioned on the scroll, for those using the standard method. His specific path to Diagon Alley through the Leaky Cauldron on that date given by the scroll was a time sensitive alternate access point he used months ago during the summer to get his supplies, not the train date itself. The school year simply starts on September 1st. Getting on the train requires him to get to King's Cross Station on that date.
His task wasn't just to be ready by September 1st. It was to get himself to King's Cross, Platform 9 and Three-Quarters, ON September 1st, bringing his required supplies. The school wouldn't come to Privet Drive again using drastic means unless he somehow vanished entirely after Vance had met him.
He had already acquired his supplies. He had successfully entered Diagon Alley. The next step wasn't waiting. It was enacting the travel plan. He needed to go back to the Leaky Cauldron entry today, September 1st, then figure out how to get to King's Cross. That was his true test. Not waiting to be fetched. But executing the final, System-charted route out of Privet Drive forever.
His Level 12 stats, near-mastery skills, Active Manipulation, loaded Inventory, knowledge of history, and core purpose were all aimed at that next immediate step. Exit Privet Drive. Navigate to King's Cross. Find Platform 9 and 3/4. Today. He was ready. More ready than anyone could know.