Xenophilius Lovegood's calm voice, carrying a hint of seriousness, echoed through the room.
Unlike Luna, who was still a child, Xenophilius was an experienced adult wizard.
Magical riots usually occurred when a wizard was awake and emotionally unstable.
Because of that, he was certain that Aris had already awakened.
As for why the boy still kept his eyes closed—
That was precisely why Xenophilius's tone had grown more serious.
Instinctively, he felt that the child lying on the bed was far from ordinary.
At this moment, Aris had already finished merging with Merlin's talent template.
He had sensed Xenophilius entering the room earlier.
Since it was impossible to keep pretending, he slowly opened his eyes.
He glanced around the room before finally looking calmly at Xenophilius.
"Who exactly are you?"
Xenophilius's voice was serious—almost sharp.
What surprised him, however, was Aris's reaction.
The boy remained completely calm.
There was not the slightest hint of panic.
His composure was far beyond what one would expect from a child of his age.
"My name is Aris."
"Aris Shafik."
He paused slightly before continuing.
"Excuse me… where is this place?"
Facing the calm and composed boy, Xenophilius's expression grew even more serious.
For some reason, speaking to the boy in front of him felt less like talking to a child and more like speaking to an adult who had already experienced the world.
At the same time, a thought made him hesitate.
Shafik?
That surname instantly reminded him of something.
As he thought about it, his expression suddenly changed.
He looked carefully at the boy in front of him, surprise and confusion appearing on his face.
Before Xenophilius could speak again, Luna suddenly ran over.
"Don't worry, we don't mean any harm!"
She stopped beside Aris with a bright smile and stretched out her small hand.
"This is my home. My name is Luna Lovegood, and this is my father."
"Nice to meet you!"
Her voice sounded light and ethereal, carrying a natural kindness that easily put people at ease.
"Nice to meet you too."
Aris smiled and gently shook Luna's hand.
This greeting truly came from the bottom of his heart.
Even before coming to this world, he had always liked Luna Lovegood—the dreamy girl who seemed like an elf within the magical world.
Now, as he held her small hand, he could clearly feel the warmth of her palm.
The moment felt strangely surreal.
Xenophilius watched the two children interact with a somewhat dazed expression.
But the more he thought about it, the stronger his inner shock became.
Finally, he couldn't hold back his question.
"Shafik…"
"What is your relationship with the Shafik family?"
Aris turned to look at him, preparing to answer.
At that exact moment—
An owl hooted outside the window.
A moment later, a small figure flew through the open window.
The owl circled the room once before dropping a letter neatly onto the bed in front of Aris.
Xenophilius froze.
"That… that's a Hogwarts acceptance letter!"
His voice carried clear confusion.
He naturally recognized the familiar emblem on the envelope.
And it was obvious that this letter had been delivered for Aris, since Luna was not yet eleven years old.
The magical artifacts responsible for Hogwarts admissions—the Book of Admittance and the Quill of Acceptance—never made mistakes when identifying young witches and wizards.
"You actually received a Hogwarts acceptance letter!"
Luna was stunned for a moment.
But soon her surprise turned into excitement.
Her eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"Quick! Open it and see what it says!"
Aris himself was slightly confused.
He had only just arrived in this world.
Yet the Hogwarts acceptance letter had already appeared?
Was the timing really that precise?
Still feeling a bit dazed, he picked up the parchment envelope lying on the bed.
A dark red wax seal held the envelope closed.
Stamped into the wax was a familiar crest: a shield bearing a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake, surrounding a large capital letter H.
Turning the envelope over, he saw the address written in elegant emerald-green ink:
Aris ShafikLovegood HouseSecond Floor, Left RoomNear the HillOttery St. Catchpole
The magical parchment in his hand filled Aris with excitement.
It felt as though a door to a fantasy world had opened before him.
And all he had to do was open this envelope to receive his ticket inside.
"Open it!"
Luna sounded even more impatient than he was.
Seeing him hesitate, she couldn't help urging him again.
Aris glanced at her, then nodded slightly.
Taking a deep breath, he broke the wax seal and pulled out the parchment letter inside.
Then he began to read.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore(President of the International Confederation of Wizards, Supreme Mugwump, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Order of Merlin First Class)
Dear Mr. Shafik,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Enclosed is a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1st.
Please send your reply by owl no later than August 1st.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagallDeputy Headmistress
After reading the letter, Aris noticed another thick parchment attached behind it.
It was clearly the list of books and equipment he would need to purchase in Diagon Alley.
Since this was his first year at Hogwarts, the list was quite long.
At the same time, something in the letter caught his attention.
Reply before August 1st?
He remembered that Harry Potter's letter had required a reply by July 31st, which was Harry's birthday.
It seemed that Hogwarts generally required a response before the wizard's eleventh birthday to finalize the list of admitted students.
"You're actually a descendant of the Shafik family, one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight…"
"How is that possible?!"
Xenophilius stared at the letter in Aris's hand as he muttered to himself.
The confusion on his face had completely turned into shock.
In the wizarding world, bloodline meant everything.
The surname Shafik represented one of the twenty-eight sacred pure-blood families.
Only members of that family could possess that name.
And since Hogwarts had sent this letter—
It proved that Aris was undeniably a young wizard.
Which meant there was a very high probability that he truly belonged to the Shafik family.
Xenophilius lowered his head slightly, thinking deeply.
His brows furrowed.
"Father?"
Luna looked at him curiously.
Aris himself was also puzzled.
He didn't understand why Xenophilius had suddenly become so certain of his identity.
Although the system had indeed assigned him the identity of the last heir of the Shafik family.
Xenophilius finally looked up again.
His voice was still filled with shock.
"Rumor has it that after the rise of… well… that mysterious man whose name no one dares to speak, the last two members of the Shafik family mysteriously disappeared from the wizarding world."
"No one ever discovered what happened to them."
"Some people even believe they were murdered for refusing to obey him."
"And the other pure-blood families chose to remain silent."
"We all believed that the Shafik family had completely disappeared."
He stared directly at Aris.
"So if you really are a descendant of the Shafik family…"
"Why are you here?"
Aris frowned slightly.
His mind quickly began working.
First—
The truth that he was a transmigrator absolutely could not be revealed.
He needed to provide just enough information to confirm his identity as the last heir of the Shafik family…
Without arousing Xenophilius's suspicion.
The explanation would require careful wording.
Fortunately, Aris remembered that Xenophilius's personality in the original story was actually quite kind.
Until he understood this world more clearly—
Staying here for a while might not be a bad choice.