An Unexpected Encounter

In the dim ancient castle, a flash of brilliant red abruptly appeared atop Ravenclaw Tower.

So this is Hogwarts? Ryan thought.

The moon emerged from behind the clouds, and pure moonlight spilled down from the sky. A beautiful, wondrous creature stood atop the tower. Its feathers were blood-red yet suffused with a sacred radiance. The bird tilted its head, its exquisite narrow phoenix eyes curiously surveying Hogwarts.

A closer look revealed it to be a phoenix, a creature hailed in the wizarding world as the life form closest to a god—freest, impossible to restrain, and immortal.

Perhaps they could not match certain outstanding wizards when it came to harming other living beings or causing destruction, but no magic could bind them, and they could reach anywhere they wished to go.

Only those with kind, righteous souls and exceptional magical talent could earn their companionship.

In fact, there were only two phoenixes in the wizarding world said to have been "tamed" by wizards. Other than Fawkes, there was only Spark, who favored youthful, vibrant souls and now served as the mascot of New Zealand's Quidditch team, the Motorua Macaws.

One could only imagine how terrifying Dumbledore would become once he was freed from the cage he had built around himself at Hogwarts—a man with such mobility, who believed his heart and actions were as clear as a mirror, and everything he did was righteous.

Even Voldemort had not dared emerge while Dumbledore was alive, yet Fudge and his lackey Urimqi had been ignorant and naïve enough to nearly drive him away twice, unleashing that terrifying white demon.

Then there was the phoenix's close relative, the Thunderbird. Its magic might be even more powerful; it could be called a walking celestial phenomenon, a god commanding lightning and storms.

Yet this development had cost the Thunderbird its eternal lifespan. It could be harmed and captured by magic.

Ryan stopped letting his thoughts wander.

If I weren't exceptionally gifted, even if an ordinary person learned Phoenix Metamorphosis, they'd merely gain another Shadow Clone. Yet I've already gained true security. But wouldn't the Dumbledores, who have always lived alongside phoenixes, have developed magic specifically meant to deal with them? And gods, too.

Ryan quietly speculated to himself.

Suppressing the irrepressible arrogance that urged him to take a wild gamble, Ryan turned his gaze back to this castle from his dreams, this place that had haunted his heart and soul.

It was an ancient castle. Every brick and stone exuded a magical aura that ordinary people could not perceive—ancient and profound. Its spires rose one after another, and its windows glimmered beneath the starry sky, reflected in the eyes of the beautiful creature.

This was the castle that had appeared only in Ryan's dreams. He had briefly gazed upon it once before from Hogsmeade.

Ryan had originally believed he had come only for Penelope. Now he understood that it was Hogwarts, this dream-haunted place.

Yes, if he had come for Penelope, wouldn't evening have been better?

The Black Lake shimmered beneath the moonlight, while the Forbidden Forest lay tranquil and mysterious. Mountains surrounded the area, making it a beautiful paradise like the Peach Blossom Spring.

A warm magical presence suddenly appeared less than a meter away from Ryan.

This feeling?

A phoenix? Fawkes?

Fawkes curiously examined this unfamiliar member of his kind—or rather, another version of himself. This phoenix carried his magical aura, yet was subtly different.

Could it be his offspring?

That could not be right. Fawkes was still a virgin bird.

The question reached Ryan's ears alongside a clear, ringing cry.

Magical aura?

Could all the feathers I bought have come from Fawkes?

The fresh phoenix feathers Jack had Ollivander provide were all plucked from Fawkes? Dumbledore is ruthless. That was nearly enough for three phoenixes.

Is that why the Order of the Phoenix is called the Order of the Phoenix? Fawkes's naming fee? The wool comes from the sheep, huh.

No wonder the Order of the Phoenix had funding.

Fawkes found it strange. Why was this fellow phoenix not answering him, and why was it looking at him with such pity?

No good. Ryan suddenly noticed another magical aura permeating Fawkes's body. Using the perception granted by Detection to examine it further, he sensed a love nearly fanatical in its intensity—love for others, love for all things, but never for oneself. It was more resolute than phoenix Nirvana, leaving himself no room to retreat, like a righteous prisoner bound in chains.

Damn it, it's Dumbledore! He's watching me.

This was probably another form of magic similar to Phoenix Metamorphosis, or perhaps something passed down through the Dumbledore family bloodline.

Ryan could not be sure whether the "White Lord" Dumbledore behind Fawkes could see through him. The Dumbledores could be said to be the wizards who understood phoenixes best, not to mention this existence who surpassed every member of his kin and had become synonymous with his surname. Someone who did not know better might think Dumbledore was his given name.

Thus, in Fawkes's eyes, this strange fellow phoenix vanished abruptly amid flecks of red light.

Elsewhere, Ryan did not dare immediately dispel the magic and return to his body. After all, an unfamiliar phoenix appearing at Hogwarts was far better than an unfamiliar wizard appearing there.

With a phoenix's innate, marvelous senses, Ryan continued teleporting to places he had never visited.

Fawkes did not pursue him. Whew. Perhaps only Ryan, who had personally transformed into a phoenix and acquired phoenix talents through cheating, understood just how terrifying a phoenix's senses were.

Unlike wizards, phoenixes could teleport to places they had never been. This was because, in their perception, they were born at the center of everything. Within the maximum range of their Apparition, every location they could reach existed within their senses.

Even if someone dug a deep cave entirely cut off from the outside world, a phoenix could still arrive there out of thin air according to its own will.

Fawkes not pursuing him was the best possible news. Perhaps Fawkes understood the independence and solitude between phoenixes. Phoenixes generally did not meet one another in pairs.

In Ryan's plan, he was supposed to attend Hogwarts like an ordinary Smith, unnoticed, quietly hiding among the crowd while researching his own things. Perhaps his looks would draw a little attention, but Ryan only wanted people to notice his womanizing and appearance. Any further attention was an accident beyond his plans.

Dumbledore's attention was not part of Ryan's plan.

Moreover, although Ryan had been reading newspapers and gathering information throughout his time since transmigrating, what if he had landed in an old-school Jinjiang Harry Potter fanfiction and encountered the genuine White Lord Dumbledore?

Although after coming into contact with Dumbledore's magic, Ryan had found that his character did not seem to be bad. Fortunately, driven by that peculiar pride of his, his unwillingness to concede, and his refusal to admit he was inferior to Harry Potter, he had developed the skill Detection. Otherwise, Dumbledore might have seen right through him, down to his underwear.

After teleporting several times, Ryan dispelled the magic. Lying on his bed, he opened his eyes and came back to himself.