Hogwarts Raven

The mist before him dissolved in layers as if space itself were collapsing.

Ian jolted awake.

He shifted uncomfortably on the narrow bed. Moonlight streamed through the window, casting a silvery haze over the room.

The clock on the wall read 12:07. The second hand ticked relentlessly.

Ian hadn't expected only seven minutes to have passed in reality after such a vivid, surreal dream.

"Ha..."

He breathed deeply, wiping away nonexistent sweat.

A sense of disorientation lingered, more mental than physical.

Thoughts of the Twilight Zone flooded his mind. He instinctively glanced at the back of his hand, noticing a faint white mark.

The small room remained dim, illuminated only by the moonlight.

Ian sat up, walked to his desk, opened the drawer, and retrieved a small flashlight. He shone it on his arm, examining the mark closely.

"What is this?"

Curiosity piqued, he inspected the mark, a gift from his friend.

The faint mark shimmered momentarily before vanishing completely into his skin.

In the dream, he could bring real-world objects into the dream and vice versa, like the chocolate he had given to Ariana.

But what was the purpose of this mark?

Ian didn't know.

He tried to check his skill panel:

Name: Ian Prince

Class: Bloodline Sorcerer

Magic Power: Level 4

Skills:

Language Mastery (Level 3): 23/400

Biology Dissection (Level 4): 796/800

Free Fighting (Level 3): 85/400

Psychology (Level 6): 42/3200

Psychology Extraordinary Traits: Thought Perception

He had expected to find something.

However...

There was no mention of the mark on the panel.

Thinking it over, it made sense. This gift from his friend was clearly not a skill, just like the ability to enter the Twilight Zone wouldn't be reflected on his panel.

Maybe he needed to check for similar cases in the Hogwarts library. 

'That place was said to have the most comprehensive knowledge reserves in the entire magical world', Ian mused as he rubbed his arm on the desk.

Soon, drowsiness overtook him, and he returned to bed, falling into a deep sleep.

…

Time flew by.

The next morning, Ian was already at his desk, immersed in his language books.

[Successfully read a French word, Language Proficiency +1]

[Successfully read Latin, Language Proficiency +1]

[Successfully read Latin, Language Proficiency +1]

"Ha..."

Ian exhaled deeply, rubbing his brow.

Learning languages wasn't easy. Each word required precise pronunciation and meticulous memorization.

Of course...

Hard work always pays off.

'Language Mastery (Level 3): 35/400 (+12)'

His proficiency had already increased after a morning of practice.

The day when this skill reached level 5, unlocking Extraordinary Traits, wasn't far off. With no charms to learn, the practical skills available to choose from were limited.

He wondered what the Extraordinary Traits of this language skill might be.

Filled with anticipation for the future, Ian began his day.

After lunch, he wheeled his small cart to his usual spot, ready to continue his daily routine of fortune-telling. Some might call it a scam, but in reality, it relied heavily on his self-taught knowledge of Psychology and his inherent psychological insights.

It appeared as if Ian was simply arranging divination tools, Tarot cards, on the table. In truth, he relied entirely on his understanding of human psychology to gauge what the other person was thinking.

To be honest, even if Ian could truly perform divination, from a financial perspective, his current method might be more profitable – sometimes, people weren't always eager to hear the truth.

As Ian called out loudly, another woman was drawn to him, curious to try her luck. He observed her clothing, the pauses in her speech, and the expressions on her face.

He had a clear sense of her thoughts.

It was as if he could read her mind as he immediately spoke, "Madam, you've been feeling a lot of pressure recently."

The woman nodded calmly as if it were obvious.

This wasn't a difficult deduction.

Ian smiled, "Is it about your school admissions?"

The woman looked a little surprised. "Oh, you're right."

Ian nodded. "Yes, your supervisor has been causing some trouble. You're about to graduate, but if this continues, it's clear that your supervisor won't allow you to graduate smoothly."

The woman's mouth dropped open in shock.

After a beat, her voice trembled as she spoke to Ian with a tone of respect, "Young Sir, yes, you're right. So, what should I do?"

[Successfully observed the psychology, Psychology proficiency +1]

His attribute panel had increased.

But Ian remained calm, knowing that the customer in front of him was now fully within his "hunting" range. With his mind-reading ability, he had already gained complete psychological control over the woman.

However, Ian had principles.

"Miss, I'm afraid you'll need to spend some money to ask the headmaster for help in clearing up the situation. But it won't be easy. If you had a talisman, though, the Goddess of Luck might look after you..."

The woman had already placed her trust in Ian. Looking at the various talismans he had recommended, she asked, "How much is each one? Can I buy them all?"

Seeing that the woman had money, but not expecting her to be this rich, Ian realized she was a big spender.

Ian immediately replied, "Of course, you can. Each talisman costs just 5 pounds."

He placed 20 talismans on the table, allowing her to choose.

"I'll take them all! Twenty times the luck!"

The woman purchased all 20 talismans, paying a total of 100 pounds.

This was indeed a big win.

The twenty talismans, handmade, were essentially just foreign versions of traditional charms. On yellow paper, in what looked like random English symbols, were the words for luck— nothing more than that.

Nevertheless, Ian still put on a show and said to the lady, "Goddess of Luck will bless you."

"Thank you!" The woman pressed her hands together in gratitude, looking very sincere.

Soon after, watching the customer leave, Ian finally smiled.

"Looks like my luck has turned around. I completed my mission by just setting up my stall today. I should head back early!"

One hundred pounds— this was a significant amount, with strong purchasing power, equivalent to around a thousand RMB, and considering this was the 1990s, the value was even higher.

This purchasing power was substantial, nearly equivalent to two months' worth of Ian's living expenses.

"Guess I'll pack up early today..."

After putting away the money and tidying up his fortune-telling stall, Ian pushed the small cart past a restaurant. After a moment's thought, he went inside and bought several pots of soup.

With that, he pushed the cart back to the orphanage.

"Wow, Ian, what's this?"

As soon as Ian returned to the orphanage, the children saw all the food and couldn't contain their excitement, their mouths watering at the sight of the cart.

It wasn't just the little ones— even the older kids ran over to check.

"Hey, Ian!"

They greeted him and then stared at the soup pots, their desire to eat showing in their eyes, patiently holding back.

Ian smiled and placed the soup pots on the table, telling the children, "Alright, everyone, go grab some utensils, and wipe off the drool!"

Hearing Ian's words, everyone burst into laughter.

Soon, as per Ian's instructions, the children brought utensils and began eating like a whirlwind.

As they ate, someone said, "Ian, I really envy you. You're going to a prestigious school. I heard from Miss Helena that even the headmaster personally invited you!"

"Wow, I want to go too."

"Tom, stop dreaming. Ian even studies on his own here at the orphanage, reading all sorts of books! Can you study like that?"

"The only reason a noble would choose Ian is because of his intelligence!"

Listening to the chatter, Ian was initially a bit stunned. A noble school? But quickly, he realized this must be the effect of the Confundus Charm.

So, he smiled and continued listening to their conversation, only occasionally responding.

At that moment, a voice suddenly cut through his thoughts.

"Ian, I know you're not going to a noble school. You're going to Hogwarts. That old man with the white beard said it's a school for magic who can turn things into candy."

The sudden voice startled Ian, making his mind go blank. He turned to look at the blonde-haired little girl in front of him.

The girl looked conflicted, and, taking advantage of the others not paying attention, she spoke to Ian in a pleading tone.

Seeing the girl's eager expression, Ian felt a strange tingling sensation. A ringing sound echoed in his ears, and amidst it, he distinctly heard the girl's voice, clear and desperate.

"I want to go to Hogwarts, and I want to learn magic that can make candy appear out of nowhere! Then, I will definitely be the candy princess!"

Ian shook his head, the sudden voice fading away.

He recognized this sensation now. It was a rare occurrence, a fleeting glimpse into the minds of others. He called it "Thought Perception," a peculiar ability he had developed over time.

Everyone else was happily eating soup, oblivious to the girl's fervent wish. But the little girl, with her longing gaze fixed on him, seemed to radiate a different energy.

Ian observed her closely. It seemed the Confundus Charm, which had affected everyone else, had no effect on her. This was intriguing. It could only mean one thing: she might possess some innate magical ability.

Dumbledore's powerful magic wouldn't allow such a significant oversight or error to be heard by a Muggle, unless…

"Can I go? Ian?"

Looking at the girl's eager expression, Ian regained his composure. He smiled calmly, "Of course, Catherine, but you need to be quiet about this for now... Keep this secret for now."

"Hogwarts only accepts obedient children."

The blonde-haired little girl, named Catherine, was overjoyed and almost burst into celebration.

Ian quickly stopped her, "Catherine, remember, this needs to be kept a secret."

Catherine immediately covered her mouth, "I'm a good girl, I won't tell! Even if Grandma breaks my legs, I won't say a word!"

Ian: "..."

…

Later that night.

In the orphanage kitchen, Ian expertly swung the knife, expertly slaughtering chickens, ducks, and other livestock.

The two cooks beside him praised him, "We owe you again, Ian. With you here, we save so much time."

The children needed to supplement their nutrition, so they had to eat meat.

And every night, Ian would come to the kitchen to help out.

Because of this, he honed his skills:

Successfully slaughtered a chicken, Biology Dissection proficiency increased.

Successfully slaughtered a duck, Biology Dissection proficiency increased.

Successfully slaughtered a duck, Biology Dissection proficiency increased.

He had been steadily improving his Biology Dissection skills.

However, tonight...

Congratulations, Biology Dissection proficiency is maxed out, and you have successfully leveled up.

Biology Dissection (Level 5): 1/1600

Congratulations, your skill has broken through Level 5 and earned an Extraordinary trait...

(End of chapter)