Witch in the Castle, Admission Gift

Ian Prince.

That was Ian's name in this life.

Actually.

He had no idea how long ago he had transmigrated.

Unlike many people who simply closed and opened their eyes before arriving in another world, after his accidental death as a college student in his previous life, he had not immediately reincarnated into another world.

His consciousness had gone through a muddled period whose memories were difficult to piece together. It felt as though he had been flying the entire time, passing through many places and seeing many things he could not remember.

Thinking back on it now.

Ian did not know why he had experienced that. It was not as though he had been searching for some lost sheep. It had felt more like aimless wandering, a soul with nowhere to settle.

Until a light appeared.

He flew toward that light.

Only then did he open his eyes again and see a world both familiar and unfamiliar.

As a transmigrator, Ian possessed the usual cheat ability of a transmigrator. Besides the Attribute Panel, being able to cross the boundary between life and death seemed to have become his unique talent as well.

Every week, in his dreams, Ian came to this strange place—the place the simple little girl before him called the Misty Illusion.

Yes, the Misty Illusion—the realm of the dead in the Harry Potter world. Some said it was a transfer station leading to the underworld; others said it was the road to the next life... From what Ian knew about Harry Potter in his previous life, he only knew that after Dumbledore died, he appeared at a train station in the Misty Illusion.

He guessed that the reason he could come here was probably because he had died and come back to life, retaining memories from two lifetimes and somehow exploiting a bug in this world?

Forgive him for having watched only a few movies and fanfics instead of cramming more related knowledge. If he had known he would transmigrate, he definitely would have become a Potterhead in his previous life.

Of course.

Perhaps even a Potterhead.

Would not know much about this place either. Otherwise, the Misty Illusion would not have become the most mysterious map area in the original story.

"You look a little shaken up?"

The girl in front of him was an old ghost who did not even know how long she had been dead. Even so, Ariana still retained the innocence and slight childishness she had possessed before her death.

She was also one of Ian's few friends in this place.

As for the Misty Illusion.

Ian had always considered it a treasure trove. A Young Wizard's Magic Awakening generally only resulted in level-one Magic Control. The reason he possessed level-four magic.

Was because he had studied here.

Of course.

Not with the girl in front of him, because Ariana was merely an ordinary person who did not understand magic. Ian had learned Magic Control from another friend.

It was just that.

That person was always unwilling to teach him real magic, constantly insisting that he was still too young.

"The Scary Old Man! It was because of a Scary Old Man!"

Ian emphasized the words.

"Why call him a scary old man? Does he look frightening?"

Ariana was rather curious.

As the two walked together, Ian shook his head and explained.

"No, he doesn't look frightening. On the contrary, he's a very refined old man. It's just that he's a peeping freak. Well, at least I heard he's a peeping freak."

"Aren't you curious why he came looking for me, Ariana?"

The two arrived beside a river. Several colorful butterflies chased each other around them, fluttering gracefully, while a little rabbit poked its head out from beneath a tree and watched their backs.

Sunlight poured down, softening the scenery.

"Why did he come looking for you? Did he want to peep on you bathing?"

The girl's words left Ian speechless.

"He came to ask me to attend Hogwarts, Ariana. I really am a registered wizard!" Ian looked at the flowing river, his tone filled with smug boasting.

He had not been very old in his previous life either. Though he had drifted for a long time, he had been muddled the whole time... To put it simply, he was just an old ghost slightly better off than Ariana.

Otherwise, how could the two have become friends?

There had to be something similar between them, right?

"Hogwarts? I know it. I remember Hogwarts. It's the best wizarding school in the world! It's also the safest place in the world!"

Ariana looked at Ian in delight.

"Ian, if you run into trouble at Hogwarts, you can ask my two brothers for help. They're Hogwarts students, and they're very warmhearted, good people."

It was clear that she was truly enthusiastic.

It was just that.

"I'll definitely run into trouble."

Ian stretched his legs into the river and lay directly down on the grass. Somewhat helplessly, he slowly said, "Your brothers are students. No matter how capable they are, how capable can they really be? This year, or next year, our school will probably spawn the Noseless Freak. Ordinary people can't handle that thing."

Ian was also somewhat worried about Voldemort.

He could avoid getting involved with the Savior, but who knew whether he might become collateral damage while studying at school? Only a ghost would believe Hogwarts was truly the safest place in the world.

"The Noseless Freak?"

Ariana tilted her head in confusion.

"Yeah, a major villain who's about to come back to life."

Perhaps because this place was cut off from reality, and perhaps because the girl before him had been his friend since childhood, Ian did not hide the fact that he "knew things about the future."

He had revealed plenty of similar prophetic information before.

But Ariana had never been curious about it.

"Is the Noseless Freak very powerful? Ian, my two brothers are very powerful."

Ariana was very serious.

Ian sat up and asked curiously, "Are your two brothers twins?"

At the mention of twins, Ian immediately thought of the Weasley family. But Ariana's hair color was wrong, and he had never heard of the Weasley family having a sister who died young.

Was it another wizarding family?

One of the Twenty-Eight Pure-Blood Sacred Families?

He could not figure it out... Ian scratched his head and asked again, "Do you really not remember your surname?"

Ariana shook her head, looking somewhat dejected.

Ian blinked. "Then how am I supposed to find your brothers for help?"

"My brothers..."

Ariana fell into recollection, yet she could not remember any information about her brothers. She only remembered that she had two brothers who loved her very much, and that she was waiting for them here.

"It seems I'm about to completely forget my obsession and my past."

Ariana's eyes were sorrowful as she propped up her cheek and watched the flowing river.

Ian hurriedly comforted her, somewhat at a loss. "In the Misty Illusion, souls remain because of their obsessions. When your obsession disappears, or when you forget everything, that will be the time to move on to the next life."

"That isn't necessarily a bad thing."

Ian looked at Ariana with clear eyes, only to see her eye sockets suddenly redden.

"But my brothers..."

Ariana choked up slightly.

This...

Ian did not know how to comfort her, so he could only pull out the chocolate he had prepared long ago and say, "You're lucky. I was planning to save it for myself."

He had bought the chocolate in advance and hidden it in his pocket. Of course, he had not forgotten to bring it.

"Chocolate? Ian, you're so nice!"

Sure enough, Ariana was no longer so sad when she saw the chocolate. She immediately broke into a smile through her tears. After taking a bite, though, she could not help saying, "Actually, I really want to see my brothers again."

Ian scratched his head, looked at the girl's profile, and said.

"Then I'll ask around after I go back. If I find out which family lost a sister, maybe when I tell you, you'll remember and get to stay here for a few more years."

"Everyone dies eventually. Just wait them out until they die. Once they're dead, you'll be able to see them here." Ian spoke to Ariana with complete seriousness.

Ariana looked delighted and said gratefully, "Thank you for comforting me, Ian. But you can't go kill them just so my brothers and I can reunite."

Good grief!

Was she giving me a new idea?

Ian: "..."

He truly did not know how to roll his eyes at that.

"What kind of evil weirdo do you take me for?"

Ian looked entirely innocent.

"The Witch in the Castle said you have that kind of nature."

Seeing Ian's speechless expression, Ariana could not help laughing.

The Witch in the Castle?

Ian instinctively looked behind him, toward the castle hidden in the forest. He had heard a little about it.

It was just that the Misty Illusion was vast, and with his current ability, he could not explore too many areas.

Just then, a cool sensation came from his palm.

Ian turned his head and saw Ariana taking his hand, smiling as she said, "Ian, thank you for your kindness. This is also a congratulations on your admission..."

"I want to give you a gift."

As she spoke, Ian soon felt a warmth spreading from his hand. Looking down, he saw a streak of vivid red flowing from Ariana's hand into his own.

An exquisite pattern appeared on the back of his hand, then quickly faded away.

"What is this?"

The words had barely left Ian's mouth when his surroundings began to turn dreamlike, and the person before him began to blur.

He knew.

It was time to leave. He did not resist.

"See you next week."

Ian smiled and waved goodbye.

Ariana smiled and waved back.

"See you next week."