Hogwarts Raven

Ian's sudden arrival clearly interrupted the Witch's meal. Not only did the table and utensils in front of her vanish, but even the food on the plates disappeared without a trace.

In the grand hall that resembled a palace, even the chandelier hanging from the ceiling was gone. The knife and fork that the Witch had been holding sprouted tiny wings and flew away.

"Sorry… I am so sorry."

Caught off guard, Ian recognized the Witch not far away as the Mysterious Lady who had appeared in town and spoken to him before. She still wore the same luxurious black dress, and like a shadow descending quietly in the night, she exuded an indescribable aura of mystery and depth.

"Although your way of appearing here is quite unexpected, I did extend an invitation to you before, so you needn't feel too bad about it."

A napkin appeared in the Witch's hand, and she elegantly wiped her red lips. With her gentle movements, the grace and demeanor of an ancient noble naturally revealed themselves. This was not an act, but rather a depth that seemed to be woven into every single one of her gestures.

"I didn't mean to disturb your meal."

Ian still hadn't fully recovered from the surprise. What he really wanted to say was that he hadn't considered responding to the previous invitation, but he knew that would be too rude.

"Souls in the Twilight Zone don't need to eat. I'm just following the habits I formed when I was alive. Those foods can't provide me with any pleasure."

The mysterious Witch chuckled, her gaze fixed on Ian with interest. Her words made him swallow hard, his nervousness and unease becoming more apparent.

'Food can't provide pleasure? Then what can bring joy to this lady? Playing with little boys?'

The Witch's gaze wasn't particularly intense, but Ian felt as if ants were crawling all over him. He stood there with an awkward expression on his face.

Fortunately, the mysterious Witch spoke again, breaking the awkward silence.

"It seems you've already embarked on the path of pursuing magic."

It was unclear how the Witch had discerned this, as Ian hadn't brought his wand into this world. Yet, she spoke with absolute certainty.

"Yes, ma'am."

Facing the Witch's gaze, which seemed even deeper than Dumbledore's, Ian nodded honestly. This wasn't something that needed to be kept secret. In front of an unknown soul, attempting to lie could likely bring him unnecessary trouble.

This was an intuition— an intuition from [Thought Perception]. Ian couldn't sense the Witch's emotions, much like facing Dumbledore, but this supernatural trait also influenced his sixth sense.

And so, hearing Ian's honest answer, the mysterious Witch looked very satisfied.

"You should call me... Professor."

It was unclear whether the Witch had genuinely misunderstood Ian or if she was doing it on purpose. She corrected his form of address with a slightly emphasized tone.

"I... I..."

After a moment of thought, Ian chose to be honest: "Actually, I don't know why I suddenly came to your place."

"Every time, I appear in the same place, that grassy area outside the village." The fact that he was a living person was also something that couldn't be hidden. Whether it was Ariana or Pandero, they had both realized immediately that Ian wasn't a deceased soul. The mysterious Witch before him naturally wouldn't fail to notice this.

"So?"

The Witch's deep gaze fixed on Ian as she asked back.

Ian steadied his mind and carefully spoke: "I have been considering learning magic from you, but I haven't fully made up my mind yet. This time, I actually just wanted to see if my friend had returned."

Ian tried to make his smile appear as innocent as possible. He truly felt that the Witch before him didn't seem like a good witch. With only a few small charm spells at his disposal, he could only choose a more cautious approach.

"They haven't returned. Only three days have passed here since you last left." The Witch propped her right hand on the edge of the chair, resting her cheek on her palm as she spoke. 

Her other hand lightly tapped on the armrest as she spoke to Ian in a somewhat lazy tone, "The Twilight Zone is a very peculiar place. It responds to the most genuine desires and obsessions in people's hearts. That's why the location of your appearance has changed."

This was clearly an explanation for Ian's confusion.

However, "Uh, sorry, I still don't understand."

Ian frowned.

"What a dull Pigwidgeon."

The mysterious Witch's eyebrows twitched slightly, her beautiful face showing a hint of helplessness. "I never thought I would end up with such a slow apprentice."

Although the sarcasm was much milder than Snape's, the mysterious Witch was clearly more arrogant than Snape. She had always spoken with the attitude of a superior. Not overbearing, but it was obvious that she felt superior to others— Ian had already gained a bit of experience from Snape in how he should deal with such people.

"Should I leave then?"

Though he sounded a bit cautious, Ian's words clearly caught the Witch off guard. Just like Snape, the corner of her eye began to twitch.

"What a sly little brat."

The mysterious Witch shook her head in exasperation.

"In the past, you desired friendship. Now, you desire magic."

She finally gave an answer.

Ian pondered thoughtfully. Considering his current situation in reality, Ian felt there was some truth to it. But why, when he desired to learn magic, did the Twilight Zone bring him here?

"Because deep down, you know that I can teach you powerful magic, as well as the knowledge that schools are unwilling to teach you. The kind of power that can quickly enable you to confront any or all crises."

The Witch suddenly spoke in response.

However, Ian hadn't voiced his confusion aloud.

"You can read minds!?"

Ian's eyes narrowed. He felt a sense of empathy with Snape at that moment. Was this the boomerang of the wizarding world?

"That's not a difficult magic to learn, but in the Twilight Zone, I no longer possess the powers I had in life, and thus I've lost the magic I once had."

The mysterious Witch smiled with delight.

"I'm just good at observing people and you are quite easy to read."

(End of Chapter)

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