The Salted Fish Chronicles: A Harry Potter Fanfiction

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The Salted Fish Chronicles: A Harry Potter Fanfiction

Bab 1: Chapter 1: A Genius in Disguise

A worn-down journal lay on the desk in the small and dimly lit room. The leather cover had the initials D.L.H. engraved on it as if to mark its owner. Its cover faded and stained, its pages yellowed and crumpled. A hand reached out and opened it, flipping through the pages until it stopped in the middle. On the top right corner of the page, the date June 26th, 1991 was written in neat handwriting.

The following is an excerpt from the journal of Damian Lucien Hawthorne, a child prodigy and a reborn soul.

I was not a normal child. I knew this ever since I was born when I realized that I had the memories and knowledge of my previous life. I had been an ordinary online novelist who lived a carefree life on his small savings account. I had also been born in England and lived in this country. I had died in my sleep at the age of 27 and was reborn once again in the past on January 1st, 1980. I had no idea why or how this happened, but I decided to make the best of my second chance by ensuring I could live a salted-fish lifestyle.

However, fate had other plans for me. As soon as I was born, I was abandoned by my biological parents and left at the doorstep of an orphanage. The orphanage was run by an old lady named Mrs. Brown, who took me in and named me Damian. She raised me along with the other orphans who lived there.

I retained some of the skills that I had acquired in my previous life, such as reading, writing, researching, marketing, English proficiency, mathematics, literacy, history, and cooking (though I need to practice my physical skills). Hence, I learned to read and write at an early age and devoured every book I could find in the orphanage.

I eventually attracted the attention of the outside world, when I won a national spelling bee competition at the age of seven. I was hailed as a child prodigy and received a lot of media attention, which was a downside to this endeavor. As I wanted to live a peaceful and quiet life, without any troublesome things.

However, I did discover one other silver lining to my situation. I discovered that I have a unique ability: the Skill Panel. Only I was able to see and access it. The Skill Panel showed me my current level of each skill, ranging from 1 to 6, as well as the tasks that I completed along with the respective rewards I got. I found out that I had Level 3 skills in Reading, Writing, Researching, Marketing, English Proficiency, Mathematics, Literacy, History, Cooking, and Chores. While I had Level 2 in Science and Karate (which I took up to learning in this life).

I had no idea where it came from. But I realized I got it right after I gained the Child Prodigy title. The only and first task I see completed is to Achieve the title 'Child Prodigy' by the age of 7 (Completed). I got 100 experience points and 1 Skill Point from accomplishing this.

My second task was to win a writing competition using a completely original novel under a pen name by the age of 8. Doing so would grant me 100 experience points. At first, I wondered why I did not get a Skill Point as well as I did for my first task. It was only after I completed my second task that I understood why. I had written an original short novel to win a writing competition under the pen name Salted_Fish. It was a completely original novel that did not plagiarize any of the novels from my previous life as well. I got the rewards of 100 experience points and 1 Skill Point.

I realized that the tasks were difficult but not so much if I put in the effort, hard/smart work, etc. into it to complete them. If I do so exceptionally I will gain 1 Skill Point or other Bonus rewards.

My third task was to win a national chess championship by the age of 10. I completed and received the rewards of 200 experience points and 2 Skill Points.

My fourth task was to gain admission into Eton College as a student by the age of 11 to earn 100 experience points. This was the most difficult task for me so far, as Eton College was one of the most prestigious and selective schools in England. I had to prepare and work especially hard for the past year, studying for the entrance exam and preparing for the interview. I also had to apply for a scholarship, as I did not have enough money to pay for the tuition fees. This morning, I received a letter from Eton College informing me that I had passed and ranked 1st in the exam and interview and had been accepted as a student with a full scholarship. By completing this task along with gaining a full scholarship I earned 100 experience points and 2 Skill Points.

So now, my Skills Panel shows:

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Damian Lucien Hawthorne

Age: 11

Title: Child Prodigy, The Young Telegraph, British Schools Chess Champion

Tasks:

1) Earn the title Child Prodigy by the age of 7. Rewards: Experience Points: 100 Skill Points: 1 (Completed)

2) Win the Young Telegraph Short Story Competition using a completely original novel. Bonus: No plagiarism from the previous life. Rewards: Experience Points: 100 Skill Points: 1 (Completed)

3) Get a Rank in the Top 10 of the British Schools Chess Championship Annual Competition. Bonus: Get Placed in the Top 3 of the competition. Extra: Win Championship. Rewards: Experience Points: 300 Skill Points: 2 (Completed)

4) Gain admission into Eton College as a student. Bonus: Get a place in Top 3 for exam and interview. Extra: Rank 1st in exam and interview along with gaining full scholarship. Rewards: Experience Points: 300 Skill Points: 2 (Completed)

Skills:

Level 4: Reading, Writing, Researching, Marketing, English Proficiency, Mathematics, Literacy, History, Science, Cooking, Chores

Level 3: Karate, Chess

Experience Points: 300 (I have used 500 points to increase Karate (200) and Chess (300) skills)

Skill Points: 6

[To increase from Level 1 to 2: 1 SP, 2 to 3: 2 SP, 3 to 4: 4 SP, 4 to 5: 8 SP, 5 to 6: 16 SP]

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I felt proud of myself for achieving all these tasks and living up to my potential. But I also felt lonely, as no one could understand me or relate to me. I had no friends or family, only acquaintances and strangers. I had lived in an orphanage that provided me with basic necessities but no love or warmth. I wondered if there was anyone out there who could share my secrets and dreams.

The journal was then closed by my hand. The sun was setting outside the window of my room in the orphanage. I then decided to settle in my bed for an early sleep when I heard a knock on the window.