NEW BODY

Ryan sighed in frustration as he looked at the naked, overweight body lying in the casket. Despite his disappointment, he knew he couldn't be too picky given the circumstances. He needed a new body, and this was the best option available at the moment.

"Fine, let's get this over with," Ryan muttered as he waved his wand, casting a preservation spell on the body to prevent it from decaying further. Then, he stepped closer to the casket, steeling himself for what he was about to do.

He looked back at the grave keeper and gave him a cold glance.

"I... I'll just be in my office in case you need anything," The grave keeper bowed as he tried to excuse himself and run away as soon as possible.

Without bothering to watch the man leave, Ryan focused his attention back on the casket. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. He knew what came next was going to be both strange and unsettling. He has possessed people who were alive and fresh but a human somewhat decayed corpse will be his first time, the stag in that loop doesn't count. Even though the corpse reservation spell worked, he felt a weird feeling...

'Fucking creepy!!' Ryan cursed as he pointed his wand at the corpse and cast the soul transfer spell, "Animus Transtulit," he said, focusing his mind on the process. A purple mist emerged from the body, enveloping his consciousness. He felt a strange sensation as his soul began to separate from his current vessel, the body of Eric Goyle.

For a brief moment, Ryan existed in a state of limbo, neither fully in his old body nor in the new one. Then, gradually, he felt himself being pulled towards the fresh vessel, drawn by an irresistible force. He experienced a flash of light as his soul entered the newly transferred vessel. There was a moment of disorientation, and then his new eyes flickered open.

"Puurghh!!" Ryan spouted a foul-smelling liquid as the first act of his newly attained life. He groaned in pain, wiping his mouth with his left hand. "Eeww! Gross!" His senses were overwhelmed, but that only lasted for a few seconds. As he struggled to regain his composure, he felt a sluggishness that was almost indescribable. He felt different, strange, and tired, completely spent. He took a few deep breaths, trying to steady himself as he adjusted to his new body. He glanced around, taking in his surroundings, and noticed the dim light filtering through the trees above. The air was cool, with a hint of dampness, and he could hear the distant sound of birds chirping.

With great effort, he pushed himself up into a sitting position, feeling the stiffness in his muscles. His new body felt heavy and unfamiliar, but he knew he needed to get used to it quickly if he wanted to survive.

He stood up shakily on his legs and stumbled forwards, before falling on his face once more. After a few failed attempts, Ryan finally managed to steady himself on his legs. He took a few experimental steps and found them to be surprisingly comfortable, despite the odd stiffness. Then he looked at the dead body of his previous owner, Goyle, lying motionless on the ground.

Ryan bent down with great difficulty and took the wand and his possessions back. Then he looked at his naked fat body. "Ugh... what a mess," He whispered, shuddering as he thought how the fat boy met his unfortunate end. He stared at the new body, with an aura of pity. His gaze drifted down his legs, before returning to the fat, bald, and chubby belly in front of him. "I don't know if you had a condition that turned you obese or not but isn't there potions or magic that could have helped you get back to better shape? Or could it be that you are just a lazy fucker who only eats and shits every day? Well, thank you anyway, without your body I wouldn't have gotten through."

Ryan staggered towards the grave keeper's office, his new body feeling heavier with every step. It took him nearly ten minutes to get there. He pushed open the door, causing the man to jump in surprise and drop the papers he was holding.

"W-what... what in Merlin's name..." the grave keeper stammered, his eyes widening in shock, seeing a walking corpse before his eyes.

Ryan leaned against the door frame, trying to appear nonchalant despite the unease gnawing at him from within. "I need you to do something for me," he said, his voice gruff and unfamiliar to his own ears. "I think that guy paid you enough, right? So, hurry up and buy me new clothes for this body. I'll pay you an extra ten gold coins for your troubles."

"Uh-I..." the grave keeper stumbled over his words, unable to respond. "Ten more gold?"

"Hurry. Get going already. Forget any of this. Go buy new clothes for me," Ryan growled impatiently as he threw ten more gold coins on the table.

The grave keeper almost drooled over the pile of shiny coins. "Yes, s-s-s-sir!" He exclaimed enthusiastically before running out of the cottage toward the village, eager to earn extra profit.

Ryan watched the grave keeper disappear from sight, then shut the door behind him and sank onto the bed, "Damn! It's too fucking exhausting to just stand for a minute."

[Fifteen minutes later...]

Ryan sat on the edge of the bed, dressed in the new clothes the grave keeper had fetched. They were a bit too loose, but he couldn't complain considering the circumstances. He sighed, feeling a mix of relief and discomfort in his new body. It would take time to get used to it, but he knew that he had no choice but to push forward if he wanted to survive.

He stood up and looked at the grave keeper while pointing his wand at him. The poor guy was shaking, afraid that Ryan would kill him. "Obliviate!" He cast the Memory Charm also known as Forgetfulness Charm on grave keeper.

After erasing the man's memory, Ryan burned his previous vessel and made the grave look like before, completely untampered. Then he left the graveyard and headed toward the wizarding village of Hogsmeade. Now that he has the memories of Goyle, he more or less knows the shortcuts and secret passages around the world. For now, he's going to find a place to settle down and decide his next move. And as for the memories of this new body, it was completely blank. It was probably because too much time had passed after his death.

"Apparate!" He disappeared with a loud pop.

..

[Malfoy Mansion]

Lucius Malfoy was walking around his studies with a grim expression on his face, his wand in hand. He kept muttering curses under his breath, anger bubbling inside of him. His pale skin shone brightly under the moonlight streaming through the large windows. He stopped abruptly when he heard someone knocking at the door of his study. Without turning around, he spoke loudly, "Enter!"

"Master, the prisoner is dead, but Goyle and his partner went missing. We couldn't track them down either."

Lucius whirled around furiously, glaring at the Death Eater standing before him, "What?! How did this happen?!" He hissed angrily as he strode toward the man, brandishing his wand menacingly. "If they are dead, I want their bodies, if they are alive, I want them captured immediately!" He roared as he jabbed the tip of his wand into the Death Eater's chest, causing him to flinch.

The Death Eater swallowed nervously.

"Go, find them... NOW!" Lucius commanded harshly, sending the man scurrying away.

He stood still for several moments, breathing heavily as he struggled to regain control of his emotions. He closed his eyes, inhaling deeply before slowly exhaling.

"Nothing's going as planned. Two more deserters or could it be that they were captured by the Order of Phoenix?! No, impossible! Pettigrew would have informed us of their movements, so... Deserters, it is... Fuck!! But why?!" Lucius wondered as he walked back towards his desk and picked up the newspaper lying atop it.

He read through the headlines carefully, searching for any new development, but it was the same as usual. The death eaters are doing an excellent job, terrorizing muggle-borns, and killing innocent people here and there. But sadly, they couldn't infiltrate Hogwarts successfully. Dumbledore and his group are keeping the school protected. Lucius sighed in frustration as he tossed aside the newspaper and slumped down in his chair.

***

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[16 advance chapters]

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Next, Ch: 9: Madam Puddifoot's tea shop

Ch: 10: Spell testing