"Finally finished with elementary school. Thank God."
Leo Nicholas flopped onto his bed and stared up at the crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. His eyes were unfocused, carrying the weary look of someone who had already lived through far more than a ten-year-old ever should.
Because ten years ago, he had died.
Back then, he had been standing inside a steel cage wrapped in strips of cloth. He wore a black stage costume embroidered with silver patterns while bright spotlights shone down from above. Beyond the stage, a packed audience watched with eager anticipation.
He remembered flashing a confident smile at his assistant and giving a small nod.
The assistant stepped forward and touched a flaming torch to the cloth.
Fire erupted instantly.
The flames raced across the cage within seconds, climbing upward like a living beast while the audience gasped in excitement. It was all part of the performance. Leo raised his microphone confidently, preparing to deliver his signature line.
"Don't blink—"
Then everything exploded.
There was a deafening bang, a wave of unbearable heat, and then darkness.
His consciousness vanished almost immediately. Somewhere in the distance, he could hear people screaming, but the voices faded farther and farther away until they disappeared completely.
When he opened his eyes again, he thought he was hallucinating.
An elderly man with blond hair and blue eyes was staring at him with overwhelming joy. The man looked as though he had just won the lottery.
At first, Leo assumed he was still dying.
Then he realized something much more shocking.
He had been reborn.
Fortunately, thanks to a previous life spent reading enough web novels to permanently destroy his attention span, Leo adapted to the situation surprisingly quickly. Reincarnation? Fine. A new world? Sure. A fresh start? Even better.
The only thing that puzzled him was whether he had somehow skipped the mysterious memory-erasing process that always seemed to happen in stories.
Still, there had been more pressing concerns at the time.
Specifically, he had desperately needed to pee.
And so, only moments after entering the world, baby Leo had unleashed a perfectly aimed stream directly onto his new father.
That had been their first meeting.
From that day onward, Leo Nicholas became the future heir to three toy stores, a repair garage, and a large countryside manor. More importantly, he escaped the exhausting life he had endured before his death.
Naturally, after learning all that, he immediately set a goal for his second life.
He would spend the rest of it doing absolutely nothing.
Unfortunately, fate seemed to have very different plans.
.....
"Leo! Dinner's ready! Hurry downstairs!"
A series of knocks echoed through the room.
A warm female voice followed from outside the door. Leo let out a dramatic sigh and rolled off the bed.
"Coming!"
He rubbed his face and shuffled toward the door, only for it to swing open before he reached it.
A beautiful woman with bright eyes and gentle features peeked inside. The moment she saw him, her face lit up.
"Mom, I already told you—mmph!"
Before he could finish, Rose Nicholas swept him into a crushing embrace and immediately began pinching his cheeks.
"My precious baby! It's your birthday today! Your grandparents are already here, so hurry downstairs. Ah, your cheeks are still so soft!"
"Mom! Stop pinching me!"
Leo struggled desperately, but the body of a ten-year-old stood little chance against an affectionate mother. Rose ignored his protests entirely and continued kneading his face as if she were working dough.
Even after ten years, Leo still couldn't understand why adults became obsessed with tormenting children the moment they looked remotely cute.
"My queen, why are you two still upstairs? Mom and Dad just arrived."
A man's voice sounded from the hallway before Stoke Nicholas appeared in the doorway. Tall, broad-shouldered, and carrying the relaxed confidence of a successful businessman, he looked every bit the dependable family man.
"Dad! Help!"
Leo immediately reached out like a drowning sailor spotting a rescue ship.
Instead, Stoke's eyes lit up.
"Oh? Family cheek-pinching time? Don't keep all the fun to yourself."
A second pair of hands joined the attack.
Leo nearly saw his soul leave his body.
Thankfully, the arrival of Grandpa and Grandma Nicholas finally put an end to the abuse. Leo escaped and hurried downstairs while rubbing his aching cheeks.
Honestly, this family had issues.
Of course, some explanation was necessary.
Rose Nicholas, formerly Rose Li, worked as a lawyer at a prestigious New York law firm. She came from an immigrant family, which explained why Leo had grown up speaking two languages.
Then there was Stoke Nicholas, Leo's father. A perfectly ordinary British businessman who had somehow inherited several profitable businesses and a massive estate despite possessing the survival instincts of an overly friendly golden retriever.
As for how the two of them met?
According to them, it was destiny.
According to Leo, it sounded like the plot of a low-budget romantic comedy.
Back in college, Stoke had developed a crush on Rose and spent weeks awkwardly following her around campus without actually speaking to her. Unfortunately, Rose noticed immediately and assumed he was a stalker.
So she threw him across a training mat during martial arts club practice.
Most people would have taken the hint and disappeared forever.
Stoke, however, had the stubborn persistence of a man too clueless to quit.
Then came the robbery incident.
One evening, Rose was leaving a convenience store when a mugger pulled a knife on her. By pure coincidence, Stoke happened to witness the entire thing.
In a moment of blind panic, he pointed his phone at the robber and shouted as if he were holding a gun.
The mugger froze.
Rose immediately kicked him in a location that effectively ended his family line.
Meanwhile, Stoke grabbed her hand and ran because he had suddenly remembered he was actually holding a Nokia.
Somehow, after all that insanity, they fell in love.
Every single birthday, his parents retold the story as though it were the greatest romance in human history. Leo had heard it so many times that he could probably perform the entire scene from memory.
Fortunately, this birthday was different.
Because this birthday was where everything started becoming completely insane.
.....
"My dear grandson! Come here and let Grandpa get a good look at you."
The elderly head of the Nicholas family smiled warmly as Leo approached. Despite being nearly eighty years old, he still stood straight and dignified. His neatly combed white hair gave him the appearance of a retired aristocrat.
Technically, Stoke had not yet inherited leadership of the family, but everyone already treated him as the future patriarch.
Grandma Nicholas stood beside her husband with a fond smile while the family gathered around the dining table.
Soon, dinner began.
The massive table overflowed with food from both Western and Eastern cuisines. Roast meats, creamy mashed potatoes, soup, glazed chicken wings, braised pork, and countless other dishes filled every available inch of space.
"Happy birthday to our little Leo!" Grandpa Nicholas declared as he raised his glass.
"Cheers!"
Everyone joined the toast enthusiastically.
Naturally, Leo's glass contained fruit juice because apparently children weren't allowed to enjoy life.
After the toast, the family finally began eating. The atmosphere was warm, lively, and comforting in a way Leo had genuinely come to cherish during the past decade.
Then the owl arrived.
A brown owl suddenly swooped through the open dining-room window and landed directly on the table.
The entire room fell silent.
"...Where did that owl come from?" Stoke asked blankly.
"It's carrying a letter," Grandma Nicholas observed.
The owl calmly extended one leg.
Leo froze.
The moment he saw the envelope, his heartbeat nearly stopped.
No.
No way.
That crest.
That seal.
Those four animals.
His eyes locked onto the elegant writing across the front.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Leo's brain immediately crashed.
Meanwhile, Rose picked up the envelope with curiosity and smiled.
"Oh? A letter for Leo? Maybe it's from a little girlfriend."
"Our son really is popular," Stoke agreed proudly.
Leo snatched the envelope so quickly he nearly gave himself whiplash. His fingers trembled slightly as he stared at the familiar crest.
Hogwarts.
Not some joke.
Not a prank.
The real Hogwarts.
His thoughts descended into complete chaos.
Stay calm, he told himself.
You're calm.
You are absolutely—
Pure panic exploded inside his head.
"Mom," Leo said weakly, handing her the letter, "could you open it for me?"
Rose raised an eyebrow but unfolded the parchment anyway while the rest of the family watched with growing curiosity.
As she read, her expression gradually changed.
Then Stoke leaned over her shoulder.
A moment later, he looked equally confused.
Rose cleared her throat.
"Dear Mr. Leo Nicholas," she began slowly. "We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…"
The room became quieter with every sentence.
By the time she finished reading, even Grandpa Nicholas looked baffled.
There was a list of school supplies attached.
A train ticket.
And a signature from Professor McGonagall herself.
Several seconds of silence followed.
Then Grandpa Nicholas suddenly burst out laughing.
"Well, whoever created this prank certainly committed to it."
Everyone chuckled.
Everyone except Leo.
Because Leo knew it was real.
There was no way it could be fake.
He had never heard of Hogwarts, Harry Potter, Albus Dumbledore, or any related books during the past ten years. If Harry Potter existed as fiction in this world, he would have discovered it long ago.
Which meant there was only one possible explanation.
This was real.
He had been reborn into the Harry Potter universe.
"Um..." Leo began carefully. "What if it's actually real?"
Rose immediately smiled and patted his head.
"Yes, yes. Our little wizard."
Before Leo could explain further, another sound echoed through the manor.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Everyone turned toward the front door.
"At this hour?" Rose muttered as she stood.
She walked toward the entrance while the rest of the family exchanged puzzled glances. Their neighbors had already visited earlier in the evening. Nobody else should have been arriving now.
A moment later, the front door opened.
Footsteps echoed softly through the house.
Then the visitor entered the dining room.
Black robes.
Pale skin.
Greasy shoulder-length black hair.
Sharp, cold eyes that seemed permanently disappointed in humanity.
The moment Leo saw him, recognition struck like lightning.
Severus Snape had arrived.