"Professor..." His voice choked, and his eyes quickly reddened.
"Could you... could you not leave? I... I'm scared by myself..."
He looked up at her, tears swirling in his eyes, on the verge of falling. His dependence and fear felt utterly real. "Here... there's only you..."
Professor McGonagall's body stiffened instantly. She was accustomed to dealing with students' mischief, disputes between houses, even threats from the Dark Lord.
But faced with such a pure, almost desperate plea from a child, her usual sternness and sense of distance crumbled away in an instant.
The child looked so small and helpless at that moment, as though a gust of wind could blow him over.
She fell silent for several seconds, waging an intense battle within herself.
In the end, her sense of responsibility and her fierce urge to protect this particular student won out.
She sighed softly. Rather than shake off the little hand clutching the hem of her robes, she sat down on the somewhat hard edge of the bed in that same position.
"Mr. Leoqi," her voice was gentler than ever before.
"I'm only leaving to handle some necessary enrollment matters, to make sure you can board the Hogwarts Express without issue. I promise you, you'll be safe."
Seeing that the boy's face was still filled with unease, she added,
"The Leaky Cauldron is a proper establishment. Old Tom will watch over this place. Besides, your wand is right beside you. Remember, the wand chooses the wizard. It itself possesses the power to protect you."
Yet Skofot only clutched her robe more tightly, as though it were his only piece of driftwood. At last, tears slid silently down his face.
Professor McGonagall stopped trying to reason with him.
She simply sat there quietly, using her steady presence as comfort.
The room held only the boy's faint, fiercely suppressed sobs.
As time passed, perhaps because of the warmth after eating, perhaps because of the emotional ups and downs, or perhaps because of the weakness effect that came with the [Rabbit Rhymer] card, Skofot's eyelids began to droop, and the hand clutching her robe gradually loosened.
Professor McGonagall carefully adjusted his position so that he could rest more comfortably against the pillow.
She did not leave in a hurry. Instead, she remained by the bed, maintaining her protective posture until the boy's breathing became even and deep, and he fell completely asleep.
After sitting quietly for a while longer to make sure he was sound asleep, Professor McGonagall slowly and gently rose to her feet and tucked in the covers.
She gave one last look at the boy, who was still faintly frowning in his sleep, then turned and left the room. Outside the door, she silently cast a simple warding spell.
She had to make arrangements for what came next, but this child, Skofot Tom Leoqi, had officially become one of the responsibilities that she, Minerva McGonagall, needed to pay special attention to and protect from this moment onward.
[Emotion Points +5] [Emotion Points: 370/100]
The moment the door softly shut, Skofot, who was supposed to be asleep in bed, quietly opened his eyes. They were perfectly clear, without the slightest trace of drowsiness.
He curled his lip and muttered inwardly, This professor's Emotion Points really are hard to squeeze out.
He sat up and rubbed his neck, which had grown sore from maintaining the same position for so long.
With a thought, the translucent system panel appeared before him once more.
His gaze swept over the Card Draw section, where a line of small text read:
[Time until next Card Draw: 5 days, 0 hours, 3 minutes, 27 seconds]
"Five more days..." he murmured.
His gaze fell on the remaining Emotion Points in the corner of the panel. Three hundred and seventy points were enough for now, but who would ever complain about having more cards up their sleeve?
He nimbly rolled out of bed and straightened his secondhand black robes.
Professor McGonagall had left for the moment. This was the perfect time for him to move freely.
He needed something that belonged entirely to him.
Leaving the Leaky Cauldron again and passing through that magical brick wall, he returned to sunlit Diagon Alley.
This time, he did not linger on the main street. Instead, he turned into a rather inconspicuous pet shop.
The shop was filled with mixed odors, with the cooing of owls and the meowing of cats rising and falling in turn.
He did not deliberate for long before his eyes settled on a tawny owl that looked the liveliest and was reasonably priced.
It stood on its perch, tilting its head as it watched him with round eyes that seemed faintly curious.
Skofot paid, carried the cage containing the owl, and calmly returned to his room at the Leaky Cauldron.
He placed the cage beside the window, added some water and food, then stopped paying attention to it. He lay back down on the bed, closed his eyes to rest, and waited patiently.
Five days passed peacefully amid regular—though low-quality—meals and seemingly idle waiting.
On the morning of the sixth day, just as the appointed time arrived, a restrained yet distinct knock sounded outside the door.
Skofot immediately sprang out of bed and swiftly adjusted his expression, making himself look somewhat expectant and uneasy.
He opened the door, and there stood Professor McGonagall, dressed as impeccably as ever.
"Good morning, Mr. Leoqi." Professor McGonagall's gaze quickly swept across the room.
Seeing his packed trunk and the owl cage by the window, she gave an almost imperceptible nod. "Are you ready?"
"I'm ready, Professor," Skofot answered softly, obediently picking up his trunk and birdcage.
Professor McGonagall led him through the Leaky Cauldron once again and into London's Muggle World.
The bustling crowds and noisy traffic made Skofot frown instinctively, but he quickly returned to normal.
They arrived at a quiet street corner near the Leaky Cauldron.
Professor McGonagall raised her hand and expertly hailed a black taxi.
She opened the door and motioned for Skofot to get in.
"The driver will take you to the station." She pressed the Pounds Sterling she had exchanged earlier into his hand, her tone stern and clear.
"Go through the barrier between Platforms Nine and Ten. Don't hesitate—walk straight in. The Hogwarts Express will be waiting there. Do you understand?"
Skofot nodded, raising his face as he tried to make an expression of gratitude mixed with a little timidity.
"I understand, Professor. Thank you... for everything you've done for me."
Professor McGonagall looked at him. Her gaze behind the lenses seemed to soften for an instant, though she still retained a professor's dignity.
"It is the school's responsibility. Go on. The train won't wait."
Skofot said no more and bent down to climb into the back seat of the taxi.
The door slammed shut, separating the inside from the outside.
Professor McGonagall stood by the roadside and watched the taxi merge into traffic. Only after it had completely vanished from sight did she let out a faint sigh of relief, turn around, and quickly disappear into the passing crowd.
Inside the taxi, Skofot leaned against the back seat. The timidity he had deliberately maintained rapidly faded from his face, leaving only calm.
He touched the warm wand in his pocket, then glanced at the owl cage by his feet.
Hogwarts... a new stage.
Before you continue