A Letter from Hogwarts

The flames in the fireplace crackled, their warm orange glow illuminating the entire study.

Lin An reclined in a leather armchair, his fingertips turning the pages of a yellowed book of magical notes.

His gaze was calm as still water. Black hair fell across his forehead, yet a chill beyond his years lurked in his blue-gray eyes.

He was very handsome—the kind of handsome that even portraits would envy. But if anyone truly dared to meet his gaze for too long, his indifference would force them to look away.

It was as though those eyes held a soul that had seen through everything.

The flames trembled as a current of air brushed past the window. Lin An raised his head slightly and saw an owl sweep through the night sky on the cold wind before landing steadily on the windowsill.

With a light lift of his hand, the window opened on its own. The owl flapped inside, dropping a letter onto the desk.

With a flick of his finger, a plate of bread and water appeared out of thin air. As the bird lowered its head to peck at the food, he opened the envelope.

Dear Mr. Lin An Alvin Bones:

You have passed the preliminary review for a teaching position at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please report to the school before July 7 to meet with the Headmaster and complete the final confirmation.

—Deputy Headmistress Professor McGonagall

Lin An's fingers paused over the paper, and his gaze shifted slightly.

It had already been seventeen years since he had transmigrated into this world.

In his previous life, he had been Chinese, named Lin An—a double PhD in mechanical engineering and chemistry, a typical research fanatic. At thirty, he had participated in a particle-dimension experiment. It had been the pinnacle of his dreams, and the crack through which fate had entered.

The experimental chamber collapsed, energy ran wild, 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.

An unfamiliar language, an unfamiliar world, and... magic.

During those first few years, he had nearly believed he was insane. Then, during one emotional breakdown, he had accidentally made every candle in the room burst into flame. Only then had he known for certain—this was magic.

Even more shocking was the name he later saw in a wizarding newspaper—Albus Dumbledore.

At that instant, he realized that he had arrived in the world of Harry Potter.

That year was 1963, a full twenty-seven years before the original story began.

That meant he had enough time to change fate.

But amid the rising tide 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 from his previous life.

So, after graduating from Hogwarts, he became one of the few wizards who had mastered alchemy, runic studies, and modern scientific thought all at once.

He rewrote potion formulas using elemental construction theory, explained magical circulation through the conservation of energy, and invented countless unprecedented things.

—Including the game that drove the entire magical world mad.

"Duel Monsters," known in reality as "Yu-Gi-Oh!"

Lin An combined Muggle card-game concepts with illusion magic, allowing phantoms to briefly materialize into physical forms. Within only a few years, the entertainment game had swept through the magical world and become a new obsession among wizards.

Children on the streets took pride in summoning the "Blue-Eyes White Dragon," while adult wizards secretly collected decks. Even the Ministry of Magic had established a regulatory committee.

Some called him a genius, while others said he was turning magic into a toy.

But Lin An knew this was merely the first step toward a "higher-level magical system."

He put away the letter and leaned back in his chair, his gaze distant.

"A teaching position... So Hogwarts has finally reached out after all."

The corner of his lips rose slightly. It was a smile laced with faint mockery.

Three days later, the morning sun shone over the streets of London.

Lin An changed into a Muggle suit he had designed himself, draped a black robe over it, and waved his hand. The air rippled, and his figure instantly appeared in bustling Diagon Alley.

The air was filled with the mingled scents of herbs and potions, while crowds flowed endlessly through the streets.

He strolled through the crowd and watched two children crouching by the roadside, using the duel disks on their arms to summon phantom monsters. Amid the interweaving light and shadow, those illusory Magic Beasts seemed as real as dreams, drawing waves of astonished cries.

He smiled faintly. It was a creation he knew well.

"Mr. Bones!"

The sudden cry made him stop.

A middle-aged witch ran toward him with an excited face, her shrill voice nearly piercing through the entire street.

"It is you, isn't it? Professor Lin An?! The innovator of alchemy and illusion magic! The creator of Yu-Gi-Oh! The inventor of the 'Elixir of Immortality'! Hogwarts' youngest outstanding graduate!"

Hearing his name, the people around them stopped one after another and began whispering excitedly.

"I heard he won the International Potions Gold Award at fourteen—"

"And he received the Order of Merlin, then turned down a position at the Ministry of Magic."

"That bottle of 'Elixir of Immortality' only lasts six hours, but its price has gone up dozens of times..."

Lin An frowned slightly.

He had never liked being stared at, much less this kind of fanatical worship.

"Madam, please calm down."

"Sorry, sorry, I was too excited! Can we take a picture? My husband is right over there!"

Before he could refuse, the woman had already dragged a wizard over, a magical camera in her hand.

"Smile—Click!" A flash burst forth.

Lin An could only sign several names helplessly before escaping under the excuse of "an urgent meeting."

He quickly entered a shop on the street corner and let out a soft sigh.

Fame, reputation, applause—he had long grown tired of such things.

What he truly pursued was the essence of magic, the path leading to "dimensions."

The youth beneath the fireplace's glow was no longer immature. Seventeen years of accumulation had made him like a blade with its edge concealed.

He understood that magic and science would eventually merge into a new system in his hands.

And that letter was merely a new beginning.

"Hogwarts..." he murmured softly, the smile on his lips deepening. "Looks like it's time to go back and see some old friends."