You can read ahead up to 110 chapters on my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395
"There must be a reason… maybe we need to, " The girl started to say more, but suddenly looked up and spotted Catherine and Ian hiding behind the corner.
"It's him! It's him! It's that guy! Dad! He's the one Mom and I ran into! After we saw him, all those strange things started happening to me! That guy even called me by my name the moment he saw me! He must've cast some kind of spell on me!" The little girl shouted, her voice exploding with a sharp, high-pitched shriek.
It was hard to believe a girl barely in her teens could project her voice like a trained soprano.
"Hm?" The middle-aged man and Miss Helena both immediately turned to look. They saw Catherine standing there with her hand raised, face flushed red and full of panic.
"I didn't… This is the first time I've ever seen this girl," She thought the accusation was directed at her. Ian couldn't help but laugh and shook his head, stepping out from behind the wall.
"She means me, Catherine." The young wizard gestured for Catherine to leave quickly.
Then he looked at the somewhat familiar girl not far away. He couldn't help but feel a bit emotional, he had thought he wouldn't meet the trio until school started.
"Miss Hermione Granger, for someone who believes so firmly in science, how can you be throwing around words like 'Spell'?" Ian sighed lightly, a bit helpless.
That's right.
The girl who had been dragged by her father to donate money to the orphanage, hoping to dispel strange occurrences with some kind of "mystical power", was none other than Hermione, the same Hermione Ian had encountered before his trip to Hogwarts.
Fate certainly has its strange twists.
"I… I…"
Hermione was left speechless by Ian's words. She stammered for a while, ears flushed red, still unable to give a coherent response.
"You could've just told me that maybe sorcery is just a kind of science that hasn't yet been explained." Ian offered helpfully, which only made Hermione even more embarrassed.
"Dad! He's the one Mom and I met!"
The girl could only hide behind Mr. Granger, seeking help. Miss Helena, who had been a bit confused, suddenly understood what was going on after hearing Hermione's accusation.
"Ian is one of the older children here at the orphanage. He sometimes goes out to try and earn a little money to help ease our living expenses. If he unintentionally offended you or your family in the past, I sincerely apologize on his behalf…" As she spoke, Miss Helena quickly waved Ian over, flustered.
"That's not it at all. I don't think this child has done anything inappropriate. My wife spoke very highly of him. It's just… my daughter can be a bit willful sometimes." Mr. Granger wasn't concerned about Hermione's accusations. He glanced at his increasingly anxious daughter, then at Ian, who had both outstanding looks and an extraordinary presence.
"Young man, are you a Divinist?" Mr. Granger's eyes flickered slightly.
He didn't use an accusatory tone.
Still, Ms. Helena quickly stepped in to explain for Ian.
"He's a good kid. He was even admitted to a very prestigious school on a full scholarship. I believe there's been some misunderstanding, he doesn't have any Divinist talent."
Ms. Helena looked visibly nervous.
"What school?" Mr. Granger maintained his smile, but suddenly asked out of the blue.
"Uh..." Ms. Helena hesitated for a moment before answering, "If I remember correctly, it's the Hogwarts Academy for Gifted Youth."
"That's the name, right, Ian?" She looked at Ian, still a bit uncertain.
"Yes, that's the one."
Ian looked up at Mr. Granger with a bright, sunny smile. If he remembered correctly, this was a dentist in Britain with a pretty decent income. Medical professions were high-paying in the West, so the Grangers should at least be middle class. A successful dentist could easily earn hundreds of thousands of pounds per year.
"Hogwarts Academy for Gifted Youth..." Mr. Granger murmured. He often attended events for the wealthy and was certain that no such school existed in Britain.
"It was after I met you that weird things started happening to me, you have to tell me why!" Hermione's courage seemed to have grown since hiding behind her father.
"I told you we'd meet again. See? Here we are. Who knows? We might even end up as classmates." Ian shrugged, his words leaving Hermione completely confused.
Ms. Helena looked just as puzzled.
"So, there really is such a school?" Only Mr. Granger seemed to be catching on to something, looking at the young boy in front of him with a mix of doubt and curiosity.
"Of course. It's there, has been for a thousand years." Ian responded calmly.
"A thousand-year-old school..." Mr. Granger's pupils trembled. Clearly, he was deeply shaken, but his excellent self-control kept it from showing too much.
"Hogwarts, recruiting special children... I mean gifted children." Ian corrected his phrasing after glancing at Ms. Helena.
"I see."
Whatever it was, Mr. Granger seemed to have understood something. He looked deeply at the boy before him, then lovingly glanced at his daughter.
"You stay here. Ms. Helena and I have a few things to discuss."
That statement left not just Hermione stunned, but also Ms. Helena bewildered.
"Are you planning to withdraw your donation?" She asked cautiously.
"Of course not." Mr. Granger was already walking toward the office. Ms. Helena quickly followed, nervous and unsure, leaving Ian and Hermione alone in the hallway.
"I just didn't expect God to respond so quickly. So I think I need to give more..." It was unclear what exactly Mr. Granger had figured out.
But it was clear he intended to increase his donation to the orphanage.
"Your dad's not thinking of donating a school recommendation fee, is he?" Ian teased the flustered and clearly overwhelmed Hermione.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Hermione jumped onto a chair, successfully "towering" over Ian in height.
"Is it because I beat you in a debate that you cursed me? I've read a lot of books on this!" She gathered her courage and questioned him.
"Why would you think I'm that petty?"
Ian looked at the clearly anxious Hermione. He could sense her emotions and mindset, it seemed she was going through the unstable magic surge that most young wizards experience.
"It wasn't you?" Hermione's eyes grew uncertain.
"I thought you didn't believe in magic or the supernatural." Ian spoke again, amused.
"Haven't you ever heard the saying? 'Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.'"
Looks like Hermione had been reading Sherlock Holmes.
"Didn't I tell you that the first time we met?" Ian knew full well that her fear of him came from not understanding magic.
"Huh!? You said that!?" Hermione looked confused, she couldn't recall that at all. And of course she couldn't, Ian was just messing with her.
"Just kidding. I didn't say that. I only told you to believe that magic exists. And I think you've already realized that you and I are the same kind of people."
Ian clearly understood Hermione's conflicting, ostrich-like mindset.
After all, he could literally read minds.
"I knew it! You didn't say that!" Hermione exploded, glaring furiously at the little wizard. She was practically climbing the walls in rage, but at least she had spirit.
"Yes. Not only do I remember what I didn't say, I also remember what you promised." Ian looked at the girl who, without realizing, had climbed up the wall like a spider.
"Huh?" Hermione had a bad feeling.
So she climbed higher.
"Splat~"
Due to her unstable magic power...
She fell off the wall.
Ian caught her just in time with a Levitation Charm.
"This..."
Hovering in mid-air, Hermione finally realized what had happened. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at Ian's raised hand, more precisely, at the wand in his hand.
"Magic is real!?" She gasped.
Ian didn't respond.
"So, Miss Granger, when are you eating that desk? I've had the thorny dinner table ready for you for a whole year now." He grinned and said the words Hermione least wanted to hear.
(End of Chapter)