Reborn in Blazing Fire

Sizzle... sizzle...

Scorching tongues of flame licked every inch of his skin, crimson fire searing his torn wounds.

Linley's eyes were filled with blood-red. He used all his strength to push the child in his arms out of the blaze, then dropped to one knee, nearly out of strength.

The devouring flames charred his skin black, and the unceasing agony left him without the strength to stand again.

Linley's vision gradually blurred. It was not only because the air warped beneath the intense heat, but also because his consciousness was slowly fading.

His world became black and empty, while the burning pain brought by the flames gradually ebbed away.

No one knew how long had passed before Linley regained consciousness beneath warm lamplight. He opened his eyes and tried to say something, but what came out was only the tender babbling of an infant.

I... was reborn?

Linley raised his chubby little hands, his tiny eyes full of confusion.

Suddenly, he was picked up by a pair of slender hands covered in ugly wrinkles. Before he could see the owner of those inhuman-looking hands, he was placed beside the pillow of his mother in this life.

His mother in this life was an extraordinarily beautiful woman with long golden hair and black eyes. Once she learned that her child had been born safely, she fell asleep in peace.

Linley simply stared wide-eyed at the ceiling, seemingly unable to accept everything that had happened before him.

After a long while, a wave of exhaustion washed over him. Linley closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep as well.

The years passed one after another, like Merlin changing stockings one pair at a time.

In what seemed like the blink of an eye, eleven years had passed since Linley had been reborn into this world.

1990, England, Rohl Manor.

It was a grand and magnificent medieval estate. At its center stood an ancient-looking castle. Though its exterior appeared dilapidated and steeped in age, the decorations inside were modern and lavish.

In a room by the window on the castle's second floor, Linley stood before a full-length mirror with a gold-trimmed frame.

Reflected in the mirror was a handsome boy whose face was still somewhat childish, though his dark red eyes carried a trace of maturity. He had a head of sleek black hair, and upon closer inspection, strands of dark red could be seen among it.

That dark red hair, which looked as though it had been dyed, was something Linley had been born with rather than acquired later.

In this world, Linley's name was Lynn Roll, which transliterated into Chinese became Linley Rory. His surname belonged to one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight Pureblood Families.

That was right. The world Linley now lived in was the magical world of Harry Potter. When he had first been born, the owner of those slender, wrinkled hands had been Gael, the House-elf of Rohl Manor.

After straightening his tie, Linley looked away from the mirror.

Then, a knocking sound came from outside the window.

An owl was repeatedly pecking at the glass, trying to get in, with a letter clutched in its beak.

"Has it finally arrived?"

An imperceptible flash of delight crossed Linley's eyes. He quickly opened the window, letting in the gray, fluffy owl, then removed the letter from its beak.

The envelope was made of thick parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink.

Rohl Manor

Second-floor room by the window in the castle

To Mr. Rory

It really was the familiar formula!

Seeing that impossibly detailed address, the corners of Linley's lips curled upward.

Linley turned the envelope over and saw a wax seal bearing a shield-shaped crest. Around a large letter "H" were a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake.

Having reread Harry Potter twice in his previous life, Linley was naturally very familiar with Hogwarts' crest.

Though he could almost recite the contents of the letter from memory, Linley still took out the first sheet with a mixture of nervousness and excitement.

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Chairman of the International Confederation of Wizards, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot)

Dear Mr. Rory,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Enclosed is a list of required books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1. We await your owl no later than July 31.

Deputy Headmistress

Minerva McGonagall"

After reading the first sheet, Linley took out the second sheet beneath it.

The second sheet listed the robes, books, Wand, and other equipment Linley would need for Hogwarts. After memorizing each item, he placed it back into the envelope together with the first letter.

Phew~

Linley let out a long breath. Although he had long prepared himself for what would happen today, when Hogwarts' acceptance letter truly arrived before him, he still felt as though he had only just awakened from a dream.

What followed was excitement!

What Harry Potter fan had not dreamed of receiving a Hogwarts acceptance letter in their youth?!

Snap!

Linley carefully slipped the envelope into his pocket, then raised a hand and snapped his fingers.

With a sharp crack, Gael, the House-elf of Rohl Manor, appeared before him.

It was a House-elf wearing a blue-and-white pillowcase. Though it looked wrinkled and ugly, its brand-new pillowcase and spotless skin made it appear very clean.

"Young Master, your breakfast is ready! Madam is already eating downstairs."

Gael bowed to Linley as it spoke.

"I understand."

Linley nodded slightly before heading downstairs.

A round table stood at the center of the hall on the first floor of the castle. The blonde woman seated beside it and eating was Linley's mother in this life, Rowena Rowle.

The pronunciation of Linley's mother's name, Rowena Rowle, was similar to that of Rowena Ravenclaw, the founder of Hogwarts' Ravenclaw Academy, but the two were unrelated. Rowena had graduated from Slytherin in her younger days.

Linley quickly finished breakfast. Setting down his knife and fork, he said, "Mom, I just received a letter by owl. Later, I'm planning to have Gael take me to Diagon Alley to buy the books and equipment I need for school."

Rowena nodded and said gently, "Be careful."

Rowena was not worried that Linley would encounter danger in Diagon Alley. With Gael, the House-elf, accompanying him, Linley likely would not face much danger even if he went to Knockturn Alley.

After all, House-elves possessed magical abilities beyond those of most wizards. Otherwise, Dobby could not have so easily driven back Lucius Malfoy after gaining his freedom in the original story.

Linley said nothing more. He only gave his mother a tight hug.

Ever since his rebirth, he and Rowena had depended on one another. Aside from Gael, the House-elf, Rowena could be said to be the only person Linley could trust in this world.

As for his father, Hendry Rowle, he had once been a Death Eater. But ten years ago, Hendry had concealed something from Voldemort, and the suspicious Voldemort had killed him with the Killing Curse.

At the time, Rowena had only just become pregnant with him.

Had Rohl Manor not been protected by the Fidelius Charm and thus impossible for Voldemort to discover, Rowena and Linley, still in her womb, would likely have suffered the same fate.

Yet strangely, even Rowena did not know who the Secret-Keeper of Rohl Manor's Fidelius Charm was.

Fortunately, Voldemort fell a year after Linley was born, allowing Rowena to stop living in constant fear.

After releasing his mother, Linley took hold of Gael's left hand.

Gael raised its right hand and snapped its fingers. With another sharp crack, Linley and Gael vanished from the spot.

London, The Leaky Cauldron.

Linley and Gael appeared at the entrance of The Leaky Cauldron. Linley looked around with curiosity.

Though Linley had left Rohl Manor many times over the past eleven years, he had never visited the wizarding world. To protect himself, he had restrained his curiosity and remained only in the Muggle world all these years. The refrigerators and other modern electronic devices scattered throughout the castle were the result of his efforts to renovate it with Muggle technology.

When it came to everyday life, ordinary people really did know how to enjoy themselves far better than these old-fashioned wizards.

Linley's first impression of The Leaky Cauldron was that it was dirty. Its lighting was dim, while the tables and floor seemed coated in a layer of grease that made him uncomfortable.

"Seems like a new face. Young wizard, is this your first time at The Leaky Cauldron?"

Old Tom, the owner of The Leaky Cauldron, tirelessly wiped the cup in his hand with a filthy rag as he looked up at Linley.

His gaze passed over Linley and landed on Gael, the House-elf behind him. Understanding dawned on him.

It seemed this was a young wizard from a Pureblood Family.

"Yes, sir. I'd like to enter Diagon Alley."

Linley answered.

Old Tom nodded and walked behind the bar, not forgetting to continue wiping that dirty cup.

Linley followed him into a small courtyard enclosed by walls on all sides. His gaze fell upon the solitary rubbish bin against the wall.

"Remember this. Count three up and two across, then tap it with your Wand."

As a matter of routine, Old Tom tapped the wall three times with the tip of his Wand.

The bricks he tapped immediately began to tremble. They shifted apart, forming an opening in the middle that gradually widened until it became a broad archway.

Beyond the archway lay a cobblestone street. This was Diagon Alley, the most prosperous commercial street in England's wizarding world.

Linley stepped through the opening, then turned back before it began to shrink. "By the way, why don't you use magic to clean the cups? I think a Scouring Charm should do the job."

Old Tom shook the dirty cup in his hand and laughed heartily. "But that's part of the fun! Just like how you could have entered Diagon Alley directly, couldn't you?"

As soon as Old Tom finished speaking, the steadily shrinking opening vanished, turning back into a wall.

Linley could not help laughing.

That was right. Just as he could have had Gael, the House-elf, Apparate him directly to Diagon Alley, yet had insisted on passing through The Leaky Cauldron to experience this iconic scene himself.

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