Ariana often felt that the good fortune she enjoyed in this life was probably accumulated from her past life.
After transmigrating to the 1980s, she found herself surprisingly healthy none of the congenital heart disease that had plagued her from birth in her previous life.
That alone was the greatest blessing. Even more astonishing, she soon discovered that she had superpowers.
It all began when she was just three months old.
One day, lying in her crib with her stomach growling from hunger, she found herself waiting endlessly for the orphanage aunt to prepare her milk. Impatient, she vividly imagined the steps of making formula in her mind. To her surprise, the milk bottle suddenly floated toward her, the formula seemingly mixing itself in mid-air, and the perfectly prepared bottle landed right at her lips.
Ariana knew immediately things that defy common sense always have deeper reasons. If anyone were to witness this, she would surely be seen as a freak. From then on, she carefully limited her "fantasies" to small, unnoticeable things and most of the time, they worked.
By the time she was three, Ariana discovered a new application for her powers hypnosis.
At first, she simply noticed that certain people would unconsciously comply with her suggestions after meeting her gaze.
To test this, she began conducting little experiments on various people in the orphanage, making them perform different tasks at her command.
She realized early on that her hypnotic abilities weren't always effective on adults their stronger willpower offered resistance.
Later, in elementary school, Ariana delved into numerous psychology books at the library and developed her own method for honing her skills. From that point on, her hypnosis never failed again.
In her previous life, Ariana had been a hacker. Compared to the sophisticated systems of her time, the bank security in the 1980s was laughably vulnerable. To her, it was like an unlocked treasure vault waiting to be taken.
(Note: The UK's banks officially joined the SWIFT network in 1977, making interbank communications possible.)
Using her abilities, she hypnotized a lawyer named Thompson and leveraged his network to funnel her stolen funds into an education trust, fabricating a story that the money was an inheritance from her long-lost family.
At the age of seven, Ariana moved out of the orphanage.
Of course, theft was never a long-term solution. Once she'd secured her survival, she used the remaining funds through Thompson's legal channels to establish an investment company.
Now, at eleven, Ariana's assets had already surpassed a billion pounds. She knew all too well, however, that the pound's future was bleak. She planned to emigrate to the United States in a year to build her financial empire there.
Because of her age, most of her assets remained within the UK, and transferring them wasn't easy. Recently, she'd been spending over four hours a day glued to her computer, managing the complexities of international finance.
To protect her eyesight, Ariana set up her workspace in the courtyard, making sure to rest her eyes by gazing into the distance after every hour of work.
When the alarm beside her rang, signaling the end of her break, Ariana took a final sip of coffee, ready to get back to work when suddenly, a large owl swooped down from the sky.
Startled by the unexpected attack, Ariana ducked, causing her coffee to spill all over her clothes.
"You round-faced Scottish fat chicken! Are you trying to get yourself roasted? Or did you break your wings? Look what you've done!" she cursed.
Of course, she wasn't actually mad at the owl. She was just venting to lighten the mood.
But unexpectedly, the owl seemed to understand her scolding. It flapped its wings furiously and smacked her in the face with a letter.
"Oi! Did this Scottish fat chicken just develop some divine sense of humor?" Ariana rubbed her face, waiting for the sting to fade before she curiously opened the letter and was utterly stunned by its contents.
"So… my superpowers are actually magic? And this is the world of Harry Potter?"
The letter was an official acceptance from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It not only informed her of her admission but also included a detailed list of required school supplies.
In her previous life, Ariana had also been an orphan. Due to her severe heart condition, she never went beyond middle school.
Desperate to fund a heart transplant, she taught herself hacking and, within three years, had earned enough money for the operation.
Unfortunately, she had an extremely rare blood type. Finding a compatible heart proved near impossible. Even after offering exorbitant sums in India and Mexico, she was unable to secure a suitable donor.
With her life constantly hanging by a thread, Ariana had no time for entertainment. Still, she had heard of the wildly popular Harry Potter movies.
If she were still that helpless orphan girl, this letter the chance to change her fate might have filled her with joy.
But things were different now.
She was wealthy. She had a grand plan for a financial empire. Her investment company was preparing to move to the U.S. Her assets needed careful restructuring. All of this required her personal attention. Where would she find the time to attend some magic school?
Ariana calmly pulled out a sheet of A4 paper, quickly drafted a formal letter of refusal, and handed it to the caffeine-saturated Scottish fat chicken.
"Here's my reply. You can go now."
But the Scottish fat chicken didn't leave. It just stood there, staring at her blankly while clucking in protest.
"You hungry?" Ariana asked.
Of course, the fat chicken didn't answer, but eventually, it did start nibbling on the nuts and biscuits she offered.
In Ariana's view, this so-called magic school was no different from an ordinary one. They simply issued letters to anyone found to possess magical ability.
Given her current circumstances, declining the offer seemed perfectly reasonable.
But to her surprise, barely two hours after the owl flew away, her doorbell rang.
Because of her powers, Ariana never hired live-in help. Her maids and gardeners all worked half-days and had already gone home. She was alone in the house.
Typically, anyone with real business would call in advance. Hearing the doorbell, she assumed it was another door-to-door salesperson and ignored it.
Her usual tactic worked the salespeople would give up and leave if no one answered.
But this time, things didn't go as expected.
With a loud bang, the door was pushed open from the outside. Before Ariana could react, a tall, slender woman had already stepped into the courtyard.
"Miss Corrine, since you're home, why didn't you open the door?" the woman asked.
She wore a high-collared, dark green robe and a pointed hat unmistakably a witch.
Although Ariana hadn't seen the movies or read the original books, she had glimpsed a few Harry Potter clips and immediately recognized the iconic hat.
"So, witches are just a bunch of uninvited 'guests' who break into people's homes?" Ariana glared at the woman.
Professor McGonagall's expression darkened slightly at the accusation.
"I came because of your letter declining admission. I wanted to discuss it in detail. I rang the bell for ten minutes, but you didn't answer," she explained.
It just so happened that she was nearby, which is why she arrived so quickly.
The letter had only just been sent. The sender was still likely at home. After ringing for so long with no response, she grew concerned and used the Alohomora unlocking charm to enter.
"That still doesn't justify breaking into my house," Ariana shot back.
"There are many young Muggle-born witches like you who require thorough explanations about the school. This is to prevent wasting precious time," McGonagall said seriously.
Seeing that the door wasn't damaged, Ariana calmed down a little and asked, "Fine. Regarding my rejection letter, does your school have any objections?"
"In your letter, you said you had other plans and couldn't attend. I simply can't understand what could possibly be more important than receiving a proper magical education for someone like you," McGonagall frowned.
"I'm emigrating to America. I have a lot to handle this year, so I don't have time to study in Scotland," Ariana said, spreading her hands in a helpless gesture.
McGonagall's expression sharpened. "How do you know our school is in Scotland?"