Harry Potter: Prince of Shadows

The sun rose.

When the first ray of dawn broke the silence,

the sky gradually took on a gentle hue, as though painted by nature's most delicate brush. Bathed in early morning light, all things seemed to awaken from slumber.

Ian was no exception.

[Successfully read Latin. Linguistics Mastery+1]

[Successfully read Native American dialect. Linguistics Mastery +1]

[Successfully read Persian. Linguistics Mastery +2]

***

Daily morning reading was an essential routine for him. No matter how busy life became, Ian rarely missed any opportunity to raise his [Linguistics Mastery].

On the path toward "hearing the voice of all things," there were no shortcuts—only the steady accumulation of various languages' vocabularies. Even the one that was once his mother tongue still yielded benefits for Ian.

"Pancakes with syrup and yesterday's leftover tea—it's another day marching toward diabetes."

He had brewed an entire pot of tea the previous night, of which Dumbledore had only taken a single cup.

So, Ian finished his breakfast using that same tea. Outside the little wooden hut, the wizards living there had started their day.

"That pumpkin-grower Tom's place made those noises again last night. What a shameless old man. I can't imagine what kind of witch would fall for him!"

"Perhaps he has…unique talents?"

"Hey, did you hear? There was a brawl at the Hog's Head last night. One wizard ended up with a pig's tail stuck to his backside! The Aurors never even caught the culprit!"

"I saw it! Someone swiped the underwear that Jenny had hung up to dry!"

The villagers never ran out of gossip.

Ian found their behavior confusingly contradictory:

Those old wizards appeared to catch wind of every little scandal lurking in the shadows, yet no one seemed to have noticed the commotion when he had summoned a horde of corpses that night.

Well…

Maybe they just didn't care?

As usual, after roaming the village, Ian heard no rumors about his own fire incident. Relieved, he returned to his wooden cabin and pulled out those potion books.

"It's time to give them back."

Ian prided himself on keeping his word—one of his few virtues. Using leftover planks, he fashioned a box and neatly arranged all the potion books inside.

"There we go."

Following the winding cobblestone street and passing the quill shop, he arrived at the bookstore's deserted storefront.

Rather than entering immediately, he slipped around the street corner and waited for about half an hour. Right on schedule, the old shopkeeper, Kraft, left the store—just as Ian had observed in recent days.

Wearing a trench coat, hat pulled low, hurrying along,

who knew where he went every day at such a precise time? Ian saw Kraft Disapparate and only then lifted the box of books onto his head and went inside.

A faint smell of ink and the distinctive scent of paper hung in the air,

accompanied by an undercurrent of dust.

The German girl still sat quietly behind the counter, entirely absorbed in the book she was reading. She seemed not to notice Ian's arrival.

"Miss Grindelwald, I've come to return the books, just like I promised."

The floorboards creaked beneath Ian's steps.

His voice pulled the girl back from the depths of her reading.

"That does surprise me a bit."

Aurora Grindelwald had delicate features like fine porcelain, yet they were overshadowed by her striking heterochromatic eyes, whose mesmerizing colors could captivate anyone.

"We're friends, aren't we? You really thought I'd make off with these books?"

Ian wore a look of mock amazement.

"No secondhand books could ever compare to our short but rock-solid friendship."

He'd always been good at saying exactly what people wanted to hear—a skill honed during his orphan days.

"…"

Aurora remained silent for a moment.

"I just didn't expect you to finish copying all those books before term starts."

She offered an explanation but did not deny Ian's remark about friendship.

Aurora was someone who craved companionship—Ian had sensed that the first time they met. Although he kept his [Thought Perception] in check, that didn't mean it had stopped working entirely.

"Take a look at this hand,"

Ian said, setting the box on the counter.

He lifted his hand.

The German girl leaned in and studied it seriously.

"Aside from the slender fingers and pronounced knuckles, I see nothing special."

After a short pause,

Aurora offered her evaluation.

"Ah, but these fingers are maxed-out on efficiency. Just seven years' worth of advanced potions textbooks? That's nothing compared to some of the miracles they've performed."

Ian's mind wandered back to summer vacation in his previous life.

"Bringing the dead back to life—now, that's a real miracle."

Aurora shook her head, a note of sorrow flickering in those mismatched eyes.

"…"

Ian couldn't find a suitable response.

"How about that book—how did you find it?"

Aurora abruptly changed the subject.

Obviously, she was referring to the copy of Secrets of Advanced Dark Magic she had given him.

"It's incredible. I really appreciate your gift."

Ian gave a hearty thumbs-up.

"So, where's my present in return?" Aurora's expression remained as cool as ever, yet there was a glimmer of anticipation in her gaze.

"…"

Ian had actually forgotten all about it.

"Next time, for sure~!"

He forced a somewhat awkward grin.

"Alright." The girl showed no sign of disappointment—only a calm nod.

"I'd better put these books back among those piles, so Kraft won't stumble upon them," Ian said, picking up the wooden box. He began shuffling the books into the chaotic mounds, which looked basically unchanged since his last visit.

It wasn't much trouble.

Soon, Ian returned with the now-empty box, intending to say goodbye and promise Aurora that he'd have a heartfelt gift for her when school started.

Just then—

Tap, tap, tap…

The floorboards creaked again.

Standing by a bookshelf on the left, Ian glanced up.

There, a man in a black robe with a hood pulled over his scarred face strode into the store, wand in hand. His gaze, sharp and vicious, swept across the premises.

At first, he cast Ian a dismissive look, then, his eyes locked onto Aurora.

"The information was correct. You're here!"

He raised his wand, pointing it at Aurora.

"You brat from the Grindelwald family—come with me. Your grandfather owes me, and I intend to use you to settle that debt."

Clearly, this was a hostile visitor.

Ian's heart pounded as he crouched behind a shelf.

An enemy come to settle an old grudge?

What a cliché—and he'd managed to run straight into it!

"My grandfather owes plenty of people things. But anyone daring to come after him…is obviously out of their mind."

Aurora showed not the slightest fear. She even had the guts to insult the man who'd barged in.

She stayed where she was, seated, as cold and composed as ever.

"Feisty little brat. You think I don't dare act here? Mark my words, you're not in the confines of Hogwarts Castle right now!"

His wand's tip began to glow faintly.

Hss—

From his hiding place, Ian inexplicably felt a surge of excitement, along with a strong urge to leap into action. Yet his rational mind held him in check.

Should he help with a sneak attack?

A quick [Avada Kedavra] would likely do the trick, even at level one—he could still expect it to perform as intended. But then again, the "saving a damsel in distress" scene felt impossibly trite…

I'm a witness. He probably won't just let me off. That man definitely saw me,

Ian weighed the odds, left hand instinctively gripping his wand.

If he could choose, he wouldn't get tangled up in anyone else's entanglements.

But, if he let slip this moment—when the intruder was ignoring him to focus on Aurora—he might not get another chance for a surprise attack.

Counting on a wizard's mercy?

Better to trust his own wand!

Just as Ian made up his mind and prepared to act—

"Aaaah!!!"

Without warning, blue flames burst across the intruder's body.

The adult wizard— had no time to react at all.

In seconds, the blue fire swallowed him whole, wand included—a wand that might otherwise have fetched a decent sum. In the blink of an eye, he was reduced to a pile of ash.

"Fiendfyre!" Ian exclaimed, his eyes darting in disbelief toward the counter. The girl had already lowered a wand that seemed to appear from nowhere, regarding the fading flames with a calm gaze.

"Could you hand me that broom? It's right by the shelf next to you."

Despite having just used a terrifying spell to kill a man, Aurora seemed utterly composed.

Hard to believe-that a child who was only just old enough to enroll at Hogwarts had silently wielded such an advanced form of magic!

"Couldn't Scourgify have cleaned it up?" Ian blurted.

"I haven't learned that yet." Aurora answered succinctly.

Fair enough— another case of someone who's brilliant in certain areas but lacking in others.

Ian could sympathize.

"All right, let me see if I can find the broom!"

Seeing someone die in front of him left Ian more than a little unsettled, though he certainly wasn't about to question Aurora on why she killed the man.

In this world, Mercy wouldn't solve a thing.

Besides, interrogating a killer?

How badly did he want to die?

"I didn't see anything. Don't go trying to silence me!" Ian said as he carried the broom to the soiled floor, worried about his current predicament.

So much for rescuing her— Now he was nervous that she might decide to deal with him!

"I don't attack my friends. Besides…"

Aurora moved to where Ian had been standing and picked up the wooden box he'd dropped, then squatted beside him, hinting with her eyes that Ian should sweep the ashes into the box.

"We are accomplices now."

Just like the first time they met, the German girl seemed strangely fixated on that sort of relationship.

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