Harry Potter: I am the Legend

At Hogwarts, Hoffa should have been able to enjoy a carefree life like everyone else—sleeping, attending classes, eating, and playing games with friends.

But that wasn't an option for him. Perhaps it worked for other students, but not for Hoffa.

He was different. Europe was a society that valued connections, lineage, and family, especially in Britain.

Other students could relax and have fun because, no matter what happened, their families would stand behind them. Every student at Hogwarts had relatives—whether they were from Muggle or wizarding families. Even Tom Riddle, who had come from the same orphanage as Hoffa, had relatives, whether he liked it or not.

But Hoffa had no one but himself.

Faced with an uncertain future, there was no one he could rely on.

The countdown to the war was about ten months.

This constant pressure loomed over him like the Sword of Damocles, leaving him with a perpetual sense of insecurity. Despite having learned some basic spells and obtaining a guidebook on advanced Transfiguration, he didn't feel much optimism.

Hoffa often asked himself, Can the human body withstand bullets? Can I cross a battlefield riddled with gunfire and remain unscathed?

If the answer was no, the only choice was to keep pushing himself.

He had to grow stronger.

He needed to learn everything that could be of use to him.

So, on the weekend, as the first light of dawn broke and his dormmates were still sound asleep, Hoffa grabbed the thick book he had borrowed with such effort and headed out.

Borrowing the book didn't mean he could immediately transform into an Animagus. There were countless intricacies to master. But compared to having no guidance at all, this was a significant step forward.

Now that he had the book, he needed to study its mysterious Transfiguration content thoroughly.

After a quick breakfast, Hoffa was ready to head out when he saw Professor Melrith of Gryffindor at the base of the clock tower. He was checking the number of students going to Hogsmeade.

Hogsmeade was a wizard-only village near Hogwarts and the headquarters of the Goblin Rebellion of 1612. According to school rules, only third-year students and above were allowed to visit on certain Saturdays, and they needed signed permission from a guardian.

A group of third-year students stood on the lawn, dressed casually, their faces beaming with excitement.

Hoffa was unimpressed by their behavior. Squandering their time in a place as magical as Hogwarts! Don't they realize how precious it is? Wouldn't it be better to spend that time in the library, learning some new spells?

To Hoffa, a wizard—whether good or evil—needed to possess a strong spirit of independence, the ability to endure solitude, resist temptation, and dedicate most of their energy to exploring the true meaning of the universe and philosophy.

Of course, he didn't need the library right now. What he needed was already in his hands.

Stretching his legs, Hoffa ran slowly toward the Black Lake with the book in his arms.

The tranquil lake mirrored the rolling hills and the mysterious castle on the shore. The waves sparkled with dazzling silver light. Clouds in the lake resembled blooming snow lotuses, and in the distance, he could see ancient stone aqueducts from the era of King Arthur.

At the lakeside, Hoffa found a secluded, well-lit patch of grass. Excited and full of anticipation, he eagerly opened the thick book he had worked so hard to borrow.

But as he flipped through its pages, his smile and excitement gradually faded. His expression turned calm, then serious.

He realized he had been overly optimistic.

This book was a truly comprehensive guide to Transfiguration, detailing the process of becoming an Animagus with remarkable clarity. Every step and every flow of magical energy was explained in detail. However, the clearer the explanation, the more Hoffa realized just how profound and complex Transfiguration could be.

Becoming an Animagus was no simple, low-level spell. It was an incredibly advanced and difficult branch of magic, requiring mastery of over a dozen steps and hundreds of magical transitions, all executed in rapid succession. Even for the exceptionally gifted, it would take at least a year of dedicated practice to succeed.

At least a year... That meant Hoffa's plans to explore the secrets of the school would have to wait.

Lifting his head from the book, Hoffa frowned deeply.

It wasn't that he was overly curious about the hidden mysteries of Hogwarts—he wasn't Voldemort, with a compulsive need to collect artifacts or a thirst for ultimate power.

But with World War II looming and the future unpredictable, Hoffa felt an urgent pressure. The knowledge he had gained from the system's mysterious deity was still incomplete. He had acquired only two-thirds of the spell fragments, and it was vital to gather the rest as soon as possible.

Without that, he would have no defenses when faced with the horrors of war.

Should I look for the Disillusionment Charm instead? Hoffa thought irritably.

The Animagus transformation required an enormous amount of time, and the Disillusionment Charm was still out of reach. Meanwhile, the task of exploring the school remained stalled. It was a frustrating situation.

"Such a headache," Hoffa muttered, clutching the book.

Taking a deep breath, he used meditation techniques to calm his agitation. He decided to stick to his studies—slow progress was still better than none.

By the Black Lake, Hoffa immersed himself in solitary study. From time to time, he pulled out a piece of prepared parchment and a quill to jot down notes, occasionally using his wand to experiment with movements and magical energy flows.

Mastering the Animagus transformation process was grueling, but learning brought him joy.

As the sun climbed higher, the morning light faded, and the shapes of the clouds shifted constantly.

The morning flew by as Hoffa studied. By noon, he felt a bit hungry, but unwilling to waste time returning to the castle, he picked some berries by the lake. Snacking on them, he let his eyes rest on the castle's reflection in the distance, feeling refreshed and ready to continue his magical journey in the afternoon.

But just then, a voice suddenly called out, "Hoffa!"

Startled, Hoffa sat up straight and looked around.

Nothing. Only the breeze rustling the branches. He glanced at the lake, where only the ripples lapped against the pebbles.

"Damn it, am I hearing things?" Hoffa muttered, turning a page in his book.

Yet just as he was about to resume reading, the voice came again, louder this time: "Hey, Hoffa! Are you deaf?"

Hoffa jumped to his feet, snapped the book shut, and drew his wand, scanning the surroundings warily.

"Who's there? Who's talking?" he demanded, his tone sharp.

"Idiot, stop looking around. It's me!"

The voice was so close, almost a whisper in his ear. Puzzled, Hoffa touched his ear and felt his silver earring.

Then he recognized the voice.

Startled, he exclaimed, "Is that you, Indor!?"

"Who else could it be?" Indor replied lazily. "What's the matter? Made so many friends at Hogwarts that you've forgotten your partner's voice?"

Relieved, Hoffa put his wand away, both amused and annoyed. So that trickster goblin installed a magical Bluetooth device in my earring! No wonder he left without giving me any way to contact him. Indor was, after all, Hoffa's first real friend in this world.

From the earring, Indor's curious voice came:

"If I'm not mistaken, you should have the day off today, right? How's life at Hogwarts treating you?"

"Ha," Hoffa said, popping a berry into his mouth. "Why are you so interested in me all of a sudden? Did one of your scams get exposed?"

"Not at all," Indor sighed. "But I do have an urgent matter that I need your help with—something very important. Can you meet me right now?"

"Meet you?" Hoffa froze, glancing around.

"How are we supposed to meet? I'm at Hogwarts."

Indor asked, "Do you know Hogsmeade Village? I'm at the Three Broomsticks. If you can make it here before nightfall, that's good enough."

Hoffa was alarmed. "Are you insane? How am I supposed to get there? I'm just a first-year. If the school catches me going to Hogsmeade, I'll be expelled!"

"Ah, come on," the goblin chuckled. "Rules are meant to be broken. Every Hogwarts graduate I know broke at least ten expulsion-worthy rules, yet they still graduated just fine. Listen, your school has plenty of secret passageways..."

"Stop it!" Hoffa immediately cut him off. "I'm only eleven years old, and I'm as short as you. The moment I step out of a secret passage, someone will spot me. There's no way I can sneak out."

Indor sounded surprised on the other end. "Really? You've been at Hogwarts for almost a month now, and you haven't learned any stealth spells? Like the Disillusionment Charm, Obfuscation Spell, or even a basic Glamour Spell?"

Hearing this only made Hoffa more frustrated. He snapped, "Oh yeah? If you're so great at them, why don't you teach me? Teach me, and I'll go wherever you want!"

"Teach you?" Indor sounded incredulous. "Goblin magic isn't something human wizards can learn. You have your own spellcasting system."

"Then why are you even talking about it?" Hoffa retorted irritably. "Can you help or not? If not, I'm hanging up."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Indor quickly interjected. "Don't be so hasty. I can't teach you, but someone at your school can."

This unexpected twist made Hoffa pause. Excitedly, he asked, "Who?"

"Well, I don't know the specifics," Indor admitted. "But my previous partner once told me about a club he joined while at Hogwarts.

"It was a club focused on spells. When you first joined, the club president would reward new members with a spell of your choice—if you could pass the club's test."

Hoffa's eyes widened.

"A club like that exists?"

"Of course. There are lots of clubs at Hogwarts."

"Where is it?" Hoffa asked eagerly.

"I have no idea. I'm not a student there," the goblin said, sounding annoyed. "But remember the earring I gave you? My former partner wore a goblin earring too. His name was Nimon. Try checking the club registry at your school; you might find something there."

Hoffa snapped his book shut and leapt to his feet, heading straight back toward the castle.

Indor's voice followed him, still chattering away: "If you learn any invisibility or stealth spells, make sure to come to Hogsmeade and find me at the Three Broomsticks."

But Hoffa wasn't listening anymore. His mind was consumed by the thought of the Disillusionment Charm.

There was no doubt that mastering the Animagus transformation would take a long time. But spells? Spells could be learned much faster. If he could master the Disillusionment Charm, many of the school rules that constrained him would instantly become irrelevant.

Indor was still muttering something about urgency and how Hoffa absolutely needed to come, but Hoffa didn't reply.

All he could think about now was finding a way to learn that spell.

(End of Chapter)

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