A Letter

The conflict between the Ministry of Magic and the Death Eaters was bound to escalate. Anduin closed the newspaper and pondered.

However, those things were irrelevant to him for now. Without strength, he would be at the mercy of others.

After some thought, Anduin put down the newspaper and prepared to continue his spell research. But before that, he had one more thing to do: write back to Lily and Sirius.

Anduin had actually received their letters several days ago, but he had been so engrossed in practicing spells that he hadn't had time to reply.

He first opened Sirius's reply. It read:

"Hahaha, Anduin, you were sorted into Slytherin? You're really out of luck. If I remember correctly, you're a Muggle-born wizard, right? Those pure-blood scumbags in Slytherin will probably tear you limb from limb. When I was at Hogwarts, I used to prank those Slytherin bastards all the time. You need to be careful, don't get knocked out by some random curse on the street and wake up naked in front of the girls' restroom."

"If you want my advice, I can only suggest you toughen up. Slytherins are all bullies who pick on the weak. If you beat them into submission, no one will dare to mess with you. The professors at school can't keep an eye on you all the time. Professor Flitwick is just a bookworm obsessed with researching magic, Professor Slughorn is a nice old man who basically ignores his own house's affairs, and Professor McGonagall is always terrifyingly strict. You can go to her if you get into trouble, but be prepared for detention."

"Here's some good news: I'm now the godfather to Lily and James's child. You have no idea how cute Harry is. Lily and I discussed it, and we want to invite you to visit us after Christmas. I can teach you a few tricks then. What do you say?"

"Poor Anduin, I'm going to be busy lately. Many Death Eaters are cruelly torturing Muggles. Be careful yourself."

"Your loyal friend, Sirius Black."

After reading Sirius's letter, Anduin had no expectations of him. The man was just a reckless brute who only knew how to act, and he even had the nerve to mock Anduin in his letter.

Anduin basically ignored the content of Sirius's letter and took out parchment to write back.

In his letter, Anduin complained a bit about Sirius, telling him not to just spout empty words. He mentioned that he could barely make any friends in Slytherin and stated that he would accept the Christmas invitation. He also asked what Sirius wanted for a Christmas gift.

After finishing his reply to Sirius and sealing the envelope, Anduin prepared to send it out with the owls that delivered the newspaper the next morning. He then opened Lily's letter.

Lily was much more reliable than Sirius. Her letter read:

"Dear Anduin,"

"Sorry for the late reply. Harry is only a little over a month old, and as a new mother, I'm afraid of messing things up right from the start."

"As for you being sorted into Slytherin, my opinion is that there's no need to worry too much. The Sorting Hat must have had its reasons. Slytherin House isn't that terrifying. Every house has kind and righteous people. Although some wizards do go down the wrong path after graduation, we can't assume that represents everyone. A friend of mine from school was also sorted into Slytherin, and we've encountered wizards from other houses among the Death Eaters we face now."

"Anduin, you and I are very similar. We're both Muggle-born wizards. But you're different from me. Having lived alone since childhood, you're stronger than I am. I believe you can overcome any difficulties. I hope you don't lose your way and stay true to your beliefs."

"I recently received a letter from Professor Flitwick. He told me you were invited to join the Charms Club. That's wonderful! I remember I was only invited to the Charms Club in my third year."

"I spent a very fulfilling time there. It was in the Charms Club that I deeply studied and researched some special Protective Magic. I remember I still have a lot of my research materials on Protective Magic in the club. I hid them in a book on the bottom shelf of the bookshelf behind the podium. It's 'Magical Defense Theory' by Wilbert Slinkhard. You can look for it if you're interested."

"When Harry had his full moon, James and I invited Sirius to be his godfather. He looked overjoyed. We're planning to have a small party after Christmas, and Sirius suggested we invite you. If you can come, James and I would be very happy."

"Wishing you well, your loyal friend, Lily Potter."

Anduin was deeply moved after reading Lily's letter. He had no connection to her, no ties whatsoever, yet Lily still wholeheartedly conveyed her kindness to him.

Anduin immediately began to write his reply to Lily.

In his letter, Anduin expressed his gratitude to Lily and his joy at being invited to their dinner party, assuring her he would be there on time. He also sincerely wished the Potters and their child Harry well, and reminded Lily to take good care of herself, "even at home."

After finishing his reply, Anduin also put the letter away, preparing to send it out the next day.

Afterward, Anduin resumed his spell learning.

The next day, after sending the letters, Anduin no longer concerned himself with the affairs of Slytherin and Gryffindor, nor did he seek out Charles again.

Today, he planned to visit Hagrid. Anduin hadn't visited Hagrid since starting school. After all, they had shared Dragon Liver at the Leaky Cauldron. So, after finishing his classes for the day, Anduin took a few jars of seasoning from his room, packed them up, and headed towards Hagrid's hut.

Anduin had asked Hagrid about his whereabouts when they first enrolled. His hut wasn't too far from Hogwarts Castle. After passing through the Clockwork Square and crossing a long, straight covered bridge, Anduin arrived at a circular stone pile. To the right was the school's Owlery, and to the left, following the path, he could find Hagrid's hut.

After a brief moment of orientation, Anduin headed in the direction of Hagrid's hut. On the way, he saw a few students here and there on dates or playing. The further he walked towards the hut, the sparser the human presence became.

Finally, Anduin spotted a slightly rudimentary-looking hut in the distance. Around it, he could see some thriving vegetables and fruits.