What is a Game?

Chapter 26 - The Return

Note - Anyone who may be interested in being a moderator for a Discord fan server for this fanfiction can PM or comment their interest and Rotsu will get back to you with details so you can decide if it might be something you want to do! I hope to see one of you there.

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It's on the Express my return to Hogwarts starts, as it always does. My friends and I were in our normal spot near the front of the train when I met up with all four of my friends. Daphne left pretty quickly after we set out, after having double checked I was doing okay. She claimed her sister was likely to get into trouble - and I believe her, having seen her sister trying all manner of pranks and jokes when I was over.

So I was retelling the non-sensitive bits of my summer to Adrian and Cedric, Sarah having already heard all about it. I also passed on there was a rumor of something odd happening this year, and that if they heard anything to let me know.

Their summers were equally boring-sounding in reports. Cedric did have one change to his status, to go with Charms Prodigy - he now has Arithmancy Prodigy. Adrian doesn't have a prodigy perk for any branch of magic, though. Neither does Alicia or Angelina, last I'd checked. I guess they just aren't specializing enough for them to get the bonuses. Sarah, meanwhile, is actually a higher level than all but myself and Cedric.

Sarah is level 18, Cedric is level 22 and I'm level 30, of course. Everyone else is still below level 15. The average level at the end of 4th year is 15. I imagine everyone here will be 18-20 at the end of the year. Cedric is on-track to be level 30.

Sarah had much larger growth last year than the year before. She could wind up looking anywhere from 25-30, depending on how hard she goes, this year. My goal is to be level 40 at the end of the year.

Meanwhile, Harry could well end up being level 45 to 50 if he does another stupid thing like he did last year. Gaining over 20 levels in one year... Such a pace is beyond 'out of this world.' I thought my 10 levels per year was astronomical. His pace is absurd. Topping that off, his titular bonuses mean I'll never catch him, physically. Even with my perks, I'll only mentally outpace him if we stay on a 1 for 1 ratio for levels. This means I'll have more mana. Probably. That has its own complications. I'll cross the bridge when I get to it.

The train ride though - largely boring. I had plenty of time to check up on my brother before we left the train for the school, so I hunted down his train-compartment. Once I was sure he was decent, I pulled him from the train to the platform, and helped him find the teacher showing the way to the school.

My eyes locked on him almost instantly. The man was unmistakable - massive - not quite Hagrid's size, but Large. At least six-five. He has dark-blonde, nearly brown, hair. He's very muscu\lar - his arms are easily the size of my legs. He's also barrel chested. He couldn't be older than his mid-30s.

This is Gaelin - the NEWT level Transfiguration teacher - someone I've never seen before, actually, but know from description - has a title I can see, but that's all, other than his name. It's odd to see.

Gaelin Regan.

The Primordial Man. (i)

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Me, being me, enlarge the title to see what it's about.

Those who bear this title are chosen by a primordial spirit - one of those who created the local multiverse. They are always gifted in the extreme, making even 'geniuses at primordial magics' seem like novices, due to their raw affinity for it.