Hiding in a Corner, Drawing Circles

By all rights, how could an orthodox sword cultivator resonate so strongly with a wand like that?

Dumbledore's gaze grew distant, as though piercing through space and time to see the Eastern girl who had released an invisible pressure in the wand shop.

He recalled how well-behaved she had seemed, yet deep in her eyes lurked a certain... composure and slyness at odds with her age.

Chu Kuangren, just what sort of little one have you sent me?

She seemed to be hiding many secrets.

A bolder, even somewhat absurd thought sprang unbidden into his mind.

If... even that replica was such a good "match" for her...

His fingers stopped rubbing, and he gently grasped the real Elder Wand beside him, the wand of legend said to be invincible.

Then... what about the real Elder Wand in my hand?

Could she use it too?

The thought was like a pebble tossed into a still lake, sending ripples spreading through Dumbledore's mind.

It came not from greed or fear, but purely from curiosity and a desire to investigate an unknown magical phenomenon.

The Deathly Hallows... an Eastern cultivator... an interesting intersection.

Perhaps Miss Chu's arrival was not merely a cultural exchange. It might also bring some unexpected... changes to Hogwarts, or even the entire Wizarding World.

He slowly rose and walked to the window, gazing at the shimmering waters of the Black Lake in the distance. Flickering light reflected in the lenses of his Half-moon Spectacles.

A meaningful smile slowly curved his lips, blending a wise man's concern, an elder's anticipation, and a trace of... a Honeydukes candy lover's pure curiosity about a "novel flavor."

"It seems Hogwarts will be even more worth looking forward to than usual in the new school year... Fawkes."

He spoke softly.

The phoenix gave a clear, melodious cry, as though in response.

When Snape finished dealing with his "urgent business" and returned to the Leaky Cauldron's back courtyard, it took him a few seconds to find the person he was supposed to meet in an inconspicuous shadowy corner beside the entrance to Ollivander's wand shop.

Chu Yao was squatting there with no regard for appearances, holding a little stick she had picked up somewhere. Her head was lowered as she concentrated on drawing one crooked circle after another on the ground, and she seemed to be muttering something under her breath.

Her Eastern clothes, so out of place in the magical world around her, and her squatting posture somehow made her blend perfectly into the background. If Snape had not explicitly told her to wait here, he would very likely have overlooked her entirely.

The way she was sitting, Snape even wondered whether she was performing some kind of Eastern meditation ritual, or whether she was simply so bored that she had started studying the patterns on the paving stones.

At first, he frowned in displeasure, thinking such behavior was utterly undignified.

But seeing that little figure huddled in the corner drawing circles, with her thick black hair and delicate profile, inexplicably gave him the impression... of watching a kitten sharpen its claws in a corner.

His taut jaw relaxed slightly, and he even found it a little amusing.

Of course, if you asked him, he would never admit it.

He gave a soft cough, breaking the silence in the corner.

Chu Yao sprang up like a startled rabbit and instantly assumed a well-behaved expression. "Professor Snape!" she said in a clear voice.

At the same time, her little foot scuffed the ground seemingly by accident, making the circles she had drawn even more indistinct.

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