After the conversation ended, the shop owner and Ryan returned to the store. Ryan didn't dare linger any longer, so he and Hermione quickly paid the bill and left. As they stepped outside, two more figures emerged from the backyard—one was Principal Fernando, and the other, a middle-aged wizard with an unremarkable appearance. Had Ryan still been present, he would have recognized the man immediately—the same wizard who had directed them to the store earlier.
"Frank, is that kid reliable?" the middle-aged wizard asked the shop owner.
"He's better than we expected," said the shop owner, Frank. "I only heard that one British student had managed to enter the Emerald Dream, so I thought he might be worth testing. But after the misunderstanding-induced skirmish just now, I realized his strength far exceeds our estimations."
"I'm not entirely reassured. The intel I received claimed that the boy comes from a completely Muggle family. Yet, the powerful spells he cast—without a wand—and that enchanted weapon of his… they exude an unusual aura. These aren't things a Muggle-born wizard should possess. What if he's a spy from the Chimera Society?" the middle-aged man said cautiously.
"Oh, Hans, you've been Auror captain for too long—always suspicious," Principal Fernando replied. "You know as well as I do that someone who can enter the Emerald Dream would never associate with those monsters from the Chimera Society. They twist nature with evil magic. Based on my years of judgment, I don't believe that boy is one of them."
"I agree with Fernando," Frank added. "When he thought I might silence him permanently, he didn't flee. Instead, he followed me. That shows two things—first, confidence in his own abilities (though truthfully, it's just that our grocery store recently installed an escape mechanism, so he was sure he could get away), and second, his concern for his companions. He stayed to protect them. That tells me he's a good person. No need to doubt him so harshly."
"Maybe you're right. I'm just overly cautious," admitted Hans. "I just really hope we can finally catch those Chimera Society bastards this time. That relic the defected saint brought with him—it's been in their hands for far too long. Even with all the seals Grindelwald set on it, I fear they may have found a way to break through. If that's the case… well, the kid's power might buy us time. Hopefully enough to track the Chimera Society's trail."
"I hope so too," Fernando said with a grave tone. "That object is too dangerous. It cannot fall into the hands of lunatics and terrorists. If the Chimera Society weren't so secretive that even its members don't know each other's identities, I wouldn't have taken such a desperate gamble—dragging in a British kid I've never met to act as an insider. It goes against everything I stand for as a principal. He was never meant to be involved."
"Don't feel too guilty," Frank consoled. "We'll reward him when this is over. And remember—we're doing the right thing. Sometimes a white lie is necessary."
Unaware of the secret discussion taking place behind him, Ryan returned to the main street with Hermione, having just mailed a bag full of potion ingredients to the Weasley twins via Owl Post. He remained oblivious to the weighty task he had unknowingly accepted—one possibly tied to Grindelwald and the legacy of the Saints.
Later, Ryan and his two companions found a local restaurant for lunch.
That's right—there were now three of them. Ryan and Hermione had run into Arya (formerly Zhang Qiu) at the Owl Post Office, where she was writing a letter to Cedric in preparation for Halloween. After a brief chat in the lobby, the trio decided to grab lunch together.
The restaurant served native cuisine, so they all opted for local dishes. Ryan ordered grilled golden arowana.
"Why would you choose that bony freshwater fish?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow as she poked at her barbecue rice.
"You know, this fish is considered ornamental in the East. A single beautiful specimen can cost tens of thousands of pounds. I just wanted to experience what luxury tastes like," Ryan replied with a grin, cutting into the fish with a knife and fork.
During the meal, Arya's personality gradually became clearer. As a top student from Ravenclaw, she and Hermione had plenty to talk about, but Arya was no ordinary bookworm. She was sharp-eyed, self-reliant, and possessed an energy that didn't quite match the demure version from the movies. Her vibe was more akin to a well-trained duelist—independent and unpredictable.
Ryan learned several things during their conversation. For one, Arya was easily the most striking girl he had ever met—not just in appearance but in presence. She embodied J.K. Rowling's original description of her character, not the watered-down version portrayed on screen. She was also a half-blood witch. Her mother worked in the Ministry of Magic, while her father ran a restaurant in London's Chinatown. Arya had been gradually introduced to the magical world from a young age.
She shared that she had been a fan of the Tutshill Tornadoes since she was six and had always dreamed of becoming a professional Quidditch player. It was one of her lifelong ambitions, and she spoke of it with conviction.
Ryan was mildly surprised that Arya was half-blood. Given her extensive exposure to the magical world since childhood, he had assumed she was pure-blood. But on reflection, it made sense. There weren't many Chinese wizards in Britain to begin with, and a same-ethnicity pairing was unlikely. Her mother finding a Muggle husband wasn't strange at all.
Ryan did feel a slight twinge of disappointment, however. Since his own family had immigrated earlier, Arya only spoke Cantonese, while he only spoke Mandarin. Despite sharing ethnic roots, they couldn't converse in their so-called "common tongue," so they continued in English. Hermione was amused by this irony—two Chinese wizards unable to speak each other's dialect—but she also understood. With China's population exceeding that of all Europe combined, regional differences were inevitable.
What surprised Ryan most was that Arya actually knew his grandfather. Not exactly shocking—Ryan's grandfather had run a restaurant in Chinatown for years—but it was still unexpected.
Arya recounted a story from when she was about five or six. One evening, Ryan's grandfather visited her home. During dinner, she accidentally used magic to levitate a teacup in front of him. But the man didn't even flinch. He simply sipped his tea calmly and continued the conversation with her grandfather.
To this day, Arya wasn't sure whether Ryan's grandfather had actually seen the cup floating in the air—or if he had, whether he'd deliberately pretended not to notice.
That incident stuck with Ryan. It suggested that his grandfather, now retired and living back in the Celestial Empire, might have had his own hidden stories.
After lunch, Arya said her goodbyes, heading off to run errands of her own. Ryan and Hermione, meanwhile, made their way toward the bookstore district—places that had been too crowded during the noon heat but were now pleasantly empty.
FOR MORE CHAPTERS
patreon.com/STEPHENHART427