Hogwarts Raven

"The city was shrouded in a light mist. The foggy London weather seemed to wrap the air in layers of gauze.

On the quiet street, Ian was still immersed in the sadness of parting. Though he had always looked forward to truly learning magic, when it came time to step out of the orphanage to pursue his studies, he still felt reluctant to leave this place and the people here. 

After all, this had been the place where Ian had lived for eleven years after crossing over.

"Ha, it seems, Mr. Prince, you really know how to win people over," Snape's voice broke the silence. For some reason, his seemingly normal words, coupled with his slow and deliberate tone, always carried an air of sarcasm.

Ian didn't respond. He simply dragged his suitcase behind Snape. He was feeling a little down. He didn't want to spend energy dealing with the professor in front of him. After all, no matter how obedient the student was, it didn't seem to earn the favor of this Potions Master at Hogwarts.

Snape, noticing Ian's silence, spoke again. "You gave all your money to them, that's not something a smart person should do." Clearly, Ian's small actions hadn't escaped Snape's wizardly eyes.

"I left a little behind for myself, I can go... exchange it for magical world currency," Ian glanced up at Snape, whose demeanor didn't seem to match his character. Wasn't he supposed to be the silent, stoic type?

"That's not too stupid," Snape snorted through his nose. "You know that you're just an orphan adopted here, don't you? The kind of person who needs to be taken care of," Snape slowed his pace and narrowed his eyes as he glanced at Ian.

"My body wasn't very strong when I was a child, maybe because of the awakening of magic, I was frail and sickly," Ian didn't directly answer Snape's question. "Mrs. Helena would take me to the hospital in the city. Back then, the orphanage's financial situation was much worse than it is now, but she would still buy me expensive medicine."

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

"Even though Daniel's grandmother, the witch doctor, died from her own medicine, that didn't influence Daniel. He still believed that if I took his medicine, I would become strong and healthy."

"And Mia, who was even younger than me, would pray to God for me every night whenever I was ill. Everyone was incredibly kind to me." Ian's voice was calm and gentle.

'Tsk tsk, are you trying to move me?" Snape was unmoved.

"No, professor," Ian didn't expect Snape to understand his heart. He had heard that people who would become Death Eaters didn't understand what love meant, so he decided to explain from a different perspective. "They thought a lot about me, so when I have the ability, of course, I need to think about them too," Ian spoke softly with a firm voice. "It's my responsibility."

The youthful voice echoed on the quiet street. Amidst the fog, Ian's small figure followed Snape, and his calm words left Snape in silence for a long time.

"Tsk tsk, you are not even an adult but already talking like this. You're really worrying about things you shouldn't be worrying about." After a long while, Snape made a mocking sound, his face expressionless. "Although there has always been a kind-hearted wealthy person donating anonymously over the years, the purchasing power of the pound has recently decreased drastically. Without that donation, everyone would be living quite hard."

The reason Ian sets up his stall on the streets every day is not only to improve his Psychology skill but also to earn some extra money to help relieve some of the burden on Mrs. Helena. 

Even without Hogwarts, this money would eventually be used for things like eggs, milk, vegetables, and meat, which he would bring back to the orphanage in other ways.

To be honest, an eleven-year-old child doesn't actually spend much on themselves. Ian is no saint, but he certainly isn't the ungrateful kind, like a selfish sea god from a story.

"So, you want me to call you the Boy-Who-Lived of the Orphanage?" Snape still looked at Ian sideways, his slow tone making Ian want to punch him.

"No, professor. If you can show some generosity and donate some money to the Orphanage, then you will truly be the Boy-Who-Lived, the true hero."

Yes. Ian had said a lot of words, but his true intentions were finally revealed. He turned his large green eyes towards Snape, thinking perhaps the color of his eyes, similar to Lily Potter's, might have some influence?

Also, even though he still didn't understand the exact meaning of what Dumbledore had said before, through 'Thought Perception', he could definitely sense the feeling of guilt coming from Snape.

If he could use this to get Snape to donate some money, it would be a stroke of luck for the orphanage— after all, Ian's little earnings could only last for a while. But now, standing here, Snape, the Potions Master of Hogwarts, could benefit the orphanage immensely with just a little bit of his wealth. Never underestimate the financial power of a Potions Master.

"You really are…" Snape stopped walking. His black eyes stared at Ian. With a sharp, complex look that was hard to read. "A proper Slytherin."

Clearly, Ian's little trick wasn't going to fool Snape. He understood almost instantly what Ian had been trying to do— flatter him for a while, only to ultimately ask for a donation.

"It's a pity, you don't know me. I'm not a good person, and I will not donate a single Galleon to a ridiculous Muggle orphanage."

Snape sneered. Seeing the disappointment in Ian's eyes, he took another step forward.

He led Ian into a secluded alley. "Drink it." Snape suddenly pulled out a bottle of green potion. His voice left no room for refusal.

"Huh?" Ian, still dragging his suitcase, paused for a moment, looking at the green potion in the bottle that was still bubbling. He couldn't help but swallow and forced a nervous smile. "Professor, what is this…"

He thought that Snape was trying to poison him. Even if it wasn't deadly, it was likely to leave a psychological scar. Everyone knew that potions in the magical world tasted horrible.

"You don't think I need any tricks to harm you, do you? You think I need to deceive you into drinking something first?" Snape gave Ian a contemptuous look.

How should he explain...

Indeed, it made sense.

"I just thought it didn't taste very good." Ian weakly responded.

However, Snape merely stopped and stared at him with a neutral expression.

"Alright, alright." With a deep breath, Ian grabbed the potion. He gulped it down in one go, as if it were medicine— wait? The aftertaste wasn't bitter, but rather a sweet, coconut-like flavor, smooth and delicious!

This wasn't right. Wasn't it said that Snape's potions were some of the most unpleasant-tasting ones?

Ian was still savoring the potion's taste when—

"I've never seen such a cowardly fool like you!" Snape suddenly grabbed Ian's neck with one hand, while his other hand swished his wand, casting Apparition— the two figures instantly vanished from the alley.

Ian felt his vision blur. When his vision cleared again, everything around him had drastically changed.

In front of him was a cobblestone street, stretching seemingly all the way to the sky. On either side of the road were a variety of shops, each different from the other. People wore strange, elaborate clothing, laughing and playing in the streets.

Feather dusters were sweeping dust automatically, broomsticks cleaned up the street's garbage, and owls, snakes, rats— various animals sat obediently and adorably on wizards' shoulders.

Scenes that Ian had only seen in movies were now unfolding before him, in a way that was far more breathtaking than any film could ever capture.

He knew. This was Diagon Alley. The place where his— and many others'— dreams began.

(End of chapter)"