The fire in the fireplace crackled, its warm orange glow illuminating the entire study.
Ian leaned back in his leather chair, his fingertips turning the pages of a yellowed magic notebook.
His gaze was calm as water, his black hair falling across his forehead, yet a coldness that did not belong to a young man hid in the depths of his blue-grey eyes.
He was very good-looking—the kind of good-looking that even portraits would envy. But if anyone truly dared to meet his gaze for too long, they would be forced to look away by his detachment.
In those eyes, it was as if there was a soul that saw through everything.
The flames flickered slightly, and a draft swept past the window. Ian raised his head slightly, an owl sweeping across the night sky with the cold wind and landing steadily on the windowsill.
He lifted a hand slightly, and the window opened automatically. The owl flapped its wings, holding a letter in its beak and landing on the desk.
He flicked his fingertips, and a plate of bread and water appeared out of thin air. While the bird lowered its head to peck at the food, he opened the envelope.
Dear Mr. Ian Alvin Bones:
You have passed the preliminary review for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry professor position. Please come to the school on July 7th to meet with the Headmaster to complete the final confirmation.
--Deputy Headmistress, Professor McGonagall
Ian's fingers stopped on the letter paper, his gaze shifting slightly.
Seventeen years had already passed since he transmigrated to this world.
In his previous life, he was Chinese, named Ian—a dual doctor in mechanical engineering and chemistry, a typical scientific research fanatic. At the age of thirty, he participated in a particle dimension experiment. That was the peak of his dream, and also the rift of fate.
The experimental chamber collapsed, the energy went berserk, and the last thing he saw was himself being swallowed by light.
When he opened his eyes again, he had become a six-year-old child.
Unfamiliar language, an unfamiliar world, and... magic.
During the first few years, he almost thought he was crazy. It wasn't until an emotional breakdown once, when he inadvertently made the candles in the room all light up together, that he finally became convinced—this was magic.
And what was even more shocking was that he later saw that name in the wizarding newspapers—Albus Dumbledore.
At that instant, he realized: he had come to the world of Harry Potter.
That year was 1963, a full twenty-seven years earlier than the original plot.
This meant—he had enough time to change fate.
However, in the tides of the First Wizarding War, what could a six-year-old orphan do?
The only things he could rely on were the rationality and scientific knowledge of his previous life.
Therefore, after graduating from Hogwarts, he became one of the few wizards who simultaneously mastered Alchemy, Runes, and modern scientific thinking.
He rewrote potion formulas with elemental construction theory, explained magic circulation with the conservation of energy, and invented a large number of unprecedented things.
--Including that game that made the entire Wizarding World go crazy.
Duel Monsters, which was "Yu-Gi-Oh!" in reality.
Ian combined Muggles' card concepts with Illusion Magic, allowing illusions to briefly manifest into entities. In just a few short years, this recreational game swept through the Wizarding World, becoming a new craze among wizards.
Children on the street took pride in being able to summon a Blue-Eyes White Dragon, adult wizards secretly collected card decks, and even the Ministry of Magic established a regulatory committee.
Some said he was a genius, and others said he was turning magic into a toy.
But Ian knew this was only his first step toward a "higher-level magic system."
He put away the letter, leaned back in his chair, his gaze profound.
Professor position... It seems Hogwarts has finally reached out after all.
The corners of his mouth hooked up slightly. It was a smile carrying a faint mockery.
Three days later, the morning sunlight spilled over the streets of London.
Ian changed into a Muggle suit he designed himself, covered by a black robe on the outside, and waved his hand. The air vibrated, and his figure instantly appeared in the bustling Diagon Alley.
The air was mixed with the scent of herbs and potions, and the crowd surged endlessly.
He strolled among the people, watching two children squatting by the roadside, summoning phantom monsters using the Duel Disks on their arms. Amidst the interlacing light and shadow, those virtual magical beasts were as vivid as a dream, drawing a burst of exclamations.
He smiled faintly. That was his familiar work.
"Mr. Bones!"
The sudden exclamation made him stop in his tracks.
A middle-aged witch ran over with an expression full of excitement, her voice so sharp it almost pierced the street.
"Is it you? Professor Ian! The innovator of alchemy and Illusion Magic! The creator of Yu-Gi-Oh! The inventor of the Elixir of Immortality! The youngest top graduate of Hogwarts!"
The people around heard the name, successively stopping in their tracks and excitedly whispering to one another.
"I heard he won the International Gold Medal in Potions at fourteen—"
"And he won the Order of Merlin, and even refused a position at the Ministry of Magic."
"That bottle of Elixir of Immortality, although it only lasts six hours, its price has multiplied dozens of times..."
Ian's brow furrowed slightly.
He originally disliked being watched by crowds, and even more detested this kind of fanatical worship.
"Ma'am, please calm down."
"Sorry, sorry, I'm just too excited! Can we get a picture? My husband's right over there!"
Before Ian could refuse, the woman dragged a wizard over, holding a magic camera in her hand.
"Smile—click!" A flash of light filled the air.
Ian could only helplessly sign a few names, escaping under the excuse of having an "emergency meeting."
He strode into a shop on the corner and let out a soft sigh.
Fame, prestige, applause—he had long grown weary of these things.
What he truly pursued was the essence of magic, that path leading toward the "dimension."
The youth by the fireplace glowed no longer green. Seventeen years of accumulation made him like a blade with its edge concealed.
He understood that magic and science would ultimately fuse into a new system in his hands.
And that letter was merely a new beginning.
"Hogwarts..." he murmured softly, the smile at the corner of his lips deepening by a fraction. "It seems it's time to go back and see some old friends."
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