Awakening on the Hogwarts Express

Death came without warning.

One second, Lin Yanqing was battling a stubborn brain in front of his computer. The next, his heart felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand, stopping abruptly. His consciousness plunged into boundless darkness, his last thought being: It's over. That mediocre novel, it's finally going to be permanently discontinued.

However, the expected eternal silence never arrived.

"Woo—clang, clang—"

A sharp whistle and rhythmic metal clangs violently yanked his consciousness from the void. A regular rocking sensation came from beneath him, and his nostrils filled with the scent of old leather, dust, and a cloying sweetness like moldy candy.

He snapped his eyes open.

What greeted him was not the underworld, nor the sterile white ceiling of a hospital, but a polished, dark brown wooden ceiling. He was sitting alone in a small, typical train compartment, on a hard leather seat.

This was not his body.

He looked down, seeing a pair of slender, delicate-skinned teenage hands, nothing like his old body with its gnarled knuckles and calluses from years of typing. Fragments of chaotic memories pierced his mind like ice picks—wasn't he supposed to be rushing to meet a deadline? Heart failure... so, he was dead? And then... he transmigrated?

Before he could sort out his thoughts, a trickle of unfamiliar memories flowed in.

The original owner, also named Lin Yanqing, was an eleven-year-old half-blood wizard whose parents were deceased. His mother came from an Eastern wizarding family with a special "ge'er" bloodline, while his father was a Muggle. What made his heart pound even faster were the bizarre words surfacing in his memory fragments: Hogwarts, magic, Dumbledore...

He had transmigrated into the world of Harry Potter! The timeline seemed to be... the Marauder era?!

As shock threatened to suffocate him, a voice, unlike any system he knew, exploded in his mind.

"(ΩДΩ)!! Soul with ultra-high compatibility detected! Binding binding! Binding immediately!"

The voice was as tender as a three-year-old's, urgent and milky.

"[Sweet Romance Script System] activated! Cub has waited so long to finally have you, Host! Praise me quickly! (??????)??"

Accompanying these words, a dynamic emoji appeared in his mind—a plump white little beast, energetically shaking a giant heart, with twinkling stars in the background.

Lin Yanqing: "..."

Too much information. His brain completely crashed. Transmigration, HP, and a childish system with such a peculiar style?

"Explain," he forced himself to calm down, responding in his mind. "The current situation, and 'Sweet Romance Script'."

"Okay! (?ω?) " The system cub cheerfully popped up a "Class is in session" emoji. "Host, you are now a first-year student at Hogwarts! The mission is super simple: find a destined CP, have a sweet romance, and achieve an HE ending! Cub will help you issue tasks and provide assistance! The rewards are amazing, but if you fail... there will be a small, small punishment! (＞人＜;)"

Sweet romance? CP? HE?

Lin Yanqing rubbed his aching temples. He, a lifelong solo author who worked a corporate job, had to play a dating game in a dangerous magical world?

"I refuse."

"Refuse to bind, and your soul will dissipate immediately! (T_T) " The system pretended to cry. "Host, you don't want to die again, do you?"

"...Bind," he gritted his teeth and spat out the two words. He had no choice.

"Hooray! Binding successful! (^▽^)/" Virtual fireworks bloomed in his mind.

Suppressing the urge to complain, Lin Yanqing began to assess his situation. His gaze fell on the luggage beside him: an old leather trunk and a long, hard object wrapped in cloth. He untied the cloth, and his breath hitched.

A wand.

Made of dark purple, almost black rosewood, with fine, ancient spiral patterns. He instinctively gripped it.

Hum--

An indescribable warm current instantly surged from the hilt, engulfing his entire body! It was as if a long-lost half had returned, his very soul trembling. He could even "hear" a faint, joyful resonance from the wand.

"Detected Host holding affinity wand! Compatibility 100%! (★ ω ★)" the system prompted. "Eastern Rosewood, Phoenix Feather core, thirteen and three-quarters inches! Super powerful!"

Clutching the wand that felt as if it were made for him, Lin Yanqing felt a sliver of peace. At least he had his first weapon for survival.

He needed information. He pulled open the compartment door. The corridor was bustling with excitement, new students in black robes moving about. His gaze was drawn to a commotion at the door of a nearby compartment.

A red-haired, green-eyed girl, as bright as a flame, was looking worriedly into the compartment. Lily Evans!

So, who would be inside...?

He involuntarily took a few steps closer. Through the half-open door, he saw the scene inside.

A pale-faced boy in greasy black clothes, his back to the door, his shoulders tense. Opposite him, a bespectacled boy with messy hair was arrogantly shouting, followed by three companions—a handsome, arrogant black-haired youth (Sirius Black), a gentle, bookish boy (Remus Lupin), and a short, stocky, freckled boy (Peter Pettigrew).

"...This compartment is contaminated by your weird smell, Snape!" James Potter jeered loudly, trying to attract Lily's attention. "Need a Scourgify? Maybe it'll make you look human!"

The boy named Snape suddenly turned around. Lin Yanqing clearly saw his profile—his signature large, hooked nose made his face appear sinister and prematurely aged. His dark eyes suppressed rage, his lips pressed into a pale, thin line.

"Get out, Potter." His voice was low, cold, filled with undisguised disgust.

"You're the one who should get out!" James drew his wand.

The conflict escalated.

Lin Yanqing's heart tightened inexplicably. Severus Snape... was this the person he needed to "sweetly romance" in the future? Looking at the sullen, reclusive, prickly boy, he felt a sense of absurdity and an indescribable pressure.

"(′▽`) Key figure [Severus Snape] discovered! Host, don't miss this chance! Go for it! Melt him with your warmth!" The system cub bounced excitedly in his mind.

Go for it? How? Should he barge in now and tell the future double agent, "I want to fall in love with you"? He suspected he'd be blasted out of the train with a curse.

Just as he hesitated, James Potter cast a spell, and a faint beam of light shot towards Snape. Snape reacted with lightning speed, dodging sideways. The spell grazed him and flew into the corridor.

The trajectory of fate shifted fatally at this moment.

To avoid the spell, Snape stumbled backward, stepping directly into the corridor and crashing heavily into Lin Yanqing's arms!

"Ugh!" Both of them grunted simultaneously.

The moment their bodies touched—

BOOM!

An invisible yet immense energy erupted violently from their center! It was as if ancient bells were struck deep within their souls, making Lin Yanqing's eardrums ring, and the rosewood wand in his hand instantly became as hot as burning charcoal!

"Warning! Warning! (;?Д?i|!)" The system Cub's alert sounded, distorted and sharp, "Unknown Supreme Protocol Activated! Detected same-source soul wavelength! [Soul Guardian Contract] forcibly established! Binding target: [Severus Snape]! Binding process... irreversible! 100% complete! Indissoluble! Indissoluble!"

Wha—what?!

Lin Yanqing froze in place, his mind a complete blank. He could clearly "feel" an invisible, tenacious bond, deeply rooted in his soul, instantly tying him to the boy before him, inseparable, unbreakable!

Snape, who had been bumped into, also spun around sharply. Those bottomless black eyes, like the coldest night, locked onto Lin Yanqing. Within them churned shock, fury, and a near-mad killing intent, as if his soul's forbidden sanctuary had been forcibly invaded.

"You..." Snape's voice was suppressed to an extreme low, each word like ice shards dredged from an abyss, carrying an unconcealable tremor, "What... did you do to me?!"

Lin Yanqing opened his mouth, but no sound came out. The gears of fate, completely catching him off guard, turned with a deafening roar in the most brutal, irresistible way, entangling him tightly with the most dangerous Potions Master of the future.

The beginning was a dead end, and also the only path to survival.