Hogwarts: Bloodline Legend-Chapter 554 - 161: Return to Diagon Alley, Nocturne Panic_2

Chapter 554: Chapter 161: Return to Diagon Alley, Nocturne Panic_2

The red Soul Fire lit up Ian’s face.

He and the black-robed Skeleton hiding under the bed stared wide-eyed at each other under the dark bedboards.

The atmosphere was a bit awkward.

After more than ten seconds of silence.

"Wow~"

The black-robed Skeleton, maybe because it was worried someone was outside, slowly raised its two skeletal "claws" and tried to scare Ian, but its voice was comically quiet.

"..."

The Little Wizard thought this spooky thing definitely had something wrong with its brain.

He looked at the empty skull of the black-robed Skeleton.

Oh.

No brain, huh.

Well, that’s fine then.

"What happened to you? Stuck under the bed?"

Standing in the room, Lupin saw half of the Little Wizard’s body sticking out from under the bed, frozen awkwardly for a long time, and he felt compelled to come over and offer Ian a hand.

"No! I’m fine! Don’t touch me!" Ian scrambled backward like a snake, wriggling out from under the bed, jumping up in a hurry to stop Lupin from crouching down and talking to him.

He was already plenty misunderstood by Lupin; if Lupin saw he was hiding a skeleton in his room, goodness knows what kind of report Lupin would give to Albus Dumbledore.

Although Ian didn’t think Albus Dumbledore would bother him, he still figured it was best not to disturb Albus Dumbledore and Grindelwald’s holiday during the break.

"You look kind of nervous."

Lupin didn’t seem especially suspicious, since he had his own assumptions: "I guess someone your age must have hidden some R-rated magazines under the bed."

Maybe this was Lupin’s view as someone who’d been there, and his I-totally-get-it look just proved that Gryffindor guys all think the same way.

"Uh, yeah, that’s right, I have my own privacy too..." As a healthy, upstanding kid, Ian really didn’t want to admit to such slander.

But to avoid exposing the black-robed Skeleton, he could only grit his teeth, swallow his pride, and admit to being a bit of a perv—which wasn’t entirely true, by the way.

Mhm.

Just like the terms "[to be employed]", "[about to be employed]", and "[employed for now]", the Little Wizard invented a new conceptual term to describe his own situation.

"It’s a bit early to get into that stuff at your age, but I guess it’s not surprising—precocious kids grow up fast." With a look of total understanding, Lupin patted Ian on the shoulder.

The Little Wizard managed to squeeze out an awkward but polite smile.

"So what exactly are you looking for?"

At last, Lupin returned to the point, which let Ian secretly breathe a sigh of relief; as he left the bedside, he tugged the bedsheet down to better cover up the space underneath.

Lupin noticed this, but wasn’t actually curious. After all, when it came to those kinds of not-so-healthy magazines, he’d collected plenty in his suitcase back when he was living rough.

All of them the kind that move, from the Wizarding World.

As for Muggle World’s "Daily Girl" or whatever, those really didn’t interest him.

"I told you... It’s a sign of identity."

Ian resumed searching, and at last, in his shoebox, found what he’d been longing for— a keychain shining with golden light. Even though the gilding was a bit scuffed, the industrial-grade hex coating made it shine brighter than gold.

"Now that’s what I’m talking about!"

With Lupin blinking dumbly, Ian hung all his keys on the keychain and clipped it to the most conspicuous spot on his waist.

"Jingle jangle~"

Ian started running wildly around the room, making sure everyone heard the noise at his waist. The pleased look on his face made Lupin want to slap him.

"You look like a total nouveau riche,"

Lupin’s tone was a little speechless as he roasted him.

"I am a nouveau riche." Ian answered so honestly Lupin was left completely speechless. Sincerity really is a killer move; Lupin thought about roasting him some more, but didn’t even know where to start.

"You’re really... honest..."

He could only squeeze out a dry remark.

"You’re the first to see my true inner qualities—sharp eyes! Tonight’s Wolf Poison Potion is on me." Ian mainly wanted to make sure Lupin didn’t go berserk and hurt anyone in the orphanage. Even though he’d seen the special iron cage in Lupin’s room, it just wouldn’t do to let him risk drinking "wolf poison flavored soda."

Flavored. That’s important.

"Isn’t it too late for you to brew it now?" Lupin said, though you could tell he was pretty tempted; his face, though, looked super conflicted.

He wasn’t just worried there wasn’t time—he was also worried Ian might sneak in some "experimental" ingredients.

Not that Lupin was a chicken.

He was a Gryffindor, after all.

Mainly, it was all those notes about the werewolf transformation project that freaked him out.

"Of course I’ve got some ready; otherwise, I wouldn’t tolerate you staying in my house." As Ian spoke, he fished out a decent bottle of Wolf Poison Potion from his Money Bag.

This particular potion was from his fifth time loop. After realizing the ingredients were losing their potency, he brewed a bunch up to sell at Knockturn Alley.