Chapter Text
Panic. That’s the feeling Sigma is currently feeling right now. Seeing as they got hit with an unknown ability and are now in a completely unfamiliar place, they think the emotion is justified. But their time running their casino taught them many things, including how to keep a poker (heh) face and appear calm. So they take a couple deep breaths and school their face. They raise their hands in a universal symbol of surrender as quite a few strangers shout at them in English.
“Please calm down, I didn’t mean to come here and have no intent of harming anyone.” they raise their voice above the chaos while still keeping it as calm as possible, a skill they’re rather proud of. The strangers quiet down and one of them waves a stick at them.
“How are you here?!” Someone demands, and, well, Sigma thinks that a fair enough question.
“I was in a fight with an ability user and they got a lucky hit in. Their ability seems to be some form of transportation. I apologize for intruding on…whatever you were doing, it was not my intent.”
“Ability?”
“You don’t know? That’s surprising. Ability users aren’t common, but everyone I’ve mentioned them to has known what I was talking about. Some people call abilities gifts, does that ring any bells?”
“Just answer the question.”
“An ability is a superpower, for lack of a better term. Some people can do feats that normal people cannot. They are usually unique to a person, though I have heard of people with similar, even near identical in some cases, abilities. I can provide examples if you wish?”
“That would be appreciated.” says the stranger with the long white beard.
“Well, I know a woman whose ability lets her heal any injury, but only if the wounded is on the brink of death. I know a man who can nullify any ability through touch. I know of a different man who can control gravity to a terrifying degree. I know a teen who gets stronger and tougher the hungrier he is. Will that suffice?”
“Yes, quite well. I’m afraid I have some bad news for you, …?” the bearded stranger says.
“Ah. I am Sigma, and I use they/them pronouns. I do not have a last name.”
“Mx. Sigma. I am sorry to inform you that I believe you have been transported to another dimension. See, while our community is fairly isolated from the rest of the world, we know enough of it, and I am quite certain we would’ve heard of these…’abilities’ if they existed.” to the stranger's credit, they do seem concerned, though they’ve only known them a few minutes. …Kunikida would probably tell them that is the expected response. Sigma breathes deeply to stave off the panic. Of course. Of fucking course. Why wouldn’t they be trapped in another dimension for an unknown length of time? Perhaps they will be brought back if Dazai manages to use his ability on their attacker, but the attacker might also get away, or maybe time moves differently and what might take minutes back home could be…deep breaths, they remind themself. Stay calm. They can freak out later.
“Thank you for telling me. Do you have any ideas of what I should do for my next steps?”
“Well, the situation is a bit complicated. But before I go any further, I should introduce myself. I am Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.”
“I take it that is your way of telling me that this world has magic?”
“Yes indeed. But that’s why things are complicated. We in the wixen community keep ourselves separate and hidden from the muggle-non-magic folk-and so we couldn’t release you out into the world without removing your memories of this encounter. But I fear that would be quite cruel, leaving you in a world not your own. So, I propose we find out if this dimension shift of yours has given you magic. Though first, I must admit I am curious. Do you have an ability?”
“...yes. It allows me to exchange information with anyone I touch. I give the person I’m touching information they want to know and in exchange I get the information I want to know.”
“Interesting, very interesting. Now, this will be a simple spell, it will cause you to glow, and the color will show if you have magic or not.” Before Sigma can react, Dumbledore waves his wand at Sigma and mutters something, and sure enough, Sigma starts to glow. “Congratulations, you’re magic.” Dumbledore says cheerfully. “Now, how old are you, and if you are willing to fulfill my curiosity, what was your job before you arrived here?”
“The age thing is a…complicated question, but effectively an adult, though I don’t have basically any formal education. And I ran a casino for a while before joining a detective agency. Specifically, the Armed Detective Agency, which is mainly composed of ability users. Our job is generally to handle things the police can’t, usually other ability users. Though I’ll admit I mostly do desk work.” They admit the last part with genuine sheepishness. Kunikida has told them repeatedly that he is very appreciative of the work they do, and that the agency had enough fighters already. However, they do get caught up in surprise battles occasionally, which is how they ended up here.
“And this casino?” Someone else asks.
“It was my pride and joy.” Sigma answers wistfully. “I definitely overworked myself, but it was incredibly successful and despite the aforementioned overworking, I found satisfaction in my work. Things fell apart in the end due to… extenuating factors, but it was great while it lasted.”
“How did you run a casino without a formal education?” a black-haired person asks suspiciously.
“With a lot of help and a lot of all-nighters.” Sigma answers.
“Well!” Dumbledore interrupts. “Sigma, I’m happy to inform you that Hogwarts has a long-forgotten section of the rules that allows people to join as a first-year no matter their age. It was added due to the hunting of wixen before we hid ourselves so that anyone could get an education even if they weren’t able to join or be found when they were eleven.” Sigma isn’t exactly pleased with the idea of being put in with the eleven-year-olds, mostly due to Dazai's incessant teasing about them being a toddler. But they didn’t show it, and besides, they were excited to learn magic. And it would keep them occupied until they got back home. So they straightened slightly, standing tall, and nodded.
“I would be honored to be allowed to join your school.”
