Ian Prince. That was his name in this life. How long had it been since his crossing? He couldn't say. Unlike those who blinked and found themselves in a new world, his transition hadn't been so abrupt. After his death as a university student, his consciousness drifted through a hazy expanse of time, a formless journey through forgotten landscapes and half-remembered events.

Now, he couldn't recall the purpose of that ethereal drift. It wasn't a search for something lost, more like a restless wandering of a soul untethered. Until a light appeared. He flew towards it, and his eyes opened to a world both familiar and strange.

As a transmigrator, Ian possessed the expected cheat: a status screen. But he also had a unique gift—the ability to traverse the boundary between life and death. Every week, in his dreams, he found himself in a peculiar place, a realm the innocent girl before him called Limbo.

Limbo. The resting place of the dead in the Harry Potter universe. A waystation to the afterlife, some said. A path to rebirth, others claimed. From his limited knowledge of the Harry Potter world—gleaned from movies and fan fiction—Ian knew only that Dumbledore had appeared in a spectral train station within Limbo after his death. He suspected his own death and rebirth, his two lives intertwined, had somehow glitched the system, granting him access to this place. He cursed his past self for not delving deeper into Harry Potter lore. If he'd known he'd be crossing over, he would have become a true scholar of the wizarding world.

But perhaps even a scholar wouldn't have understood Limbo, a place shrouded in mystery even within the original story.

"You seem troubled," the girl before him observed. Ariana, a ghost who no longer remembered how long she'd been dead. Yet, she retained the innocence and naiveté of her earthly life. She was one of Ian's few companions in this spectral realm.

Ian considered Limbo a treasure trove. Young wizards typically awakened with a Level 1 magic control. His own Level 4 control stemmed from his training here. Not from Ariana, who possessed no magic, but from another friend—a cryptic old man who refused to teach him true spells, always claiming he was too young.

"It's that creepy old man," Ian said, his voice tight.

"Creepy? Is he frightening to look at?" Ariana tilted her head, curious.

They walked along a riverbank, butterflies flitting around them, a rabbit watching from beneath a tree. Sunlight dappled the scene, painting it in soft hues.

"No, not frightening. Quite the opposite. He's…refined. But he's a voyeur, or so I've heard."

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"Aren't you curious why he sought you out, Ariana?"

"Why did he?"

"To invite me to Hogwarts. Turns out I'm a wizard with a proper magical lineage," Ian boasted, a touch of pride in his voice. He hadn't been much older than Ariana when he died. Despite his long journey through the void, he was still, in essence, a ghost, just a slightly more experienced one. Perhaps that was why they connected.

"Hogwarts! I remember! The best wizarding school in the world! And the safest!" Ariana's eyes widened. "If you have trouble, Ian, seek out my brothers. They're students there, good people, always willing to help."

"Trouble is guaranteed," Ian muttered, stretching his legs into the river and lying back on the grass. "How powerful can students be? This year, or next, we'll be facing…the Noseless Wonder. Not exactly an easy opponent." The thought of Voldemort stirred unease within him. He could avoid the Boy Who Lived, but what if he became collateral damage in the ensuing chaos? Hogwarts' safety was a dubious claim.

"Noseless Wonder?" Ariana frowned.

"A big bad guy, about to be resurrected." With Ariana, in this detached realm, Ian didn't hide his foreknowledge. He'd offered other glimpses into the future, but Ariana never questioned them.

"Is he powerful? My brothers are very strong."

Ian sat up, intrigued. "Your brothers…are they twins?" Twins brought the Weasleys to mind, but Ariana's hair color didn't match, and he'd never heard of a Weasley sister who died young. Another magical family, then? One of the Sacred Twenty-Eight? "Do you remember your family name?"

Ariana shook her head, a flicker of sadness in her eyes.

Ian blinked. "Then how am I supposed to find your brothers?"

"My brothers…" Ariana trailed off, lost in thought. She remembered only their love for her, and her waiting for them here. "I think…I'm forgetting. My memories…they're fading." Her voice was laced with sorrow.

"Limbo holds souls through their attachments," Ian explained gently. "When those attachments fade, when memories are lost…it's time to move on. To the next life. It's not a bad thing."

Tears welled in Ariana's eyes. "But my brothers…"

Ian, unsure how to comfort her, pulled out a chocolate bar. "Lucky you. I was saving this for myself." He'd brought it with him, not forgotten it.

"Chocolate…Ian, you're so kind." The chocolate seemed to lift her spirits. She took a bite, then added, "I just…I wish I could see them again."

Ian scratched his head, looking at her profile. "I'll ask around. See if anyone's lost a sister. Maybe it'll jog your memory, give you a few more years here." He forced a smile. "Everyone dies eventually. Just…outlive them. Then you'll see them again, here."

Ariana's face brightened. "Thank you, Ian. But please don't…don't kill them just so we can be reunited."

Ian stared at her, speechless. Was she serious? "What kind of monster do you think I am?"

"The witch in the castle…she said you had that…quality."

Ariana's laughter broke the tension. The witch in the castle? Ian glanced towards the shadowed forest where the castle lay hidden. He'd heard whispers. Limbo was vast, and his explorations were limited.

A sudden coldness touched his hand. He looked down. Ariana held it, a gentle smile on her face. "Thank you, Ian. A gift…for your enrollment."

A warmth flowed from her hand into his. He saw a crimson pattern bloom on his skin, then vanish.

"What—"

The world shimmered, Ariana's form blurring. He knew it was time to leave. He offered a wave. "See you next week."

"See you next week," Ariana echoed, her voice fading.