1 Chapter 1: Prologue

Let me just say this: I utterly despise my luck.

I was doing fantastically well. Despite the fact that I am not a social person, I made it through the first year of high school. I made some friends, took up some hobbies, and thought about what I wanted to do when I grew up, and it feels like I was ready for life at that point, even though that is not the truth. I pride myself on being quite a good looking chap, not chubby, tall, blonde hair, blue eyes, basically all the traits those white supremacists would dream for, I'm not one of them though.

But then, out of fucking nowhere, I died while playing that new Harry Potter game that made people cancel each other.

How? I have no idea. Does it make sense? Hell no.

I have no medical documents indicating that I was ever diagnosed with heart disease or any other illness that might've caused sudden death; I just dropped dead right there and then.

Again, it makes no sense.

That isn't even the worst part. I awoke immediately after my 'sudden death,' unable to see anything except my own body. Everything around me is pitch black and empty, like if I'm floating through the endless space.

I was there for a long time, at least I think so; I couldn't tell how much time had passed while I was there.

But then, seemingly out of nowhere, I felt this force dragging me away from that place. It seemed like I was being thrown away by a giant or something.

And then, the next thing I knew, I felt a sharp pain in my back, and I dropped to the ground like I was just a ragdoll. After a few seconds of regaining my bearings, I realised I'd been thrown against a massive boulder inside a dark and damp cave.

And when I say dark, I really mean it. There was no other light source around me but the faint purple-ish light of some odd, glowy, and spiky mushrooms.

And that's pretty much what had happened to me. I'm just sitting quietly right now, my back hurting like hell, surrounded by purple glowing and spiky mushrooms that I'm not sure if they're poisonous or not, trying to figure out what the fuck just happened.

Not even a second later, as I rested my head on the boulder, I noticed the luminous mushrooms wriggling as if attempting to break free from the dirt before coming out completely. At the edge of the white stem, there were no roots or flora components whatsoever; instead, there were pincers, as in insect pincers.

I quickly sprang up, jolting away from my previous sitting position, like any sensible human being with instinct. I'd want to claim I didn't scream like a b*tch, but that's a lie.

Nevertheless, the fear quickly dissipated and was replaced by curiosity. This is neither an insect that was discovered on Earth, nor is it a common one, thus I was immediately drawn to it. I grabbed one by the spiky mushroom head and inspected it closely. The worm-like bug wriggled around in the air, attempting but failing to break free from my grasp.

The mushroom was still dimly glowing, generating a mixture of white, purple, and pink light, and the light throbbed as the bug wriggled.

It looks alien. And I summarised that either I have found an undiscovered species or I am simply in another world. But based on the current circumstances, the latter seems to be the more logical one, even if it doesn't really make sense.

While it looks alien, it somehow feels familiar to me, like if I've seen it somewhere before. I attempted to recall it for a split second before realising I'd just seen these guys in that Harry Potter game.

Purple, faintly glowing, spiky, white stem, pincers as "roots," it resembles a Horklump.

If my guesses are correct, which is a stretch but not impossible, then I'm... in the wizarding world?

Normally, I would be happy with that possibility, but right now, not so much.

I looked around; I couldn't see anything, but there was a faint sound that kept bothering my ear. It sounded like a growling.

Wait, a growling sound?

All of a sudden, red lights began to appear all around me. The growling sound grew louder and louder until I could see what those red lights were.

Those were eyes. It was filled with rage and hunger. When I peered attentively, I noticed that those eyes belonged to wolves, and some of their fur was red, as if they had just returned from a kill.

My instincts kicked up again, telling me to escape, so I did, Horklump still in hand, headed the other way.

My life really depended on my legs right now, so I ran as fast as I could. I could hear gurgling and growling behind me; It felt like I was around one to two metres away from the nearest wolf.

Because I am just a regular guy, one of them eventually caught up with me. It pounced on my right arm, seriously biting my bicep. I tripped, the wolf's force seemingly stopping me, and all I could do was push the wolf away, smacking its head to confuse it. It worked; the wolf released its bite and was propelled back to its group, colliding with two of its fellow hunters.

Seeing this, I continued running, ignoring the ache in my arm. I began to notice little signs of light as I moved through the dark cave, right at the edge of the slope. I hurried towards it, secretly relieved, already feeling the cold air outdoors.

I eventually emerged from the cave, feeling the chill of the wind as it flowed through me, but danger still lurks. Because the wolves were following me, I hurriedly looked about, found a dead tree that I could climb, and dashed towards it.

My adrenaline-fueled body was able to ascend to the top of the tree and sit safely in between the branches. I could hear the wolves snarling below, but they couldn't reach me.

All I could do now was hope for the wolves to return.

As my body began to cool and settle down, I could feel the ache in my arm return, causing me to wince in anguish. It needs to be cured immediately before it becomes infected since who knows what that wolf has eaten, but I'm not in a position to do so right now.

Or so I thought. I remembered that the Horklump was used in a healing potion in the game, right? As a result, it possesses healing properties.

My brow furrowed as I raised my attention to the purple insect in my left hand, which I had carried with me outside.

"Sorry mate." I mumbled an apology to the bug. "Well, here goes nothing."

I squeezed the insect's white stem and poured the juice onto the wound I had gotten. It was a little revolting, but I rapidly saw improvements. While it isn't particularly strong, I could clearly see that the healing was speeding up—not quickly, mind you, but certainly faster than any normal human being could mend from an injury of this magnitude.

My "transmigration theory" appears to have been reinforced. If it is genuinely transmigration, I despise it. At least give me something to help me survive...

I waited for some time on top of that tree, the wolves hadn't given up yet, they still roamed around the place, trying to wait until I slipped up, so I kept waiting as the wound in my arm was healing.

Time passed by but the wolves still didn't leave. I could clearly see the moon above shining dimly, covered by thick clouds that looked to be a sign of a storm, but the view in this place is magnificent, I could see a river flowing through nearby, open fields as far as the eye could see, and I could even see a dirt path near the river that I saw, which I hope that someone would pass by, hoping that they would help me or some kind.

Suddenly, I could see a bird approaching me. I prepared the corpse of the insect that I had used earlier to throw at it in case it attacked me, but instead of doing that, the bird dropped something onto my lap, and perched itself near me, on one of the branches. It was an owl, and it was staring at me intently, looking at the corpse of the insect in my hand.

I looked at it, and offered the carcass to the owl. "You want it?"

The owl titled its head a little, before grabbing the carcass in an instant motion, swallowing it whole.

Meanwhile, I turned my attention to the thing that it dropped on me. It was a letter, and I saw a familiar seal attached to it. It was addressed to him.

"Mr. Abraham Ashworth, Above a tree, Feldcroft, Scotland."

Seeing this, I opened the letter, and saw what was inside of it.

======

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Dear Mr Ashworth,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

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I could only repeatedly read the letter again and again, as it had validated my hypothesis of 'transmigration'. I groaned and returned my attention to the owl.

"I don't have any pens; how do I reply back?" I inquired gently.

Instead of responding, the owl simply tilted its head, unsure of what I had just requested.

Tonight, I just pitied my overall luck. After being slammed against a rock and hunted by wolves, I found myself trapped on top of a tree, with an owl silently staring at me, waiting for an answer that would almost definitely never come.

But aren't professors meant to come to muggleborns and explain things? Why am I not getting one? Or am I counted as one of the few who actually knows magic, so a professor didn't come to me?

As I was thinking so, I could hear a loud cracking sound from a distance. I noticed a flash of bright light behind the small slope in front of the tree, which soon disappeared.

I kept my gaze fixed on the location where the flash appeared, waiting for anything to happen. A feminine figure appeared a minute later, strolling through the slope towards the tree where I was currently staying.

The lady was dressed in an emerald gown with a goofy hat on top of her head. She appeared concerned, alarmed, and puzzled all at the same moment. She grimaced as she noticed the wolves around the tree and pulled a wand from her pocket, directing it towards the wolves.

A flash of light emerged from the tip of the wand and flew through the air towards the wolves. When the light struck the ground near the wolves, they cowered in horror and ran back to their lair.

The woman then proceeded towards the tree, her gaze fixed on me.

"Mr. Ashworth?" She inquired respectfully, and while she smiled, I could tell she was puzzled by the scenario. Rightfully so, as obviously, I was sitting on top of a tree.

"Uh, yes, that's me." I spoke up, climbing down the tree, as the wolves were obviously no longer there. "Thank you for ridding me of those wolves; they are quite a bit of trouble."

"No worries, Mr. Ashworth," she said. "But I must ask, how are you in this situation in the first place? As a wizard, do you not have your wand with you?"

"Wand?" I raised my brow, so she thought that I was part of the wizarding world... "I don't have a wand; I don't even know how to use magic."

The lady was perplexed at my answer. "At all? Do you not have any family that you can contact or teach you?"

"I... don't think so."

"This is rather peculiar," she murmured to herself. "How did you end up in this predicament in the first place?"

"I don't know myself. The first thing I remember is waking up in a wolf's den, surrounded by purple mushrooms that aren't actually mushrooms."

"Do you have any memories from before the accident?" she inquired once again.

"No, I don't think I recall anything." I lied.

"Well, this is truly worrisome," she observed, her countenance thoughtful. "An unintentional magical accident that caused you to forget some of your memories... Mr. Ashworth, what do you remember about yourself?"

"To be honest, not much." I sighed, acting with the flow. "My name, the fact that I couldn't perform magic, the fact that I didn't receive my Hogwarts invitation letter at the age of eleven... I assumed I was a squib."

"And what about family? Or carers? You don't recall anything?"

"No, no, I don't."

"But you know how the wizarding world works, correct?"

"I believe so."

"At least that part is still there," she sighed. "As you may have guessed by now, your circumstance is rather unusual. A fifteen-year-old enrolling at Hogwarts hasn't been seen in nearly a century. With your magical accident thrown in, you will undoubtedly have a rather perilous journey ahead of you if you choose to be a wizard."

"Choose?"

"Yes, Mr. Ashworth. You can choose whether to learn magic or forget about it entirely, but I guarantee you that we will strive to discover a means to restore your memory so that you can return to your prior life if you choose to decline our invitation, if you ever had one."

This would be challenging, but learning magic? Hell yeah.

"I'd rather attend Hogwarts, Miss..."

"Please excuse my poor manners. My name is Minerva McGonagall, and I teach transfiguration at Hogwarts."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Professor." I made a hum. "Then I accept the invitation."

"Excellent," she said, nodding. "Now, if you will please come with me to the school to discuss some things about your circumstances. Though, I would wager you do not want to meet the headmaster in that kind of attire."

I looked down at what I was wearing when she said this. It was only a plain white t-shirt and a boxer to cover my loins—the same outfit I wore while playing the Harry Potter game. It is, indeed, unsuitable for the occasion.

"Uh… As far as I recall, I don't have any extra clothing." I gave the professor an uneasy chuckle.

"Given your situation, I suppose it should come as no surprise." McGonagall let out a sigh. "Very well, we should make a quick stop at a clothing store to give you some garments for your new life. Hold my hand, Mr. Ashworth."

The professor extended her hand to me, which I quickly grasped. Soon enough, both of us apparated away from that damned place, never to set foot on it again.