"Today is a fine day for fishing~ Everything I wish for will come true~"
Lynn hummed a cheerful little tune as he carried his fishing rod toward a newly discovered fishing spot in the Forbidden Forest.
After skillfully choosing his location, Lynn cast his line into the water and settled down, beginning his daily session of quietly spacing out.
Clop-clop~
A faint yet strangely familiar sound of hooves came from somewhere nearby.
Without even turning his head, Lynn muttered lazily,
"That sound is so familiar… why does it sound like some kind of ungulate that's had too much to drink…"
Suddenly, he whipped his head around.
Behind him there was nothing but a few dense bushes and a crooked old tree. The place was completely empty—there wasn't even a Gnome in sight.
"Auditory hallucinations?"
Lynn scratched his head. After the last time he had been surrounded by a Unicorn army, he wondered if he had become a little neurotic. With a shrug, he turned back and continued staring at his fishing float.
Clop-clop~
The sound came again.
This time it was even closer—almost right behind that crooked tree.
Lynn didn't hesitate anymore. He immediately shouted toward the tree.
"Anya! Come out! Stop hiding! I know it's you! I could practically compose a code out of your hoofbeats!"
Silence followed.
Not even a leaf moved behind the tree, as if the sound earlier had merely been the wind bumping a pebble.
"Still not coming out?"
Lynn narrowed his eyes, wearing an expression that clearly said I've already seen through you.
"If you don't come over, I'll personally walk over and 'invite' you out. I'm counting to three—"
Clop-clop~
Before Lynn could even begin counting, a silver-white head slowly poked out from behind the tree trunk.
Anya revealed a very innocent smile.
"Hehe~ Um… Lynn… what a coincidence, you're also taking a walk by the lake? Well… it's just… do you still have any of that… wine?"
Lynn: "..."
Looking at the Unicorn before him—who had apparently improved her tracking and stealth skills just for a sip of wine—he felt utterly speechless.
"Didn't I just have Levi send dozens of barrels over to you guys a few days ago?!"
Lynn's voice was full of disbelief.
"Are you all drinking it like water? How did you finish it so fast?!"
Anya lowered her head sheepishly and scraped the grass with her hoof. Her voice became as quiet as a mosquito.
"Well… everyone thought it tasted great… so… we just drank it a little faster than expected…"
"You still have the nerve to say that!"
Lynn rubbed his forehead.
"It's gone! Completely gone! Not a single drop left! My inventory has been completely drained by you lot! Even the landlord wouldn't have any surplus grain left after this!"
"Oh… okay…"
Upon hearing that, Anya immediately wilted like a frost-bitten eggplant.
She walked over to Lynn's side dejectedly and asked casually, mostly just to keep the conversation going.
"Today… why didn't your friends come to accompany you while you fish?"
Lynn replied without missing a beat.
"Them? Oh, final exams are coming soon. They're all buried in revision in the Library or the Common Room, making every second count. They're being very diligent."
That was a lie.
The real reason was that Lynn had been so noisy in the dormitory that he seriously disrupted the study atmosphere. The other three had collectively "invited" him out.
Anya tried to steer the conversation back toward wine several times with indirect hints, but Lynn blocked every attempt by saying they could talk about it next term.
She immediately lost interest in staying.
"Alright then, take your time fishing. I'm heading back."
After saying that, Anya turned and left with crisp, decisive steps, without the slightest hesitation.
That resolute back perfectly illustrated the saying:
When there's wine, you're family; when there isn't, who even are you?
Lynn watched her figure disappear into the forest, shook his head helplessly, and sat back down by the lakeshore to continue his "patient chess match" with the fish.
After an unknown amount of time, just as Lynn was about to fall asleep staring at the calm surface of the lake—
The float on his fishing rod suddenly sank!
"Whoa! Jackpot! A big fish! It's definitely a Troll-level big fish!"
Lynn instantly snapped awake and shouted excitedly.
But as he began reeling in the line, his expression slowly changed.
"This feeling… something's not right…"
He muttered while pulling in the line.
"How come there's no struggle at all? Is it snagged on the bottom? No… if it were snagged it wouldn't move… Could it be weeds?"
Lynn stepped backward bit by bit while continuing to reel the line in.
Finally—
Splash!
Amidst a spray of water, something burst out from the surface of the lake.
It wasn't a fish.
It was a wooden box.
The box wasn't very large, roughly the size of a mobile phone box. It appeared to be made from some kind of corrosion-resistant ebony, and a brass lock was fixed on the front.
Looking at the "catch" he had just reeled in, the excitement on Lynn's face instantly collapsed, replaced by confusion and speechlessness.
Seriously…
Anglers really can catch anything except fish, can't they?
He complained inwardly.
Last time it had been an old shoe from a Water Demon.
The time before that it was an old cauldron some jerk had thrown into the lake.
And this time it had upgraded directly into a treasure chest?
Was the bottom of the Black Lake some kind of junkyard?!
"What is this thing?"
Lynn lifted the wooden box and shook off the water dripping from it.
He first carefully inspected it to make sure there were no curses or traces of Dark Magic. After confirming that it was just an ordinary box, he tried to open it.
"Alohomora!"
The light from the tip of his wand struck the brass lock.
But the lock didn't move at all.
It showed absolutely no reaction.
"Huh? It even has an Anti-Unlocking Charm?"
Lynn's temper immediately flared.
"To hell with this! It's bad enough that it isn't a fish, but now it's a broken box that won't even open! What a waste of my emotions!"
Lynn raised his foot and stomped down hard on the wooden box.
Crack!
With a crisp sound, the seemingly sturdy wooden box was kicked open by his angry stomp.
The lid popped open crookedly, revealing the contents inside.
Resting on the soft lining was a ruby the size of a pigeon's egg—perfectly round and glowing with a deep blood-red brilliance.
Lynn crouched down and looked curiously at the unexpectedly obtained gem before reaching out to pick it up.
It felt warm to the touch.
Not cold at all.
Lynn fell silent.
He looked at the ruby in his hand, then glanced back at the calm, ripple-less lake.
So…
Did today's fishing trip count as coming home empty-handed or not?
After thinking for a moment, Lynn decided it would be better to pack up and return to the castle first. He could study the mysterious ruby later.
Just as Lynn gathered his fishing line and slung the rod over his shoulder—
Crack!
A sudden sound like air splitting open rang out behind him, accompanied by a few splashes of golden sparks.
Startled, Lynn immediately spun around, his hand instinctively reaching for the wand in his pocket.
The flash of light and the crackling sound appeared and vanished almost simultaneously.
A tall figure was already standing there.
"Tom~ don't be so obsessed…"
The old headmaster had only spoken half a sentence before abruptly stopping, like a record skipping.
He blinked and looked again, realizing the person in front of him was not the one he had expected.
His tone instantly changed.
"…Uh… Mr. Lynn?"
Lynn was equally stunned.
With his wand still in hand, he instinctively replied,
"Professor Dumbledore?"
The two stared at each other.
For a moment, the scene became extremely quiet… and rather awkward.
---
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