Prying open the wooden pnks, digging the soil, and filling the coffin with earth before c it with pnks— this set of natural and unforced operations didn't take much time for Ian. He rarely climbed onto the hard wooden bed before 11 o'clock at night.

  "At least it's good for both the cervical and lumbar spine," He mused. At a young age, Ian had already started siderih preservation. His sleep quality was usually quite good, but tonight he found himself tossing and turning, uo shake off the insomnia caused by an active mind.

  "A library where you read for free, the Hogwarts kit, the Owlery in the West Tower... I hope no oreats those pces like a buffet," He thought, his mind rag.

  The activity of his thoughts overcame the drowsiness brought on by physical fatigue. Ian couldn't help but start pnning his goals for the first year.

  "The Room of Requirement must be found and explored. Perhaps it give me a wand that I 't take out, allowio practice magic without any worries in the room."

  "Let whoever wants to learn Quidditch learn it, but I still o study the broomstick. Modifying its appearance might be cool... It's a pity I didn't get to ride the Hogwarts Express."

  Ian didn't know when he finally fell asleep.

  Outside the window, stars dotted the sky like diamonds scattered on bck velvet, shimmering with a soft and distant light. A shooting star streaked across, like a casual stroke of ink on a starry scroll. The chirping of is and the rustling of leaves apahe world until dawn.

  "Brush teeth! Wash face!"

  Without the need for an arm clock, Ian suddenly opened his eyes as sunlight spilled into the room. He did a quick stretd quickly put on the bck robes Snape had bought him in Diagon Alley.

  Most wizards would ge into their school uniforms on the Hogwarts Express, but he obviously didn't have that opportunity, so he had to put on his clothes as soon as he got up.

  He couldn't possibly undress and ge in front of the entire school, could he? And no one would throw cursed golden galleons at him.

  "Even if there were golden galleons, I 't make such a fool of myself!" Ian thought. He erson who loved money in a principled way. Earning money by selling his body like this? He figured it would be better to go to Knockturn Alley and rob some dark wizards instead.

  After cheg the sturdiness of the floor and ensuring all his belongings were packed bato his suitcase, Ian began to eagerly await Snape's arrival.

  And so, the sun rose in the east, hung high, and then waoward the west. Ian's expression shifted from eager anticipation to a somewhat lifeless emptiness.

  "Did he fet about me?"

  Ian remembered Snape saying he would e to pick him up at the start of term, but after waiting almost the entire day without Snape showing up, he began to resider Snape's reliability.

  In the inal story, the old bat's credibility didn't seem to be very good, did it? The more he thought about it, the more he felt he might have been stood up. Ian grabbed his suitcase and decided to make his own way to Hogwarts.

  The terminal of the Hogwarts Express was also he vilge, not too far from Hogwarts Castle— just a path through a dense forest.

  "Bang~"

  Just as he dragged his suitcase toward the door, the wooden door of the was rudely kicked open. Snape, with his eternally unging expression, walked in and looked around, seeming to breathe a sigh of relief. His deep gaze finally fell on Ian.

  "Follow me once you're ready," He said, turning and walking out of the house with a stern face.

  "I thought you fot about me," Ian said, hurrying to follow.

  "Hmph, do you not have legs? 't you go to school by yourself?" Snape sneered.

  "I was just about to rely on myself," Ian pouted.

  As they stepped outside, Ian noticed another person waiting with a suitcase. The afterglow of the setting sun illumihe girl's face, casting a faint golden glow oinum-blonde hair.

  "Miss Grindelwald," Iaed her with surprise.

  "Good afternoon, my friend. You just call me by my name," Aurora replied, nodding slightly.

  Seeing that the two knew each other, Snape immediately frowned deeply. His gaze shifted betweewo, finally settling sharply on Aurora.

  "Was it you who taught him that magic?"

  Clearly, Snape ected the 'Corpse trol Curse' Ian had learned with Aurora. Although Ian's learning ability had left him at a loss, he still couldn't believe that a note rec dark magic could be found oreets of Hogsmeade.

  "He hasn't learned any magie," Aurora said, meeting Snape's gaze with ess. Her heteroatic eyes showed ional fluctuation; she wasn't intimidated by Snape's stare.

  "Miss Grindelwald, no matter what reason Dumbledore has for approving your application to Hogwarts, I only hope you will abide by Hogwarts' rules. Don't let anything that shouldn't appear spread within the school." Snape's voice was very stern, clearly a veiled warning.

  "A reasonable request," Aurora nodded without refuting. Standing not far from her, Ia an eye oher the girl would reach for her wand.

  "And you!" Snape suddenly turo Ian. "What nonsense did you spout in front of Dumbledore?"

  His eyes looked as if they could eat someone.

  "Huh?" Ian looked utterly fused.

  "I just offered Headmaster Dumbledore a cup of bck tea," he recalled his previous iion with Dumbledore, his face showing fusion and a bit of indignation. "I thought my manners were quite proper. It was Headmaster Dumbledore's bird that nearly seo early retirement." Ian subsciously touched the top of his head.

  Living in Engnd, a man has two things to worry about from birth: the first is same-sex attra, and the sed... naturally, is whether the top of his head will bee a bald spot.

  "If you hadn't been talking nonsense, why would Dumbledore..." Sarted to angrily retort.

  However, "Professor, when are we leaving?" Aurora interrupted him.

  Perhaps realizing that house rumors shouldn't be overheard by outsiders, Snape swallowed his questions and, with a dark face, strode past the two toward the outskirts of Hogsmeade.

  "Follow me!" he anded, his voice eg.

  "Hey, friend, need help with ygage?" Ian asked enthusiastically as he approached Aurora.

  "For me, it's quite easy," She calmly deed.

  "I knew you were strong. So, you help me with mi's not easy for me t," He said, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

  Uhe girl's astonished gaze, Ian dragged his suitcase to her other side and siderately pced the handle in her hand.

  "?????"

  Wide-eyed in disbelief, Aurora watched as Ian scampered off ahead.

  (End of chapter)

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