I Want to Run, but I Can't Escape

"Dad! Why had I never heard about this before?"

Adam's maternal grandparents were just as decisive. They took the Ministry of Magic's international passage and arrived at Adam's home before lunch.

Having been educated about the wizarding world by Old Reed and his wife over the past few days, Madam Li bristled the moment her parents arrived.

Though her husband had later lost contact with the wizarding world and come to regard wizards as fairy tales, he had at least known about them before Hogwarts failed to send an admission letter.

Why had she known absolutely nothing about it throughout her entire childhood?

While Adam's grandmother pulled him aside to chat, she could only turn to her own father for answers.

"The way we determine whether a child has the potential for cultivation differs from Britain's method. During a child's first-grab ceremony, we mix objects imbued with spiritual energy among the items. If the child has a talent for cultivation, they will naturally be drawn to the objects containing spiritual energy."

Adam's grandfather spread his hands.

"When you were little, you grabbed a Golden Abacus and refused to let go. You did not even glance at the wooden sword, copper coins, or Jade Pendant beside it, so we knew you had no talent for cultivation—though you certainly had a talent for business. Of all you siblings, you were the best at making money."

Madam Li choked, then frowned and asked,

"Then what about Adam? He may have been born in Britain, but didn't you hold a first-grab ceremony for him too? Didn't you put out something with... spiritual energy?"

"We did. But he grabbed a book without any spiritual energy. As it turned out, he really was good at studying. Unlike you, when you were little, we had to climb trees to drag you down whenever we wanted you to read..."

"Dad!"

Madam Li's cheeks reddened slightly.

"Ahem. I clearly remember that book had no spiritual energy, so Adam should not have any talent for cultivation either. Could Britain's standards be different from ours?"

Li Ziquan stroked his beard, suddenly wondering whether other members of the family who had been deemed untalented in cultivation might have been overlooked in the same way.

"It's not impossible..."

"No matter what, Adam receiving Hogwarts' acceptance letter is a good thing. It proves that he has the talent to become a wizard."

Old Reed clapped his hands and looked at Adam.

"Tomorrow, Grandpa will take you to Diagon Alley to buy everything you need!"

"Tomorrow is still..."

"Grandpa..."

"Grandma too..."

"Wait a minute!"

Adam suddenly raised his voice, silencing the noisy room at once.

"I don't want to study at Hogwarts."

Upon hearing that, before the four elders could react, Adam's parents were the first to recall why the two of them had originally come home.

"What?! Why?"

Before the couple could sort out their thoughts, Old Reed's voice interrupted them.

"Do you want to stay a Muggle forever?"

As he spoke, the old wizard pulled out his wand, intending to give his grandson a demonstration.

"Being a Muggle isn't necessarily bad."

Adam quickly glanced at his parents.

"Besides, I just don't want to study at Hogwarts. There should be other schools in the world where I can learn magic, right?"

"Why?!"

Old Reed was even more astonished, and his voice carried a hint of grievance.

"Hogwarts is the best magic school in the world!"

The other three elders present, none of whom had graduated from Hogwarts, all glanced at Old Reed at the same time.

"Stop making such a fuss. You're scaring the child."

Grandma Emma twitched her fingers. Old Reed was yanked by his belt and dropped into the sofa with a bang. Then Emma took Adam's hand.

"Child, Hogwarts truly isn't the only magic school in the world. But why don't you want to study there?"

"Um..."

Adam hesitated before saying,

"Because I have a bad feeling. Hogwarts doesn't seem very safe."

"With Dumbledore there, Hogwarts is the safest magic school in the world—mmph—"

His scarf came alive and stuffed itself straight into Old Reed's mouth. Emma turned with a frown.

"Be quiet. If Dumbledore were truly omnipotent, our family wouldn't have needed to flee to China in the first place."

Adam's grandmother, Emma, had originally been French. After encountering a terrorist attack organized by Grindelwald in France, she moved to Britain, where Dumbledore was, and met Old Reed there.

After the two married and had children, they encountered Voldemort's rise. For the safety of their Squib son, they moved to China. Adam's parents met during that time as well.

She understood clearly that even if Dumbledore could ultimately resolve a crisis, it did not mean he could ensure that no one would die during it.

Nor did she dismiss her grandson's premonition. Adam had been intelligent since childhood and would not speak nonsense casually. Wizards having strong premonitions about future events... was not without precedent.

Grindelwald, who had destroyed her first home, was a wizard gifted with prophecy.

Even so, Emma frowned and said,

"The Book of Admittance and the Quill of Acceptance make decisions that cannot be changed. They contain extremely ancient and powerful magic. Since you received a letter from Hogwarts, it means your name was written there at birth. Going to another magic school will probably be impossible."

Adam froze. He had not considered that.

"Then what about transferring? I can enroll first but not attend, then transfer directly to another magic school."

"I've never heard of such a precedent, but we can write to Dumbledore and ask. He will be your headmaster."

Even as she said that, Adam could tell from his grandmother's expression that this route was probably impossible. The magic on the Book of Admittance was unlikely to be so easily fooled.

"Then taking a leave of absence? We could say I'm in poor health, and in a few years..."

"That would be even less feasible. If the power inside your body is not properly guided at the appropriate age, your body will be harmed. It may also attract some unpleasant things."

Apparently seeing that Emma could not bear to crush Adam's hopes again, Grandma Shen Derong took over, then looked at Emma after she finished speaking.

"That's right. Young wizards do not know how to control their magic, and magical outbursts may occur. They are very dangerous. We cannot teach you everything safely and comprehensively at home."

"...Sigh. All right."

Adam sighed, forced to accept that he truly seemed to have no choice but to attend Hogwarts.

But the good news was that once he learned spells, he would be able to control his magic. After finishing his first year, applying for a leave of absence should be feasible.

And Hogwarts in its first year was actually relatively safe. As long as he stayed away from the trapdoor, Professor Quirrell was perfectly safe. Even when the Weasley twins pelted Voldemort in the face with snowballs, nothing happened to them.

"Then let's not send a letter to Mr. Dumbledore after all."

If he could not change the situation, there was no need to draw Dumbledore's attention. Adam might otherwise encounter dangers he would never have faced in the first place.

"Mm, let's write Hogwarts a reply. Tomorrow, we'll take you to Diagon Alley. There are many wonderful things there. You'll like it."

Emma stroked Adam's head. Seeing the worry that still lingered on her grandson's face, she quietly made a decision.