Ian Prince.
This was Ian's name in this life.
Actually,
he didn't know exactly how long he had been transmigrating.
Unlike many who close their eyes and open them to find themselves in the Otherworld, he didn't immediately reincarnate into another world after his accidental death as a college student in his past life.
His consciousness went through a period of fragmentary memories, filled with hazy, indistinct years. He felt as if he was constantly flying, traversing many places and encountering many things he couldn't recall.
Looking back now,
Ian didn't know why he had such an experience. It was less like searching for lost sheep and more like a purposeless wandering soul.
Until a light appeared.
He flew toward the light.
That was when he reopened his eyes to see a world familiar yet strange.
As a Transmigrator, Ian possessed the Golden Finger that transmigrators should have. Besides the Attribute Panel, crossing the boundary between life and death seemed to become his unique talent.
Every week, in his dreams, Ian found himself in this peculiar place, called Misty Illusion Realm by the innocent little girl before him.
Yes, the Misty Illusion Realm, a part of the Harry Potter World, the Realm of the Dead. Some say it's the transit station to the Netherworld; some believe it's the Path of Rebirth to the afterlife. In Ian's previous life, from what he knew about Harry Potter, he recalled Dumbledore appearing in the Misty Illusion Realm, at a train station, after his death.
He guessed he could be here probably because of his revival, possessing wisdom from two lifetimes, possibly triggering a bug in this world.
Forgive him for only having watched some films and read fanfictions without supplementing more knowledge; if he had known he would transmigrate, he definitely would have become a Potter scholar in his previous life.
Of course,
perhaps Potter scholars
wouldn't know much about this place either. Otherwise, the Misty Illusion Realm wouldn't be the most mysterious map in the original story.
"You seem a bit spooked."
The girl before him was an old ghost who didn't know how long she had been dead, but still retained the innocence and slight imaturity she had before death.
She was one of Ian's few friends in this place.
To the Misty Illusion Realm,
Ian always felt it was a treasure land. A Little Wizard's awakening of Magic Power generally equated to Magic Control at Level 1. The reason he possessed Level 4 Magic Power
was because he learned here.
Of course,
not from the girl before him, as Ariana was just an ordinary person without knowledge of magic. Ian learned Magic Control from another friend.
Only,
the other party was always reluctant to teach him real magic, constantly stressing that he was not old enough.
"A scary old man! It's because of a scary old man!"
Ian emphasized in his tone.
"Why call him a scary old man? Does he look frightening?"
Ariana showed some curiosity.
Ian and Ariana began to stroll, he shook his head, explaining.
"No, he doesn't look scary, quite the opposite, a rather elegant old man. But he's a peeping creep, or at least I've heard he is."
"Aren't you curious why he's looking for me, Ariana?"
The two arrived at the riverbank, surrounded by a few butterflies fluttering around them, a bunny watched from beneath a tree looking at their silhouettes.
Sunlight poured down, the scenery soft.
"Why is he looking for you? Does he want to watch you bathe?"
The girl's words left Ian speechless.
"To let me attend Hogwarts, Ariana, turns out I'm a Wizard with a household!" Ian said with conceited pride as he gazed at the flowing river.
He wasn't very old in his past life, wandering for so long, yet in a daze... to summarize, he was just a slightly better old ghost than Ariana.
How else could they be friends?
There have to be similarities, right?
"Hogwarts? I remember Hogwarts; it's the best Wizarding Academy in the world and the safest place too!"
Ariana looked at Ian with delight.
"Ian, if you encounter trouble at Hogwarts, you can seek help from my two brothers. They're students at Hogwarts and very kind-hearted people."
She appeared eager to help.
It's just,
"Trouble is certain to come."
Ian stretched his legs into the river, lay down directly on the grass, and slowly spoke with a hint of resignation, "Your brothers are students, just how capable can they be? This year, or next, perhaps our school will face the nose-less freak, something ordinary people can't easily handle."
About Voldemort,
Ian was also somewhat worried.
He might avoid crossing paths with the Savior, but who knows if he would become collateral damage while studying at school? Only a fool would believe Hogwarts is truly the safest place.
"Nose-less freak?"
Ariana tilted her head in confusion.
"Yeah, just a villain who's about to be revived."
Probably because this place was disconnected from reality and because in front of him was a friend from childhood, Ian didn't hide the fact that he "knew future events."
He had revealed a lot of prophecy-like information before.
But Ariana never seemed curious.
"Is the noseless freak really powerful? Ian, my two brothers are very strong."
Ariana said seriously.
Ian straightened up and curiously asked, "Your two brothers, are they twins?"
At the mention of twins, Ian immediately thought of the Weasley family, but Ariana's hair color was off, and he'd never heard of a deceased sister in the Weasley family.
Is it another Magic Clan?
Twenty-Eight Pure-blood Holy Races?
Couldn't figure it out.. Ian scratched his head and asked again, "You really can't remember your surname?"
Ariana shook her head and looked a bit downcast.
Ian blinked his eyes, "Then how do I find your brothers to help?"
"My brothers..."
Ariana fell into a reminiscent expression, but she couldn't recall any information about her brothers. She only remembered having two brothers who loved her very much, and she was just waiting for them here.
"It seems I'm about to completely forget my obsessions and past."
Ariana looked sad, holding her cheek with her hand, watching the flowing river.
Ian quickly comforted her, feeling somewhat helpless, "In the Misty Illusion Realm, souls linger because of obsession, and when your obsession disappears or you forget everything, it is the time to pass into the afterlife."
"That's not a bad thing."
Ian looked at Ariana with clear eyes, only to see her eyes suddenly redden.
"But, my brothers..."
Ariana choked up a bit.
Uh..
Ian didn't know how to comfort her, so he took out the chocolate he'd prepared earlier, saying, "You're lucky, I originally wanted to save this for myself."
He had bought the chocolate early and hid it in his pocket, definitely not forgetting to bring it.
"Chocolate.. Ian, you're so kind!"
Seeing the chocolate, Ariana was indeed less sad, breaking into a smile. After taking a bite of the chocolate, she couldn't help but say, "Actually, I really want to see my brothers again."
Ian scratched his head, looking at the side of the girl's face, and said,
"I'll go back and ask around, see whose family lost a sister, maybe I'll tell you, and you'll remember, then you can stay here for a few more years."
"People all die eventually, just wait it out, and they'll be gone too. When they die, you'll be able to see them here." Ian said earnestly to Ariana.
Ariana was pleasantly surprised and gratefully said, "Thank you for the comfort, Ian, but you can't just go kill them for our reunion."
Goodness!
Are you providing me with new ideas?
Ian: "..."
He really didn't know how to roll his eyes at this.
"Do you think I'm some evil villain?"
Ian looked innocent.
"The Witch living in the castle said you had those qualities."
Seeing Ian's speechlessness, Ariana couldn't help but laugh.
The Witch in the castle?
Ian looked behind him, feeling a sense of awareness toward the castle hidden in the forest; he had heard something about it.
However, the Misty Illusion Realm was vast, and his abilities couldn't explore many areas just yet.
Just then, he felt a cool touch on his palm.
Ian turned his head to see Ariana holding his hand, with a smiling expression, "Ian, thank you for your kindness; this is also a congratulation on your enrollment.."
"I want to give you a gift."
As she spoke, Ian soon felt a warmth coming from his hand. As he looked down, a vibrant red flowed from Ariana's hand onto his own.
A delicate pattern appeared on the back of his hand but quickly vanished.
"What's this?"
Just as Ian spoke, the surroundings started to become illusory, and the person before him became blurry.
He knew.
This was the moment to leave, and he did not make any moves to resist.
"See you next week."
Ian waved goodbye with a smile.
Ariana also waved with a smile.
"See you next week."