The Old Ones of Hogwarts

Chapter 27: The Ultimate Deception, A Direct and Brilliant Strike!

The girl is beautiful.

Even under the genuine "original camera" of Ian's eyes, there is still no flaw to be found, far surpassing the beauty warriors Ian has seen on entertainment platforms such as Kuaishou.

Her skin was as white as delicate porcelain covered in the first snow, with a faint glow. Her exquisite face exuded a cool and aloof temperament, which was further enhanced by her platinum blonde hair, making her look even more ethereal.

Golden rays of light danced through the girl's hair.

"I've seen you before."

The girl's voice was tender and clear.

"Um, I think that should be in Diagon Alley. I bought my wand before you." Ian recognized the girl in front of him almost immediately.

Ollivanders Wand Shop.

He almost bumped into the girl's aloof parent.

"Is that so?"

The girl remained noncommittal.

She kept staring at Ian's face.

His heterochromatic eyes shimmered with a jewel-like luster.

"Yes, that's right."

Ian felt a little embarrassed by the stares.

I always felt that the other person's gaze never left my face.

Some young girls used to stare at him like that.

But those young girls were clearly not as pretty as the one in front of them.

Ian simply felt that the other person was indeed somewhat dazzling.

Even though he possessed a face that was even more handsome than Leonardo DiCaprio in his youth, he seemed slightly inferior in comparison at this moment.

"Is there anything I can help you with? Kraft has to go out on business, so I'm just looking after this place for him for now." The girl finally looked away.

The Kraft she mentioned might be the name of the bookstore owner.

"I want to resell these three books to him, and then choose some teaching materials related to potions." Ian tried to make his smile appear as gentle and sunny as possible.

It wasn't because the boy was experiencing romantic feelings; after all, he possessed the soul and mind of an adult, so of course he couldn't possibly have any thoughts about a girl who was only ten years old.

Leave a good impression.

They just want to get a good price.

Ok.

Underage members of the opposite sex and the like.

There's nowhere as alluring as the Galleon!

"Selling and buying books? Of course, no problem."

The girl's gaze fell on the three books Ian was holding to his chest—the wizarding world books were thick and large, almost covering most of Ian's chest.

"So you're the overconfident little wizard Kraft was talking about."

The girl looked at Ian again with surprise after she saw the name on the book.

From her rather rude words.

not difficult to see.

Ian has clearly become a topic of jokes and gossip among the bookstore owners.

"..."

Ian's smile stiffened considerably.

"Feel sorry."

The girl realized that what she had blurted out was inappropriate, and she quickly stood up and apologized to Ian as if she had done something wrong.

"Snap!"

The book that had been placed on her lap fell to the ground.

then.

The girl immediately crouched down in a fluster to pick up the book. Even in her frantic state, she didn't forget to give Ian a sincere explanation.

"I didn't mean to mock you. These are Kraft's exact words. I was just repeating his expression... well, I think he was indeed mocking you."

Good guy!

Your explanation is worse than no explanation at all!

"The runes are indeed a bit difficult for me."

Ian forced a smile. He hadn't expected that this girl, who appeared so aloof and arrogant, would give him such a strange and indescribable feeling when they talked.

"Yes, that's true for me too."

The girl placed the books she had picked up on the table and accepted the three books Ian handed her. It was then that Ian noticed the books the girl had been reading were also related to magic runes.

Analysis and Study of Runes

A book title I've never heard of.

Or rather, this isn't a book at all.

Most book titles are printed in gold foil, but the title on the cover of the text the girl was reading was handwritten with a quill pen.

Could it be a notebook?

"It's an elective course for third-year students, and I was just a little curious about it." Ian sighed dramatically, not showing off his beginner level.

Although most of the time, there is no such thing as "the tallest tree in the forest is the first to be felled" when studying at Hogwarts, Hogsmeade Village is still a mixed bag.

Playing dumb to fool others isn't Ian's style, but similarly, being a conspicuous bag regardless of the occasion isn't his habit either.

"Are you a first-year student at Hogwarts?"

The girl's eyes sparkled.

"Yes, Ian Prince, if nothing unexpected happens, we should become classmates?" Ian remembered that this girl had also recently bought a wand.

"Perhaps, the principal hasn't approved my application yet... My name is Aurora Grindelwald."

The girl seemed visibly nervous during her self-introduction. Her heterochromatic eyes stared at Ian, leaving him somewhat bewildered.

Are you waiting for me to shake your hand?

Thinking about this...

Ian raised his hand and reached out to the other person.

The girl was clearly taken aback.

Then he quickly raised his hand and shook hands with Ian.

"A very nice name."

Ian exchanged pleasantries as usual. He felt that the other person's surname sounded familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had heard it before. Perhaps he was a member of the so-called pure-blooded nobles.

"Thank you, you're quite brave too."

The girl named Aurora seemed to secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

Ian was a little confused by her words.

Noticing Ian's puzzled expression, Aurora's eyes darted away, and she quickly looked at the three books Ian had placed on the table.

"Kraft said that if you come to sell books, he can give you three Galleons to buy them back."

This is clearly a change of topic.

However, Ian was unaware of this.

He only felt a sense of disappointment.

"The old man even gave me special instructions." Ian had originally wanted to tell a little lie to get a higher buyback price, but he didn't expect the bookstore owner to be so meticulous.

"I've preserved them very well, and I've only looked at them for a few days. Perhaps they're worth four Galleons!" Ian finally said tentatively, still somewhat unwilling to give up.

Unexpectedly.

"You're right, then four Galleons it is."

The girl, Aurora, nodded in agreement so readily.

Ian was a little confused by it.

"Um... how about getting me some secondhand textbooks on potions?" Ian could only swallow back the whole bunch of excuses he had prepared.

"Okay, I remember Potions is in..." Aurora looked around at the books scattered everywhere, and her eyes began to look blank.

"I'll find it myself."

Ian noticed the other person's embarrassment, but fortunately he was already quite familiar with the bookstore, and soon he found the potions textbooks from first to seventh grade among piles of scattered books.

"How much."

Ian looked at the stack of books that was almost half his height and felt a little uneasy. He didn't know if the money he had left in his purse, plus the money he made from selling the magic rune books, would be enough to cover his expenses.

Damn knowledge monopoly!

Isn't there a wizarding boss like Ray who will step forward and drive down the price of spellbooks?

"Let me see..."

Aurora wanted to check the price on the back of the books, but these were old textbooks, and the price tags on the back of most of them had long been worn or torn off.

The girl with her cool and aloof appearance now seemed to have tiny, beady eyes.

"How much do you think they're worth?"

After a long while.

Aurora, feigning composure, tentatively asked a question.

"I think... a Galleon?"

Ian responded with the belief that shamelessness makes one invincible.

"Hiss, if Kraft knew about this price, he'd be so angry he'd jump up and slap himself in the face!" Aurora gasped.

Her strange description left Ian feeling bewildered once again.

but.

Now is clearly not the time for him to be figuring out why Kraft isn't fighting Aurora.

"I'm not buying, I'm renting, and I'll return it eventually."

Ian, of course, wouldn't dare spend a single Galleon to bring home a book far more valuable than that. He figured he could just buy a pen and copy down the entire contents of the book himself.

In the wizarding world, there are quills that can automatically copy text.

"Won't he find out?"

Aurora's tone was full of hesitation.

Rent a book?

It seems the store doesn't offer similar services.

"There are countless books here, and he only took over a few months ago. It's obvious he's never organized the inventory before, so how would he know you rented some out cheaply?"

Ian lowered his voice.

He began doing what he did best: rational analysis and planning.

"Think about it, the fact that you're too lazy to even cast a simple tidying spell proves that your elder doesn't care about these books, while I belong to the book-loving type who treasures knowledge."

"Miss Grindelwald! You must understand this! The purpose of knowledge is for people to learn, not to rot away in some corner until it turns to dust!"

Ian had already honed his exaggerated rhetoric by the time he set up his fortune-telling stall. His brainwashing speech left the little girl named Aurora wide-eyed.

His expression was one of utter astonishment.

Their gazes toward Ian were filled with amazement.

"I admire your eloquence, but Kraft will definitely not agree; he cares a lot about Galleons." Aurora hesitated for a moment before shaking her head.

"Neither you nor I know the price of these books, do we?" Ian glanced furtively at the front door, then put on an extremely sincere expression.

"As a customer, I certainly don't want to be taken advantage of."

These are his words.

Aurora nodded in agreement.

but.

"But I don't want to be taken advantage of."

Aurora's delicate face was filled with seriousness.

"Of course."

Ian's expression remained unchanged, and he smiled broadly.

"I don't want to be taken advantage of, and you don't want to be taken advantage of either, so let's talk about renting books, and please make things a little difficult for your elder, Mr. Kraft."

"Excuse me for asking, is he your grandfather or maternal grandfather?"

Ian asked in a low voice.

"Of course not."

Aurora shook her head.

"He is one of my guardians."

The young girl seemed unwilling to reveal any more information.

but.

It doesn't really matter.

"Hmm, a guardian will do too. Trust me, he won't know which books are missing from the store. I can even offer three gold coins, which you can secretly keep as pocket money."

Ian's plan was finally revealed.

They used the most vicious methods against children.

"!!!!!!"

Aurora's expression suddenly became very complex. She gasped and looked at Ian with an indescribable disbelief.

"You actually want to bribe me?"

Aurora's voice carried a hint of disbelief.

"This isn't bribery, Miss Grindelwald. This is a deal between you and me," Ian corrected seriously, continuing in an even lower voice.

"I'll secretly return the book. Then it'll be a win-win situation where nothing ever happened. I'll get the knowledge I wanted, and you'll get Galleons that can buy lots of Chocolate Frogs."

Ian thinks that children can't resist the temptation of snacks.

And facts have proven this.

Aurora's expression clearly wavered. Her previously aloof demeanor, a result of her appearance, seemed to have largely dissipated at this moment.

"I don't know if this is the right thing to do, but I don't think I've ever acted this rebellious before. Maybe this is what my grandfather meant when he said I needed to learn at Hogwarts?"

Aurora seemed to be talking to herself.

"Learn what?"

Ian asked curiously.

The stunningly beautiful young girl looked up at Ian.

He uttered two words.

"cunning."

She made a summary assessment.

"..."

Ian regretted asking the question.

but.

Fortunately, things did not turn out as he expected.

"I can agree to this deal with you."

Aurora was ultimately persuaded by Ian. Or perhaps she wasn't persuaded by Galleon, but rather felt that this action would allow her to obtain something she desired.

Ok.

It's hard to imagine that anyone would want to be cunning.

"A wise choice!"

Ian was somewhat excited.

"for you."

Aurora took out a piece of paper.

The name of each book was recorded on it.

Then.

He then took out a Galleon from the counter and handed it to Ian—this was the money from the previous three books, and after deducting the three rental fees, there was still one left.

"Thank you! This has been a great help to me!"

Ian thanked her sincerely. He wouldn't have bothered trying to trick the little girl if his wallet hadn't been so tight; alas, even a hero can be brought down by a lack of money.

He hadn't expected there to be dozens of textbooks for seven grades before he came.

"You're welcome."

Aurora responded in a clear, crisp voice.

suddenly.

She suddenly asked another question.

"Does this mean we're accomplices?"

I don't know why.

I could sense a hint of excitement in this little foreign girl's voice.

"We're friends."

Ian responded with a smile.

"friend?"

Aurora's eyes became somewhat blank again.

but.

They quickly refocused on those books.

"To be honest, I don't recommend that you invest too much in learning potions; it won't give 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 went to a corner and took a book out of a white backpack.

"My grandfather once reminded me that to make like-minded friends, you need to win their hearts. I think that will suit you." Aurora walked towards Ian with a book whose cover looked very expensive.

"What is this?"

Ian had already picked up a pile of books. He saw Aurora place the book on top of a pile of potion books, which was completely above his head.

"I have a talent that I can sense is perfectly suited to you... far more so than to me." Aurora's heterochromatic eyes gazed at Ian's face again.

"Thanks."

No matter what it is.

It's someone else's gift after all.

Ian felt a special kind of pressure from the other person's heterochromatic eyes.

"I'm going back now. See you in a couple of days."

Ian was getting ready to make a run for it.

"You are the most manipulative person I've ever met among my peers. You shouldn't live here; you should live in Azkaban. You'll probably be arrested for fraud sooner or later."

Aurora waved goodbye, but she was also genuinely moved. Her speech was as frank and straightforward as ever, emphasizing that she would say what was on her mind.

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

Ian was joking.

He struggled to carry the stacks of books toward the front door. If it weren't for his [Free Fighting] skills giving him good stamina, his small body might not have been able to carry so many books.

"Do you know Nurmengard?"

Aurora, who had sat back down behind the counter, looked up in surprise.

"I've only heard of it; it's the place where the first Dark Lord was imprisoned. I don't remember his name." Ian knew that these things were recorded in the textbook "History of Magic".

However, he had been busy learning runes and hadn't looked at any of the other Hogwarts first-year textbooks except for "Standard Spells: Elementary".

The information he is sharing now comes from the movies and fanfiction he watched before his transmigration, memories that haven't yet faded over the past decade.

"Gellert".

Aurora spoke in a low voice.

"Um, is this it?"

Ian continued walking.

"I think I'm pretty sure I'm not wrong about this. His name is Gellert... Grindelwald."

Aurora finished speaking.

A vague memory flashed through Ian's mind like lightning.

Nima!

No wonder!

No wonder the name Grindelwald sounded familiar! It turns out that's the name of the first Dark Lord! How could he be so foolish as to call someone the Dark Lord in front of their family!

"Miss Grindelwald..."

Ian turned his head with some difficulty to look behind him.

He noticed the German girl was looking at him with a wistful gaze.

"Would you believe me if I said 'Dark Lord' is a positive term?"

Ian gave a very forced smile.

"You should be glad Kraft isn't here."

Aurora suddenly seemed to chuckle.

He raised his hand to say goodbye to Ian.

"But he'll be back soon."

This serves as a reminder.

Ian hurriedly grabbed the books and ran—panting all the way back to the small hut Snape had arranged for him to stay in. Ian's arms ached terribly as he dumped all the dozens of books onto the table.

"Splash~"

A large pile of books was spread out on the table.

among them.

The book from Aurora, with its unique shape, black cover with a few streaks of purple, stood out the most, its appearance and texture completely different from the other old textbooks.

Unveiling the Secrets of Cutting-Edge Black Magic

The title of a book may have a special magic.

It is wriggling and twisting.

[Note: Grindelwald only appears in the film "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2", in the flashback scene where Voldemort interrogates the Elder Wand in prison.]

And the Chocolate Frog card in *Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone* provides a brief introduction to Albus Dumbledore, a character who was rarely mentioned in early fan works.