Childhood Amid the Flames of War

Lin An Alvin possessed two "gifts."

The first was the "Perfect Memory" he awakened after crossing over—so long as he concentrated, he could clearly remember anything: any event, any symbol, even the thickness of the ink on a page.

The second was his innate talent for magic.

By the age of six, he could already wield magic with skill. Levitation Spells, Ignition Spells, Apparition—all of them came as naturally to him as breathing. Spells that took others weeks of practice to master could often be reproduced by him after a single glance.

This control astonished him, but it also terrified him.

Because that was the year he realized he had not been born into peace.

The era he had arrived in was the cruelest stage of the First Wizarding War. Voldemort's forces swept across Britain, leaving corpses everywhere, while the Dark Mark hung over the night sky year-round.

And the family he had been born into stood right at the heart of the war.

His father was a member of the Order of the Phoenix—Edgar Alvin, an upright and stubborn Hufflepuff.

His mother was gentle yet resolute, a records clerk at the Ministry of Magic. From his parents' conversations, Lin An learned that justice did not always prevail in this world.

He remembered that he had only been a child then, yet he often heard explosions outside the window at night.

One day, amid an argument between his parents, he understood the meaning of the word "fate" for the first time.

"We can leave Britain. Go east, go to Africa—anywhere is fine, as long as we leave this place!"

"An An, this isn't running away. It's staying alive!"

But his father refused. "I can't abandon my comrades in the Order of the Phoenix. If everyone runs, then who will resist Voldemort?"

Lin An fell silent.

He knew he could not persuade his father, but he could not accept "inevitable death."

So he began making preparations—

First, he convinced his parents to use the Fidelius Charm to conceal their home.

Unlike the tragic Potter couple, he did not entrust the secret to a human. Instead, he gave it to a House-elf—Momo.

Because house-elves would never betray him.

Their loyalty was nearly religious, and they could ignore most Anti-Apparition Barriers.

This was the strongest line of defense.

Second, he devoted the knowledge from his previous life to their defenses.

During that time, the light in the basement of their home was almost never extinguished. His parents thought he was drawing talismans, but he was actually modifying Muggle weapons.

Gatling guns, concussion mines, simplified flamethrowers...

These metal monsters enhanced by magic were enough to teach any invading Death Eaters the true meaning of "the terror of science."

His mother was alarmed at first, but when the first protective rune array fused with a mechanical weapon, she fell silent.

At last, she understood that although this child was young, he had long ceased to belong to this era.

With these preparations, they survived the entire war.

Until Voldemort fell.

But fate loved mockery.

The end of the war did not mean peace had arrived—in that era of chaos and vengeance, new grudges still flowed beneath the surface.

And Lin An could not avoid loss either.

That year, he was eleven and had just received his acceptance letter from Hogwarts.

He did not take the train to school—instead, he had Momo Apparate him there directly.

He did not want attention, nor did he want anyone to know of his gifts.

But in the summer after the end of his second year, he received devastating news:

His parents had been attacked by Dark wizards during an operation. All of them had been killed.

And that year was also the year Voldemort fell.

Fate drew an absurd circle before him.

He kept vigil for his parents in silence for three days, then sorted through their belongings alone.

His tears had long since dried, and his heart was like a stone worn smooth by time.

After that, he was adopted by his Aunt Amelia—a strong witch and a magical law enforcement officer.

Under her protection, he returned to Hogwarts, but he no longer concealed his brilliance.

He began visiting professors frequently, asking them about their understanding of magic.

Whether it was the subtle variations of runology or the balance of energy in Potions, he could draw inferences from one example to another.

Before long, he became a genius known throughout the entire school.

Countless awards followed one after another.

The Ministry of Magic used his fame to conceal the fear lingering after the war, calling him "the next generation's Dumbledore."

Posters, reports, broadcasts—everywhere was filled with tales of him.

And Lin An used that fame to reach the finest magical scholars in the world.

He corresponded with them, debated with them, and exchanged experimental data.

In only a few short years, his name spread across the globe.

After graduation, he applied to become a professor at Hogwarts, but Dumbledore politely declined on the grounds that he was too young.

So he chose to travel.

Only, this "journey" was not sightseeing, but another kind of war—

A campaign of plunder waged for "knowledge."

Using Polyjuice Potion and Transfiguration, he infiltrated magical academies in various countries, disguising himself as a teacher or scholar and copying their libraries and research notes.

It was not limited to schools. He even infiltrated the magical estates of ancient families.

Every ancient tome and every fragment of a runic page went into his possession.

The Muggle world was not spared either.

He knew that many lost magical texts had once been seized by Muggle religious institutions, so he infiltrated the Vatican's secret archives.

Within those dim stone halls of light and shadow, he found true ancient magic—and saw even more forged texts.

But even false books could inspire him.

From them, he derived new magical theories and even created the Mind Circuit model, laying the foundation for later research.

Of course, theft never went smoothly.

Some ancient families had set bloodline seals that outsiders could not open;

Some powerful people possessed wills too resolute to be controlled by the Imperius Curse.

In response, Lin An came up with another method—

A plant from the Muggle world: Devil's Breath.

It was a highly poisonous flower from South America that could make people instantly lose their will.

He modified it with Potions, multiplying its potency. Thus, even the most stubborn wizards would become puppets before him.

During five years in the shadows, he gathered wisdom accumulated over centuries.

When he appeared once more, he had become someone even Dumbledore could not afford to ignore.

He knew full well that he still fell short in practical combat experience and magical reserves,

But in terms of knowledge and understanding—he had already reached the pinnacle of the Wizarding World.