The flames in the fireplace crackled, casting a warm orange glow across the study.
Linus leaned back in his leather chair, his fingers casually turning the pages of a yellowed magic notebook.
His gaze was as calm as still water, black hair brushing across his forehead, yet deep within his blue-gray eyes hid a chill that did not belong to someone so young.
He was exceptionally handsome—the kind of handsome that would make even portrait paintings jealous.
But if anyone dared to meet his gaze for too long, his cold indifference would force them to look away.
In those eyes rested a soul that seemed to see through everything.
The fire flickered as a draft rustled outside the window.
Linus tilted his head slightly as an owl swept through the night sky accompanied by a gust of cold wind, landing smoothly on the windowsill.
With a casual flick of his hand, the window opened on its own.
The owl flapped its wings and alighted on the desk, a letter held in its beak.
He flicked his finger, conjuring a plate of bread and water out of thin air.
As the bird bent its head to eat, he broke open the envelope.
Dear Mr.
Linus Alvin Bones, You have passed the preliminary review for a teaching position at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Please report to the school on July 7th to meet with the Headmaster for final confirmation.
— Deputy Headmistress, Professor McGonagall Linus’s fingers paused on the parchment, his eyes flickering slightly.
He had been in this world for seventeen years now.
In his past life, he had been a Chinese researcher named Linus—a holder of dual doctorates in mechanical engineering and chemistry, a textbook workaholic.
At thirty, he had participated in a particle dimension experiment.
It was the pinnacle of his dreams, and the crack in his destiny.
The test 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 the first few years, he nearly thought he was going mad.
It was not until an emotional breakdown, when he inadvertently caused all the candles in the room to ignite at once, that he finally confirmed it—this was magic.
What shocked him even more came later, when he saw a familiar name in a wizarding newspaper: Albus Dumbledore.
In that instant, he realized he had arrived in the world of *Harry Potter*.
That year was 1963—twenty-seven full years before the original storyline began.
That meant he had more than enough time to change fate.
Still, amidst the rising tides of the First Wizarding War, what could a six-year-old orphan do?
The only things he could rely on were the logic and scientific knowledge from his past life.
Thus, after graduating from Hogwarts, he became one of the rare wizards who mastered alchemy, runes, and modern scientific thinking all at once.
He rewrote potion formulas using elemental structure theory, explained magic circulation through the conservation of energy, and invented countless unprecedented creations.
—Including the game that drove the entire wizarding world wild.
“Duel Monsters”—or in reality, “Yu-Gi-Oh!” Linus had combined Muggle card concepts with illusion magic, enabling phantasms to temporarily materialize into physical form.
Within just a few short years, the tabletop game had taken the wizarding world by storm, becoming a new obsession among wizards.
Children on the streets took pride in summoning the “Blue-Eyes White Dragon,” adult wizards secretly collected card decks, and even the Ministry of Magic established a regulatory committee for it.
Some called him a genius; others accused him of turning magic into a toy.
Yet Linus knew this was merely his first step toward a higher tier of magic system.
He put away the letter and leaned back against his chair, his gaze distant.
“A teaching position…
It seems Hogwarts has finally reached out after all.” The corner of his lips curled up slightly into a faint, mocking smile.
Three days later, the morning sun broke over the streets of London.
Linus changed into a Muggle suit he had personally designed, threw a black robe over it, and waved his hand.
The air vibrated, and his figure instantly vanished, reappearing in the bustling Diagon Alley.
The air was thick with the scent of herbs and potions, and crowds surged through the streets.
He strolled through the crowd, watching two children crouching by the roadside, using Duel Disks strapped to their arms to summon illusionary monsters.
Light and shadow intertwined as virtual beasts flickered to life like waking dreams, drawing gasps of awe.
He smiled faintly.
It was a familiar creation of his.
“Mr.
Bones!” A sudden gasp made him stop in his tracks.
A middle-aged witch rushed over, her face flushed with excitement and her high-pitched voice piercing through the noise of the street.
“Is that really you, Professor Bones?!
The pioneer of alchemy and illusion magic!
The creator of Yu-Gi-Oh!
The inventor of the Elixir of Youth!
Hogwarts’ youngest top graduate!” Hearing the name, people nearby stopped in their tracks, whispering excitedly to one another.
“I heard he won the International Potion Gold Award when he was only fourteen—” “He even received the Order of Merlin, and turned down a position at the Ministry of Magic.” “That Elixir of Youth of his—even though it only lasts six hours, the price has surged dozens of times over…” Linus frowned slightly.
He had never liked being stared at, much less did he enjoy fanatic worship.
“Ma’am, please calm down.” “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!
I’m just so excited!
Can we take a picture together?
My husband is right over there!” Before he could decline, the woman dragged another wizard over, holding a magical camera in her hands.
“Say cheese—*click!*” A flash of light erupted.
With a helpless sigh, Linus scribbled a few autographs and managed to escape under the excuse of an “urgent meeting.” He walked briskly into a shop at the corner of the street and let out a quiet sigh.
Fame, prestige, applause—he had long grown tired of such things.
What he truly sought was the essence of magic, the path leading to higher dimensions.
The youth once illuminated by the hearth fire was no longer naive.
Seventeen years of patience and study had refined him like a concealed blade.
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 under his breath, the smile on his lips deepening.
“It seems it’s time to pay a visit to an old friend.”