Bayu, 30, lived in a small house on the outskirts of Bandung. It was past ten at night, and as usual, he sat cross-legged in front of his old laptop, whose fan was starting to hum strangely often.
The outside air was cold, but he didn't turn on the heater. Only a thin blanket on his shoulders and a cup of instant coffee next to his rather worn mousepad.
On the laptop screen: one tab was open, displaying a school romance fanfiction. Another tab—an isekai novel about reincarnation into a magical world. In the very back tab, there was a time travel novel he had only read halfway.
Bayu let out a small sigh. "It's strange, isn't it... I like all these stories, but my life is so flat."
Not a complaint. More like a murmur from someone accustomed to being silent with his own thoughts. His life was simple. Working from home, sometimes helping his sister with her business, and at night, a loyal reader of web novels.
In the middle of his concentration, the screen suddenly flickered. A pop-up window appeared, but it wasn't an ad or a virus.
Special Invitation for Bayu "Do you want to try exploring worlds like those in the novels you read?"
[Yes] [No]
Bayu frowned.
"Whose prank is this, anyway?"
His mouse cursor hovered hesitantly. He looked right and left, as if someone was watching, then shook his head and gave a small smile.
"Well, it's obvious I'm going to press 'yes'..."
Click.
As soon as the button was pressed, the laptop screen lit up brightly. White light flooded the entire room. Bayu managed to close his eyes, but...
BRRAAAKK!!!
A loud sound exploded from the direction of the laptop. Not like a bomb exploding, but like an electrical short circuit that burst quickly—loud, hot, and sudden. The room lights went out. The air turned empty.
...Everything went dark.
Bayu couldn't feel his body. There was no cold, no heat. As if he was just... a consciousness floating in a vacuum.
Then, a voice appeared. Not from outside, but directly inside his head.
"Welcome, Bayu. Initial transmigration preparation will begin. Please remain calm."
"Am I... still dreaming?" he murmured.
Before him—or from wherever—a light slowly appeared, forming a large spinning wheel, like a casino roulette, but stranger. Its panels displayed both foreign and familiar words: Sword Mastery, Item Creation, Time Pause, Photographic Memory, System Shop, Harem Luck (Bayu raised an eyebrow at this one), Dimensional Storage, and more.
"As a bonus for your first world journey, you will receive three random gifts from the Golden Finger Roulette."
"Golden finger? Like a cheat?" Bayu swallowed. "Oh my god, isekai for real..."
The roulette began to spin, fast, then slowed.
Click... click... click...
The first needle pointed to: Independent Space – High Tier
"You have obtained a large dimensional personal space. Time can be adjusted, it can be used to store items, train abilities, or simply rest."
"Wow... like a super Doraemon pocket, house version?"
Click... click... click...
The second needle: Smart Brain
"Your brain will function with high efficiency. Information processing is faster, analytical and computational abilities increase drastically."
Bayu blinked. "So... sort of a combination of AI and Einstein?"
Click... click... click...
The third needle: Photographic Memory
"Everything seen and read will be perfectly stored in your memory instantly."
"This will really help if I have to memorize spells or potion recipes..." Bayu started to grin to himself.
The roulette's light slowly faded, replaced by a soft voice.
All finished. The roulette stopped. The three gift lights floated slowly, like falling star fragments in slow motion, then... merged into him.
Independent Space, Smart Brain, Photographic Memory...
Bayu was speechless. He couldn't even feel his body.
"Is this... the end of my life? Or the beginning?"
Darkness enveloped him again. But this darkness was different. Softer. Warmer. Not emptiness, but something that... enshrouded him. Calming.
He felt like he was sinking. Not in the sea, but in something fluid and full of life. There was a beat... slow, consistent... thump-thump, thump-thump... like a metronome at the end of a hallway.
And within that darkness, there was something strange:
He felt himself shrinking. Not in a narrow sense, but shrinking to a simpler form. His mind remained conscious—with a strange clarity he had never experienced before—but his body was no longer his old body. He was being reshaped.
"Is this... a womb?"
There was a vibration. Faint sounds like two people talking, but everything was muffled as if heard through a wall of water. The world outside felt distant, but he knew... he was heading there.
Towards birth.
Darkness.
But now it wasn't silent anymore.
There was a sound... faint, like the song of the world. Heavy breathing. Shouts... cries... then warmth. As warm as a thick blanket on a cold morning.
"It's our child, Xeno... our child..."
Bayu—or, now, no longer Bayu—felt something touching his skin. Warm and soft. Then a familiar scent, though he didn't know why... like dried flowers and raw herbal remedies.
A man's voice echoed, cheerful, a little hoarse.
"He... he's like a shy sun! Look at his ears, Dora—he's going to be a great listener!"
And at that moment, a name was given to him.
"Ludwig. Ludwig Lovegood."
Ludwig. Lovegood. A name that sounded like chamber music in the afternoon and... a little eccentric.
Bayu—now Ludwig—couldn't speak, just cried like any other baby. But his mind pulsed sharply. No panic, no confusion.
"I... was reborn. And... is this a magic world?"
Just then, as if answering his thought, a message appeared in his mind, not with a voice, but like a merged consciousness:
✅ Reincarnation successful. 🎁 Gifts loaded: – Independent Space – Smart Brain – Photographic Memory
Ludwig couldn't smile, but if he could, he would have been grinning. "...If this is truly the magic world I'm thinking of... then my new life begins now."
Ludwig was silent—of course, his body could only cry and squirm like a normal baby. But his mind, his mind was much more mature, more aware. He knew the woman's voice who had just embraced him... it must be Pandora Lovegood. And the man beside her, whose voice was strange like a poet drinking tea at three in the morning, was none other than Xenophilius Lovegood.
"Crazy... I really was born into the Lovegood family? That Lovegood family?"
He tried to recall everything he knew. But then he realized—with a bit of annoyance and amusement—that he actually didn't know much. He had only watched the Harry Potter movies. And even those… weren't complete.
"I even forgot the order of the movies…"
The only novel he had actually finished reading was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. And that was years ago, when he was bored waiting in line at the Samsat office.
"I know Harry, Ron, Hermione... I know there's Luna, Voldemort, Dumbledore. But the details? Don't ask..."
And that made everything complicated.
"Is this a movie world? Or a novel world? Or a combination of both?"
He frowned internally. There was no instruction screen, no narrator's voice, no NPC guide like in the isekai novels he usually read. Just... a real world that felt too real.
"But... why am I even bothering to think about that?"
Ludwig—his new name now feeling more natural in his mind—tried to calm himself. Bayu was dead. Or rather, Bayu was finished. Ludwig was now here. Alive. He had to live it.
"Movie or novel, fiction or reality... this is my world now."
And if this was truly the Harry Potter world, then he had to be ready.
Ready for a childhood full of magic. Ready for school at Hogwarts—if he was lucky enough. Ready to be part of a story bigger than himself.
And secretly, Ludwig activated all the gifts he had been given:
Photographic Memory began recording the sounds, faces, and patterns of the room around him. Smart Brain began connecting the pieces of information he knew about the wizarding world. Independent Space... for now, it couldn't be accessed, but he knew it would be incredibly useful later.
"From now on, there's no more Bayu the story reader. I'm the writer. The player. I'm... the main character in this world."
Outside, Pandora was singing a lullaby that sounded like an Elf drunk on herbal tea.
While Xenophilius spread out a copy of the Quibbler on the floor, seriously as if reading a sacred text.
Ludwig fell asleep, not from exhaustion, but because his tiny body couldn't yet contain the turmoil of his thoughts. He knew that when his eyes opened tomorrow morning—his first day as a little wizard would begin.
And not far from his bed, an old calendar on the wall showed the date: July 29, 1972.
Ludwig could only cry like a normal baby. His small body trembled, but his mind was far clearer and sharper than it should have been.
Ludwig frowned. That was his current birth date. A date that made him realize one big thing.
"If I'm not mistaken, Voldemort is still in power," he thought, holding his breath. "This means... I was born in a time of war. In a dark time. I—a small child—could... die in the middle of this conflict."
That fear surged through his mind, which was still trapped in a baby's body.
"I... I'm scared. I'm really scared."
However, amidst that worry, a glimmer of hope appeared. A simple hope that strengthened his heart.
"I can only hope... Mum and Dad will protect me. Pandora and Xenophilius."
They might not be famous wizards, not great heroes highlighted by the wizarding world, but I have to believe... they will keep me safe.
Ludwig allowed himself to be carried away by the warmth of his mother's embrace and his father's gentle voice. A dangerous world awaited outside, but here... for now... there was a sense of security that felt like an invisible cloak.
Dark days and battles would come, but Ludwig already knew one thing.
He wouldn't face it alone.
Ludwig at 3 Years Old
Ludwig Lovegood sat cross-legged on the floor of their small reading room. His hands held a picture book about magical plants, but his eyes were no longer drawn to the illustrations. He had already read those pages more than three times that week, and every letter within them was perfectly ingrained in his mind.
"Mandrake will cry loudly when pulled," he mumbled softly. "And can make people faint, or even—"
"Enough studying for today, Ludwig," his father's voice chimed from behind a stack of books floating in the air, magically moving to their respective shelves.
Ludwig let out a small sigh, then turned to his mother who was embroidering on an old sofa.
"If I could go outside, I could learn directly. Maybe we could go to Hogsmeade, or... Diagon Alley."
Pandora and Xeno exchanged glances for a moment.
"No, Ludwig," Xeno said gently. "The outside world isn't safe yet."
"But... at least to the backyard?"
"Not now, dear," his mother interjected, without looking up. Her voice sounded very cautious, like someone carefully choosing words to avoid causing cracks. "We don't want to attract attention."
Ludwig was silent for a moment. His brain, already much sharper than that of a child his age, processed thousands of things at once. He knew very well what was truly happening out there. He knew that this year was 1975, and that an invisible war was slowly simmering, like a potion cauldron almost overflowing.
And he knew whose name stood in the middle of that storm.
"I just want to know... why are we all so afraid of Vol—"
Pandora instantly stood up and covered Ludwig's mouth with a trembling hand.
Ludwig's heart beat faster, not from shock, but from confirmation.
"...that name... must not be spoken, Ludwig," his mother whispered. "There's a curse. It can be heard by his followers."
Pandora's gaze was tense, but not angry—more fearful. A genuine, instinctive fear, like a doe smelling a predator in the distance.
Ludwig nodded slowly. He knew. He had already known. But he just wanted to hear how this world faced it. Apparently, that fear truly was like a thick fog—it had seeped into his parents' very bones.
"Sorry, Mum," he said softly. "I won't say it again."
Pandora let out a sigh of relief and hugged her son tightly, as if afraid Ludwig might vanish just for uttering a name.
"I just want you to stay safe," his mother whispered in Ludwig's ear. "You... are too precious for this dying world."
Ludwig's days were quiet, but not empty. He learned in silence. Read in silence. Observed every conversation of his parents, every gesture. No letters from outside, no visits, no sound of owls. The outside world was truly locked away.
Sometimes he wondered, were all young wizarding children confined like this?
But no. He knew they weren't.
He knew there was a school he would one day attend. He knew eleven was its gateway. But that was still eight years away. And in those eight years, anything could happen. Including war. Including... death.
When night fell, Ludwig often gazed at the sky from his small room window. He made plans. Imagined possibilities. Recalled things he had never spoken to anyone about—things he could only understand himself.
He wasn't afraid of the wizarding world.
He was only afraid of losing the chance to live.
"Will I survive until Hogwarts?" he thought one night. "Will Mum and Dad be alright?"
Sometimes, he heard his mother quietly crying while washing dishes with magic. Or saw his father staring blankly into the fireplace with an expression Ludwig never saw in the morning. Their house was small, and its walls weren't thick enough to hide all their worries.
Yet every morning, smiles still appeared. Bread was still baked. Lessons were still given.
That's what kept Ludwig silent. Not asking more questions. Not pushing to go outside.
He knew... they just wanted to keep him alive.
And that was enough for now.
Ludwig at 5 Years Old
Five years old for ordinary children is a time for playing and chasing butterflies. But not for Ludwig Lovegood. At the age of five, he could already speed-read, memorize lists of poisonous plants, and the mystery of the three Peverell brothers who conquered death, just from snippets of stories at the dinner table.
Pandora had realized long ago that her son wasn't just smart. There was something in the way Ludwig looked at the world—full of calculation, full of consideration, and quieter than he should be. He wasn't just learning; he was observing, absorbing, analyzing.
That afternoon, Pandora called Ludwig to the reading room. No books today. Just Pandora, sitting cross-legged on the rug, with two lit candles before her.
"Sit down, Ludwig."
Ludwig obeyed, looking at his mother with curiosity. This was no ordinary lesson.
"We are going to learn about mind shields. Something you won't find in books."
Pandora looked into her son's eyes. "It's called Occlumency. It's not ordinary magic. It's about protecting your mind. Closing it off from others."
"Why does it need to be protected?"
"Because in our world, there are those who can enter people's heads, see your memories, steal your secrets." Pandora's voice softened. "Including what you know about... things you shouldn't know yet."
Ludwig was silent. He understood his mother's meaning more than Pandora suspected. He knew too much. Too fast.
"And conversely," Pandora continued, "there's also magic to read other people's minds. Legilimency. But that can only be done very carefully."
Pandora closed her eyes. "Now, imagine a door in your head. You must lock that door. You must hide it. You must protect it."
Week after week passed. Every afternoon, they sat facing each other. Pandora tried to penetrate her son's mind with an intense gaze. Ludwig tried to close it off, divert, lock it. Sometimes he succeeded. Sometimes he failed. But every day, he grew stronger.
And between lessons, Pandora slowly introduced him to Legilimency—with limitations. He was not allowed to try it on anyone except his mother. He was not allowed to dive too deep. Just touch the surface. Feel emotions. Taste intentions.
"This is not a tool for snooping," Pandora said. "This is a mirror. You will see others... and yourself."
Ludwig grew up quietly. But his mind was bustling. He began to feel when his father was hiding fear. He could tell when his mother gave a fake smile just to reassure him.
Sometimes he felt guilty for knowing too much. But precisely because of that, he was quieter. More cautious.
The outside world was still closed off. But the world within his mind—vast, deep, and slowly becoming tightly locked.
No one knew who he truly was. No one knew what he kept.
And that... was according to plan.
That year, the air felt different. There was no official announcement, no grand celebration reaching the small village where the Lovegood family lived—yet the wizarding world felt lighter. As if a great burden that had pressed upon everyone's chests for years... suddenly crumbled away.
Voldemort fell.
A baby named Harry Potter—the child of James and Lily—miraculously survived the Killing Curse. The news spread slowly like morning mist: whispers, unmarked letters, and finally cheers in hidden places. Many families hinged their hopes on that news. One of them, the Lovegood family.
Ludwig sat on the living room floor when Pandora read a letter from her friend at St. Mungo's.
"He's... gone," Pandora murmured, clutching the letter tightly. "The Dark Lord is truly gone, Ludwig."
Xenophilius approached them with a hesitant expression, as if too afraid to believe. But Pandora nodded with teary eyes. That was enough.
Ludwig said nothing. He had known the forbidden name for a long time. He had known its threat, its curse, its cruelty. But now, for the first time, he saw his mother smile without fear behind it.
"Can we go outside, then?" Ludwig asked softly.
Pandora looked at him for a long time. "Maybe... soon."
In the weeks after the news spread, the Lovegood house slowly changed. The curtains weren't always drawn tightly. Pandora began watering the plants in the front yard, not just in the back. Xenophilius brought home the newspaper—The Daily Prophet—and read it aloud.
Ludwig heard the name Harry Potter more often than he expected. He knew that child would grow up to be something great. But most importantly for Ludwig, was that he could leave the house for the first time.
As his small feet touched the grass outside the house fence, he closed his eyes. This world... was real. The sun was no longer just a light from behind glass. The air was no longer something filtered through a window.
Pandora held his hand tightly. "We are not entirely safe, Ludwig. But... we are freer today."
He nodded. He knew. The wizarding world still held many dangers. There were still followers of the Dark Lord lurking. But that fear—which had been like a thick fog in their home—slowly began to thin.
And that night, for the first time in his life, Ludwig stood outside the house, gazing at the star-filled sky without feeling hunted by shadows.
He didn't know how long this peace would last. But for that night...
He was just a seven-year-old boy standing under the vast sky, listening to his mother and father quietly laugh at the doorstep.
And for the first time... Ludwig laughed too.