Red flames blazed in the backyard, and Lynn could feel a wave of heat striking his face as he approached.
"These flames don't seem capable of harming me!"
As he gazed at the fire, the thought suddenly crossed Lynn's mind.
He reached out to touch the burning flames in the yard. A sensation of heat hit him instantly, but that was all. The fiery blaze couldn't inflict any significant harm on Lynn.
This wasn't the effect of a fire spell. While fire spells summon magical flames, they make no distinction between friend and foe, indiscriminately burning everything around them.
Yet, when faced with Lynn, the flames seemed to recognize their master and became tame. A small ball of fire even clung to Lynn's palm, gently dancing across his fingertips.
Lynn was slightly startled by this.
It's worth noting that magic that prevents flames from harming the caster isn't uncommon. The Fire Shield of the first-generation Dark Lord Grindelwald could even weaponize fire. However, the Fire Shield is a combination of fire spells and defensive magic. The spell Lynn cast was merely a basic magical flame.
Additionally, these flames simply didn't affect Lynn. When directed at other flammable objects, they still behaved like voracious demons.
"Does this mean the problem lies with me?"
Lynn was filled with doubt.
He wasn't the type to recklessly place blind faith in his abilities, risking himself and others in dangerous ignorance. When faced with an incomprehensible problem, he sought the wisdom of someone with greater magical expertise.
After extinguishing the fire in the backyard, Lynn returned to the castle and sought out his mother, Rowena.
When she learned of Lynn's condition, Rowena pondered for a moment before pulling a finely crafted willow wand from her robes.
She raised her hand gracefully, casting a silent spell. A ball of fire suddenly appeared between them.
Rowena demonstrated extraordinary control over the flames, which hovered in the air without any inclination to spread.
"Try it. Will this fire harm you?" Rowena asked, guiding the flames closer to Lynn.
Lynn reached out to touch the fire and shook his head. "It's the same as my fire spell—it makes me feel the heat, but it doesn't actually hurt me."
Rowena nodded thoughtfully and waved her wand again, extinguishing the flames.
Rowena gazed at Lynn's dark red hair, her expression contemplative. "If my flames can't hurt you, then the issue isn't with the fire but with your physique. Whether this stems from your bloodline or some other magical force remains unknown."
"But to my knowledge, neither the Rohr family nor my ancestral lineage has ever exhibited such traits. Of course, it's possible that this ability skipped generations and wasn't documented in family history."
"For now, though, this power seems to be beneficial, doesn't it? In the magical world, it's not uncommon for young wizards to possess unique abilities," Rowena said softly with a warm smile.
Hearing this, Lynn nodded slightly.
As Rowena mentioned, it wasn't unusual for wizards to have special talents. For instance, the gift of prophecy passed down by the Trelawney family or the enchanting abilities of Veela hybrids.
"Yes, my strong affinity with fire allowed me to master silent casting of the fire spell in just three days, and it also protects me from being harmed by flames."
Lynn decided not to dwell on the origin of his talent.
His profound connection to flames gave him an advantage in fire magic that most people could only dream of. All he needed to do now was maximize this gift and harness it to its fullest potential.
...
Time passed as quickly as Merlin changing his socks. In the blink of an eye, a month had gone by.
That day, Lynn donned his small black backpack, bid farewell to his mother Rowena, and asked Gale to Apparate him to King's Cross Station.
With a sharp crack, Lynn and Gale appeared in an unoccupied corner of King's Cross.
Lynn stepped out from behind the pillar that had concealed him and observed the bustling crowd around him.
To avoid attracting Muggle attention, Gale quickly disappeared from sight after arriving.
After a quiet goodbye to Gale, Lynn walked toward Platform Nine, his ticket in hand and his backpack slung over his shoulder.
Not far ahead, children pushing trolleys—often accompanied by their parents—walked through the barrier between Platforms Nine and Ten. Most of these children had something in common: a cage carrying an owl on their trolley.
Standing near the barrier was an adult wizard, and Lynn could just make out a wand tucked into his belt.
Clearly, this wizard was tasked with maintaining order in the area, which had been discreetly enchanted with a Confundus Charm. Muggles passing by paid no attention to the odd scenes unfolding nearby.
One by one, young wizards passed through the barrier. Some Muggle-born first-years ran headlong into it with expressions of sheer determination, pushing their trolleys as if their lives depended on it.
Lynn found himself watching with amusement.
Thanks to his magically enhanced backpack, which contained all his belongings, Lynn had no trolley. Walking casually, he passed through the barrier without issue.
On the other side, Lynn saw a vintage dark red steam locomotive parked at a platform bustling with young witches and wizards.
A sign on the train read: Hogwarts Express, 11 o'clock.
Seeing the sign and recalling the train's speed from the original story, Lynn couldn't help but chuckle.
"So this is the 'Express' Hogwarts boasts about!"
With a smirk, Lynn boarded the train and made his way toward a compartment near the back.
Taking a seat by the window, Lynn pulled an old notebook from his bag.
This was Rowena's collection of notes on fire magic from her own days at Hogwarts.
The notebook's faded pages were a treasure to Lynn. Through his mother's insights, he had mastered silent casting, learned to make flames hover in midair without spreading, and gained precise control over their size and shape.
"Excuse me! Are there any empty seats here?"
A friendly voice interrupted his focus.
Two red-haired boys stood at the door of the compartment. They looked almost identical—clearly twins—and wore wizarding robes emblazoned with the Gryffindor crest.
The moment Lynn saw them, he immediately recognized them.
George Weasley and Fred Weasley.
Red hair, twins, Gryffindor.
These distinguishing traits made their identities unmistakable.
"There are plenty of empty seats here. Sit wherever you like!" Lynn said, closing the notebook in his hand.
Fred thanked him, and he and George struggled to maneuver their luggage into the corner of the compartment.
"Let me help—Wingardium Leviosa!"
Seeing their flushed faces, Lynn kindly offered assistance, using a Levitation Charm to move the trunk effortlessly.
Fred and George both gaped in astonishment.
"Thanks, mate! We'd almost forgotten we were wizards!" George exclaimed with a grin, pulling out his wand to cast a quick Scourgify on his dusty robes.
Fred followed suit, cleaning his own robes before the two sat across from Lynn.
"Fred Weasley, nice to meet you!"
"George Weasley, pleasure to meet you!"
The twins extended their hands in unison, and Lynn shook them with a smile.
"Lynn Rohr. A pleasure to meet you both!"
Hearing his surname, the twins exchanged glances, their expressions clearing with understanding.
"That explains it," George said. "I was just wondering how a first-year like you could use the Levitation Charm so skillfully. I didn't realize you were from the Rohr family!"
It was common knowledge that young wizards from pure-blood families were often introduced to magic earlier than their peers, so George assumed Lynn had been practicing for a while.
Lynn simply smiled, choosing not to mention he had only been learning magic for two months.
He glanced at the Gryffindor crests on their robes. "So, you're both in Gryffindor? I wonder which house I'll end up in."
Fred grinned. "Yeah, we're second-years in Gryffindor."
George eyed the notebook in Lynn's hands and added thoughtfully, "If I had to guess, you'll probably be sorted into Slytherin, like most of the Rohr family. But with your studious nature, Ravenclaw wouldn't be surprising either."
Fred nodded. "Yeah, I bet a smart guy like you will end up in Ravenclaw!"
Hearing this, Lynn looked down at the open notebook in his hands and laughed softly.
"Just call me Lynn," he said kindly.
The twins exchanged a glance, smiling. "Then call us by our names, too!" they said in unison.
Just as the three were about to continue their conversation, the compartment door slid open again.
A plump woman with a kind smile and dimples appeared, pushing a trolley of snacks. "Anything off the trolley, dears?" she asked.
Lynn looked over the trolley, which carried an array of magical treats: Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Chocoballs, Chocolate Frogs, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands, and more.
There were even a few boxes of Cockroach Clusters, though Lynn had no interest in them. Perhaps only a certain old wizard would have a fondness for such peculiar sweets.
The Weasley twins, meanwhile, fell silent.
Without the income from their future inventions, money was tight for them in this timeline.
"Three Chocolate Frogs, please!" Fred finally said after some hesitation, counting out a few Sickles and Knuts from his pocket and handing them to the trolley witch.
If they had been alone, Fred would have made do with one of Mrs. Weasley's homemade sandwiches. But with a new friend in the compartment,