Transmigrated Again

August 1991, Devon, England, the village of Ottery St Catchpole.

A lush green mountain stood north of the village. An old-fashioned European-style house sat at its summit, its lawn carefully tended. Sunlight fell on the plane trees beside the walls, gilding their leaves.

A long-eared owl flew in from the distance, its talons clutching a brown letter. After circling twice in the air, it landed beside a window near the plane tree.

"Knock, knock." The owl tapped its beak against the windowpane.

The person who opened the window was a handsome boy with naturally curly black hair. He was neatly dressed and well-groomed, making it hard not to take a liking to him.

He took the letter. It was made of parchment, and the wax seal bore the name Weasley.

"You only have to fly over two hills to get here, and they still had you deliver the letter." Matthew stroked the owl's head and fed it a strip of dried fish.

Matthew's home was actually not far from the Burrow. Both were near Ottery St Catchpole.

Just then, a black cat crept along the ground. When it was nearly upon the owl, it sprang up and pounced at it!

As the startled owl flapped its wings, trying to escape, the black cat was inexplicably drawn backward toward Matthew. He caught it in one hand and scooped it into his arms.

If this had been Charms Class, Professor Flitwick would surely have awarded Matthew ten points for his Silent Casting technique.

"Don't be so stingy. He's a guest, Preserved Egg." Matthew smoothed Preserved Egg's fur.

Preserved Egg was a black cat with a Spirit Cat Bloodline. He had inherited the Spirit Cat's ability to split apart, as well as an intelligence no less than that of a human child.

"Meow~~~" Preserved Egg rubbed against Matthew in his arms, flicking his tail in frustration. His blue eyes, however, never left the owl.

While Matthew read the letter, Preserved Egg lay across his legs, staring at the owl.

Matthew Black was fourteen years old and a student in Slytherin House at Hogwarts. He was home for the summer holidays, and would be starting his third year when school began.

He was actually a transmigrator. After an accident in his previous life, he had been reborn in this magical world with his memories intact. Unfortunately, he had never read the original books and had only watched two of the films.

His previous life had been utterly ordinary. Fortunately, after transmigrating, he had discovered that he had excellent Magic Talent. His spellcasting ability had already surpassed that of some adult wizards.

"Goodbye, Hermes." Matthew handed the owl his reply, and Hermes flew off without delay.

Hermes was Percy's owl, a reward Percy had received for becoming a Prefect.

George and Fred who ate the lemon had spent the summer constantly coming up with excuses to borrow Hermes from Percy.

After seeing Hermes off, Matthew checked the time and went back to tidying the Sundries Room. He often brewed Potions and needed to clear out a room to use as an Alchemy Room.

He had already almost finished cleaning it. Only a few final tasks remained.

"Preserved Egg, you've turned into Maodan." Matthew looked helplessly at Preserved Egg, whose fur was covered in dust.

Cats were curious creatures who loved squeezing into every nook and cranny.

Matthew pointed his wand at Preserved Egg, and the dust clinging to him vanished instantly.

"What did you find? Let me see." He noticed something clamped in Preserved Egg's mouth.

He took it from Preserved Egg. It Was a Ring-shaped Metal Disc, covered in the scars of age, with a flawless Polygonal Red Crystal set into the edge of the ring.

When he sent his Magic Sense into the Metal Disc, he could detect faint magical fluctuations.

If not for Matthew's unusually keen Magic Sense, he might have overlooked them.

"What is this?" Matthew had never seen the Metal Disc before. The Sundries Room had always been locked and was rarely entered. The items piled inside had all been left behind by his grandfather and parents.

Suddenly, the crystal on the disc glowed a faint red.

Matthew's expression changed. The disc was rapidly absorbing his magic!

He immediately circulated his magic, forcibly cutting off the flow. But even after he stopped supplying it with magic, the crystal's light did not dim. Instead, it grew more and more intense.

He tried to throw the disc out the window, but it clung to his hand as if glued there.

Then, in an instant, the scene before him was swallowed by red light.

Matthew realized he could no longer move. It felt as if his body had been crammed into a narrow pipe and was sinking deeper and deeper.

A sensation of weightlessness washed over him, like an elevator plummeting out of control, while every sound grew more distant.

Everything around him stretched out slowly, leaving ghostly afterimages, until a powerful wave of dizziness overcame him.

After an unknown length of time, the dizziness gradually faded. When Matthew came to, he found himself surrounded by a blanket of white. The trees were covered in a layer of fluff, and a strong wind drove fine snow into his face.

The bone-deep cold made him shiver. The frigid air entered his body with every breath, as if his lungs were about to freeze solid.

Matthew's expression shifted. The disc had transported him to an unfamiliar place.

"A Portkey? No, the disc is gone! One-way transport?" Matthew furrowed his brows, his expression turning grim.

His left hand was empty. The Metal Disc had somehow vanished from his grasp.

Fortunately, he had been holding his wand while cleaning the Sundries Room, and had brought it with him.

Matthew waved his wand and cast a Transfiguration Spell on his clothes. His neat shirt and waistcoat transformed into a thick Cloak Cape, while the clothes beneath became warm cashmere garments.

But just then, the trees around him, their crowns shaped like inverted umbrellas, suddenly came to life. Thick branches shot toward Matthew.

Matthew quickly raised his wand. A sharp whistling sound rang out as a Transparent Arc Wind Blade sliced through several branches. The severed limbs hit the ground and writhed.

Before Matthew could catch his breath, even more branches lashed toward him. They crisscrossed in a dense tangle, as if he had fallen into a snake pit.

"Fire God Opens the Way!"

Matthew raised his wand high. Flames burst from its tip, driving the branches back. He spun his wand with all his might, controlling the flames as they consumed more branches.

Fire swirled around him, keeping every branch at bay. The burning branches slammed into one another, writhing in the air like thousands of Fire Snakes.

He pointed his wand forward, and surging flames rushed ahead, knocking the writhing Fire Snakes aside and clearing a path.

The scene in the film where Dumbledore cast Fire God Opens the Way was one of its most iconic moments. Matthew had seen some related clips in his previous life, and the scene had made a deep impression on him.

Matthew was simulating Fire God Opens the Way using Blazing Flames and Fire Control Magic. His version was much weaker. If Dumbledore had cast the spell, the surrounding Magic Plants would probably have been burned to ashes.

Besides, Matthew could only control Ordinary Flames for now. He couldn't manipulate Fiendfyre with such effortless precision.

After knocking the burning branches aside, Matthew didn't hesitate. Before his enemies could recover, he ran out of the encirclement, turned onto a Mountain Path nearby, and headed downhill.

A bitter wind carried fine snow, making it hard to see. The Mountain Path was narrow, and one wrong step could send him tumbling into the valley.

Once he was clear of the forest, Matthew gasped for breath. The frigid wind stabbed at his throat like the points of countless needles.

He glanced back toward the mountaintop. A huge ancient tree grew there, its branches tilted upward and packed densely together to form an inverted umbrella-shaped crown. It was enormous and perfectly shaped.

But when he looked closer, he saw tumors growing along its branches. From a distance, they looked like countless giant snakes covered in tumors, writhing in the air.

"Magic Plants? A species I've never seen before." A hint of worry surfaced in Matthew's eyes. This place wasn't safe.

He rummaged through his pockets and found only two chocolate bars. The unexpected transport had happened too suddenly, and he hadn't brought his Undetectable Extension Charm Pocket with him. He needed to get out of this forest as soon as possible and find signs of human life. In these conditions, finding food wouldn't be easy.

Suddenly, Matthew froze. He sensed a disturbance in his mind, and a stream of information poured into his consciousness.