HPxLOTM: A Wizard's Path to Divinity

Edward held his wand, staring in bewilderment at the sprawling garden that had suddenly appeared before him, his mind reeling in shock.

The last time he had been this stunned was three years ago when he inexplicably transmigrated into the world of Harry Potter and became a first-year student at Hogwarts.

As someone who had boarded the train of transmigration, Edward's luck was a mix of good and bad. The bad part? He didn't get the ever-popular cheat system.

The good part?

This body's innate talent was quite remarkable—by his third year, he had already mastered most spells with ease.

However, there was one thing that constantly nagged at him. He was already sixteen years old. Compared to the usual Hogwarts students who entered at eleven, Edward had enrolled at the age of fourteen.

Sometimes, he wondered—was this so-called "remarkable talent" merely the natural advantage of being three years older?

As for why he had only started at fourteen, he had no idea. He retained no memories from before his transmigration.

He had even borrowed Dumbledore's Pensieve in an attempt to recover them, but unfortunately, he could only view memories from after he arrived in this world.

Edward shook his head, pushing these thoughts aside as he focused on reality. "Just now…I did the same thing I always do—I pushed open the door to the Room of Requirement and walked in. The Room of Requirement can transform into various spaces depending on one's needs, but it should still be a 'room'. So why am I in a massive garden?"

A thought struck him. "Could it be that someone secretly swapped the Room of Requirement's door with a Portkey?"

At this realization, Edward immediately waved his wand, casting a Disillusionment Charm and a Protego to ensure his safety. Keeping his guard up, he swiftly scanned his surroundings.

Before him stretched a grand and luxurious garden. Vibrant flowers swayed gently in the sunlight, carried by the breeze. The trees stood in neat rows, and ivy-covered walls were meticulously trimmed—evidently, this place was well maintained.

In a shaded corner of the garden, a small hanging chair sat idly, with a blue lace hat casually placed atop it. Perhaps its owner had left it there by accident.

Not far away stood a magnificent European-style mansion, almost resembling a miniature castle—a clear testament to the wealth of its owner.

Edward frowned slightly. "Is this the Malfoy Manor…or the estate of some other pure-blood family? Achoo—"

"—Ugh, the air here is awful."

Cautiously, he approached the mansion. Just as he was about ten meters away from the entrance, a young girl dressed in a maid's uniform hurried past him. Without hesitation, he followed her.

The maid entered the lavishly decorated mansion and stopped in front of a bedroom door, knocking gently. "Miss, the ball is about to begin. It's time to change into your gown."

Silence.

The maid sighed. "I'll have them bring the dress over first."

She turned to leave—but before she could take a step, Edward materialized out of thin air, his wand flashing as he cast, Petrificus Totalus.

The maid's body froze instantly, her wide, terrified eyes locked in place.

Edward strode forward, locking eyes with the petrified maid. "Legilimens."

"Woof!"

A massive golden-furred dog lunged out from the shadows. Edward instinctively flicked his wand. "Stupefy!"

The golden dog yelped as it was sent flying.

At the same time, an overwhelming surge of memories flooded Edward's mind. The maid's memories were simple—caring for the young lady, instructing other maids, eating, sleeping, and caring for the young lady again.

"Nothing useful?"

Just as that thought formed, a series of familiar yet unfamiliar images surfaced in his mind—

A crimson moon. The Church of the Evernight. Audrey Hall. Backlund. Earl Hall…

Edward's face turned deathly pale.

"Audrey…Backlund…the crimson moon…"

"Wait...This is the world of Lord of the Mysteries!!!"

"The weaker you are, the more dangerous knowledge becomes. The more you know, the faster you die…"

And he had read the entirety of Lord of the Mysteries!

Wait! If this was Lord of the Mysteries, then the maid should have been speaking in Loenese. Why could he understand her?

Suddenly, searing pain flared across the back of his hand, and faint, indistinct lines appeared on his skin. Almost simultaneously, a wave of coolness surged from the top of his head, washing away his suffocating sense of crisis.

Edward froze in place, momentarily stunned. But there was no time to ponder—he abruptly raised his wand, aimed it at himself, and gritted his teeth. "Obliviate!"

Boom!

Edward was sent flying backwards, crashing onto the floor two meters away.

A few moments later, he sat up, clutching his throbbing forehead, his face contorted in pain. "Can someone please tell me why Obliviate just sent me flying two meters?!"

Groaning, he reached for his wand, which had fallen nearby, and staggered to his feet. "This is insane. I actually cast Obliviate on myself. Good thing memory charms allow for targeted erasure. I only forgot…"

Edward froze for a moment. 

"…What exactly did I forget?" 

The more you know, the faster you die!

That thought surfaced instantly. 

"So I must have erased all the memories I wasn't supposed to have." 

"This is the world of Lord of the Mysteries. This is Backlund. And this is the mansion of Miss Justice…And this golden retriever lying on the ground—" 

Edward turned his gaze back to the unconscious golden retriever, only to catch it stealthily crawling forward, hugging the ground as if trying to make itself invisible. It was an absolute masterclass in pretending not to exist. 

The moment it noticed Edward looking, the retriever immediately flopped back down with an exaggerated thud, playing dead again. 

Susie: I am just a dog. How could I possibly have any ill intentions?

Edward stared blankly. This is supposed to be the future Dream Hound? Why did it wake up so fast?

"Stupefy!" 

With a pitiful yelp, Susie collapsed once more. 

Edward stepped forward and gave her head a few absentminded pats, muttering under his breath, "Tsk, this fur is as smooth as silk…She must be fed really well." 

He glanced toward the door the maid had knocked on earlier—it had to be the bedroom of Audrey Hall, Miss Justice herself. Considering the commotion from Susie's sudden attack, plus his own dramatic crash landing, the noise had been anything but small. And yet, Miss Justice hadn't reacted at all. 

Is she attending a Tarot Club meeting?

"Either way, I need to get out of here. If I remember correctly, the Hall family has Beyonders. The Disillusionment Charm can fool ordinary people, but if someone with Spirit Vision is around…that's another story." 

First, he had to make sure he was safe. Then, he could think about returning to the Harry Potter world. 

With two quick Transfiguration spells, the petrified maid and the unconscious Susie were transformed into a chair and a flower pot. After reinforcing his Disillusionment Charm, Edward turned and headed toward the exit. 

Just as he neared the doorway, two maids rushed over, glancing around suspiciously. 

"The noise just now came from here, right?" 

"But there's nothing here…Wasn't Anne supposed to be calling for Miss?" 

"Where is she?" 

"No idea. Huh? Why is there an extra chair over there?" 

"Did Anne leave it behind?" 

As they whispered and approached, Edward pressed himself against the wall, carefully avoiding their line of sight. 

Then— 

"Emily, am I seeing things? That flower pot…did it just get bigger?" 

"T-The flower pot…It has fur!" 

"Susie! That's Susie!" 

"Somebody help! Susie turned into a flower pot!" 

"No—wait! The flower pot turned into Susie!" 

The two maids paled and started screaming. 

Edward abandoned all thoughts of moving stealthily—he turned and bolted. 

I knew it! I should have shamelessly begged for Apparition lessons back then!

At Hogwarts, Apparition was considered advanced magic, only taught to sixth-year students who were at least seventeen. The risk of Splinching was one thing, but the main issue was that Apparition was forbidden within the school grounds.

Formal training could only begin in the Great Hall when the Ministry of Magic temporarily lifted the restriction, followed by additional lessons in Hogsmeade. 

Edward, a high-achieving and knowledge-hungry student, was well-liked by most professors and had an especially good relationship with Headmaster Dumbledore—after all, it was Dumbledore himself who had personally brought him from the orphanage to Hogwarts.

Over the past three years, through various unofficial 'audits' of upper-year classes, Edward had managed to learn many spells far beyond the typical third-year curriculum. 

"Woof!" 

A sudden gust of wind roared from behind him—Susie had regained consciousness and was lunging at him again! 

Edward had no time to cast another spell. He could only throw himself backwards in an attempt to evade. 

Thud!

Susie hit the floor, but with a forceful kick of her hind legs, she slid forward at high speed and chomped down on Edward's pant leg. Her front paws crossed over each other in a firm, unbreakable lock—clamping down on one of his legs. 

Edward's heart sank in both shock and anger. 

"Beyonders (dogs) really can see through Disillusionment Charms?! And their resistance to magic is absurdly strong!" 

Without hesitation, he threw out seven or eight Stunning Spells in quick succession. His Disillusionment Charm flickered and broke, revealing his figure once again. 

The two maids screamed at the top of their lungs. 

"INTRUDER! HELP! SOMEONE HELP!!" 

Their frantic cries echoed through the entire mansion. A flurry of hurried footsteps approached from all directions. 

Edward gritted his teeth. 

That damn dog just had to play dirty!

Cursing under his breath, he hit Susie with a Relashio spell, forcefully loosening her grip. Without waiting for her to let go completely, he dragged her along as he dashed toward the exit. 

Behind him, the maids' voices were shrill with panic. 

"HELP! MISS AUDREY'S DOG HAS BEEN KIDNAPPED!!!"