The next day, I recreated the SubZero 9 and this time, for some reason, it was much easier. It didn't start going wrong mid-transfiguration either, so I didn't have to be as focused.

  Looking at it again, I was quite excited. If this works, it could be a precedent for bringing back much of the technology from my past life.

  Holding my breath in anticipation, I reached for the PC and turned it on. With a simple click on the red glass in the middle of the eye-like main body, it came to life.

  The dim light shining through the semi-transparent dark crystals intensified and then... nothing.

  At this stage, a holographic display should have popped up on me as long as I was within a hundred meters of the computer and had either direct line of sight or a mobile holopad. Now, I don't have the holopad, but I'm most definitely in line of sight of the SubZero 9.

  I looked around it, trying to see if there's something wrong with it. '

  After looking around the device some more, I sighed. '

  Leaving SubZero alone in disappointed, I retrieved my laptop from the hole in the wall and powered it on, while thinking about the implications of this discovery.

  Not only would I need to program any of the more useful things I want to bring from my past, but the programming would disappear every time I had to re-transfigure them. I would have to use transmutation to make them, but that's an entirely different problem.

  Not only do I not have the materials needed to make them, but also, unlike transfiguration, there's no support from the charm to help with complex, miniature, or hidden parts of making something from almost nothing.

  Although I was disappointed that I would not be using my old equipment, I didn't let it keep me down. This was simply one more motivator to leave here and find myself a place where I can build my lab and start researching magic in depth.

  Over the next couple of weeks, along with practicing magic and increasing control, I devoted most of my time to the learning and practical applications of frankly ancient computer and information sciences.

  And finally, my plans were actually moving forward. The first step of my plan was setting up a new persona, so I did. Unfortunately, the citizen registry is still paper-bound at this time period, so I couldn't just hack that system to add my own.

  What I could do was put on one of the invisibility cloaks, layer on my new perception ward and waltz into the archives, make my own papers and put them in, after which I added in the digital parts needed to coincide with the physical records.

  The new persona was Eliza Blank. I used my old name. She's 30. She had a mother and a father, both of whom have died and whose papers I'd also faked when I was there. She had a diploma but never attended university. She's a freelance app and web developer.

  I spent a couple of days registering a bunch of new useful patents and putting them in her name so I could use their royalties in the future if I ever needed money.

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  It was Friday evening. Tomorrow is the day Alice is going to go away to her new school. As far as I know, Hogwarts's spring cohort will start the day after the verdant equinox, so she'll have a day to get acquainted with the school before the official start of the semester on Sunday.

  Tonight we're having a small goodbye party for her. As far as Mrs. Gray explained to the other kids, Alice has gotten a scholarship from a rich private school that she'll be attending.

  Some of the younger kids were crying, which made me think maybe I should too, but honestly, at this point I think it would be too out of character for me.

  Tonight we were having pasta, and as it was a special night, everyone was allowed to eat wherever they wanted. The children quickly started breaking up into little groups and sitting all over the place. Some stayed in the dining room while others sat on the stairs, some on the ground in the sitting room, and so on.

  After taking my food, I went looking for Alice. Sensing her sitting on the back porch, I opened the door, to see her sitting on the porch steps, looking at the sky. The weather was damp from the afternoon rain, but for a brief window the sky was clear, and despite the light pollution, a lot of stars were visible.

  Without saying anything, I put down my plate and sat next to Alice.

  "So you're leaving tomorrow," I said to start the conversation. "What kind of school starts near the end of March?"

  "Heh, I know, right? But apparently it's the best school of its kind in Europe, or so they claim," Alice answered, still looking at the stars.

  "I came to say goodbye," I said suddenly, causing Alice to turn around to look at me. "I'm gonna be adopted soon, so I'll probably be gone way before your midterm vacation." My eyes were starting to water, looks like I'm gonna cry afterall. I had come to care about Alice way more than I'd initially thought possible. We didn't even spend that much time together; we more so kind of existed next to each other for the most part.

  Maybe my child biology is affecting me more than I'd want to admit.

  Suddenly I felt myself embraced. "Oh my god, Morgan. That's such good news. Who are they? When are they coming here? Did Mrs. Gray tell you anything? Oh, I just realized I'm not gonna be here for your party. Have you told Liz? I'm sure she'd also be sad to see you go." As she kept ranting, I realized that her eyes were getting wet too, so after a couple more words I hugged her back, silencing her, and both of us just held each other for a while.

  Eventually we separated, both of our eyes were red, but neither of us said anything. We sat in silence, though it was a comfortable one.

  The next day Alice left for King's Cross Station, and I was awake, looking through our—now my, soon to be someone else's—window, as Mrs. Gray called a cab and accompanied her to the station.

  My own preparations are almost done, so within days I'll be on my way as well.

  For these last days, I decided to forgo magical training and walk around the house. I'd long since saved every single detail of it and the people inside to my memory.

  The old masonry house had been my home for the last four years. Even if I wasn't "me" for most of it, I still remember every second of my time here.

  I found Liz in the sitting room, reading to some of the younger kids, and I joined them. Liz always reminded me of my big sister Elina; maybe that's why I always liked her.

  For the rest of the day, I just followed Liz around, talking with, and helping her in any non-magical way that I could.

  The next few days, I just spent following around Mrs. Gray, or Liz, or Brian, generally moving about the house and sometimes even playing with others.

  A bit more than a week after Alice had left, a bell was heard from the front door right after breakfast.

  "Morgan, come here," I heard Mrs. Gray shout from her office a few minutes later. I already knew what was going to happen, but I was kind of nervous anyway. After all, Mrs. Gray still had the power to simply say no and instantly make my day much more complicated and way more of a headache.

  When I opened her door, behind the giant mahogany desk sat Mrs. Gray, surrounded by bookshelves and a window to her side. Before the desk, on one of two chairs, sat a beautiful woman of around thirty wearing a dark brown leather jacket with a black dress and jeans underneath. She had beautiful blue eyes and golden blonde hair. She was looking at me with a smirk as she stood for my greeting.

  "This young woman is Eliza Blank. She has shown interest in adopting you."