Starting at Hogwarts, Logging into Elden Ring

Of course, Arthur knew nothing of those other affairs.

Right now, he was enjoying a cozy Christmas dinner with the Grangers.

Mr. and Mrs. Granger marveled at the ingredients Arthur had brought out, while he and Hermione occasionally shared amusing little stories from Hogwarts—each one drawing gasps of amazement.

At one point, Mr. Granger teased Hermione that she looked plumper than she had at the start of term. Surely she’d been eating well at school.

Arthur could only agree. How could she not be? She was constantly pestering him for midnight snacks. She’d feasted on his stash of spider legs, and even on the giant squid he had managed to capture from the depths of the Black Lake. These were all rare delicacies.

And the vegetables? Those were thanks to her as well. Hermione had complained that eating meat every day was greasy and fattening, demanding something lighter—"Why isn’t there a slimming potion?" she’d grumbled. Inspired, Arthur experimented in his garden and eventually concocted a delicious magical soy sauce with mild fat-burning effects. Edible herbs that tasted like vegetables had been a fortunate by-product.

Needless to say, the Weasley twins’ future shop had just gained another guaranteed bestseller.

The next morning, Arthur woke to find his room piled high with presents.

It was the first time he’d ever celebrated Christmas so lavishly.

If Hermione hadn’t reminded him beforehand, he might never have realized that Christmas in Britain meant exchanging gifts.

Looking at the heap of boxes, he felt a pang of emotion.

Half a year had already passed since he’d arrived in this world. He had forged so many bonds here...

Probably more gifts now than he had received in his entire previous life combined.

He began unwrapping them.

Mrs. Granger had given him a set of new clothes—deep blue, which he liked very much.

Mr. Granger had gotten him a mechanical watch, remembering Arthur’s complaint that Hogwarts’ ambient magic rendered all electronics useless, leaving him unable to even check the time.

In thanks, Arthur crafted two necklaces with warming enchantments for the Grangers.

Harry and Ron had each given him a book—a wizarding travelogue and a collection of magical tales.

McGonagall and Flitwick also gave him books, one on Transfiguration notes, the other on charms.

Arthur chuckled to himself—when exactly had he become known as a bookworm?

Dumbledore’s gift was a jar of sweets. Knowing the headmaster’s penchant for sickeningly sweet candy, Arthur wisely kept his distance.

The most surprising gift came from Snape: a tiny vial of Felix Felicis.

As for little Hermione, she presented him with a scarf and a book on alchemy. Where she had gotten hold of that book, Arthur had no idea.

Truth be told, he didn’t like scarves—they itched his neck, and with his enhanced body he never felt the cold anyway. But Hermione had assumed he lacked one, and so she made it her gift.

In return, Arthur gave her two presents: a small bottle of Felix Felicis he’d bought in Diagon Alley, and a Blue Amber Talisman +2, a charm he’d discovered while sweeping through Liurnia of the Lakes. It boosted magical capacity by 11%.

They had chosen two gifts each because, when comparing birthdays earlier, they realized both had already passed. So they’d agreed to "make up for it" on Christmas.

For the others, Arthur thought long and hard before deciding to replicate the Weasley twins’ future anti-hex products. His versions came in necklaces, bracelets, and badges: if someone tried to curse you, all you had to do was stare into their eyes, and the spell would rebound.

He distributed these as return gifts to his close friends. Even Snape received one, in the form of prayer beads—Arthur hoped it might help the man find some inner peace and temper his volatile temper. Whether Snape would appreciate the sentiment was another matter.

On top of that, Arthur included an unusual document with Snape’s gift. He suspected that once the professor read it, some very interesting ideas would follow.

Once the gifts were opened, Arthur went downstairs for breakfast.

Mrs. Granger greeted him with a warm smile.

"Merry Christmas, Arthur. Thank you for the necklace—you’ve spared us the need for bulky winter clothes."

Mr. Granger nodded over his newspaper in agreement, offering his own holiday wishes.

"Merry Christmas, Uncle, Aunt. Has Hermione come down yet?"

"She’s still upstairs, probably opening the rest of her presents," Mrs. Granger replied. "Be a dear and call her down, breakfast is ready."

Arthur knocked gently on Hermione’s door.

"Hermione, breakfast."

"Coming, cousin," came the reply.

The door opened just then, and Hermione emerged with her arms full of gifts.

"Thank you for your presents, cousin—I love them! Especially the talisman. With it, my magical capacity has gone up by a full tenth—it’s amazing!"

"I’m glad you like it," Arthur said, ruffling her hair with a smile.

They went downstairs together, and the family of four sat down to eat.

Then the doorbell rang.

"Who could it be, this early in the morning?" Mrs. Granger wondered aloud.

"I’ll check."

Arthur rose and went to the door.

When he opened it, he froze.

"Professor Snape? What brings you here?"

The man who almost never left the castle, who spent his life buried in cauldrons, had actually come out into the world. Now that was unusual.

"Those documents. The theories you added. Are they real?"

Snape’s normally flat voice held an uncharacteristic urgency.

Arthur instantly understood—this was about the Christmas "gift" he had slipped into the package.

"The cases in the Muggle world are all genuine. As for my theories—true, no mature methods exist yet. But we are wizards. With magic, such things shouldn’t be difficult, should they?"

Snape seized his arm at once.

"Come. Take me to an expert in the field."

"H-Hold on! Professor, at least let me say something to my family first!"

"...Fine. Hurry."

Snape released him with visible impatience.

Back in the dining room, Hermione looked up curiously.

"Cousin, who was it? I could’ve sworn I heard Professor Snape’s voice."

Wolfing down the last bites of his meal, Arthur said, "It was Professor Snape. He needs me for something urgent. I’ll be out for a while—back by tonight at the latest."

And with that, he dashed out, leaving the Grangers baffled.

"Who exactly is this Professor Snape?" Mrs. Granger asked.

Hermione explained in detail—about Snape’s role as their Potions Master, head of Slytherin, and the bits of youthful drama she’d picked up from Arthur.

After all, this wasn’t the wizarding world—no harm in telling her parents.

Thus, two more people in the world now knew Severus Snape’s embarrassing teenage history.

Meanwhile, Snape apparated Arthur to a deserted alleyway.

It was Arthur’s first time traveling that way—he nearly threw up his entire breakfast. The twisting, crushing sensation of space itself had left him dizzy.

Once Arthur steadied himself, Snape snapped, "Lead the way."

So Arthur guided him toward a nearby biological research institute.

At the entrance, he glanced at Snape.

"How are we getting in?"

"Disillusionment Charm. Don’t tell me you can’t manage it. You sneak off to the kitchens often enough—I sometimes wonder if your Animagus form won’t end up being a pig."

Snape shot him a sidelong glance, his tongue as venomous as ever.

Arthur only shrugged. He had expected as much—he could fool Filch, but not the professors.

The two cloaked themselves in shimmering invisibility, then strolled straight into the research institute.

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