Ian Prince.
That was the name he carried in this life.
In truth—
He had no idea how long he'd been in this world.
Unlike the typical "blink once, wake up in another world" kind of transmigration, Ian's experience was different. In his previous life, he died unexpectedly as a university student, but he didn't immediately reincarnate.
His consciousness drifted through a hazy, fragmented existence—an indistinct stretch of time where he felt as if he were flying endlessly, passing countless places and scenes he couldn't recall.
Looking back now—
Ian still couldn't explain that experience. It didn't feel like he was searching for something lost—more like a wandering soul, drifting without direction.
Until a light appeared.
He flew toward it.
And then opened his eyes to a familiar yet unfamiliar world.
As a transmigrator, Ian had the proverbial "golden finger"—his personal stat panel. But perhaps more unique was his ability to cross the boundary between life and death, which seemed to be his own special gift.
Once a week, in his dreams, Ian would arrive in this strange place—a realm a young, innocent girl referred to as the Limbo Mirage.
Yes, the Limbo Mirage—the land of the dead in the Harry Potter world. Some said it was a transfer station to the underworld, others called it the path to reincarnation... In Ian's limited knowledge of the series, he remembered Dumbledore appearing at a train station in the Mirage after death.
He guessed his connection to this place had something to do with dying and coming back—perhaps a bug caused by having memories from two lifetimes?
Forgive him—he'd only watched a few films and read a handful of fanfics. If he'd known he'd end up here, he would've become a die-hard Potterhead in his previous life.
Then again—
Even a Potter scholar might not know much about this place. The Limbo Mirage remained one of the most mysterious map zones in the original lore.
"You seem a bit shaken."
The girl before him was a ghost who didn't even remember how long she'd been dead. Still, despite that, Ariana retained her childlike innocence and slight immaturity.
She was one of Ian's few friends in this place.
To Ian—
The Limbo Mirage felt like a hidden treasure. When young wizards first awakened, their magic control was usually level one. He, however, had level four.
That was because he'd studied here.
Of course—
Not with the girl before him. Ariana wasn't a witch. Ian had learned magic control from another friend in this realm.
However—
That person always refused to teach him actual spells, saying he was still too young.
"A scary old man! It was because of a scary old man!"
Ian's voice carried a note of emphasis.
"Why scary? Did he look frightening?"
Ariana was curious.
The two of them walked side by side. Ian shook his head and explained.
"No, he didn't look scary. In fact, he was quite elegant. But he's a notorious peeping tom—or at least, I've heard he is."
"Aren't you curious what he came to see me about, Ariana?"
They arrived at a riverbank, butterflies dancing in the air around them. A small rabbit peeked out from under a tree, watching them from behind.
The sun filtered gently through the trees, bathing the scene in a soft glow.
"What did he want? To peek at you bathing?"
Ariana's innocent question left Ian speechless.
"He came to tell me I've been accepted into Hogwarts. Ariana, turns out I'm a registered wizard after all!" Ian grinned smugly as he looked at the flowing river.
In his past life, he hadn't been that old. He'd wandered through the void in a daze… To put it simply, he was just a slightly less confused ghost than Ariana.
How else could they have become friends?
They had to have something in common.
"Hogwarts? I know Hogwarts! I remember it—it's the best wizarding school in the world! And also… the safest place in the world!"
Ariana looked at Ian in delight.
"Ian, if you get into trouble at Hogwarts, you can ask my two brothers for help. They were students there, and they were really kind-hearted."
She was clearly excited and genuine.
However—
"I'll definitely run into trouble."
Ian dipped his legs in the river and lay down on the grass, speaking with quiet resignation. "Even if your brothers are strong, how strong could they really be? This year or next, our school's about to get a new 'noseless freak.' That's not someone just anyone can handle."
When it came to Voldemort—
Ian was genuinely concerned.
Sure, he could try to avoid Harry and the rest of the plot, but who knew if he'd end up as collateral damage just trying to study magic? Only a fool would believe Hogwarts was truly the safest place.
"Noseless freak?"
Ariana tilted her head in confusion. "Yeah, a major villain who's about to make a comeback."
Because this place was separate from reality, and because Ariana had been his friend since the beginning, Ian didn't hide the fact that he "knew the future."
He'd hinted at many prophetic things before.
But Ariana had never shown much curiosity.
"Is the noseless freak really that strong? Ian, my brothers were really strong."
Ariana looked genuinely serious.
Ian sat up, curious. "Your brothers… are they twins?"
Thinking of twins, Ian's mind jumped to the Weasleys—but Ariana's hair color didn't match, and he didn't recall any mention of a deceased Weasley sister.
Some other magical family, then?
One of the Sacred Twenty-Eight?
He couldn't figure it out… Ian scratched his head and asked again, "You really can't remember your surname?"
Ariana shook her head, looking a little disappointed.
Ian blinked. "Then how am I supposed to find your brothers?"
"My brothers…"
Ariana's expression clouded as she tried to remember. But she couldn't recall any concrete details—only that her brothers had loved her dearly, and that she was here waiting for them.
"Seems like I'm forgetting everything… my past and my reasons for staying."
Her gaze was tinged with sorrow as she rested her chin on her hand, staring at the river.
Ian hurried to comfort her, a bit flustered. "In the Limbo Mirage, souls linger because of unresolved attachments. If your attachment fades—or you forget everything—that's when it's time to move on."
"That's not necessarily a bad thing."
Ian looked at her with calm eyes, but her own were growing red.
"But… my brothers…"
Ariana's voice caught in her throat.
Ugh…
Ian didn't know how to comfort her. In a panic, he pulled out the chocolate he'd prepared earlier.
"Guess I'll share it with you. I was going to save it for myself."
He had bought it in advance and hidden it in his pocket. He hadn't forgotten—he just pretended to.
"Chocolate! Ian, you're the best!"
Ariana's face lit up. She popped a piece in her mouth and, though she was smiling again, she still whispered, "Actually… I really want to see my brothers one more time."
Ian scratched his head and looked at her profile.
"Then I'll look into it when I get back. Maybe I can find out which family lost a sister. If I tell you, you might remember—and that way, you'll get to stay here a few more years."
"Everyone dies eventually. Just wait them out—once they die, you'll see them here."
Ian said this seriously.
Ariana beamed, touched. "Thank you for comforting me, Ian. But… you won't kill them just to reunite us, right?"
What the heck?!
Are you giving me ideas now?
Ian: "..."
He didn't even know how to roll his eyes at that.
"What kind of villain do you take me for?"
Ian looked completely innocent.
"The witch in the castle said you had that kind of personality."
Seeing Ian's exasperation, Ariana burst into giggles.
The witch in the castle, huh?
Ian glanced back instinctively toward the hidden castle nestled deep in the forest. He'd heard of it.
But the Limbo Mirage was vast. With his current abilities, he couldn't explore much of it yet.
Just then, a cold sensation touched his palm.
Ian turned to see Ariana had taken his hand, smiling brightly. "Ian, thank you for everything. This is my gift to celebrate your enrollment…"
"I want to give you something."
As she spoke, Ian felt a wave of warmth pass through her hand into his.
Looking down, he saw a vivid red glow flowing from Ariana's hand into his.
A delicate marking bloomed briefly on the back of his hand—
Then vanished.
"What was that?"
The moment Ian asked, the world around him began to blur, and Ariana's figure faded from view.
He knew—
It was time to leave. He didn't resist.
"See you next week."
Ian smiled and waved.
Ariana smiled and waved back.
"See you next week."
(End of Chapter)