Summer, 1991.
The afterglow of the setting sun gradually faded, and the red clouds scattered in the sky. As birds return to their nests.
On a small hill near the village of Ottery St. Catchpole stood a peculiar, towering black cylindrical house, tilted slightly at an angle. Despite its striking appearance on the hilltop, not everyone could see it.
This strange house, the home of the Lovegood family, was protected by Muggle-Repelling Charms and other enchantments to keep non-magical beings and Muggles away.
On a wooden bed in a room on the second floor, a boy with striking silver-white hair, deep blue eyes, and a handsome face slowly opened his eyes.
He frowned at the unfamiliar ceiling above him.
The next second, a flood of memory fragments surged into his mind.
Blinding headlights, screeching tires, terrified screams—
Yas remembered: he had been in a car accident. Everything before that moment felt too vivid to be a dream.
But this... clearly wasn't a hospital.
Am I not dead? Where... is this?
The glare from the sunset stung his eyes, and Yas instinctively raised a hand to shield them.
It was a small, soft hand.
This... this is the body of a young boy, about ten years old!
He stared, stunned. His body had changed!
He had become a child!
Yas was frozen in disbelief as a sudden thought flashed through his mind—
Could this be... transmigration?
Before he could sort out the shock and confusion in his heart, a middle-aged man's voice—tense, suppressed, and slightly helpless—sounded from outside the room. Yas could hear it faintly.
"Luna, that was reckless!"
"How could you bring a Muggle child home? If the Ministry of Magic finds out, we'll be in trouble. I thought you at least understood the Statute of Secrecy?"
"But Father, how do you know he's a Muggle?" came a soft, ethereal girl's voice. "Maybe he's just like us."
"Impossible!" the man retorted.
"The only wizarding family around here besides us Lovegoods is the Weasley family. That boy clearly doesn't have their signature red hair!"
"He's probably some kid from the nearby Muggle village who got lost while playing."
"You should've just taken him to the Muggle police station... that is what they call their law enforcement, right?"
"No, Father, did you see his silver hair and eyes? So special... I'm sure he's not ordinary," Luna said, her voice full of conviction.
"You're always like this..."
The man sighed deeply, then fell silent.
After a pause, his voice returned.
"Fine. Let him stay—until he wakes up."
"Really~?" Luna's voice lit up with delight, impossibly sweet and childlike.
"But once he wakes, he must leave," the man said firmly, his tone leaving no room for negotiation.
"That's not fair!" Luna huffed as she fold her hands to her chest.
But her father said nothing more.
Then came the sound of heavy footsteps descending the stairs, a door opening, and the creaking of old wood as he walked away.
Yas reflexively shut his eyes again.
A set of soft, barefoot steps approached the bed.
The girl stopped beside him.
"Father's so stingy. Why can't we just keep you?" Luna murmured, her voice tinged with disappointment. A small, cold, clumsy hand reached out to touch his forehead then to her own.
"That's strange… you don't feel sick. Why haven't you woken up?"
Yas's long lashes trembled, but he kept his eyes closed.
His mind was in chaos.
He had heard the entire conversation clearly. Even though they were speaking a different language than he was used to, he understood every word.
Muggle? Statute of Secrecy? Luna... Lovegood? The Weasleys?
These names were all too familiar.
Yas had loved the Harry Potter series since childhood. Even after college and working as a corporate slave, he'd still rewatch the films to escape into that magical world whenever he get the chance.
Now, it felt like he had actually entered it.
After analyzing the situation and eliminating all other possibilities, only one conclusion remained—no matter how impossible it seemed.
He had... transmigrated into the world of Harry Potter!
And somehow, he'd ended up in the home of the eccentric girl Luna Lovegood!
Next to him, Luna's dreamy voice continued to speak.
"Are you really just a Muggle?" she whispered, more to herself than to him, her voice carrying a hint of regret. "I hope you're like me... then we could be friends and play together. Don't you think?"
"Maybe we could even go to Hogwarts together someday. Oh—but if you're a Muggle, you probably don't know about that school. It's one of the best wizarding schools!"
"And its headmaster is the greatest white wizard in the world—Albus Dumbledore!"
Her voice was full of admiration and innocent yearning.
Yas—no, Aris now—steadied his thoughts and accepted this incredible new reality. His next steps were already forming in his mind.
Was he really just a Muggle in this world?
Had he arrived in a magical world only to be denied the chance to truly explore it?
That idea left him more than a little disappointed.
Perhaps when Luna falls asleep, her father will cast a Memory Charm to her erase my memories... then maybe I'll be sent back to the Muggle world, forgotten and alone.
That thought left an emptiness in his heart.
Suddenly—
[Host detected. Excellent Student System binding in progress...]
[Matching identity...]
[Match successful. According to the magical world's background, the host has been assigned the identity of one of the Twenty-Eight Sacred Families: Aris Shafiq, the sole heir of the Shafiq family.]
[Identity information has been integrated and rationalized in this world.]
[System gift pack issued. Please check it.]
Memories rushed into Aris's mind—his name, Aris Shafiq; his lineage and background; the details of his life up to now.
And with it, the voice of the system echoed in his mind.
Aris, still pretending to be unconscious, inwardly focused his thoughts—instantly, a glowing golden gift pack in a shape of Santa bag but in brown and golden colour appeared before him.
Was this it? The legendary Gold Finger system and starter gift that every transmigrator dreams of?
Heart racing, Aris focused entirely on the floating gift.
"Open the gift pack," he thought.
The golden light burst open from the bag.
[Congratulations! You have received the innate ability: Photographic Memory.]
[Congratulations! You have received the innate ability: Super Thinking.]
[Congratulations! You have received the innate ability: Super Speed Reading.]