The girl was beautiful.
Even through Ian's eyes, which were like a real-life "camera," he couldn't find a single flaw, far surpassing the beauties he had seen on platforms like Slow Hand.
Her skin was as white as fine porcelain covered in fresh snow, with a faint luster. Her exquisite face exuded a cold and aloof aura, enhanced by her platinum blonde hair, making her appear otherworldly beautiful.
Golden light danced between her hair strands.
"I've seen you before."
The girl's voice was youthful and crisp.
"Uh, I think it was in Diagon Alley, I bought my magic wand just before you did." Ian recognized the girl in front of him almost instantly.
Ollivander's Wand Shop.
He almost bumped right into this girl's cold and lofty guardian.
"Is that so."
The girl neither confirmed nor denied.
She kept staring at Ian's face.
Her heterochromatic eyes sparkled like gemstones.
"Yes, that's right."
Ian raised an eyebrow.
He felt a bit embarrassed being stared at.
He always felt like her gaze never left his face. Some little girls had stared at him like that before, but their eyes clearly weren't as special as this one's.
Ian thought her looks were quite dazzling too.
Even with his face, which was a few points more handsome than Leonardo DiCaprio's in his youth, he felt slightly inadequate compared to her.
"Can I help you with anything? Craft stepped out for a bit, so I'm watching the place for now." The girl finally shifted her gaze.
The Craft she mentioned might be the bookstore owner.
"I'd like to sell these three books back to him and then choose some textbooks related to magic potions." Ian tried to make his smile appear warm and sunny.
It wasn't because his teenage heart was stirred; after all, he had an adult soul and mind, and of course, he couldn't have any thoughts about a little girl around ten years old.
Leaving a good impression.
It's just about getting a good price.
Hmm.
An underage opposite sex or whatever.
Is no match for the charm of Galleons!
"Selling and buying books, sure, no problem."
The girl's gaze fell on the three books Ian was holding to his chest—Wizarding World's books were thick and wide, almost covering most of Ian's chest.
"So you're the little wizard Craft often talks about who's out of his depth, huh?"
Once she saw the names on the books, the girl looked back at Ian with a face full of surprise.
From her rather rude words.
It wasn't hard to tell.
Clearly, Ian had become a joke for the bookstore owner in his everyday conversations.
"..."
Ian's smile stiffened quite a bit.
"Sorry."
The girl quickly realized her slip of the tongue wasn't very appropriate, and she hurriedly stood up, apologizing to Ian like she had done something wrong.
"Snap~"
The book that was on her lap fell to the floor.
The girl immediately crouched down in a fluster to pick it up. Despite her frantic state, she didn't forget to provide Ian with a sincere explanation.
It seemed a bit inconsistent with her cold demeanor.
"I didn't mean to mock you, those were Craft's exact words, I just repeated his expression… um, I think he really was mocking you."
Good grief!
Your explanation was worse than no explanation at all!
"Magic Rune is indeed a bit difficult for me."
Ian forced a smile. He didn't expect the girl, who looked so cold and proud on the outside, would give him such an indescribably quirky feeling in conversation.
"Yes, it's the same for me."
The girl placed the book she picked up on the table and took the three books Ian handed her. Only then did Ian notice that the book she was reading earlier was also related to Magic Rune.
Analysis and Studies of the Rune Language
A book title he'd never heard of.
Or rather, it wasn't even a book.
Most book covers have gold-embossed print for the title, but the cover of the text the girl was reading had a handwritten title in a feather pen.
Maybe it was a notebook?
It was probably more advanced than the basic stuff Ian had purchased.
"It's an elective course for third-year students, I was just curious." Ian pretended to sigh, not showing off that he had already gotten the basics down.
Though during the Hogwarts student years, most of the time, there wasn't any "the highest tree catches the wind" situation, Hogwarts Village was still a mixed bag.
Being a wolf in sheep's clothing wasn't Ian's style, but likewise, standing out without regard to the occasion wasn't his habit either.
"Are you a first-year student at Hogwarts?"
The girl's eyes twinkled a bit.
"Yes, Ian Prince, if there are no surprises, we should be classmates?" Ian remembered this girl also recently purchased her magic wand.
"Maybe so, the headmaster hasn't yet agreed to my admission… I'm Aurora Grindelwald."
When the girl introduced herself, she was clearly a bit nervous. Her heterochromatic eyes stared at Ian, making him feel a bit puzzled.
Was she waiting for a handshake?
Thinking of this,
Ian raised his hand to her.
The girl was visibly taken aback.
Then she quickly raised her hand and shook it with Ian's.
"Nice name."
Ian habitually made a polite remark. He found the girl's surname somewhat familiar, yet he couldn't recall where he'd heard it, as if shrouded in a layer of mist in his mind.