After closing the door, Jerry hauled the surprisingly heavy Iron Man armour model toward Haas's room. Looking up, he caught sight of Elsa standing on the sofa, eyeing the metallic suit with a mischievous grin that promised trouble.
"Don't even think about touching it," Jerry warned. "Dad will be upset if anything happens to it."
Elsa responded with a dismissive snort. "I don't care about that hunk of metal. My crystal magic wand is much more powerful!" She brandished a wooden stick topped with an oversized glass bead that glinted in the morning light.
Having lost her mother at a young age and with Haas often away at the police station, Elsa was largely raised by Jerry. Despite her occasional stubbornness, she usually heeded his warnings, even when reluctant.
"By the way," Elsa added, "Annie and Susan said at school yesterday that they're coming over to play today!"
"Annie and Susan?" Jerry groaned, rubbing his forehead. "The two little rice monsters."
The girls were Elsa's classmates who had practically grown up together with her. Their fathers worked with Haas at the police station, and the three families lived in the same community, maintaining close ties.
When Elsa's mother passed away, Jerry was just two years old, and Elsa was barely one. Annie's and Susan's mothers had taken turns helping care for them, a kindness that had made all the difference. Once Jerry grew old enough to manage household responsibilities, he tried to be self-sufficient, rarely asking for help from the neighbouring families.
Still, Annie and Susan frequently invited themselves over during holidays, ostensibly to play with Elsa, but Jerry suspected his Chinese cooking was at least part of the attraction.
"You stay here and watch TV," he told Elsa after securing the Iron Man suit in Haas's room. "I'm going to catch up on some sleep."
Last night's escapade, earning Little Red Stars, had left him exhausted, and he'd risen early this morning. He wanted to grab some rest before the other two girls arrived, once the trio assembled, any hope of peaceful sleep would vanish.
"The ice demons dormant in frozen realms, heed the call of Snow Queen Elsa! O black blizzard that freezes everything! Transform the world into pristine white snow, Frozen Ice Wave!"
"O fire burning in the depths of hell! In the name of Anne, Queen of Flames, I summon you! Consume my enemies and purify this world from all evil, Fire of Purification!"
"Almighty wind spirits! Using the atmosphere as bow and brilliance as arrow, carry forth the will of Susan, Queen of Wind! Pierce the distant void, Hurricane Arrow!"
More than two hours later, Jerry awoke to the sound of familiar young voices. Annie and Susan had arrived, right on schedule.
Opening his bedroom door, he found the three blonde girls standing on the sofa, wands raised dramatically as they unleashed their "earth-shattering" magic upon one another.
"Hello, Jerry!" Annie and Susan chorused, waving their wands enthusiastically when they spotted him.
"Don't lose focus," Jerry admonished with mock seriousness. "Your magic will falter if you're distracted, and Elsa will defeat you both."
The girls nodded solemnly and quickly resumed their magical duel, directing their imaginary spells at Elsa with renewed vigour.
Jerry smiled fondly at the scene, a smile that held all the patient indulgence of a parent, before heading to the kitchen to prepare lunch. Given his active lifestyle, he had a healthy appetite, but the girls ate surprisingly little. A simple meal of sweet and sour pork and scrambled eggs with tomatoes would be more than sufficient.
After lunch, the three girls settled in for their afternoon cartoons, followed by a nap. Jerry took the opportunity to visit the community park downstairs, where he typically practised his martial arts during holidays.
He firmly believed that combat wasn't as complicated as some made it out to be. One could handle most confrontations by diligently practising the basics- punches, kicks, footwork, elbow and knee strikes, throws and holds, and developing control over strength, speed, and reaction time.
That evening, after watching television with Elsa and Haas, Jerry retreated to his room for his nightly strength training regimen of push-ups, sit-ups, and dumbbell exercises.
At midnight, his pre-set alarm clock chimed softly. Donning the wizard costume he'd acquired, he slipped quietly out of the building to continue earning Little Red Stars.
A month passed swiftly in this routine.
One early morning, after Haas had left for work, Jerry chose not to return to bed. Instead, he joined Elsa in the living room to watch cartoons, though his attention was fixed on the mysterious panel floating before him, invisible to anyone else.
After more than a month of dedicated effort, his Little Red Star count had surpassed 6,000, and the icon for entering the small world on the panel was illuminated once more. He could finally return to the "Harry Potter" world to continue his magical education.
This past month of nighttime heroics had taught Jerry several valuable lessons, all of which emphasized his need for more magical knowledge.
First, slipping out secretly in the middle of the night while avoiding cameras and security made him feel like a thief. Once, he'd nearly been caught by Haas, who had unexpectedly awakened during the night.
Second, his lack of personal transportation proved extraordinarily inconvenient. His growing fame in the community complicated matters further, after saving people, fans would sometimes chase him for photos and autographs.
A persistent female reporter named Lucy had become particularly troublesome. Somehow, she'd mapped out his approximate patrol route and now waited nightly with her camera, making his Red Star collection increasingly difficult.
Most frustrating of all, his heroic deeds seemed unappreciated by local law enforcement. On several occasions, he'd found himself pursued by police cruisers after completing a good deed. Once, he'd even encountered Haas on night patrol and had been forced to activate his superhuman form to escape recognition.
As his magical proficiency grew, the power of his spells had increased dramatically. Now he could subdue criminals with magic alone, without resorting to the superhuman form and its unwelcome side effects.
To earn Little Red Stars more efficiently, he needed to return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to learn more practical spells. And next time, he absolutely had to find a way to bring back a broom!
His 6,000 Little Red Stars would fund approximately two months of study at Hogwarts. However, if he frequently used the "refresh and rejuvenate" function, his stars might not last that long. He'd need to find ways to earn additional stars within the small world.
"Enter the world of Harry Potter," Jerry commanded decisively, his focus narrowing as he pressed the enter button on the panel.
The world around him froze, reality suspended as the transition began.