Wu's Orphanage.

In the corridor,

Dumbledore looked around.

His gaze was filled with complex memories—over the years, the decor here seemed largely unchanged.

“Ms. Elena, I have come for Ian Prince.”

Upon being received by the headmistress of the orphanage, Dumbledore stepped into the office, and his arrival seemed to dispel any lingering chill in the room.

“He needs to complete his education.”

Sunlight streamed through the stained glass windows, casting a warm glow on Dumbledore's silver hair and beard, enveloping the aged wizard in a soft and mysterious light.

“Oh! That’s truly wonderful!”

The headmistress named Elena was a woman in her fifties, with gray hair and a very kind smile.

She warmly invited Dumbledore to sit and brewed him a cup of red tea—a rather cheap kind, with a distinctly old taste.

“Ian Prince is a good boy, and quite mature for his age. He doesn’t play much with the other children at the orphanage; he always prefers to do his own thing.”

As Elena introduced Ian, Dumbledore pondered thoughtfully.

He set down the red tea that Elena had poured for him.

“Ms. Elena, do you mean to say that Ian Prince is a rather solitary child?”

Dumbledore’s gaze made the headmistress Elena pause for a moment.

Immediately, she shook her head to clarify.

“No, no, you misunderstood me. Perhaps I should explain it this way: Ian is simply a very mature child. When the other children want to play with him, Ian just doesn’t enjoy their games.”

Elena paused and said, “Ian once mentioned that playing house is quite boring and too childish; he would rather spend that time playing with birds.”

“Playing with birds? That’s quite a nice hobby. It seems that Mr. Ian Prince is the kind of child who feels close to animals.”

Dumbledore seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and joked with a smile,

“It looks like he will have an owl in the future.”

Upon hearing this, Elena was momentarily taken aback.

However, she still maintained her smile and spoke well of Ian.

“Although Ian finds the other children childish, he still takes good care of his younger siblings.”

“He’s only eleven, yet he sneaks out to earn money and buys flour and vegetables to stash in the kitchen… He remembers every child’s birthday.”

“He even buys candy for his younger siblings.”

Elena spoke with satisfaction but suddenly seemed a bit sad, letting out a sigh full of self-reproach.

“It’s also because the current social environment is poor, and it’s hard for the orphanage to receive donations. Of course, this is also my lack of ability, needing a child to go out and earn money…”

Elena appeared quite distressed.

“There’s no need for you to feel guilty; you’ve done enough. The changes here are significant, and I can feel it,” Dumbledore said, even using a respectful title compared to Elena, who was probably half a century younger than him.

He sincerely comforted her.

“Have you been here before?”

Elena asked, somewhat surprised.

“This is not my first visit.”

Dumbledore smiled slightly.

Elena didn’t press further.

She was more concerned about the adoption issue.

“Sir, if you intend to take Ian from the orphanage, please believe me, he will be a wonderful child.” Elena truly hoped such a sensible child would have a good home.

“Then, may I meet him?”

Dumbledore asked with a smile.

Under the influence of the Confundus Charm, some of Elena's perceptions would deviate from reality.

This did not need to be corrected.

“Of course! Of course! Sir!” Ms. Elena exclaimed joyfully, first standing up and saying to Dumbledore, “Please wait for me.”

As Elena stepped outside, she saw Ian, who had just returned to the yard.

A look of eager joy appeared on her face as she waved at him and called out,

“Ian, come here for a moment!”

Ian was pushing a small cart.

Suddenly, a child ran over and hugged him: “Ian, it seems like something big is happening for you! Hurry up, don’t keep Ms. Elena waiting.”

In the orphanage, everyone regarded being adopted as a big deal.

After all, for these homeless children, nothing was more important than being taken away.

Of course, Ian was different.

He knew this wasn’t about being adopted.

Feeling a bit anxious,

Ian was pulled toward the office.

“It’s really him!”

Having stolen a glance before, he now confirmed that the person in the office was indeed Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts, the greatest wizard of the century.

“Don’t be nervous.”

Before Ian could speak, he saw Dumbledore observing him.

“Child, I need to tell you a fact: you are a wizard.”

Under Ian's feigned surprise,

Dumbledore’s gaze was deep.

“I’m sure you must have noticed your differences from others a long time ago.” His eyes appeared not murky, but rather pure, like a child’s.

“Um.”

Ian did not respond immediately. He first looked up at Ms. Elena and found her expression unchanged, as if she hadn’t heard what the old man was saying.

Is this… the Confundus Charm?

Forcing himself to calm down,

he avoided Dumbledore’s gaze.

“It’s true, I did notice this early on. Sometimes when I stare at my cup, I can make the water inside it ripple a bit. So, is this the power of a wizard?”

Ian didn’t dare to pretend to be ignorant.

His response made Dumbledore smile and nod.

“Yes, that’s the magic within you at work. Sometimes, when you’re angry at someone, the fluctuations of this magic become more intense.”

Dumbledore’s tone was gentle.

However, to Ian, this sounded too much like fishing for a response. What do you mean the fluctuations become more intense when angry? I'm not some Tom Riddle!

“Sir, I rarely get angry at others because being swayed by emotions doesn’t solve problems.” Ian continued to respond in a calm and gentle tone.

Dumbledore seemed quite pleased with this answer.

He smiled, and with his nod, his beard shook.

“You are a very clever child; Ms. Elena was right: you are indeed quite mature for your age.” As he spoke, Dumbledore's aged eyes looked at Ian and slowly continued,

“Hogwarts is the magic academy that every wizard in the world wishes to join. There, you can learn all kinds of magic and study various magical creatures…”

“Don’t be nervous, Mr. Ian Prince. As the headmaster of Hogwarts, I formally extend an invitation to you, hoping you will come to study at Hogwarts.”

It’s here!

It’s finally here!

Ian Prince felt very nervous. Although in his previous life he had only seen a few Hogwarts movies and some Hermione fanfiction, he had heard of the great name of Professor X from Hogwarts.

Ian was genuinely worried that Dumbledore would act like the unscrupulous characters in those conspiracy theory fanfics.

“Is there something you’re concerned about?”

Dumbledore noticed Ian’s emotions and thought he had concerns about Hogwarts, so he gently reassured him: “At Hogwarts, there are hippogriffs that can fly, trees that fight back, and most importantly, there will be a group of children your age with whom you will learn magic together.”

“Don’t worry about the process of learning magic… Ian, in fact, a very remarkable wizard once came from this orphanage.”

Dumbledore suddenly seemed lost in thought, his tone wistful.

Upon hearing this,

Ian became even more anxious.

Why was he anxious?

Isn’t it clear how “remarkable” that man from this orphanage truly was!

“Is that wizard still at Hogwarts?”

Ian forced himself to sound curious.

Dumbledore was pulled from his memories by Ian's voice; he shook his head.

“In fact, he has been away from Hogwarts for a very long time and has gone astray.”

Dumbledore said with earnestness.

Ian thought he might follow this up with some critical words, but unexpectedly, the old man shifted his tone, speaking slowly with a hint of regret and wistfulness, “However, that does not diminish his extraordinary achievements; he could have gone much further.”

Ian looked at Dumbledore in apparent bewilderment, while various thoughts surged in his mind.

Dumbledore's seemingly long sighs of speech,

Were they warnings?

Or tests?

Damn! My damn paranoia, all thanks to those Harry Potter fanfics—Ian tried to rein in his imagination, doing his best not to overthink.

“Child, have you made your decision?”

Dumbledore's voice rang in his ears.

“Um… then I’ll give it a try?”

Ian had been waiting for this day and certainly wouldn’t choose to refuse.

“A wise choice. In half a month, Hogwarts will send you an acceptance letter, and someone will come to take you shopping for your school supplies.”

Dumbledore smiled at Ian.

Ian shrugged and politely declined, “I’m sorry, sir, but even if I want to enroll, it’s useless because I have no money; I can’t afford the tuition.”

Dumbledore had already stood up, picking up his hat from the hat rack.

At this moment, Elena suddenly stood up and said to Dumbledore, “Thank you, in half a month, Ian will definitely go.”

Ian was taken aback, then quickly realized.

This was the power of the Confundus Charm; he didn’t know what scene Elena had seen, but clearly, she couldn’t see the real conversation between him and Dumbledore.

Dumbledore did not speak to Elena but smiled at Ian and said,

“You don’t need to worry about money. First, the school has a financial aid fund. Second, the person coming to pick you up will not ask you for money; he… feels he owes you a lot.”

As he spoke,

Dumbledore began to move.

Ian was once again taken aback and stood up, looking toward Dumbledore as he walked toward the door.

“Who? My parents?”

Am I still a pureblood?

This was somewhat unexpected for Ian.

“That is not for me to reveal.” Dumbledore merely winked at Ian, gave him a farewell gesture, and spoke with a tone full of meaning.

“Child, you’ll know when the time comes.”

With that, he left without looking back.

Elena happily accompanied him out.

Ian opened his mouth but said nothing and turned to leave, heading back to his room.

That night,

Ian lay in bed, pondering why Dumbledore had come early—was it because of Wu's Orphanage, or because he was originally supposed to be named Ian Riddle?

Or was it just because of his name, Prince?

Does the original story even have this pureblood surname?

As he thought about this,

Ian felt his eyelids grow heavy.

The next moment,

he gradually shifted from drowsiness to wakefulness, as if crossing some boundary—on the horizon, a streak of rosy dawn beautifully intertwined like silk against the gradually changing blue sky, and the distant woods resembled a fairy tale paradise, lush and vibrant, as a small bird skimmed the treetops, its song crisp and melodious.

Under this picturesque sky, everything was tinted with dreamlike colors, making one feel as if they were immersed in an exquisite painting, providing an unprecedented sense of tranquility and cleansing for the soul.

Ian opened his eyes, gazing at the breathtaking scenery before him.

“You're here again.”

A gentle voice rang in his ears.

“I almost forgot, today is Saturday.”

Ian turned to look at the girl emerging from the woods.

She wore a blue dress, her golden hair cascading over her shoulders, looking at Ian with a pure expression.

“Ariana, I ran into a scary old man today, and I forgot to bring you candy.”

He said to the girl.