Ian Prince.
That was Ian's name in this life.
But truthfully, he had no idea how long he had been transmigrated.
Unlike many who close their eyes and awaken in another world, Ian's journey was different. After dying unexpectedly as a college student in his previous life, he didn't immediately reincarnate.
Instead, his consciousness drifted through a hazy, indefinite period—so long that piecing together his memories was nearly impossible. It felt as if he were endlessly soaring, passing through countless places, witnessing things he could never quite recall.
Looking back now, Ian didn't know why he had such an experience. It wasn't as if he was searching for something, like a lost soul seeking home. Rather, he felt like a wandering spirit, unanchored and aimless.
Until the light appeared.
He flew toward it.
And when he finally reopened his eyes, he found himself in a world both familiar and strange.
As a transmigrator, Ian possessed the golden finger every transmigrator should have. Beyond his attribute panel, he seemed to have developed a unique talent—one that allowed him to traverse the boundary between life and death.
Every week, in his sleep, Ian would enter this peculiar place—called the Limbo Realm by the simple, childlike girl standing before him.
Yes, the Limbo Realm—the land of the dead in the Harry Potter world. Some believed it to be a transit station to the afterlife, while others saw it as a gateway between worlds. In Ian's limited knowledge of Harry Potter from his past life, he only recalled Dumbledore appearing at a train station in the Limbo Realm after his death.
Perhaps he could access this place because he had died once and been resurrected. Or maybe his wisdom from two lifetimes had caused some sort of bug in this world?
Forgive him—he had only watched a few movies and read some fanfiction. Had he known he would transmigrate, he would have definitely become a Harry Potter scholar in his previous life.
Then again…
Perhaps even a Harry Potter scholar wouldn't have much knowledge about this place. After all, the Limbo Realm remained one of the most mysterious locations in the original work.
"You seem a little startled."
The girl in front of him—an old ghost who had long lost track of time—spoke with a child's innocence.
Her name was Ariana.
And despite her circumstances, she still retained her pre-death purity and a hint of childlike wonder.
She was also one of Ian's few friends in this place.
Regarding the Limbo Realm…
Ian had always felt it was a land of opportunity. Most young wizards only awakened at the first level of magical control. Yet Ian, through his time spent here, had reached level four.
Of course, it wasn't thanks to the girl in front of him—Ariana was an ordinary person who had never learned magic. Ian's training had come from another acquaintance.
But that acquaintance…
Well, he always refused to teach Ian real spells, insisting that he "wasn't old enough" yet.
"Creepy old man! It's because of a creepy old man!"
Ian's voice carried a hint of exasperation.
"Why do you say that? Is he scary-looking?" Ariana asked, curious.
Ian shook his head as the two began walking along the riverbank.
"No, he's not scary at all. On the contrary, he's a very refined old man. It's just that… well, I heard rumors that he's a peeping tom."
"Aren't you curious why he came to see me, Ariana?"
The two strolled further, the breeze carrying the scent of wildflowers. Butterflies fluttered around them, a small rabbit peeked out from beneath a tree, and the sunlight cast a golden glow over the landscape.
A picturesque scene.
"What did he want from you? Did he come to peep at you taking a bath?"
Ian nearly choked.
"He came to invite me to Hogwarts, Ariana! I really am a registered wizard!" Ian declared smugly, his eyes glinting with excitement as he watched the river flow.
In his past life, he hadn't been particularly old, and though he had wandered for what felt like years, his mind had remained somewhat muddled. In essence, he was just a slightly more competent ghost than Ariana.
Otherwise, how could the two of them have become friends?
There had to be something they had in common, right?
"Hogwarts? Oh, I remember Hogwarts! It's the best wizarding school in the world! And the safest place, too!"
Ariana's face lit up with enthusiasm.
"Ian, if you ever run into trouble at Hogwarts, you can ask my brothers for help! They're students there, and they're very kind!"
Her excitement was evident.
But Ian simply sighed.
"It's definitely going to be trouble."
Dipping his legs into the cool river, Ian lay back on the grassy bank and exhaled deeply.
"Your brothers are just students. How powerful could they be? This year—or next—our school is probably going to have to deal with the noseless monster. And that's not something ordinary people can handle."
Voldemort.
Even though Ian could avoid crossing paths with the so-called savior, there was no guarantee he wouldn't become collateral damage just by attending Hogwarts. Anyone who truly believed Hogwarts was the safest place in the world was a fool.
"Noseless monster?" Ariana tilted her head in confusion.
"Yeah. A big villain who's about to be resurrected."
Perhaps because this realm was detached from reality, or perhaps because Ariana was a friend from his childhood, Ian didn't bother hiding the fact that he "knew the future."
He had hinted at prophetic knowledge before.
Ariana, however, had never seemed particularly curious.
"Is the noseless monster strong? Ian, my brothers are very powerful!"
Ariana was completely serious.
Ian raised an eyebrow.
"Are they twins?"
For a moment, he thought of the Weasley family, but Ariana's hair color didn't match. And besides, he'd never heard of the Weasleys having a deceased sister.
Was she from another wizarding family?
One of the twenty-eight sacred pure-blood families, perhaps?
Unable to figure it out, Ian scratched his head.
"You really can't remember your last name?"
Ariana shook her head, looking a little lost.
Ian blinked.
"Then how am I supposed to ask your brothers for help?"
"My brothers…"
Ariana fell into deep thought. Yet no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't recall their names. She only remembered that they had loved her dearly. And that she had been waiting for them.
"It feels like I'm about to forget my past completely," she murmured, sadness creeping into her voice.
Ian shifted uncomfortably.
"In the Limbo Realm, souls linger because of unresolved attachments. When those attachments disappear… when you forget everything… that's when you move on."
He hesitated.
"But that's not necessarily a bad thing."
Ariana's eyes turned red.
"But my brothers…"
Her voice wavered.
Ian, at a loss, fumbled in his pocket before pulling out a piece of chocolate.
"I was saving this for myself," he muttered, handing it to her.
Her eyes widened in delight.
"Ian, you're the best!"
She bit into the chocolate happily, her earlier sorrow fading.
"I really want to see my brothers again," she admitted softly.
Ian scratched his head, watching her.
"Then I'll look into it for you. Maybe if I find out who you are, you'll remember. And you can stick around a little longer."
He grinned.
"People die eventually. Just wait. They'll come to you."
Ariana stared at him, then burst into laughter.
"But Ian, you're not planning to kill them just to reunite us, are you?"
Ian: "…"
Was that a suggestion?
Good grief.