Planning for the Future

Night shrouded Hogwarts.

After evening classes ended, Lin An walked alone through the silent corridors. The oil lamps flickered, stretching shadows along the walls. His pace was neither hurried nor slow, as though every step calculated the rhythm of time.

This night belonged to contemplation.

He headed for the Restricted Section of The Library—the heavy iron door silently opened at the touch of a magical mark. The air was thick with the scent of dust and years gone by, and the smell of ancient stacked parchment made it seem as if he could hear history whispering.

This was not merely a reading session.

One of the true reasons he had returned to Hogwarts was this place—the countless pieces of forbidden and sealed knowledge.

As he walked between the towering bookshelves, Lin An's thoughts had already traveled far away.

He was making arrangements for the future.

Reborn into this time, he possessed far too many advantages he had lacked in his previous life—memories, knowledge, and insight into the timeline.

Used properly, those things would be enough to reshape the world.

But he knew that the greater the power, the less casually it could be wielded.

The chains of Fate were incomparably fragile. Rash interference could set off a chain reaction, even causing events that were meant to happen to collapse completely.

So he had set rules for himself—

He could intervene, but he could not alter the main course.

He could correct things, but he must not overturn them.

He would walk through the cracks of time, precisely cutting away the diseased growths that would hinder the future like a surgeon, while preserving the lifeblood of the story.

At that thought, his gaze fell on a thick volume. Silver runes were engraved on its cover—Nicolas Flamel and Notes on Alchemy.

He reached out and gently stroked it, rare respect showing in his eyes.

The research notes of Dumbledore and Flamel had been one of the keys to his breakthrough in Alchemy back then.

—At the time, Dumbledore had already noticed his interest in the Dark Arts and the study of souls.

Knowing full well that dissuading him would be useless, he had chosen to guide him instead—secretly giving him precious alchemical tomes.

Lin An had always been grateful for that trust.

Without that batch of materials, he could never have attained the rank of an "Alchemy master" in only a few years.

He opened the notes, his eyes falling upon familiar words. An image of Dumbledore surfaced in his mind—those compassionate yet piercing eyes.

"What a pity."

Lin An sighed softly.

"I respect you, but I cannot save you."

He had once considered interfering with Dumbledore's Fate.

But he quickly abandoned the idea.

That death was a fulcrum of the timeline.

If he forcibly changed it, everything would spiral out of control.

In his view, Dumbledore had to die.

This was not hatred, but necessity.

If a great man lived forever, the world could not move forward.

And he—Lin An—would ultimately become the one steering the future.

He closed the book, his expression calm.

"I'm sorry, Headmaster. You should not continue bearing this decaying order."

He ventured deeper into the Restricted Section once more. His footsteps were light, as though even the ground were listening.

—He thought of something else.

Snape and the Resurrection Stone.

He had long since instructed Snape not to touch that stone and not to reveal its existence.

That stone was destined to fall into Harry's hands in the future—becoming a critical point in the entire timeline.

If Snape wavered because of his feelings and took it away early, everything would fall apart.

He knew the risk, yet still chose to trust him.

"Snape has his own principles," he murmured. "He will understand the meaning of this stone."

After a moment of silence, the corner of his mouth lifted into a faint smile.

That smile carried both reason and ruthlessness.

Lin An was not Dumbledore.

He would not tolerate anyone who tried to shake his order.

He had experienced too much in his previous life—countless hands had pushed him into the Abyss amid power, fame, and lies.

Now, he was no longer the ordinary man who could only look up at the Wizarding World.

He was a creator, an observer, and the one who would lead the future.

At that thought, a phrase surfaced in his mind—"World Gate."

That was his ultimate goal: to cross dimensions.

He planned to combine magic and technology to open a gateway to other worlds—

A true "Gate of All Heavens."

But to achieve it, he still needed more.

More resources, more magical samples, more "events."

Every major event that took place during the seven years at Hogwarts was an opportunity.

The Philosopher's Stone, the Basilisk, the Goblet of Fire, Horcruxes... these were not merely the pillars of the story, but also materials for his experiments.

The fifth year in particular—that would be the core stage of his plan.

He sensed that year would determine whether the World Gate succeeded or failed.

He had to ensure everything proceeded according to the timeline.

Even if he had to maintain it with lies and death, he would not hesitate.

Candlelight flickered among the bookshelves, illuminating his profound features.

Lin An closed the last book, his gaze distant.

"The chessboard of Fate has already been laid."

"I need only make my move at the proper moment."

He slowly rose and walked out of the Restricted Section along the shelves.

Moonlight streamed through the high windows, stretching his shadow long across the floor,

Like a line of shadow running through the future, straight and cold.

Lin An walked into the depths of darkness, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

"The story of Hogwarts has only just begun."