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  The path wound its way through the trees, the setting sun filtering through the leaves and dappling the bluestoh with golden-red light. It cast a warm glow over the trail leading to Hogwarts.

  At the end of the path, the majestic castle stood proudly at the edge.

  "Boy, how dare you treat that girl like a servant? Do you even know who she is?" Snape's voice cut through the air as he seemed to have been keeping an eye ouation behind him.

  Seeing Ian jogging up to his side, Snape, who had inally po ignore him for the rest of the journey, couldn't help but warn him.

  "What servant? This is clearly voluntary help from a good friend!" Ian corrected Snape, raising his voice slightly at the end.

  "You're digging your own grave!" Snape snapped, uo tain his frustratiourned and walked toward Aurora, who was about seven ht meters behind, intending to take Ian's suitcase from her.

  "What are you doing?"

  Uedly, Aurora hid the suitcase behind her, dodging Snape's outstretched hand. She looked at him with a wary expression.

  Snape was momentarily speechless. His wrinkled face twitched in irritation, and his suspended hand flicked his sleeve violently as he quickly walked back, passing Ian without a gnd heading straight into the depths of the forest.

  "I'll treat you to a secret meal made by house-elves ter," Ian said, standing still and waiting for Aurora to catch up, fident in his promise.

  Aurora didn't respond. Instead, she walked side by side with Ian, each dragging a suitcase along the rugged path.

  "I wonder if this thing is edible," Ian mused, notig a vine by the roadside den with rge fruits. After a moment's hesitation, he plucked one and cautiously took a bite.

  The soul from the East always seemed curious about food.

  "It's sweet. Want to try?" Ian offered the untouched side to Aurora.

  Aurora remained silent.

  "Really, it's sweet," Ian insisted, trying to entice her.

  Seeing Ian's somewhat twisted expression, Aurora, who usually had excelleional trol, finally couldn't hold back. She sighed and responded helplessly, "That's called a Sourspurt Berry. It's the main ingredient for making acid potions."

  Clearly, the German girl had quite a bit of knowledge of herbology.

  "Even a dog wouldhis." Disappointed by his little trick, Ian tossed the fruit away with disdain.

  "But you ate it, and you tried to trick me iing it too," Aurora pointed out, her tone as calm as ever.

  "I just wao share the experieh you. How that be called a trick..." This time, it was Ian who fell silent.

  The atmosphere greard, but fortunately, the strange quiet didn't st long. The two followed Shrough the forest path, and the narrow trail suddenly opened up.

  A vast ke appeared before them.

  The surface of the Bck Lake rippled slightly, and the setting sun's glow couldn't pee it, making it impossible to see what y beh.

  The Bck Lake—is one of Hogwarts' famous ndmarks.

  In front of it, the a castle stood majestically among the mountains, with tless turrets and towers.

  "It's beautiful," Ian said, gazing at the se with excitement.

  "It's indeed more magnifit than the illustrations in the books," Aurreed, her gaze lingering on the castle.

  "Hogwarts: A History?" Ian asked, taking his suitcase from her. He noticed her arm trembling slightly, perhaps from overexertion during the journey.

  "The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts," Aurora replied, pg her now-free hand behind her back.

  At that moment, Snape spoke up. "Wait here. The students from the train will arrive soon. You two will ehe school with them by boat." He gave Aurora a deep look, then shot a warning g Ian.

  "'t you just take us in directly?" Ian asked, feeling the temperature drop and sensing that rain might be on the way.

  "It's the rule," Snape replied coldly, then transformed into a gray mist, shooting toward Hogwarts Castle like a rocket in Ian's eyes.

  "Ugh, what kind of nonsensical rules are these?" Ian squatted by the ke, dipping his hand into the cold water and stirring it idly.

  "The four founders of Hogwarts arrived by boat to establish the school," Aurora said, also walking to the edge of the Bck Lake, her heteroatic eyes seemingly searg for something ier.

  Ian pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked enlightened. "Maybe the rule was set by Slytheri seasid wahers to suffer too."

  Hearing this, Aurora tilted her head to look at him. "I don't think such a powerful wizard would have such childish malicious is." She was still holding her luggage, which likely tained many forbidden books.

  "You don't uand. Some men remaiy until they die." Ian suddenly felt his fiightening ier. He quickly pulled them out, only to find a small squid ed around his finger.

  "A baby giant squid," Aurora said, her tone surprised.

  "Not a Merperson baby. Disappointing." Ian flicked his finger, sending the baby squid bato the water. He pulled out a tissue to wipe off the slime.

  "This ke only has Scottish ke monsters. Both the babies and adults are quite ugly. I don't think you'd want to enter one."

  Aurora also reached into the water, trying to catch a baby giant squid. But after a while, nothing bit. Perhaps out of boredom, she began stirring the water like Ian.

  "The day we killed that dark wizard together, Dumbledore approved my admission," Aurora suddenly said coldly.

  "Gasp~" Ian sucked in a breath. "Wasn't it you who killed him?"

  Aurora turo look at him. "It's the same."

  After a slight hesitation, she added, "I just acted before you did." She had clearly noticed Ian's as that day.

  "Let's talk about the admission instead. Why bring that up suddenly?" Ian g the forest behind them, but udents had arrived yet.

  "Grindelwald once said that giving you hope at the st moment is one of Dumbledore's favorite tricks." Aurora's gaze remained fixed on the ripples ier.

  "You o be cautious. He's better at maniputing people than my grandfather..." Her heteroatic eyes flickered, clearly refleg her iurmoil.

  "That's way too much of a spiracy theory for you," Ian replied, trying to lighten the mood.

  "Of course, being cautious is never wrong," Aurora said, her tone serious.

  Ian didn't deny the danger Dumbledore posed to dark magic learners, but after several iions, he still held a retively positive view of his headmaster.

  In all hoy, if their roles were reversed, as the stro wizard of the 20th tury, stantly being targeted and harassed by various fas, Iahat if it were him, he might not be able to resist wanting to "stop eating beef" (a metaphor for losing patience).

  Self-trol— that's what truly makes Dumbledreat.

  "Perhaps," Aurora replied, her agreeing nor disagreeing.

  "They're here," She said suddenly, her voice cold as she bathed iting sun's glow.

  "Who's here?" Ian asked, just as a cacophony of noise followed behind them.

  A half-giant led a group of curious and nervous young wizards through the forest.

  (End of chapter)