Hogwarts Raven

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"As a customer, I definitely don't want to get the short end of the stick."

His words made Aurora nod in agreement.

However, "But I don't want to be at a disadvantage either." Aurora's delicate face was serious.

"Of course." Ian's expression remained unchanged, his smile still intact.

"I don't want to be at a disadvantage, and you don't want to be at a disadvantage either. So, let's talk about renting the books. How about we let your guardian, Mr. Kraft, take a slight loss?"

"May I ask, is he your grandfather or uncle?" Ian inquired.

"Of course not." Aurora shook her head. "He's one of my guardians."

The young girl seemed unwilling to reveal more. But it didn't matter.

"Hmm, a guardian is fine too. Trust me, he won't notice which books are missing from the shop. I can even offer three golden galleons, and you can secretly keep them as pocket money."

Ian revealed his true intentions, employing the most devious trick against a child.

"!!!!!" Aurora's expression became animated. She gasped, her gaze at Ian filled with astonishment.

"You're trying to bribe me?" Aurora's voice carried a hint of disbelief, and perhaps a little excitement?

"This isn't bribery, Miss Grindelwald. This is a transaction between you and me," Ian corrected her with a straight face, then continued in an even lower voice.

"I'll secretly return the books later. It'll be a win-win situation. I'll gain the knowledge I want, and you'll get golden galleons to buy lots of Chocolate Frogs."

"Or maybe you prefer Sherbet Lemons and Every Flavor Beans?" Ian thought no child could resist the temptation of snacks.

The facts proved it. Aurora's expression showed clear hesitation. The aloof aura her appearance had given off seemed to dissipate somewhat.

"I don't know if this is right, but I've never done anything this rebellious before. Maybe this is what my grandfather meant when he said I needed to learn something at Hogwarts?"

Aurora seemed to be talking to herself.

"Learn what?" Ian asked curiously.

The stunningly beautiful girl looked up at Ian and uttered two words: "Cunning."

She made a conclusive judgment.

"..." Ian regretted asking. But fortunately, things didn't deviate from his expectations.

"I can agree to this transaction with you."

Aurora was ultimately persuaded by Ian. Or perhaps it wasn't the golden galleons that convinced her, but the idea that this act would help her gain something she desired.

Hmm. It's hard to imagine someone wanting to become cunning.

"A wise choice!" Ian was excited.

"Here." Aurora took out a piece of paper, wrote down the names of each book, then took a golden galleon from the counter and handed it to Ian— the earnings from selling the three books earlier, minus the three galleons for renting, leaving one remaining.

"Thank you! This helps me a lot!" Ian sincerely expressed his gratitude. If his wallet hadn't been so tight, he wouldn't have tricked the little girl. But a lack of money can stump even a hero.

"You're welcome." Aurora responded crisply.

Suddenly, she asked out of the blue, "Does this make us accomplices?"

For some reason, her voice carried a hint of excitement.

"We're friends," Ian smiled in response.

"Friends?" Aurora's eyes grew a bit more blank, but she quickly refocused on the books.

"Honestly, I don't recommend you dive too deeply into potions. It won't bring you much power," Aurora earnestly advised.

"I'm just interested." Ian began stacking the books one by one, making it easier to carry them back. Meanwhile, Aurora walked to a corner and pulled out a book from a white school bag.

"My grandfather reminded me that when you make like-minded friends, you need to win them over. I think this will suit you." Aurora walked over to Ian with a book that looked expensive just from its cover.

"What's this?" Ian had already picked up a stack of books. He saw Aurora place the book on top of the pile of potions books, which now towered over his head.

"I have a talent. I can sense that this book is perfect for you... far more suitable for you than for me." Aurora's heterochromatic eyes once again fixed on his face.

"Thank you." Whatever it was, it was a gift from someone else. Ian felt a peculiar pressure from her heterochromatic eyes.

"I'll head back now. See you in a couple of days." Ian prepared to make his escape.

"You're the most persuasive person my age I've ever met. You shouldn't be living here. You should be in Azkaban. You might end up there for fraud someday." Aurora waved goodbye but also sincerely reflected, her words as straightforward as ever, saying exactly what was on her mind.

"I'll take that as a compliment. Azkaban isn't so bad, but if I had to choose, Azkaban would just be advanced training. Nurmengard is the real graduation." Ian joked.

He struggled to carry the towering stack of books toward the door. If it weren't for the stamina boost from his [Free Combat] skill, his small frame might not have been able to handle so many books.

"You know about Nurmengard?" Aurora, sitting behind the counter, looked up in surprise.

"That's where the first Dark Lord was imprisoned. I know that, yes. It's probably recorded in the textbooks. I'll check the name tonight when I get back." Ian knew this information was in the History of Magic textbook.

But he had been too busy studying runes to flip through any of the first-year Hogwarts textbooks except Standard Book of Spells: Grade 1.

The information he mentioned now came from the few movies and Hermione fanfictions he had read before crossing over. Memories that hadn't yet faded with time. In the comment sections of those fanfictions, some You-Know-Who enthusiasts occasionally mentioned Nurmengard in certain contexts.

Like during the Sorting, or when the protagonist killed someone. There would always be someone shouting to send the protagonist to Nurmengard.

"Gellert." Aurora spoke in a low voice.

"Uh, is that it?" Ian continued walking.

"I don't think I'm wrong about this. His name was Gellert... Grindelwald." Aurora's words slowly fell.

Ian stopped in his tracks.

The fog of memory caused by drifting for too long after crossing over was suddenly wiped clear.

'Damn it! No wonder! No wonder the name Grindelwald had sounded familiar earlier!'

Wasn't there a spin-off movie related to this name in the works before he crossed over? Hiss! He had been foolish enough to call someone a Dark Lord in front of their family!

"Miss Grindelwald..." Ian turned his head with difficulty to look behind him.

He found the Germanic girl staring at him with deep eyes.

"If I said 'Dark Lord' is a complimentary term, would you believe me?" Ian forced a very strained smile.

"You should be glad Kraft isn't here." Aurora suddenly seemed amused.

She waved at Ian in a see-you-later gesture.

"But he'll be back soon." It sounded like a warning.

Ian quickly grabbed the books and bolted— running all the way back to the cabin Snape had arranged for him. After catching his breath, he dumped the dozens of books onto the table.

"Clatter~" A large pile of books spread out across the table.

Among them, the book from Aurora stood out the most. Its peculiar design, with a black cover adorned with streaks of purple, looked completely different from the other old textbooks.

'Secrets of the Darkest Art'

The book's title seemed to carry a special magical power. As if it was squirming and twisting.

(End of Chapter)