1991, Surrey, England.
Lewis Green lay on an old, creaking wooden bed.
The room around him was cramped, shabby, and dim. The walls were uneven and stained, and the furniture looked so worn it had practically developed a glossy patina from years of use.
Clearly, this was not a good place to live.
Lewis raised his hand, staring at the small, childish palm before him, and let out a long sigh.
"Just my luck… why did I have to be reborn in a place like this?"
That's right—Lewis was an unlucky reincarnator.
'In his previous life his name was Ye Ting.' "Lewis Green" was the name he gave himself after crossing over.
"Lewis" carried the meaning of thunder and lightning.
"Green" corresponded to green leaves.
In his previous life, he had been a freshly graduated university student from the china. Born into a middle-class family, with both parents alive and well, excellent grades, and no looming mortgage burden—by all accounts, he had been set up for a successful life.
Who could have expected that after an accident, he would return to infancy—and not only that, be reborn in 1980s England, in this place called Surrey Orphanage?
Now, eleven years had passed, and he had grown into an eleven-year-old child.
"Just my luck…"
Lewis Green sighed again.
Still, this reincarnation hadn't left him completely empty-handed.
Since the age of three, he had discovered that by concentrating, he could move objects slightly with his mind.
Yet even with an adult's mindset and a tiny bit of supernatural ability, his life still wasn't going well.
What could he do? It was an orphanage. How good could the conditions be?
And as an East Asian in this environment—even with a handsome face—his chances of being adopted were practically nonexistent.
Now that he was eleven, he was about to enter a crucial growth phase.
If he wanted a better life in the future, if he wanted proper nutrition and didn't want to grow up stunted and malnourished, he had to start thinking about making a living on his own.
"What can an eleven-year-old even do?"
With memories from over thirty years in the future, Lewis was confident that he could eventually make something of himself using his foresight.
But right now? He was only eleven. His options were painfully limited.
Starting a business required capital.
Getting a job? This wasn't Surrey a century ago—no one would hire an eleven-year-old.
Writing songs? Amateur in both lives. No formal music training whatsoever.
So what could he do?
His gaze fell on a tattered fairy tale book beside his bed, and suddenly, inspiration struck.
"Writing! I can be a copycat writer!"
"And the first thing to copy—definitely the Harry Potter series."
"It's 1991 now. There are still six years before Rowling publishes Philosopher's Stone."
"That series was originally aimed at children anyway—no need for overly complex writing or depth. A kid writing a fairy tale? Totally reasonable. If anyone asks, I'll just say it's my imagination."
"And I can release one book per year. A child prodigy writing magical stories, growing alongside his characters—what a perfect selling point. Combined with the series' inherent potential, it'll definitely sell like crazy."
"Come to think of it, there was a boy named Harry Potter at my primary school. I can just say he inspired me."
"If everything goes well… maybe I can even achieve financial freedom before adulthood?"
Just as Lewis was indulging in his bright vision of the future, a sudden sound interrupted his thoughts.
Knock, knock, knock!
…Someone was knocking on the window?
Lewis froze.
This was the second floor!
He turned his head—and saw an owl outside the window.
It held a letter in its sharp beak, tilting its head as it peered inside.
…!!
Lewis took a deep breath and carefully opened the window.
The owl hopped in with practiced ease, dropped the letter onto the windowsill, and looked at him expectantly.
With trembling hands, Lewis picked up the envelope.
It was distinctly old-fashioned—thick parchment, with the address written in emerald-green ink:
Mr. Lewis Green
Surrey Orphanage, Little Whinging, Surrey
There was no stamp.
Turning it over, he saw a red wax seal bearing a crest: a shield with a large letter "H," surrounded by a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a serpent.
Lewis stared at the letter in silence… then sighed deeply once more.
There was no doubt about it.
The arrival of this owl-delivered letter meant that his grand plan of copying Philosopher's Stone and achieving financial freedom as a writer had just gone up in smoke.
But that didn't matter.
Because his wizard dream had arrived.
Now that he thought about it, his so-called "tiny supernatural ability" made perfect sense—that was simply the awakening of magic in a young wizard.
And that boy named Harry Potter… was most likely the famous Boy Who Lived himself.
The only puzzling question was why someone like him—a person from a non-magical Earth—could awaken magic after coming to this world.
But that wasn't important.
Because from this moment on—
He, Lewis Green, was going to become a wizard.
Suppressing his excitement, Lewis carefully opened the letter.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Chairman of the International Confederation of Wizards, Order of Merlin First Class, Grand Sorcerer, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot)
Dear Mr. Green,
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 September 1st. We await your owl by no later than July 31st.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
Second page:
UNIFORM
First‑year students will require:
Three sets of plain work robes (black) One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar) One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags.
COURSE BOOKS
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self‑Protection by Quentin Trimble
OTHER EQUIPMENT
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales
Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad.
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS.
Even though it was just two pieces of parchment, holding them made his heart surge with excitement.
"Ah, from now on, I too will be a member of the Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
In his mind, a commercial seemed to play:
Learn magic, call on Dumbledore — eight hundred stainless‑steel cauldrons galore.
Four Houses get along so fine, a dozen professors sharp and bright.
Hogwarts scale is vast and grand — twenty thousand students span the land.
Stable jobs with pay so high — lifelong employment, don't ask why.
Well, stable employment was practically guaranteed—after all, both Aurors and Death Eaters graduated from here. Hogwarts supplied its own customers; Dumbledore knew what he was doing.
Thinking of this, Lewis's heart raced again.
Even though entering Hogwarts this year meant he would be classmates with that primary‑school acquaintance and would have to endure the threat of Voldemort and the Death Eaters for the next seven years…
But still—he was going to become a wizard!
Was there anything cooler than that?
Fame at a young age, financial freedom—all that could go to hell.
I'm done playing with you Muggles. I'm joining the wizards!