Prying open wooden boards.
Digging the earth.
Opening the coffin.
Filling back and covering with wooden boards.
As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. This series of smooth and fluid operations didn't take Ian too long, and he rarely managed to climb onto the hard wooden bed before eleven at night.
"At least it's relatively good for both the cervical and lumbar vertebrae."
Young as he was, Ian had already started considering health maintenance. His usual sleep quality was quite good, yet tonight he suffered from some insomnia due to an active mind.
"The library with free reading, the Hogwarts kitchen, the owl shed in the West Tower... I hope no one considers it a self-service buffet."
An active mind.
Overcoming the drowsiness brought on by physical fatigue.
Ian couldn't help but start planning his goals for the first year.
"I definitely need to find the Room of Requirement and see if it can give me a magic wand that can't be taken out. Then I'd be free to practice magic in the room without any worries."
"As for Quidditch, whoever wants to learn it can, but the Flying Broom is something I should study. Altering its design could be really cool... It's a pity I didn't get to ride the Hogwarts Express."
Ian didn't even know when he fell asleep.
Outside the window.
The stars, like diamonds scattered on black velvet, shimmered with a soft and distant glow. A shooting star streaked across like an unintentional stroke of ink on the scroll of the starry sky.
The chirping of insects and the rustling of leaves accompanied people until dawn.
"Brush teeth! Wash face!"
No need for an alarm, when the sunlight poured into the room, he suddenly opened his eyes and jumped out of bed, quickly putting on the black robe that Snape had bought him in Diagon Alley.
Most wizards would change into their uniforms on the Hogwarts Express, but he obviously didn't have that opportunity, so he naturally had to get fully dressed upon waking up.
It's not like he could strip and change in front of the entire school, right?
No one would throw hateful Golden Galleons at him anyway.
"Even if there were Golden Galleons, I wouldn't embarrass myself like that!" Ian was someone who loved money in a sensible way; he thought earning this kind of money by selling his body wasn't worth it. He might as well go to Diagon Alley and rob Wizard Nick.
After checking the floor's solidity and ensuring his belongings were all packed back into the suitcase, Ian eagerly awaited Snape's arrival.
Just like that.
The sun rose in the east, hung high, and drifted towards the west... Ian's expression changed from initial excitement to a somewhat lifeless emptiness.
"Did he forget about me!"
Ian remembered Snape saying he'd pick him up when school started, but after waiting nearly the whole day, Snape hadn't come. He began reconsidering Snape's credibility.
In the original works.
This Old Bat's reputation wasn't too great, was it? The more he thought about it, the more he believed he'd been stood up. Ian picked up his suitcase, planning to make his way to Hogwarts on his own.
The end station for the Hogwarts Express was near the village, and the distance to the Hogwarts castle wasn't too far, though it did require passing through a dense forest path.
"Bang~"
Just as he dragged his suitcase to the front door, the wooden cabin door was rudely kicked open. The eternally expressionless Snape stepped in and glanced around.
He seemed to sigh with relief.
His deep gaze finally fell on Ian.
"Pack up and come along,"
he said,
and with a rigid face, he turned and walked out of the cabin.
"I thought you'd forgotten about me."
Ian hurried to follow.
"Ha, don't you have legs? Can't you find your own way to school?"
Snape sneered.
"Well, I was just about ready to rely on myself."
Ian pouted.
Following right behind Snape, he finally saw that besides himself, there was another person waiting outside with a suitcase.
The evening glow bathed the girl's face, adding a faint golden sheen to her platinum blonde hair.
"Miss Grindelwald."
Ian greeted with some surprise.
"Good afternoon, my friend. You can just call me by my name."
Aurora nodded slightly.
Seeing that the two knew each other, Snape immediately frowned. His eyes darted between the two, finally fixing sharply on Aurora.
"Did you teach him that magic?"
Clearly,
Snape had connected Ian's learning of the Imperio with Aurora.
Though Ian's ability to learn had surprised him, he couldn't really trust that one would find notes on the Dark Arts lying in the streets of Hogwarts Village.
"He hasn't learned any magic from me,"
Aurora locked eyes with Snape, her tone calm. Her heterochromatic eyes didn't show a hint of emotion; she wasn't intimidated by Snape's gaze.
"Miss Grindelwald, I don't care what reason Dumbledore had for approving your application to enter Hogwarts. I just hope you'll adhere to Hogwarts' rules."
"Don't let things that shouldn't exist make their way around the school," Snape said sternly, an obvious veiled warning.
"A reasonable request." Aurora nodded in agreement, without argument. Standing not far from her, Ian kept a keen eye on whether the girl might reach for a magic wand.
"And you!"
Snape suddenly turned his attention to Ian.
"What nonsense have you been telling Dumbledore?"
His gaze was almost predatory.
"Huh?"
Ian looked utterly confused.
"I merely treated Headmaster Dumbledore to a cup of tea." Ian recalled his past interactions with Dumbledore, displaying a puzzled yet faintly aggrieved expression.
"I thought I was quite proper in my manners, but Headmaster Dumbledore's bird nearly made me enter old age prematurely." Ian reflexively touched his head.
Living in England.
A man worries about two things from birth.
The first is same-sex attraction.
The second... naturally is whether his scalp will become a Mediterranean.
"If you hadn't spoken out of turn, why would Dumbledore—"
Snape began to angrily retort.
However.
"Professor, when will we depart?"
Aurora interrupted him from the side.
Realizing that family rumors shouldn't be overheard by outsiders, Snape repressed his questioning and, with a sullen face, walked past the two towards the outskirts of Hogwarts Village.
"Follow me!"
His voice was loud.
"Hey, friend, do you need help with your luggage?"
Ian enthusiastically approached Aurora's side.
"It's easy for me,"
Aurora calmly declined Ian's offer of help.
"I knew you had it in you. So, can you hold this for me? It's not so easy for me to carry."
In the girl's astonished gaze, Ian rolled his suitcase to her other side, considerately prying open her hand to place the suitcase handle in it.
"?????"
Unable to believe it, her eyes widened.
Aurora watched as Ian dashed ahead.