Clarence Stewart, male, 11 years old.
He was currently standing amidst the bustling King's Cross Station, in front of the third pillar between Platform Nine and Platform Ten.
He completely ignored the shocked, amazed, and even somewhat ill-intentioned gazes of the passersby.
With an ineffable expression, he looked at the unremarkable pillar in front of him, first scanning around again, then looking back at the pillar, muttering timidly, "Do I really have to run into it?"
Although he had previously seen his guide, a Professor, perform what was called magic.
He had even been taken to Diagon Alley, which only Wizards could see and enter, to purchase many items needed for school.
When choosing his wand, he also personally felt the existence of magic, but how to put it...
It still felt somewhat illusory, not quite real.
Although Clarence didn't know whether this feeling came from his soul's transmigration, or if it was a result of his worldview being shattered after suddenly learning about the existence of Wizards and magic.
That's right, Clarence was indeed a transmigrator. There's no need to elaborate on the reason for his transmigration, just know that his body from his previous life was completely done for.
Anyway, after he woke up again, he found himself as a baby, tightly wrapped in a very thin piece of cloth, with light snow still falling from the gloomy sky.
Unfortunately, he was placed on the cold ground at that time, with no one around. Feeling the deadly snowflakes fall on his face, melt with his body temperature, and take away some heat.
He knew that if he didn't make some noise to get someone to discover his existence, he would end up as an ice pop.
Fortunately, not long after he started wailing, he was discovered and carried into a warm house.
Afterward, he was adopted by an Orphanage. Yes, it was that clichéd beginning of being abandoned at the Orphanage's doorstep.
Although this beginning wasn't great, the good thing was that the Dean of the Orphanage who adopted him was a very kind Old Headmaster. Even though the Orphanage's funds were not plentiful due to the social environment at the time, she still did her best.
At the very least, during that difficult period, the orphans, including Clarence, never experienced a lack of food or clothing.
Even though the Orphanage's buildings were dilapidated, with mottled walls, broken windows, missing glass, and rusted doorframes, they were still repaired as much as possible.
Even under such difficult circumstances, the amount of food each person received was very small, but for children with small appetites, it was enough to fill them up!
But this was only enough for children with small appetites; however, there were still several adults in the Orphanage...
And Clarence lived in such an Orphanage. Although he didn't have much happy time, he never saw any of those annoying troubles.
For example, the most common issues in other Orphanages, such as not enough food, bullying, or social isolation.
The only thing that could make Clarence happy was the golden finger he obtained from his transmigration.
The golden finger was called the Simplification System, and he would gain 1 Simplification Point every day. This value could be used to simplify all skills he had seen and that were displayed in the System interface.
Including knowledge, which also fell under the category of skills, everything would be displayed as data on the System's panel.
Although there was also a personal attribute panel, Simplification Points could not be used to simplify attributes.
Through various experiments, he found that after certain skills were simplified, continuous practice could increase a specific attribute value.
In summary, the System would display everything Clarence learned on the System's skill panel, and through Simplification Points, he could simplify them into skills. Then, by continuously practicing the simplified skills, he could continuously level up that skill.
That's right, by continuously practicing simplified skills and accumulating proficiency, he could level up once the experience value was full.
And leveled-up skills could also feed new knowledge back into Clarence's brain, even allowing his body to automatically adapt.
He guessed that it might be because of this mechanism of the Simplification System that he could increase the personal attribute values that could not be simplified.
Although such a mechanism also brought him some minor troubles, he was not a true child after all, but thought with an adult's mindset.
So these troubles didn't cause him too much distress; he could easily solve them or avoid them in advance.
In addition, Clarence also found that besides the basic Simplification Points that increased daily, he could also acquire Simplification Points in other ways.
For example, by teaching others knowledge, as long as that person understood, it would give him Simplification Points, and the number of Simplification Points would depend on that person's mastery and understanding of the taught knowledge.
For example, if he taught someone that 1+1 = 2, and that person learned it, it would only give Clarence 1 Simplification Point. But if he made them understand why 1+1 equals 2, the Simplification Points gained would increase with their level of mastery and understanding.
Actually, initially, Clarence hadn't discovered the true side of this world, meaning the existence of Wizards and magic, so he thought that the 1 Simplification Point granted by the System daily was enough for him.
And when he started school, or rather, when the Old Headmaster herself taught the children, Clarence simplified all the elementary school courses required during that social period into skills.
Like mathematics, geography, physics, chemistry, biology, painting, calligraphy, and music, all were simplified once.
After mathematics was simplified into a skill, he needed to count from 1 to 10 smoothly, without stopping, and without errors. Once he finished counting, he could increase the experience value of the mathematics skill.
Of course, mental counting was also acceptable; it didn't necessarily have to be spoken aloud. As long as he followed the skill experience acquisition mechanism, which was the act of counting from 1 to 10, he could then acquire experience points.
As for skill experience, Clarence also conducted various experiments and found that the total was always 100 points, and it would not change due to leveling up. Even if he leveled up from level 0 to level 1, the experience required was still 100 points.
Once the experience value was full, the skill would automatically level up, and all the knowledge of the level 1 mathematics skill would be fed back and instilled into his brain.
Actually, after experiments, Clarence found that perhaps the knowledge instilled by the System wasn't necessarily just acting on the brain; it seemed to also involve the soul domain. However, since he couldn't access this domain, he couldn't verify it.
The reason he made this discovery was because the instilled knowledge made Clarence feel as if it were an instinct, completely eliminating the need for a process of familiarization and mastery, just like instinctive actions such as eating and drinking, as if he was born with it!
It was precisely because of this that he felt the feedback knowledge was not necessarily instilled into his brain, but might also involve the realm of the soul.
Of course, whether it was the brain or the realm of the soul, for Clarence, it was always a good thing, and he couldn't observe the realm of the soul yet, so there was no need to think too much about it.
After simplifying many skills, perhaps due to the System's mechanism, some skills, after being simplified, if they were related, could consume Simplification Points to combine several skills into a new skill.
For example, skills like physics, chemistry, and biology were all combined to form a 'Science' skill.
And painting, calligraphy, and music, among others, were combined into an 'Art' skill.
As for the method of gaining experience for these combined skills, there wasn't much change; it didn't become difficult and was still within Clarence's acceptable range.
Besides these courses being simplified into skills, things like cooking were also simplified.
And the cooking skill's experience accumulation method was actually the most comfortable for him; he only needed to eat and drink, and the more enjoyable the eating and drinking experience, the more experience he gained.
It seems that this mechanism for acquiring skill experience is quite complex!
Clarence lived in the Orphanage like this until he was 11 years old.
Just after he celebrated his 11th birthday, he received a special letter.
Since the letter was delivered by an owl, it was naturally very special.
Fortunately, Clarence had already returned to his room at the time, and there was no one else inside. Otherwise, although an owl has the word 'cat' in its name and looks cute, it is indeed a bird of prey.
To put it simply, this creature can harm people.
So if there had been anyone else in the room, an owl flying directly through the window like that would have caused panic.
At that time, Clarence was also a bit panicked, even though he had simplified combat and weapon skills, he hadn't had much actual combat experience. The few times he did, it was just against children not much younger than himself.
He could beat up bratty kids even without the Simplification System, never losing!
But he had never dealt with an owl before, especially an adult one!
However, upon seeing the letter clutched in the owl's talons, Clarence stopped panicking. Instead, he began to feel unwell, with a vague sense of foreboding.
Because an owl delivering a letter gave Clarence a very familiar feeling, especially after he opened the letter and saw its contents, his bad premonition came true.
His first thought at the time was: 'What the heck, did this thing send me into Harry Potter?!'
His second thought was to pack his bags and run, but before he could even start packing his clothes, he suddenly realized that he had the Simplification System!
And even if he ran, where could he go? He had no money and no identity. Even if he wanted to return to China in this world, he couldn't.
Furthermore, with the help of the Simplification System, as long as he entered the Magic World and came into contact with magic, Clarence would be able to accumulate enough strength to protect himself in the shortest amount of time.
By then, he might not be able to deal with someone of Dumbledore's level, but dealing with Lord Voldemort's lingering soul shouldn't be a problem, right?
But he quickly remembered that it was only 1971...
NM, wasn't this precisely the period when Lord Voldemort was rising and his Death Eater forces were most active!
Now that’s great. Forget about sticking to the plot, I can’t even cling to the protagonist trio’s coattails. In fact, I might even have to face Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters directly.
However, if we’re talking about the safest place in the Great Britain Magical World after the rise of Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters, it would have to be Hogwarts, Great Britain’s only magic school.
Of course, you could also understand it as Dumbledore, who is recognized as the greatest Wizard of his time, also known as the first White Dark Lord, and is currently the Principal of Hogwarts.
It is because Dumbledore, the current Principal, is stationed at Hogwarts that Lord Voldemort and his Death Eater forces dare not invade.
However, if I calculate carefully, it seems that after Clarence graduates, that will be the peak period for Lord Voldemort and the Death Eater forces, although he also lost his physical body during that period due to the rebound of his own killing curse…
Clarence thought for a moment and decided to stay low in school as much as possible before graduation, then travel abroad directly after graduation, and only consider returning after Lord Voldemort was counter-cursed to death, depending on the situation.
Although this is only a plan under the most ideal circumstances, even if the situation is not ideal, with the help of the Simplification System and seven years of accumulated learning, his strength should be enough to exchange a few blows with Lord Voldemort. At worst, he should be able to save his own life.
Because he hadn’t yet come into contact with the Magic World and magic at that time, Clarence could only conservatively assume that with the help of the System and seven years of accumulated learning, his strength would be enough to save his life.
This conservative idea was shattered when he was led by the guide, Professor McGonagall, who served as the Transfiguration Class Professor and also the Gryffindor Dean, to Diagon Alley, officially entering the Magic World and gaining access to magic books.
According to the Simplification Points required by the System panel to simplify a simple spell from a magic book, after seven years of accumulated learning, his strength would not only be able to conservatively exchange a few blows with Lord Voldemort, but even if Dumbledore and Grindelwald teamed up, he could exchange a few blows with them. In the worst case, neither side would be able to do anything to the other.
The simplest spell required 2 Simplification Points, which was accumulated in just 2 days.
Of course, Clarence didn't think that high-level spells and magic would also only require 2 Simplification Points, but don't forget that in addition to the daily gifts from the System, he could also gain more Simplification Points by teaching others.
And after the System skills upgrade, it will feedback all knowledge within his current skill level, so teaching classmates and such will be a piece of cake, won't it?
By then, he would gain more Simplification Points, which would allow him to simplify more spells and magic, and his strength would soar like a rocket!
With such confidence, Clarence gained immense self-assurance, so much that it was almost exploding.
As for the money problem?
With an 11th-level cooking skill and the wisdom of two lifetimes, if he still couldn't lead the Orphanage to prosperity and a comfortable life, he might as well just bash his head in and die.
Although his 11th-level cooking skill was only displayed as an 'entry-level' on the System panel, Clarence's cooking skills were already comparable to those of a professional chef.
With these cooking skills, Clarence mass-produced small pastries, cookies, and candies at the Orphanage, and then the children sold them, thus opening up a relatively stable source of income for the Orphanage.
Ever since he demonstrated his cooking skills, taught the other intelligent children, and gave Old Headmaster the idea of making small pastries and selling them.
Not only did it open up a source of income for the Orphanage, but it also became a source of his pocket money.
Though it was called pocket money, Clarence, having lived two lives, knew it was the salary the Old Headmaster specifically gave him for making small pastries. Otherwise, why would other children not have pocket money except for those of them who could make small pastries?
The money accumulated over many years was not a small sum. Although there were restrictions on exchanging magic currency at Gringotts, at the very least, Clarence didn't have to buy used books and clothes; he could use brand new ones, and he didn't need the scholarship provided by Hogwarts. He could even save a little money to buy other books.
Don’t mention it, books in the Magic World are really quite expensive!
Because Hogwarts started on September 1st, and Clarence's birthday was in April, after finishing his purchases in Diagon Alley and returning to the Orphanage, he still had about five months before school started.
So, he took advantage of these approximately five months to furiously master all the various spells and magic recorded in the books he had bought.
Not only were they all simplified into skills, but Clarence also painstakingly leveled them all up to level 10 by the day school started.
Aside from practical magic experience, Clarence hadn't even enrolled yet, but in terms of accumulated magic knowledge and practical application, he had already implicitly reached the level of 4th or 5th-year students. Of course, this was his own guess; he would probably only know the specifics after extensive comparison.
However, at this very moment, standing in front of the pillar, even though he had mastered quite a bit of magic, Clarence was still hesitating whether or not to run into it…
Is this perhaps not so good?
Because in the future, if a young Wizard asked him about the scene and feelings of his first time going to Hogwarts, what would Clarence say? Would he have to say that he was hesitant about whether or not to run into the pillar?
Or would he say that he, who was just starting school, and would also be the greatest Wizard far surpassing Dumbledore and Grindelwald in the future, was stumped by a pillar when he first entered school?
That’s too embarrassing…
Clarence covered his face!
Just as he covered his face with both hands, a cold yet very childish voice suddenly came from behind him.
“Sir or Madam, although I don’t know what you’re foolishly standing here thinking about, could you please move aside and not block the way!”
“Ah, I’m sorry, I’m very sorry, I was just a bit… didn’t know how to… um, get in.” Clarence realized he was blocking the way after being reminded by the person behind him, so he immediately apologized.
When he turned around and saw the person who spoke, he found that the other person was half a head shorter than him, and their clothes were clearly adult clothes altered to a smaller size, very ill-fitting, but extremely clean, even though the clothes were already somewhat faded from washing.
Their face was pale, looking malnourished, and their body was very thin, so thin that Clarence was worried that even a slightly strong wind could blow away the frail little boy in front of him.
As Clarence was observing the other person, the other person was also observing him. Upon first seeing Clarence turn around, even though the other person was still a child, there was a sense of awe, though this little one probably didn't even understand what awe meant.
How to put it, Clarence's appearance seemed to perfectly capture the other person's heart; any single facial feature made him unable to look away, not to mention when they were combined, it was even more incredibly eye-catching.
In fact, it wasn't that Clarence's appearance just happened to suit the other person's taste, but rather that his appearance suited everyone's taste, meaning that even if someone else looked at him, they would have the same reaction.
And this was the not-so-small trouble caused by the System's simplification skill, as described by Hu Zimou, with its personal attribute amplification mechanism.
Because skill upgrades would be forcibly fed and instilled with all knowledge of the upgraded skill by the System, including application and other aspects, and this involved a very wide range of areas. Leaving aside other things for now, let's just talk about Clarence's body, which was greatly affected.
For example, some knowledge cannot be put into practice just because you have learned and mastered it, as the body's components might not be up to the task. Therefore, the System would enhance Clarence's body to enable him to apply it.
As a result, his body became less and less like a normal human, as if it were constantly evolving and elevating its life form, and his appearance and temperament almost perfectly conformed to everyone's, including non-human, preferences and visual appeal.
It was as if higher-level life forms naturally possessed an almost fatal attraction to lower-level life forms. Even from a purely reproductive perspective, Clarence's body had an almost fatal attraction to life.
This was not only about being smitten by beauty but also driven by the instinct for life to reproduce. Instinct compelled living beings to want to get close to Clarence for reproduction.
Before he was 11 years old, because he hadn't yet come into contact with magic, Clarence's attraction only had a fatal pull and influence on ordinary people.
But after coming into contact with magic, it began to have a fatal attraction to Wizards and creatures with magic within them.
He was like a succubus, and it caused him no small amount of trouble. Fortunately, he wasn't truly an ignorant child, but someone who had lived two lives, with the memories and thought patterns of an adult.
Naturally, he could avoid or even directly resolve these troubles in advance!
Seeing the child in front of him staring blankly at his face, Clarence had no choice but to speak up to remind him.
“Ahem, are you also a Hogwarts student? Do you know how to get in?”
He stepped aside while asking if the pillar behind him was indeed the correct entrance to the Hogwarts Express train platform.
“...When encountering an unknown situation, although directly trying it is a foolish decision, it cannot be denied that it can indeed be useful at times!” The peer, likely also a first-year student of the same age, said as he walked into the pillar.
Clarence was confident this time, after all, the frail little boy had already gone in, proving that this pillar was indeed the correct entrance, and not a real pillar!
(PS: Not a clone story, not a clone story, not a clone story, important things said three times, clones are just tools!)