The person is at Hogwarts, but the system is in Middle-earth!

Life in our humble abode was full of warmth and everyday joy.

He and Harry were woken up every morning by the cacophony of goblins in the garden—though ever since Rowe demonstrated his "goblin bondage art," the little creatures have avoided him.

Harry had a great time here; it was arguably the happiest few days of his life since he became aware of things.

Except for Ron's sister Ginny, who's a bit odd.

Every time Ginny sees Harry, she would knock things over like a startled fawn and run away with her face flushed.

"What's wrong with her?" Rowe asked thoughtfully, watching Ginny's frantic run upstairs. "It looks like she's been cursed with some kind of...silence curse?"

"No, she's just shy," Ron mumbled between bites of a grilled sausage. "She's been talking about Harry since last year."

"Oh, an admirer." Rowe nodded, silently labeling Ginny in his mind: [Potential cheerleader for the Fellowship of the Ring].

That morning, an owl brought Hogwarts' opening letter.

"The letter says school starts on September 1st, we still have a week." Ron waved the letter excitedly. "Great! We can go to Diagon Alley! We're going to buy new books! I heard this year's Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is a big name, his book list is full of his books!"

"I hope he's not some bard who can only write books but can't wield a sword," Rowe muttered.

"Eat quickly, children!" Mrs. Weasley urged. "We must finish shopping today, especially for Ginny, it's her first year of school."

After breakfast, everyone gathered around the fireplace. Mrs. Weasley brought out a flowerpot filled with glittering powder.

"We'll use Floo Powder to get there," Mrs. Weasley explained. "It'll be quick."

"Honestly, I'd rather fly over on a giant eagle than crawl into this fireplace."

Rowe stood in front of the fireplace in the Burrow, looking at the bowl of shimmering Floo Powder, his face full of resistance.

[Space teleportation node detected]

[Type: Dark Rift]

Survival rate assessment: 85% (provided you don't mispronounce the spell)

"Don't be silly, Rowe." Mrs. Weasley handed him the flowerpot. "It's safe. As long as you speak clearly. Look, Harry, you go first."

Harry was clearly nervous too. He grabbed a handful of powder, went into the fireplace, and took a deep breath.

Diagon Alley!

Perhaps he choked on the ashes, his pronunciation became slurred, sounding like "diagonal..." and then a burst of green flames engulfed him.

"He misread it!" Lowe's pupils contracted sharply. "He's veered off course!"

[Warning: Those who uphold the precepts are lost in the void!]

[Tracking and locating... Coordinates: Unknown Dark Area]

"Damn it!"

Without hesitation, Lowe grabbed the Frostpowder. As a member of the Fellowship of the Ring, he couldn't let the Ringbearer fall into darkness alone.

"I'm going too!"

He leaped into the fireplace, and before the spinning dizziness washed over him, he stared in the direction Harry had disappeared and roared:

"Follow him!"

Green flames shot skyward. Lowe felt as if he had been stuffed into a washing machine, with countless fireplace openings flashing wildly before his eyes like a slideshow.

Then came a violent feeling of falling.

"Bang!"

Lowe fell heavily onto the stone floor.

He quickly rolled over and stood up, leaning against the wall in a defensive stance.

The surrounding light was dim, making it difficult to see clearly.

[Current Area: Deep within the Moria Mine/Overturned Shaft]

[Environmental Debuff: Darkness Suppression (Vision Range -50%)]

Threat Level: Orange

"Harry?" Rowe called out in a low voice.

No one responded. But his keen hearing caught a faint sound of rapid breathing.

It's in that huge black cabinet to the left front.

Luo Wei immediately crept along the wall and gently knocked on the cabinet door.

"Harry?"

The cabinet door suddenly opened a crack, revealing Harry's horrified eyes and dusty face.

"Love!" Harry whispered, on the verge of tears. "Something's wrong here... Look outside..."

Lowe carefully surveyed his surroundings. It was a gloomy and terrifying shop. Glass cases displayed shrunken heads, black spider specimens, and various glowing bones.

"Bokin-Bock Store..." Rowe recognized the place.

"Shh!" Harry suddenly grabbed Rowe's arm, pulled him inside, and closed the cabinet door.

"Someone's coming!"

The sound of wind chimes came from the doorway.

A man with long, pale blond hair and a cold expression walked in. He wore a black velvet cloak and carried a snake-headed cane.

[Encountering elite units!]

[Real Name: Lucius Malfoy]

[Danger Level: High]

Luo Wei's pupils contracted. In the narrow closet, the two were crammed together, having to be careful even to breathe.

"Don't make a sound," Rowe whispered in Harry's ear. "That's Lucius Malfoy. One of Saruman's high-ranking officers."

Through the crack, they saw Lucius trading contraband with the hunchbacked shopkeeper, Borgin. Draco Malfoy was also there, groping around the shop.

"Don't touch it, Draco," Lucius said coldly. "These materials are dangerous."

Rowe gripped his wand tightly, his whole body tense.

Fortunately, the Malfoys and their son, along with the shopkeeper, didn't notice anything unusual about the cabinet. They left after the transaction was completed.

Only after the wind chimes rang again, confirming that the two had gone far away, did Luo Wei carefully push open the cabinet door.

"Quick, Harry," Rowe pulled Harry up. "This is Knockturn Alley, lawless Middle-earth. We have to get out before the orcs surround us."

Harry grabbed Rowe's arm. "This place is horrible!"

"Don't panic, Ringbearer." Rowe put away his wand, his eyes scanning the surroundings. "We're crossing enemy territory. Keep quiet."

They quietly and quickly left the store and came to the street of Turndown Lane.

It's worse here than in the shop. Ragged witches whisper among themselves in the shadows.

"Would you like some nail polish, darling?" an old witch suddenly approached.

Harry shrank back in fright.

"Get out of my way, you ghoul!" Rowe lunged forward, pulling out a frying pan and raising it high. "Or I'll use your skull as a bowl!"

The old witch was stunned for a moment, clearly having never seen such a fierce young wizard before, and retreated into the shadows while cursing.

"Well done, Rowe," Harry said, panting.

Suddenly a huge shadow fell over them.

"Harry? Rowe? What are you doing here?"

Luo Wei suddenly looked up.

[Encountered a powerful ally!]

Real name: Rupert Hagrid

[Race: Half-Giant/Beorn]

[Status: Nature Guardian]

Hagrid's massive body looked like a moving mountain on the narrow streets of Knockturn Alley.

"Hagrid!" Harry exclaimed excitedly, "We're lost... Floo Powder..."

"You shouldn't have come here, Harry." Hagrid frowned, pulling Harry out of the shadows. "This place is full of dark magic and..."

"It reeks of orcs." Rowe interrupted him, nodding to Hagrid. "You've come at the right time, Lord Bion. We need an escort."

"Oh, Rowe, you're calling me that again." Hagrid scratched his messy beard, muttering to himself, but his cheeks were slightly flushed beneath his disheveled hair, clearly having grown accustomed to and pleased with Rowe's persistence over the past year. "Alright, while I'm not as great as you say, as long as I'm here, no one can touch you."

"Humility is a virtue of the strong," Lowe said earnestly. "In this place filled with decadence, only your strength can dispel the gloom."

Hagrid smiled sheepishly and patted Rowe's shoulder with his large, fan-like hand. Rowe braced himself; that was quite a strong pat!

"Alright, you guys need to come with me right now." Hagrid shielded them behind him like chicks. "This isn't a place for students."

With Hagrid escorting them, the eyes that had been peering from the shadows dispersed.

Rowe and Harry followed closely behind Hagrid.

[Achievement Acquired: Traverse Moria]

[Reward: Darkness Perception Lv1 (Increases vision by 10% in dark environments)]

Harry breathed a long sigh of relief when the sunlight returned to their faces and they saw the white marble of Gringotts.

"We're back."

"Yes." Rowe squinted, looking at the bustling Diagon Alley. "We made it out of the Dark Rift alive."

"Harry! Rowe!"

In the distance, Mrs. Weasley was running anxiously toward them.

"Oh, thank goodness! Where have you been? We were so worried!" She hugged Harry tightly and checked Rowe over to make sure they weren't missing any limbs.

"It's nothing, madam," Rowe said, brushing the dust off his robe. "I just went to scout out the enemy's situation."

"Oh, Ron and Hermione are there too!" Harry pointed to the white steps of Gringotts.

Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley were standing there. Seeing that they were safe and sound, Ron immediately rushed over.

"I told you we should have come find you!" Ron said breathlessly, his face full of displeasure. "But my mom insisted that Hermione and I stay here and not move! She said we'd get separated if there were too many people!"

"Good heavens, what happened to you two?" Hermione ran over, and seeing their disheveled appearance, she covered her mouth in surprise. "And Rowe, why are your clothes so dirty?"

"I encountered a small problem, but it's been resolved."

"Alright, now that everyone's here," Mrs. Weasley wiped away her tears, regaining her composure. "We need to hurry. There's still quite a few things on your reading list that we haven't bought yet, especially Gilderoy Lockhart's new book."

"Flourish and Blotts is just ahead," Ron pointed to the crowded area. "I heard Lockhart himself is there signing books today!"

Luo Wei looked in that direction, his eyes narrowing slightly.

[Mission Update: Head to the Temple of Knowledge (Flourish and Blotts)]

[WARNING: High-energy charm field detected (Lockhart)]

"Let's go," Rowe took a deep breath. "Let's go meet this bard."