"The city was shrouded in a light mist. The foggy Londoher seemed to the air in yers of gauze.

  On the quiet street, Ian was still immersed in the sadness of parting. Though he had always looked forward to truly learning magic, when it came time to step out of the orphao pursue his studies, he still felt relut to leave this pd the people here.

  After all, this had been the pce where Ian had lived for eleven years after crossing over.

  "Ha, it seems, Mr. Prince, you really know how to win people over," Snape's voice broke the silence. For some reason, his seemingly normal words, coupled with his slow and deliberate tone, always carried an air of sarcasm.

  Ian didn't respond. He simply dragged his suitcase behind Snape. He was feeling a little down. He didn't want to spend energy dealing with the professor in front of him. After all, no matter how obedient the student was, it didn't seem to earn the favor of this Potions Master at Hogwarts.

  Snape, notig Ian's silence, spoke again. "You gave all your moo them, that's not something a smart person should do." Clearly, Ian's small as hadn't escaped Snape's wizardly eyes.

  "I left a little behind for myself, I go... exge it fical world currency," Ian gnced up at Snape, whose demeanor didn't seem to match his character. Wasn't he supposed to be the silent, stoic type?

  "That's not too stupid," Snape shrough his nose. "You know that you're just an orphan adopted here, don't you? The kind of person who o be taken care of," Snape slowed his pad narrowed his eyes as he g Ian.

  "My body wasn't very strong when I was a child, maybe because of the awakening of magic, I was frail and sickly," Ian didn't directly answer Snape's question. "Mrs. Helena would take me to the hospital iy. Back then, the orphanage's financial situation was much worse than it is now, but she would still buy me expensive medie."

  "The food in the orphanage was also very scarce. When I was sick, Catherine would give me half of her bread, and Daniel would run out to find wild herbs for me."

  "Even though Daniel's grandmother, the witch doctor, died from her own medie, that didn't influence Daniel. He still believed that if I took his medie, I would bee strong ahy."

  "And Mia, who was even youhan me, would pray to God for me every night whenever I was ill. Everyone was incredibly kind to me." Ian's voice was calm ale.

  'Tsk tsk, are y to move me?" Snape was unmoved.

  "No, professor," Ian didn't expeape to uand his heart. He had heard that people who would bee Death Eaters didn't uand what love meant, so he decided to expin from a different perspective. "They thought a lot about me, so when I have the ability, of course, I o think about them too," Ian spoke softly with a firm voice. "It's my responsibility."

  The youthful voice echoed on the quiet street. Amidst the fog, Ian's small figure followed Snape, and his calm words left Snape in silence for a long time.

  "Tsk tsk, you are not even an adult but already talking like this. You're really w about things you shouldn't be w about." After a long while, Snape made a mog sound, his face expressionless. "Although there has always been a kied wealthy person donating anonymously over the years, the purchasing power of the pound has retly decreased drastically. Without that donation, everyone would be living quite hard."

  The reason Ias up his stall oreets every day is not only to improve his Psychology skill but also to earn some extra moo help relieve some of the burden on Mrs. Helena.

  Even without Hogwarts, this money would eventually be used for things like eggs, milk, vegetables, a, which he would bring back to the orphanage in other ways.

  To be ho, an eleven-year-old child doesn't actually spend mu themselves. Ian is no saint, but he certainly isn't the ungrateful kind, like a selfish sea god from a story.

  "So, you wao call you the Boy-Who-Lived of the Orphanage?" Sill looked at Ian sideways, his slow tone making Ian want to punch him.

  "No, professor. If you show some generosity and donate some moo the Orphahen you will truly be the Boy-Who-Lived, the true hero."

  Yes. Ian had said a lot of words, but his true iions were finally revealed. He turned his rge greeowards Shinking perhaps the color of his eyes, simir to Lily Potter's, might have some influence?

  Also, even though he still didn't uand the exact meaning of what Dumbledore had said before, through 'Thought Perception', he could definitely sehe feeling of guilt ing from Snape.

  If he could use this to get So donate some money, it would be a stroke of luck for the orphanage— after all, Ian's little earnings could only st for a while. But now, standing here, She Potions Master of Hogwarts, could be the orphanage immensely with just a little bit of his wealth. Never uimate the financial power of a Potions Master.

  "You really are…" Sopped walking. His bck eyes stared at Ian. With a sharp, plex look that was hard to read. "A proper Slytherin."

  Clearly, Ian's little trick wasn't going to fool Snape. He uood almost instantly what Ian had been trying to do— ftter him for a while, only to ultimately ask for a donation.

  "It's a pity, you don't know me. I'm not a good person, and I will not donate a single Galleon to a ridiuggle orphanage."

  Snape sneered. Seeing the disappoi in Ian's eyes, he took aep forward.

  He led Ian into a secluded alley. "Drink it." Snape suddenly pulled out a bottle of green potion. His voice left no room for refusal.

  "Huh?" Ian, still dragging his suitcase, paused for a moment, looking at the green potion itle that was still bubbling. He couldn't help but swallow and forced a nervous smile. "Professor, what is this…"

  He thought that Snape was trying to poison him. Even if it wasn't deadly, it was likely to leave a psychological scar. Everyone khat potions in the magical world tasted horrible.

  "You don't think I need any tricks to harm you, do you? You think I o deceive you into drinking something first?" Snape gave Ian a ptuous look.

  How should he expin...

  Indeed, it made sense.

  "I just thought it didn't taste very good." Ian weakly responded.

  However, Snape merely stopped and stared at him with a ral expression.

  "Alright, alright." With a deep breath, Ian grabbed the potion. He gulped it down in one go, as if it were medie— wait? The aftertaste wasn't bitter, but rather a sweet, ut-like fvor, smooth and delicious!

  This wasn't right. Wasn't it said that Snape's potions were some of the most unpleasant-tasting ones?

  Ian was still sav the potion's taste when—

  "I've never seen such a cowardly fool like you!" Snape suddenly grabbed Ian's neck with one hand, while his other hand swished his wand, casting Apparition— the two figures instantly vanished from the alley.

  Ia his vision blur. When his vision cleared again, everything around him had drastically ged.

  In front of him was a cobblestoreet, stretg seemingly all the way to the sky. Oher side of the road were a variety of shops, each different from the other. People wore strange, eborate clothing, ughing and pying ireets.

  Feather dusters were sweeping dust automatically, broomsticks ed up the street's garbage, and owls, snakes, rats— various animals sat obediently and adorably on wizards' shoulders.

  Ses that Ian had only seen in movies were now unfolding before him, in a way that was far more breathtaking than any film could ever capture.

  He khis was Diagon Alley. The pce where his— and many others'— dreams began.

  (End of chapter)"