Chapter 81: Returning Home for a Birthday
In the room, Ian stared at the frighteningly thick notebook in front of him, remaining motionless for a long time.
Its thickness even exceeded that of *The Book of Abraham the Jew*, and it was filled with Alchemy runes.
These contents were the research achievements of Alchemy summarized by Nicolas Flamel after referencing *The Book of Abraham the Jew*.
From that day on, Ian officially became a disciple of Nicolas Flamel, studying Alchemy under this master alchemist.
Nicolas Flamel did not hold anything back either, directly handing over the research achievements he had accumulated throughout his life to this disciple.
The first difficult problem placed before Ian was to fully master the runes in the notebook.
Looking at the densely packed symbols on the paper, Ianonly felt that his head was about to split open.
Every rune was extremely complex, and their meanings were very obscure. Even with Nicolas Flamel patiently explaining them by his side, he still understood nothing at all.
Alchemy and ordinary magic were simply not the same thing at all.
When studying other magic, as long as one understood the magic structure and grasped the principles within it, even if the spell itself was very complex, one could learn and cast it relatively easily.
Alchemy, however, was not so simple.
It required a massive amount of time for repeated practice, carving the runes over and over again until the movements in his hands became a habit, forming so-called muscle memory.
Only in this way could errors be avoided as much as possible when making Alchemy items.
But once a problem occurred in any step, light consequences meant the failure of making the Alchemyitem, and more severe ones might even cause an explosion on the spot.
Therefore, Ian could only honestly repeat the practice.
If he drew it wrong, he would start over; if he wasn't proficient enough, he would continue practicing.
As days passed by day after day, his mastery over the runes also became steadier and steadier.
With Nicolas Flamel personally teaching him, Ian's progress speed was quite fast.
Not long after, he had already mastered quite a few low-tier Alchemy runes, and even began to be able to understand and use some mid-tier runes.
Nicolas Flamel saw all of this in his eyes and was extremely satisfied in his heart.
He truly had not misjudged the person.
Ian was not only willing to put in the effort, but his talent in the field of Alchemy was also shockingly high.
Continuing at this speed, Ian's future achievements might not necessarily be inferior to his own.
Time slipped away quietly along with the study of Alchemy, and in the blink of an eye, it was time to eat.
"Ian, come down for dinner!"
"Got it, Grandma Perenelle."
Ian hugged the notebook and walked down the stairs.
He first placed the notebook on the desk, and after confirming there was no problem, went to the kitchen to wash his hands.
Ian was lovable in appearance, and his personality was well-behaved and sensible.
Perenelle and Nicolas Flamel had no children and had long regarded him as their own grandson, so Ian naturally changed his address to call them grandpa and grandma.
After the dishes were served on the table, Perenelle kept putting food into Ian's bowl, and in a short while, the food in the bowl piled up into a small mountain.
"Don't just focus on studying, eat a bit more." Perenellelooked at him and said with heartache, "Look at what you've thinned into. Studying shouldn't make you so anxious that you even forget to eat. Your Grandpa Nicolas used to torture himself like that when he was young, and I certainly don't want you to learn from him."
"I'll remember it, Grandma Perenelle." Ian nodded obediently.
Seeing him agree so readily, Perenelle reached out and rubbed his head: "Grandma isn't trying to control you, I'm just worried about you. Don't walk down Nicolas's old path and eventually turn into a madman who only knows Alchemy."
Nicolas Flamel immediately coughed twice, his face looking somewhat unable to hold it.
"What, did I say something wrong?" Perenelle glanced at him, "You didn't eat for three whole days back then for the sake of researching Alchemy. You weren't afraid of ruining your health back then."
Nicolas Flamel could only smile awkwardly without opening his mouth to refute.
Perenelle was right; he truly used to be an Alchemymadman.
In order to delve into Alchemy, he could skip meals and rest, not even caring about his own body.
It was precisely by relying on that nearly crazy drive that he could reach this step in Alchemy today.
Only now, compared to continuing to chase the limits of Alchemy, he cherished the days spent accompanying Perenelle even more.
The position of Alchemy in his heart had long since fallen behind Perenelle.
Perenelle certainly understood this point.
Those words she said just now were merely habitual nagging and she wasn't truly angered.
"Ian, tomorrow you are going home to celebrate your birthday." Nicolas Flamel suddenly spoke, "I'm giving you a month's vacation. Don't touch Alchemy during this period, and wait until next summer vacation for you to come back and continue studying."
"Alright, Grandpa Nicolas." Ian immediately agreed.
He truly hadn't been home for a very long time.
Ian missed Hermione, and Hermione must definitely be missing him just as much.
Early the next morning, Nicolas Flamel used the Portkey to send Ian back to Manchester.
That Portkey was a ring.
On the very first day Ian began studying Alchemy, Nicolas Flamel had handed the ring to him in order to make his travels back and forth convenient, and also taught him the method of using it.
Standing in front of his own door once again, Ian looked at everything familiar before his eyes, and a feeling of returning home immediately arose in his heart.
He took a breath and raised his hand to ring the doorbell.
"Coming, coming!"
A familiar voice came from inside the house, the door opened quickly, and Hermione appeared at the doorway.
"Ian!"
Seeing the person outside the door, a smile instantly bloomed on Hermione's face.
"Hermione!"
Ian also smiled, opened his arms, and hugged her into his embrace.
"You're finally back, I missed you to death." Hermioneburied her face in his chest, her hands tightly wrapping around his waist, and her voice still sounded a bit trembling.
Ian gently patted her back and said in a low voice, "I missed you too."
The two of them hugged for a long time, neither letting go first, as if fearing that once they let go, the other person would disappear from before their eyes.
After a while, they slowly separated, but their hands remained intertwined.
"Alright, let's go inside first." Ian pulled Hermione and walked into the house.
Mr. and Mrs. Granger saw Ian return and both revealed happy expressions.
Mrs. Granger even walked around him assessing him several times, with every sentence she opened and closed her mouth with being: you've thinned.
Harry was equally excited.
He had previously thought Ian would stay at Nicolas Flamel's place to spend the entire summer vacation, not expecting him to actually come back.
"Ian, after you come back this time, does that mean you won't have to leave?" Hermione looked at him with full anticipation on her face.
"Not leaving." Ian shook his head with a smile, "Grandpa Nicolas gave me a month off to rest, and it just so happens I'm back to celebrate my birthday."
"That's wonderful!"
Hermione's eyes lit up all at once, and the smiling expression on her face could not be hidden no matter what.
Harry leaned over and asked, "Then how are you doing learning Alchemy with Grandpa Nicolas?"
"Not bad." Speaking of his studies, Ian appeared very confident, "Grandpa Nicolas said my progress is extremely fast."
"Ian, tomorrow is your birthday. What gift do you want?" Mrs. Granger asked him gently, "Harry has already chosen a T-shirt, what about you?"
"I don't particularly want anything special." Ian thought for a moment and smiled, "I want to eat the mango pudding you make."
"Of course that's fine, I'll make it for you tomorrow." Mrs. Granger smiled and agreed, then added, "But the pudding can only count as an extra reward; you still have to choose a birthday gift."
"Then just like Harry, I'll take a T-shirt too, Aunt Granger." Ian said, "Just make the style similar to his will do."
"Alright." Mrs. Granger nodded, "Tomorrow I'll buy one for each of you two."
Mr. Granger looked at the two children and suggested, "You two are celebrating your birthday together tomorrow, do you want to invite your friends over to the house and throw a small party?"
"Really, can we?" Harry instantly perked up.
"Of course you can." Mr. Granger said with a smile, "However, you need to determine the headcount first and tell me in advance so that I can prepare enough food."
"Then I'll go ask Ron and the others right now." Harry said immediately.
"Go ahead." Mr. Granger nodded towards him, then turned to Ian, "You just got back, sit down and rest first. Wait until Harry comes back, and you can discuss the party arrangements together."
"Alright, Uncle Granger." Ian agreed.
Harry ran excitedly back to his room, preparing to write letters to Ron and the others.
During this past month, Harry and Hermione had consistently not received letters mailed by their friends, nor had they waited for any replies to their own letters.
Now they could only first let Ian send out his golden eagle Hecate to see if the letters could be delivered into the hands of Ron and the others.
Ian sat on the sofa, keeping Mr. and Mrs. Granger company and chatting with them.
He told the two of them about his daily routine studying Alchemy with Nicolas Flamel, and the married couple listened with continuous gasps of amazement.
They had long known that Ian was very talented in Alchemy and were also clear that he had already achieved good results.
But hearing those things spoken personally from Ian's mouth still made them feel incredible.
Not long after, Harry ran out from his room. He was holding several letters in his hand, and his expression was immensely excited.
"Ian, I've finished writing the letters." Harry said anxiously, "Have Hecate help deliver them."
Ian was stunned for a moment: "What about Hedwig? Why not use Hedwig to deliver the letters?"
Hermione frowned: "The two of us haven't received incoming mail for a whole month, nor have we received any replies. I suspect someone is intentionally preventing us from contacting our friends and has intercepted all the letters sent out."
"We wrote many letters to Ron and the others, and also had owls deliver them out." Harry continued, "Yet not a single reply. Not just Ron, Draco and Cassandra also have no news at all; this is truly too abnormal."
Hermione nodded: "We can still receive your letters, probably because you live together with us, so those people have no way to intercept them."
"It really is not right." Ian slowly nodded, his expression also sinking down, "Now that you two mention it, I just remembered that besides you two, no one else has ever written to me either."
The time he spent in France was truly too long, almost making him forget that the second year was about to begin.
Now it seemed that the person intercepting the letters was very likely Dobby, the house-elf of the the Malfoy family. It did not want Harry and the others to return to Hogwarts.
Chapter 82: The House-elf Who Intercepted Letters
"What are you planning to do, Ian?" Hermione leaned in and asked, her eyes full of curiosity.
Ian smiled. "Wait until tonight and let Hecate deliver the letters. Then we can see who has the nerve to intercept our mail."
Upon hearing this, Harry immediately handed over the letter in his hand. "Then I'll leave it to you. We should find out who's behind this tonight."
"Don't worry." Ian took the letter and casually stuffed it into his pocket. "Let's put this matter aside for now. Tomorrow is a birthday, after all, and we need to figure out the party arrangements."
With the topic changed, Harry and Hermione immediately threw the matter of the intercepted letters to the back of their minds. The two of them excitedly discussed which friends to invite tomorrow, what food should be placed on the table, and what games to prepare.
Mr. and Mrs. Granger also joined in, occasionally offering a few ideas. The atmosphere in the room quickly became lively, with the family gathering together to discuss the arrangements for the birthday party.
After the sky grew completely dark, Ian, Harry, and Hermione came to the window. Ian took the letter Harryhad given him from his pocket, looked up at the black night sky outside the window, and then softly called out, "Hecate."
The sound of flapping wings soon came from outside the window. A large golden eagle flew up to the window, poked its head in, and affectionately rubbed against Ian's face.
Ian raised his hand to stroke its feathers and handed the letters in front of it. "Deliver these to Cassandra, Draco, and the others."
The golden eagle let out a clear cry and nudged the stack of letters with its head, as if answering that it understood.
Hermione, however, did not relax immediately. "Will this really be okay? We don't even know who is intercepting the letters. What if Hecate is also targeted by them?"
"Don't worry." Ian's tone was very firm. "Hecate is a golden eagle, one of the most formidable birds of prey in the sky. There are very few fellows who can threaten it."
Harry also raised his broomstick. "Can't we just follow behind? As long as someone makes a move, we can drag them out."
Hermione thought about it and finally nodded. "All right."
Ian firmly tied the letters to Hecate's leg and gently patted its head. "Go on, deliver the letters to Cassandra, Draco, and the others."
Hecate cried out again, its wings beating fiercely, and its body turned into a golden shadow, rushing into the night and disappearing into the distance in the blink of an eye.
The three of them immediately mounted their broomsticks and gave chase. Hecate flew very fast, but what they were riding were all Nimbus 2000s, and their speed was equally not slow, so they were never left too far behind.
Hermione sat behind Ian, wrapping her arms around his waist, and asked in a low voice, "What kind of person do you think is intercepting the letters?"
"I can't guess right now." Ian shook his head. "But it won't be long before we should be able to see him."
They followed Hecate flying across the city, continued forward for a stretch of road, and finally arrived at a remote suburb.
Right at that moment, a short figure suddenly darted out from ahead, reaching out to grab Hecate.
That thing had a pair of large bat-like ears and bulging eyes as big as tennis balls. It lunged at the golden eagle again and again, but every time Hecate easily dodged it.
"What is that?" Hermione grabbed Ian's sleeve. "Why is his nose like Pinocchio's in fairy tales?"
Harry also saw the other party's appearance clearly and said in surprise, "It's a House-elf! Wait, is he wearing a pillowcase?"
The House-elf was wearing a ragged pillowcase, with several holes cut out for its hands and feet. The reason Harry found it strange was because he had previously seen the Potter family's House-elf, Dobby.
That Dobby usually wore smaller-sized human clothes, completely different from the House-elf in front of them draped in a dirty pillowcase.
Ian stared at the figure continuously chasing Hecate, his brow slowly furrowing. "It seems that this is the one intercepting the letters."
He turned his head to say to Harry and Hermione, "Let's go, catch it first, and then ask clearly what is going on."
As soon as the words fell, Ian took Hermione and rushed over on their broomstick.
The House-elf was running around in circles anxiously because it couldn't catch Hecate for a long time. Suddenly seeing Ian approaching head-on, it panicked and turned to flee.
"Which family's House-elf are you?" Ian asked, staring at it. "Why did you intercept our letters?"
"Dobby cannot say!"
The House-elf shrieked and took off running.
Ian directly drew his wand and pointed it at its back. "Petrificus Totalus!"
A white flash passed, and Dobby's body instantly froze. Maintaining its running posture, it was forcefully fixed in place, unable to move even a single finger.
Harry couldn't help praising, "Ian, that move was brilliant!"
"It's nothing." Ian withdrew his wand, looked at the petrified Dobby, and said, "Let's take it back first."
He waved his wand to conjure a large net and stuffed Dobby into it. Then, carrying the net, he returned to the Granger family's house together with Harry and Hermione.
Returning to the room, Ian dumped Dobby out of the net onto the floor and then lifted the Petrificus Totalus charm on it.
As soon as it regained mobility, Dobby jumped up from the ground and turned to run away. But Ian's wand was already aimed at it, and it could only freeze in place, not daring to take another step.
"Don't think about running." Ian said in a deep voice. "If you don't explain clearly why you intercepted our letters, we'll send you to the Ministry of Magic."
Dobby's face turned pale instantly, and it shook its head desperately. "No! Don't hand Dobby over to the Ministry of Magic! Dobby didn't do bad things, Dobby is for..."
"Then talk." Ian looked at it. "Why on earth do you want to intercept the letters?"
Dobby hesitated for a moment, cast a sneaky glance at Ianand Harry, and immediately lowered its head again.
"Dobby wants to protect the two Mr. Potters." It said in a very small voice. "Dobby originally hoped... if Ian Potterand Harry Potter thought their friends had forgotten them, maybe they wouldn't want to return to school, sirs..."
Hearing this, Harry jumped up in anger on the spot. "What? What right do you have to stop us from returning to school? And you even intercepted the letters sent by our friends!"
Ian quickly reached out to pull him back. "Calm down first, Harry."
Afterward, he looked at Dobby and deliberately asked, "What on earth happened at Hogwarts? Why can Harryand I not go back?"
"Dobby cannot let Harry Potter and Ian Potter return to Hogwarts!" Dobby's voice was pressed very low, but its body began to tremble. "There is a plot there, and something very terrible will happen this year. Dobby has known about this matter for several months, sir. The two Mr. Potters cannot go back to take risks, you are too important!"
The more it said, the more anxious it became, and in the end it almost cried out. "That's why Dobby begged you not to go back again and again! I beg the two sirs, it is really too dangerous there!"
"Terrible things?"
Harry and Ian exchanged glances. Harry was truly shocked, but the surprise on Ian's face was faked.
Hermione tightly held Ian's hand, obviously also starting to worry. "Dobby, what on earth is going to happen?"
"Dobby cannot say!" Dobby shrieked, shaking even more violently. "Dobby cannot say, sir! Dobby absolutely cannot say!"
The next moment, it suddenly let out a strange sob, raised its head, and slammed it against the wall.
"What are you doing? Stop!" Hermione was startled and quickly grabbed Dobby's arm to stop it from continuing to slam its head against the wall.
Harry also hurriedly advised, "Dobby, calm down a bit first, don't hurt yourself!"
They were both House-elves, but Harry had never seen the Potter family's Dobby punish itself like this.
Ian didn't struggle with it for long; he directly subdued Dobby and shouted sternly, "Stop, Dobby!"
Dobby immediately didn't dare to move, only looking timidly at Ian.
Hermione pointed to the sofa nearby, softening her tone as much as possible. "All right, sit down first."
Who would have known that as soon as these words were finished, Dobby suddenly burst into tears, startling both Harry and Hermione for a moment.
"Sit down..." It repeated while sobbing, "Never... never..."
Hermione practically pushed it onto the sofa. After sitting down, Dobby kept hiccupping, shrinking there, looking just like an ugly large doll.
"Thank you, kind Miss Hermione." It said while crying, "No Wizard has ever been willing to let Dobby sit down, treating Dobby as an equal person..."
"Stop crying." Hermione begged somewhat helplessly. "Tell us first what terrible thing will happen at Hogwarts. Did you hear some news? And why can't you tell the news?"
Dobby snifflingly wiped its tears, its body still trembling. "Dobby was in the master's house..."
Only halfway through its words, as if suddenly remembering something, it raised its hand and fiercely slapped its own head. "Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby! Must not speak ill of the master!"
Hermione was stunned. "Your master's house?"
"The Wizard family that Dobby serves, Miss Hermione." Dobby covered its head and explained in a low voice, "Dobby is a House-elf and must always work for a household..."
Ian clenched his fists and gave a light cough. "Hermione, actually there are also House-elves in the Potter family's old mansion."
"What?" Hermione immediately turned her head to glare at him. "Why didn't you ever tell me before?"
Ian rubbed his nose and didn't dare to pick up the conversation.
Hermione couldn't bear to see these House-elves suffer; she was truly kind-hearted, just sometimes overly naive. When all was said and done, Ian, as someone who enjoyed the services of House-elves, didn't want to lose those conveniences.
However, Hermione quickly put this matter aside and asked Dobby again, "Then when you sneaked over to see us, does your master know?"
"They don't know, Miss Hermione." Dobby's voice carried a crying tone again. "In order to come and see the two Mr. Potters, Dobby must accept the most severe punishment. Dobby will slam its ears in the oven door. If they find out, Miss Hermione..."
Harry was stunned upon hearing this. "But if you put your ears in the oven door, won't they find out?"
"Dobby doesn't think so, sir." Dobby shook its head, its long ears flapping with a slapping sound. "Dobby often punishes itself for various things. They make Dobby do this, sir... They don't care, as long as there isn't too much noise made in the house."
It lowered its head and continued, "Dobby sometimes rolls down very high stairs, sir. Or... or irons its own hands with an iron."
Hearing this, Hermione's face changed completely. "How can they treat you like this? This is too much, simply cruel! Why don't you leave them and run away by yourself?"
As soon as Dobby heard "run away", its whole face turned white immediately. "House-elves can only leave when their masters set them free. But the master will never let Dobbygo... Dobby will keep working in the master's house until death."
After hearing this, Harry and Hermione were shocked and didn't speak for a long time.
Ian, however, showed no reaction; after all, he had long known about it.
Chapter 83: Letters Intercepted by Dobby
"Dobby, hurry up and tell us, what on earth is going to happen at Hogwarts?"
Ian stared at the House-elf in front of him, his brow furrowed tightly. "We need to know the situation before we can decide whether to go back, right?"
This sentence made Dobby even more distressed.
It couldn't reveal the secret, but the two Potter brothers in front of it were indeed the people it wanted to protect. Caught in a dilemma, its entire face scrunched up.
Hermione glared at Ian with dissatisfaction. "Ian, don't pressure Dobby like this."
"Fine, fine, fine, I'll change my attitude." Ian took a breath and tried to soften his voice. "Dobby, we do want to go back to Hogwarts.
But you at least have to tell us what dangerous things are going to happen there, right?
Only by knowing in advance will we have a way to avoid it."
Dobby's expression became even more painful.
It kept picking at its hands, muttering softly, "Dobby cannot say, Sir... Really cannot say."
Ian spread his hands toward Hermione, his gaze clearly spelling out: "See that?"
"Talking nicely is completely useless."
Hermione glared at him angrily, then turned to face Dobby, her voice turning gentle again. "Dobby, we are friends, right?
You wouldn't want your friends to be in danger either, right?"
"Friends?"
Dobby raised its head abruptly, its eyes quickly filling with tears. "Miss Hermione is really willing to treat a dirty, ugly House-elf like Dobby as a friend?
No Wizard has ever treated Dobby as a friend before... Miss Hermione and the two Potter gentlemen are all good Wizards."
By the end, it finally couldn't help crying, and its voice was much louder than before.
Ian raised a hand to press his temple, feeling his head start to ache. "Dobby, if you continue to say nothing, then give back the letters sent by our friends."
"The letters are with Dobby, Sir!"
Dobby hurriedly pulled a large stack of letters out of the pillowcase it was wearing, a thick pile that it had hidden almost entirely on its person.
Ian glanced over them and quickly recognized Cassandra's neat handwriting, as well as Draco's sharp and powerful penmanship.
Ron's handwriting was still as scribbled as if it were sprinting across the paper, and there were also a few crookedly written letters that looked like Hagrid's handwriting no matter how one looked at them.
He counted the letters; there were more than fifty in total.
Among them, over thirty belonged to him.
In other words, during this period of time, the letters Dobbyintercepted were far more than they had imagined.
"So many letters, you withheld all of them?" Ian's brow twitched fiercely a few times.
He almost blew his top on the spot, and the reason was simple.
In this stack of letters, there was actually the one sent by Isabella Swan.
That was a young witch he hadn't successfully romanced yet!
Having not received a reply for a month, Isabella Swan's favorability toward him might have already dropped to rock bottom.
"Dobby didn't mean to, Sir!" The House-elf explained hurriedly, "Dobby just wanted to make Potter stay here.
Dobby is protecting Ian Potter!"
As it spoke, it bent its two bat-like ears into cup shapes, striking a posture of accepting severe punishment.
Why was it circling back to this issue again?
Ian distributed the letters to Hermione and Harry: "Cassandra and the other two sent several, Hagrid sent some too, and the Weasley twins wrote letters as well."
Hermione took the letters, but didn't check them immediately.
She narrowed her eyes, staring at one of them: "There's also Isabella Swan.
Wait, she's my roommate, right?
She has only ever sent me one letter, but she sent you this many.
When did you two get so close?"
This remark sounded like more than just an inquiry.
Hermione's meaning was very clear: "When did the two of you hook up behind my back?"
Cassandra and Ian were both in Slytherin, making daily contact convenient, so being a bit closer was somewhat justifiable.
Yet Isabella Swan happened to be Hermione's roommate, which was equivalent to someone poaching behind her back right under her nose.
Hermione puffed out her cheeks and repeated sarcastically, "There are cows, oh there are cows..."
Ian gave two dry laughs: "It's nothing much, just occasionally bumping into each other and saying a few words by the way."
Hermione kept looking at him.
Ian's voice grew lower and lower, until he simply shut his mouth altogether.
Hermione had clearly logged this account, just temporarily not dealing with him because there were more important matters at hand right now.
She squatted down in front of Dobby, softening her tone as much as possible: "Dobby, for whatever I ask next, you only need to answer by nodding or shaking your head, okay?"
Dobby immediately agreed.
Hermione stared into its eyes: "Is something very terrible going to happen at Hogwarts, and might this matter cost Ian and Harry their lives?"
Dobby was silent for a moment, then gently nodded, the movement so small it was almost invisible.
Hermione's pupils constricted abruptly.
"Hermione, it's fine." Ian spoke to comfort her, "Don't forget we also encountered deadly danger when we were in our first year, but aren't we still standing here safe and sound?
This shows we can always find a way to solve it in the end."
Harry chimed in: "Right, Hermione. No matter what we encounter, we will face it together."
Hermione paused for a moment, then asked: "Does that matter have anything to do with Voldemort?"
Hearing that name, Dobby's whole body trembled violently, as if frightened quite badly.
Yet in the end, it slowly shook its head.
"Not Voldemort?" Hermione was stunned, "Could there be something even more terrifying than Voldemort?"
On the surface, Ian likewise wore a look of confusion, but in his heart he had already turned several corners.
In the world of Harry Potter, by rights, it really was hard to find an existence more terrifying than Voldemort.
But all Dobby knew was that Lucius Malfoy wanted to use that diary to move against them; it didn't know the diary was actually a Horcrux of Voldemort, let alone that a piece of Voldemort's soul was hidden inside it.
Hermione didn't continue dwelling on the previous answer, instead looking at Dobby: "I'll ask one last question.
Is someone making Hogwarts dangerous?
That person, is it your master?"
Dobby's body trembled abruptly.
It looked up at Hermione, tears already pooling in its eyes, its expression full of struggle and hesitation.
Seeing this, Hermione naturally understood the answer.
"Alright, Dobby, I know." She stood up and cast a glance at Ian and Harry.
Ian understood and said to Dobby: "You can go back. But from now on, you are not allowed to intercept our letters anymore."
Dobby nodded obediently, then cast Apparition, its figure disappearing from the room.
Hermione looked at the spot where it had left and said thoughtfully: "As long as we find out whose master Dobbyis, we can know who exactly wants to harm you and Harry."
"Wizards who can afford to keep a House-elf at home generally aren't from ordinary families." Ian shrugged, "There are twenty-eight pure-blood families in total; take away the Weasley family, and twenty-seven remain.
The scope is already very small, investigating shouldn't be difficult."
Harry immediately added: "Exclude Draco's family as well, and there are only twenty-six left."
Ian looked at him speechlessly.
What kind of feelings did this guy and Draco have anyway?
As soon as he opened his mouth, he excluded the correct answer, practically as if he were deathly afraid that others would trace it to Lucius Malfoy.
"Then we'll start from the remaining twenty-five families, investigating them one by one." Hermione clenched her fists, full of confidence, "As long as we keep searching, clues will eventually be left behind."
"..."
The direction was completely wrong.
However, he didn't remind the two of them.
If he directly told them right now that the person behind the scenes was Lucius Malfoy, how would the subsequent plot progress?
He had made up his mind to destroy at least one Horcruxwithin a year.
"Let's go back to sleep first." Ian turned Hermione's shoulders around, "Since Dobby won't intercept letters anymore, Hecate will be able to steadily deliver the invitation letters into the hands of Cassandra and the others.
Come on, I'll walk you back to your room."
Hermione originally wanted to read for a bit longer, but Ianleaned close to her ear and whispered that he wanted to whisper secrets with her, and she was immediately coaxed away.
Harry stood behind, watching the backs of the two leaving, shaking his head silently.
Young couples are just sickeningly sweet.
Hogwarts: As the Savior, I Wildly Smash Ships!
Chapter 84 Hermione's Birthday Gift
In the room, Ian stared into Hermione's eyes for a long while, his gaze slowly drifting downward and finally resting on her lips.
"What are you staring at me for?" Hermione asked, feeling a bit embarrassed as she quickly turned her face away.
Her heartbeat inexplicably accelerated.
"I was thinking…" Ian intentionally drew out his voice, thoroughly whetting Hermione's appetite.
When she couldn't help but want to press him for an answer, he leisurely continued: "Tomorrow is my birthday.
What kind of gift do you plan to give me?"
The anticipation on Hermione's face instantly vanished, replaced by utter speechlessness.
"You held back for so long just to ask this?"
"What else?" Ian spread his hands with an extremely innocent expression, "What did you think I wanted to say just now?"
Hermione: "…"
She had thought Ian would say—I was wondering if I could kiss you.
As it turned out, this bastard only wanted to ask about a birthday gift.
Hermione took a deep breath, deciding to ignore him for the rest of the night.
"Hermione."
Ian hugged her from behind, resting his chin gently on her shoulder, his tone carrying a hint of coquetting: "Just tell me, what on earth are you planning to give me?"
"You will definitely like it." Hermione's cheeks flushed red, and her voice dropped lower, "I will give you a very special gift."
"Then I'll wait and see." Ian chuckled, then let go of her, "It's getting late, get some sleep early."
With that, he turned and walked out of the room.
He didn't dare to stay any longer.
If he stayed any longer, he might do some things inappropriate to do at the moment.
After all, they were still young.
Hermione stood in place, watching the door close, and raised a hand to touch her own lips.
Ian's appearance just now clearly showed that he really wanted to kiss her.
Since that was the case, if he behaved better tomorrow, she wouldn't mind giving him one more gift.
With this thought, Hermione lay down on the bed and quickly drifted off to sleep amidst her thoughts.
The next day, July 31st.
It was Ian and Harry's birthday.
Early in the morning, just as Ian walked out of his room, he ran into Harry outside.
"Ian, happy birthday!" Harry smiled and handed over a gift box.
"Happy birthday to you too." Ian likewise took out the prepared gift from behind his back and handed it into Harry's hands.
The two brothers looked at each other, smiled at the same time, and thanked each other.
While unwrapping his own gift, Harry looked around: "Where's Hermione? Is she still not up?"
"Yeah, she slept too late last night, let her sleep a bit longer." Ian opened the box sent by Harry, which contained a pair of the latest brand-name shoes.
On the other side, Harry unwrapped the packaging, revealing the contents inside.
"Wow, what is this? A Potion?"
That was a crystal vial filled with liquid like a starry sky, so beautiful that people couldn't tear their eyes away.
"I brewed this myself." Ian explained with a smile, "I named it Liquid Luck.
Drinking it during exams can help you maintain a good state, and maybe even let you perform beyond normal levels."
For this bottle of Potion, he had spent an entire vacation brewing it.
Harry's eyes suddenly lit up: "Really? That's simply awesome!"
From now on, he would never have to worry about the old bat's Potions Class again.
Harry had long since witnessed Ian's skill in brewing Potions, and the things Ian made were never of poor quality.
"This is the second best birthday gift I've received!" Harryexcitedly hugged Ian, "The first best is the little green snake Serafina you gave me!"
"Alright, alright, stop hugging." Ian pushed him away with disgust, "My embrace is reserved for pretty little Witches.
Let's go, let's have breakfast first.
I guess we should be able to receive replies from Cassandra and the others today."
Harry nodded and walked with Ian towards the living room.
Just as they approached the dining room, Ian smelled the fragrance in the air, and the corners of his mouth curled up accordingly.
"Aunt Granger, is it grilled sausages and fried eggs today?"
"You certainly have a sharp nose." Mrs. Granger walked out carrying a large tray of breakfast and said with a smile, "Happy birthday, Ian, Harry."
"Thank you, Aunt Granger." Ian took the plate and placed it on the dining table.
Harry had already sat down at the table, speared a grilled sausage, and chimed in with thanks: "Thank you, Aunt Granger."
At this moment, Hermione walked down from upstairs.
"Mom, Ian, Harry, good morning." She looked like she clearly hadn't slept enough, yet she still forced herself to perk up and walked over to the dining table, "Ian, happy birthday."
Harry was still chewing on a sausage in his mouth and mumbled, "Hermione, you got up too late, we're almost done eating."
"A little later is fine." Ian handed over the plate reserved for Hermione, "There's still your breakfast here, both grilled sausages and fried eggs are included."
"Thank you." Hermione quietly took the plate.
She secretly glanced at Ian, and remembering the decision she made last night, her cheeks unforgivingly turned red again.
Harry immediately noticed this and asked with concern, "Hermione, why is your face so red? Are you running a fever?"
"No, stop talking nonsense." Hermione glared at him.
But she still couldn't help herself and glanced at Ian again.
Just as Ian was also looking at her, that flush instantly became even more obvious.
Ian was also left completely confused by her: "Hermione, what on earth is wrong with you today?"
"N-Nothing…" Hermione stammered in reply, "It's just a bit hot."
After saying that, she lowered her head and quickly began eating breakfast.
Ian and Harry exchanged a glance, both seeing the same question in each other's eyes.
Why is Hermione acting so weird today?
After breakfast, Ian and Harry sat on the sofa doing their holiday homework.
Hermione, hugging the copy of History of Magic that Ianhad given her, sat next to Ian to read.
Ian buried his head and wrote very diligently, but Hermione clearly couldn't concentrate.
She turned the pages and stole a quiet glance at him every now and then.
After a while, Hermione suddenly closed her book and stood up.
"Ian, come with me for a moment."
"Huh? Oh, okay." Ian raised his head in bewilderment, put down his pen, and followed.
Back in Hermione's room, Ian had just started to speak: "You called me in here wanting to…"
Before he could finish his sentence, Hermione stood on tiptoe and kissed his lips.
Ian's eyes widened on the spot.
Hermione actually took the initiative to kiss him?
And on the lips at that?
Are foreign little Witches all this precocious?
Hermione kept her eyes tightly shut, her hands firmly gripping Ian's robes, her face blushing as if it could drip blood at any moment.
The thing she had thought through last night, she finally mustered up the courage to do.
Ian quickly snapped back to his senses, reached out to wrap his arms around her waist, lowered his head, and gently responded to the kiss.
After the kiss ended, Hermione was practically hanging on Ian's body, her head buried in his chest, her voice as thin as a mosquito's buzz.
"Ian, this is my first kiss… considered one of the birthday gifts for you."
Ian only felt a loud roar in his brain, and his whole mind went blank.
First kiss?
Hermione gave her first kiss to him?
And it was one of the birthday gifts?
Wait, one of?
Does this mean he has other birthday gifts?
Ian lowered his head to look at Hermione in his arms, his voice unconsciously turning husky: "Hermione, this is the best birthday gift I have ever received."
If this little witch was willing to give herself to him in the future, then this "best" would probably have to be ranked all over again.
Hermione's face was even redder than before.
She muttered something softly, but her voice was too quiet for Ian to hear clearly.
"What did you say just now?" Ian lowered his head, leaning close to her ear to ask.
"Nothing!" Hermione suddenly raised her voice, lifting her head from his embrace.
Her eyes were watery as she gazed straight at Ian, "We should go out, otherwise Harry will get suspicious."
As she spoke, she stepped down from Ian's body and straightened her messed-up clothes and hair.
Ian also tidied up his own clothes again, then took Hermione's hand and opened the room door.
Chapter 85: Birthday Gift and Party Shopping
Ian Potter lowered his head to look at Hermione in his arms, deliberately lowering his voice: "Hermione, this is definitely the best birthday gift I have ever received."
He quietly added another sentence in his heart. Once the little witch gave herself to him as a gift in the future, this "best" title would probably have to be ranked all over again.
Hermione's face burned even more fiercely all of a sudden. She muttered a few words in a low voice, so soft that it sounded like she was only speaking to herself, and Iandidn't understand a single word.
"What did you just say?"
Ian Potter leaned his head down closer, almost pressing against her ear. Hermione immediately raised her head, her voice rising along with it: "Nothing at all! Let's get out quickly, or Harry will be suspicious."
With that, she slipped out of Ian Potter's arms, first smoothing out the wrinkles on her clothes, and then casually tidying her hair a few times. Ian Potter also lowered his head to tidy himself up, then took her hand and pushed open the door.
In the living room, Harry was sitting on the sofa, burying his head in homework. Hearing the door open, he raised his eyes reflexively, just in time to see the two of them coming out hand in hand.
"What were you two whispering about inside just now?" Harry asked with a grin, "And you deliberately left me out?"
"It's nothing, I just gave Ian Potter a birthday gift." Hermione's cheeks flushed red again, and she glared at Harry, "Have you finished your homework?"
Harry immediately pressed his gaze back onto the parchment: "Not yet, aren't I rushing to finish it right now? Only this last one of the Potions Class assignment is left."
Hermione walked over to his side, glanced at the paper, and immediately pointed out the problem: "You wrote this wrong here. It should be five drops of bezoar, but you wrote three drops."
Harry looked up with a puzzled face: "But what I saw in the book was three drops."
"Three drops is the dosage for ordinary Potions," Hermioneexplained, "What you are making now is a complex Potion, and you must add five drops."
"All right."
Harry resignedly crossed out the original answer and changed the number back.
Watching Hermione's serious expression, Ian Potterreached out and gently pinched her face: "So serious, Miss Granger."
Hermione slapped his hand away with a sharp sound: "Don't cause trouble here. I'm going to the kitchen to get some juice, do you want any?"
"I'll have a glass." Ian Potter raised his hand.
Harry immediately followed up: "I want some too."
Hermione nodded and turned into the kitchen.
Ian Potter looked in the direction she left, the corners of his mouth couldn't help curling up. Whenever the little witchwas shy, she looked adorable no matter how he looked at her.
When Hermione came back carrying the juice, Ian Pottersat down on the sofa. While drinking his beverage, he watched Harry write that Potion assignment, occasionally interjecting with a few words, specifically teasing her with remarks that Hermione found hard to respond to.
Hermione was made to blush by his words, while Harrybeside them laughed non-stop.
Just as the living room was in a commotion, several brownish owls suddenly flew in from outside the window. They flapped their wings and landed on the windowsill, crowding together to look inside the house.
"Owls!" Harry's eyes lit up, not even caring about his homework anymore, as he got up and rushed to the window, "It must be a letter from Draco and the others!"
He pushed open the window, and several owls flew in one after another. One of them landed on Harry's shoulder; Harry removed the letter from its leg and fed it a piece of jerky.
After seeing the signature on the letter clearly, Harryturned back and said, "It really is from Draco and the others."
"Open it and take a look," Ian Potter said casually, "I bet Cassandra and the others will definitely agree to come to the party."
Harry opened the letter, quickly scanned its contents, and soon nodded: "You guessed right, they are all coming. And they also asked what birthday gifts we want."
Ian Potter leaned his head on Hermione's shoulder and said lazily, "Tell them in the reply that as long as they can make it in person, there's no need to bring gifts."
Harry gave an acknowledgement, took out a quill and parchment, and prepared to write a reply to Draco and the others.
However, Hermione suddenly reached out and snatched the quill from Ian Potter's hand: "I'll write that letter to Cassandra."
Ian Potter looked at his empty hand and had no choice but to reply helplessly: "Fine, fine, fine, you write it then."
Harry looked up at Ian Potter: "Then you'll write Ron's letter?"
"No," Ian Potter answered crisply, reaching out to wrap his arm around Hermione's waist and resting his chin on her shoulder, "Leave both Draco's and Ron's to you, Harry."
Hermione's ears turned somewhat red, and she gently poked him back with her elbow: "Stop moving around, I haven't finished writing yet."
"Did you hear that? She's only willing to write to Cassandra," Harry sighed and said, "Forget it, I'll handle Draco's and Ron's then."
As soon as those words were spoken, the slight blush on Hermione's face vanished, and her expression turned cold as well.
Ian Potter instantly sensed something was wrong, and his heart gave a sudden thump.
Harry, you fellow, why do you blurt out every plain truth?
After finishing the letter, Hermione raised her eyes to give Ian Potter a cold glance, then broke free from his embrace, took the parchment, and walked over to sit on the other side of the sofa.
Ian Potter looked at Harry. Harry also spread his hands with an innocent look, clearly completely clueless as to why Hermione had suddenly gotten angry.
"Haven't they always gotten along well?" Harry muttered softly, "How come her face changes just like that?"
He truly couldn't figure it out.
Ian Potter had no choice but to get up, move over to sit beside Hermione, and reach out to hug her again: "What's wrong? Everything was fine just a moment ago, why are you suddenly unhappy?"
"Nothing," Hermione replied with a straight face.
Although her words sounded cold, she didn't push IanPotter away.
She had already returned home with Ian Potter, yet what he was still thinking about in his heart was Cassandra. Could it be that in his eyes, Cassandra was more important than her?
"Hermione," Ian Potter sighed softly, "You know, Cassandrahas always been very good to me. I indeed also..."
Halfway through his words, he choked up himself.
Having just kissed Hermione, mentioning another girl right in front of her now, what did that make him? He was simply a complete and utter bastard.
Ian Potter simply stopped explaining, rested his chin on Hermione's shoulder, rubbed gently against it twice, and then quieted down.
Although this trick was a bit embarrassing to use, it had always been very effective. Hermione usually got over her anger very quickly.
Sure enough, her originally tense expression softened a bit from the rubbing; the corners of her mouth had just curled up when she immediately pressed them back down.
"You... stop this," Hermione's face flushed red, "Harry is still right next to us."
As she said this, she raised her head to look at Harry, only to find that Harry was intently writing back to Draco and the others, not paying attention to what was happening on this side at all.
Hermione lowered her head again, her voice much softer: "I'm not blaming you. I'm blaming myself."
Ian Potter didn't interrupt, listening to her continue.
"I clearly know your relationship with Cassandra, and I also know she is very good to you," Hermione gripped the parchment in her hand, "Yet I still can't control myself, and I always get angry because of her. I know this is very improper, but I just can't help it."
"Hermione."
Ian Potter reached out to cup her chin, making her face him directly: "Hermione Granger is forever Ian Potter's most beloved person, absolutely without a second."
He paused, then added, "I like Cassandra, and I also like Alicia, but you are different from them. Hermione Grangerwill always be the most special one."
Hermione looked at him in a daze. Her reflection was mirrored in those green eyes, and her cheeks quickly flushed red again.
"I... know."
Ian Potter smiled and lowered his head to gently brush against her lips.
"Ahem!"
Harry's cough came from the side. He raised his head and looked at the two of them with utter helplessness: "I say, can you two pay a little attention? There's still another person right here."
Hermione's face turned crimson instantly, and she hurriedly pushed Ian Potter away, sitting straight and proper.
Ian Potter didn't care in the least: "Just because you're here, does that mean I can't kiss Hermione?"
"I didn't mean that." Harry opened his mouth, finally giving up arguing, "Forget it, do whatever you want, I'm not caring anymore."
After finishing the reply letters, Harry handed the letters to the owls, letting them fly away with the letters.
Watching the owls fly far away, he turned back and said to the two of them, "At this speed, they should be able to receive them by this afternoon."
"Then we should get ready for the party too," Ian Potternodded, "Let's go buy a cake and other things later, and let them taste food from the Muggle world."
Harry immediately perked up: "We definitely have to buy Coke! I told Draco before that Muggle beverages are better than Wizard beverages, and he still doesn't believe it to this day."
Hermione's eyes also lit up: "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go to the shopping mall for a big shopping spree right now!"
"Let's go!"
The three of them quickly arrived at the shopping mall and began selecting the food needed for the party.
Hermione picked up a small rabbit-shaped cake and looked at it in her hand: "How about this one? It's made so cute, it should taste pretty good too."
"Buy it if you like it," Ian Potter waved his hand grandly, "No need to hesitate."
He was wealthy in the Wizarding World, and part of the Potter family's businesses also involved the Muggle world. Solely in terms of wealth, Ian Potter could completely be called a super-rich tycoon.
Watching him put things into the shopping cart, Harrycouldn't help reminding him: "Calm down. We have six kids, plus Uncle Granger and Aunt Granger, making a total of only eight people. If we buy too much, we definitely won't be able to finish it."
"What you said makes sense." Ian Potter nodded, but the very next second added righteously, "However, we have money, so it doesn't matter if we can't finish it."
Harry was instantly speechless.
In the end, the shopping cart was stuffed full of cakes, Coke, potato chips, and various snacks, until it couldn't hold any more, and the three of them finally stopped.
After returning home, they moved all the purchased items onto the dining room table, and then began arranging the plates and food.
Ian Potter raised his head to glance at the clock on the wall: "Uncle Granger and Auntie should be getting off work soon, right?"
Hermione was arranging fruit and replied upon hearing this: "Dad won't get off work until four o'clock. Mom seems to have a case over there, so she'll be a bit later today."
Harry had already looked toward the door several times: "When are Draco and the others arriving?"
"Should be soon." As soon as Ian Potter finished saying this, a knock sounded outside the door.
"I'll get it!"
Harry immediately rushed over and pulled open the door. Standing outside were Draco, Ron, and Cassandra.
"You guys finally arrived!" Harry stepped aside to make way, warmly greeting the three of them into the house, "We bought lots of delicious food, just waiting for you guys to come over."
Draco lifted his chin: "Delicious food? Tell us what you have first."
"Cakes, potato chips, jelly, and lots of snacks." Harryreplied while closing the door, "Right, the most important thing is Coke, a beverage from the Muggle world."
Ron licked his lips: "Sounds pretty good, I can't wait anymore."
Cassandra didn't reply, only raising her head to look at IanPotter standing at the entrance of the dining room, the corners of her lips curving slightly upward.