The Old Ones of Hogwarts

Chapter 10, Section 10: Where Dreams Begin

The city was shrouded in a light veil.

On a smoggy day in London, it's as if layers of gauze are floating in the air.

On a quiet street.

Ian was still immersed in the sadness of parting.

Although I had always looked forward to actually learning magic, when I finally stepped out of the orphanage to pursue my studies, I still felt reluctant to leave this place and the people here.

This is, after all, the place where Ian lived for eleven years after his time travel.

"Ha, it seems you know how to be charming, Mr. Prince."

Snape's voice broke the dull atmosphere. For some reason, his seemingly normal words, coupled with his slow and deliberate tone, always gave off a strange and sarcastic vibe.

Ian did not respond.

He simply dragged his suitcase and followed behind Snape.

He's feeling a bit down right now.

I didn't really want to waste my energy dealing with the professor in front of me. After all, for this Potions Master at Hogwarts, no matter how well-behaved a student was, it wouldn't earn him any favor.

Faced with Ian's silence.

Snape spoke again.

"You left all your money to them; that's not something a smart person would do." Clearly, Ian's previous little tricks hadn't escaped Snape's notice.

"I've kept a little bit, which I can go to... go to the appropriate place and exchange for the currency of the magical world." Ian looked up at Snape, who seemed a bit out of character.

What about those who are taciturn?

"That's not too stupid."

Snape gave a dismissive snort.

"You know you're just an orphan adopted here, the kind of person who needs to be taken care of, right?" Snape slowed his pace and squinted at Ian beside him.

"I wasn't very healthy when I was a child, probably because of my magical awakening; I was quite frail and sickly," Ian said, but he didn't directly answer Snape's question.

"Ms. Elena would take me to the city hospital for treatment. The orphanage was much worse off financially back then than it is now, but she would still buy me expensive medicine."

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

"Although Daniel's witch doctor grandmother was poisoned to death by her own medicine, that doesn't stop Daniel from believing that as long as he takes her medicine, he will become strong and healthy."

"Mia is a little younger than me. Whenever I get sick, she prays to God for me all night long. Everyone is very, very kind to me."

Ian's voice was calm and gentle.

"Tsk tsk, are you trying to move me?"

Snape remained unmoved.

"No, Professor."

Ian didn't expect Snape to understand his heart. He had heard that those who would become Death Eaters didn't know what love was, so he could only explain it to Snape from a different perspective.

"They've thought a lot about me, so when I'm able, of course I need to think about them too," Ian said softly in a very firm voice.

"This is my natural responsibility."

The child's voice echoed through the deserted streets, and a small figure followed Snape through the smog. His calm words silenced Snape, who was shrouded in a black robe, for a long time.

"Tsk tsk, so young, yet so full of wisdom, worrying about things that aren't his concern."

After a long while.

Snape let out a mocking laugh without any expression.

"Although a wealthy and kind person has been making anonymous donations over the years, the purchasing power of the pound has recently declined sharply, and without that money, everyone would have a very hard time making a living."

The reason Ian sets up a stall on the street every day is not only to improve his proficiency in psychology, but also to earn more money to help Dean Elena.

Even without Hogwarts, the money would eventually turn into eggs, milk, vegetables, and meat, and he would bring it back to the orphanage in other ways.

To be honest, an eleven-year-old child wouldn't spend much money on himself. Ian isn't some saint, but he's definitely not the kind of ungrateful Sea God Douluo.

"So, you want me to call you the savior of the orphanage?"

Snape was still glancing sideways at Ian, his slow, deliberate tone making you want to punch him.

"No, Professor, if you could show some generosity and donate some money to the orphanage, then you would be the real savior, the real hero."

Yes.

She went on and on about that.

Ian's true colors have finally been revealed.

He turned to look at Snape with his big green eyes, thinking that his eye color was the same as Lily Potter's, and that it might have some influence over him.

and.

Although he still didn't understand what Dumbledore meant, he could definitely sense Snape's guilt through his [Thought Perception].

If they could use this to get Snape to donate some money, it would be a great stroke of luck for the orphanage—Ian's paltry sum would only last for a while.

But now, Snape, the Potions Master of Hogwarts, standing here, could have a tiny bit of his potion escaping from between his teeth, enough to benefit the orphanage immensely.

Don't underestimate the financial power of a potions master.

"You really are..."

Snape stopped in his tracks.

His black eyes stared at Ian.

It carries a sharp and ambiguous complexity.

"A qualified Slytherin."

obviously.

Ian's little tricks couldn't fool Snape. He understood almost instantly what Ian's emotional appeal was all about.

"It's just a pity that you don't know me. I'm not a good person. I would never donate even a single Galleon to a ridiculous Muggle orphanage."

Snape gave a cold laugh.

Despite Ian's disappointed look, he took another step.

He led Ian into a deserted alley.

"Drink it."

Snape suddenly pulled out a bottle of bright green potion.

His words carried an air of undeniable authority.

"Um?"

Ian, dragging his suitcase, paused slightly, looking at the green potion that seemed to be bubbling in the bottle. He couldn't help but swallow and give a sheepish smile.

"Professor, what is this...?"

He felt that if the other party were to poison him, even if it wasn't lethal, it would likely leave him with psychological trauma. Everyone knows that potions in the magical world taste terrible.

"You don't think I need to use any tricks to trick you into drinking a bottle of medicine if I wanted to harm you, do you?" Snape looked at Ian with a contemptuous gaze.

Well, how should I put it?

That makes a lot of sense.

"I just don't think it tastes very good."

Ian gave a weak reply.

however.

Snape simply stopped and stared at him expressionlessly.

"Okay, okay."

With a gritted teeth.

Ian accepted the medicine.

I swallowed it all in one gulp, like taking medicine—wait, the aftertaste wasn't bitter at all, but a sweet, coconut milk-like flavor that was very smooth and delicious!

This doesn't make sense, does it?

Wasn't it said that Snape's potions all tasted awful?

Ian was still savoring the taste of the potion.

"I've never seen such a cowardly idiot as you!"

Suddenly, Snape grabbed Ian by the neck with one hand and used his wand to activate Apparition with the other—the two figures vanished into the alleyway.

Ian felt his vision blur for a moment.

Wait until your vision becomes clear again.

Everything around them underwent a dramatic transformation.

Before me stretched a cobblestone street that seemed to extend straight to the horizon. On both sides of the street were all sorts of shops, each different from the last, and people dressed in strange and flamboyant clothes laughed and played on the street.

Feather dusters were automatically sweeping away dust, brooms without human hands were cleaning up the trash on the streets, and owls, snakes, rats... all sorts of animals were docile and cute on the wizards' shoulders.

Scenes I'd only ever seen in movies before now appeared before Ian's eyes in a way that was dozens of times more shocking than anything in the films, without any warning.

he knows.

This is Diagon Alley.

He, and many others...where dreams begin.