Filch's pronunciation of the magic spell was very precise; over the years, he must have practiced in secret.
As his words fell, a flame indeed shot out from his magic wand, fleeting as it was, it made Filch tremble with excitement.
"It's magic! I can have magic power!"
Filch's voice was filled with ecstasy and a touch of tears; he had dreamt of such a moment many times, but throughout the years, the miracle that all Squibs hoped for had never occurred.
However.
For unknown reasons.
Tonight, he witnessed a miracle and hope.
"It's truly Merlin's eyes seeing!" Filch was in tears, raising his wand intending to try other magic, but when he chanted another spell, he got no response.
Even the previously half-successful magic now showed no reaction at all, and Filch hurriedly chanted spells in panic, yet the magic power within him was quickly returning to silence.
"No!!"
Filch screamed in horror. He wanted to hold on to the magic power he could finally sense, but he couldn't even slow its retreat into dormancy.
The hope he had barely grasped slipped away like smoke, leaving nothing behind. This feeling made Filch suffer more than death itself.
"Don't do this to me! Don't give me hope only to take it away!"
He howled.
Truly, Squibs are pitiful, yet Ian found it hard to pity Filch, after all, his malice and jealousy towards little wizards was well known.
Unlike those in the darkest of places who still hold true to the light, Filch was the type who, finding himself in the dark, wanted to drag others down too.
He never appreciated Hogwarts for taking him in.
He even attempted to assist when Voldemort took over the school.
The students' dislike and disgust for him were not without reason, nor was it because he was a Squib, but because his own character was extremely vile and despicable.
"It seems my potion works indeed."
Ian witnessed Filch's rise to heaven and his subsequent fall to a deeper layer of hell, shaking his head as he maintained his invisibility and turned to leave the room.
Ian didn't open the locked and bolted door but walked straight through the wall, having mastered compound magic far beyond most adult wizards.
Of course.
There were people more accomplished than him, and more than one in Hogwarts. Just as he left Filch's room, Ian hadn't touched his Illusionary Body Spell yet was caught red-handed.
"Tsk tsk, so energetic at this late hour, you're a good prospect for getting work done."
Grindelwald, who seemed to have just returned, grabbed the invisible Ian with precision, Catching him firmly by the nape.
The Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts's eyes seemed not only capable of prophecy but also seeing through illusions.
"What work?"
Ian slowly appeared.
"Moving things."
Grindelwald was brief, carrying Ian towards the office—a little wizard sighed heavily, already pondering in his mind how to link his brain with the Living Map.
"Do none of you sleep at night?"
Ian was helpless.
He was often given various odd jobs by Snape, while Grindelwald also loved having him as a free laborer, though house-elves were very adept at such tasks.
"At the end of the Christmas holiday, I have a new surprise for you little wizards," Grindelwald said with a smile, seemingly enjoying his role as Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts immensely.
"Dementors? Or some other terrifying creatures?"
Ian tried to probe Grindelwald's plans for his classmates.
"Ha, all of the above, all of the above."
Grindelwald turned the office door, the interior brightly lit, and to Ian's unexpected surprise, Aurora, whom he had recently parted with, was also there.
The little German girl seemed quite obedient, sitting before a chair.
Ian thought she might be getting scolded.
For he had noticed a supper on Grindelwald's desk, and beside it, a cup that had been dumped into the trash.
It had residues of Truth Serum.
Of course.
The love-hate dynamic between their family was one story, but for Ian, wide-eyed as he was, it was still no match for the story behind that supper on the desk.
"Did you fry the dragon egg?!"
Ian looked at the full platter of fried eggs, both suspicious and amazed.
"Didn't you say dragon eggs were premium ingredients?"
Aurora tilted her head, somewhat puzzled. She was not surprised Grindelwald had brought Ian here; perhaps his goal was exactly that.
"That was just me kidding last time I was here..." Ian felt a pang as he glanced sneakily at Grindelwald who had just set him down.
The little wizard already mumbling internally, was it because their cooperative adventure had been exposed? He suspected Grindelwald had deliberately blocked him at Filch's door.
"I have no appetite; eat if you want."
Grindelwald sat down in his chair, pushing the dragon egg toward Ian. He seemed quite mild, showing no signs of wanting to blow up over Ian and Aurora's affairs.