Amulet

Anduin had no memory of the specific events surrounding Harry Potter's childhood. He only recalled someone once mentioning that Voldemort had stormed the Potter house, killed Harry's parents, and then been taken down by Harry himself. Beyond that, he had no clue about the rest of the story—not even how Harry had actually finished Voldemort off.

Should he tell them? Warn them? Watching their happy faces, Anduin felt torn.

Lily noticed Anduin frowning deeply, lost in thought, and spoke up. "What's wrong? Nervous about starting school? I was a Muggle-born wizard too. Back when I found out I was going to Hogwarts, I couldn't sleep a wink all night. But once you get there, you won't regret it."

"I wonder which house you'll be sorted into. Gryffindor would be best, of course—other houses aren't bad either, except Slytherin." James chimed in, enthusiastically selling Anduin on Gryffindor. Though he only mentioned it briefly, it was clear James wasn't fond of Slytherin.

"Don't listen to him. Trust yourself, Anduin. Every house has its own strengths. No matter which one you're sorted into, as long as you take your studies seriously and figure out who you want to become, you'll achieve great things no matter which house you graduate from!" Lily clearly wasn't impressed with James's house-pushing tactics.

"Thank you. I'll keep your advice close to heart." As someone with an adult soul, Anduin naturally wasn't nervous about starting school, but seeing kind-hearted Lily sharing her experience, he didn't want to cut her off.

Still, he couldn't bring himself to directly warn the Potter couple about their fate. Could he just tell them that one day Voldemort would burst into their home, kill them both, and then get taken out by their son? Not only would they never believe it, but they were already enemies of Voldemort—they'd probably long since prepared to face the Dark Lord head-on.

"Alright, it's getting late, Anduin. Let me take you back. It's not safe out at night. James, Lily, you too."

"Yes, Professor McGonagall." Anduin and Professor McGonagall began gathering their things.

Before leaving, Anduin turned back to Lily and said, "Mrs. Potter, please stay safe. My blessings to you and your child. Your son will one day make you proud!"

After all, her kid was destined to be the main character.

Anduin didn't know what else to say, but facing this kind woman, he couldn't help offering a few words of caution. As for their future, he had no power to interfere.

"Thank you for your blessings, Anduin." Lily looked at the young student and felt an unexpected warmth—perhaps he reminded her of her younger self, or maybe of someone she'd grown up with.

"Here's a little trinket I made. Think of it as a sort of amulet. Consider it a gift to celebrate your enrollment. You can also use it to write to me." Lily reached into her handbag and handed something to Anduin.

Anduin took it. It was a coin-sized copper piece, engraved with a lifelike doe.

"Thank you for the gift. I'll treasure it." Anduin carefully tucked away the small present, said his final goodbyes to the Potter couple, and left with Professor McGonagall.

Another Apparition. After enduring this unpleasant mode of travel again, Anduin's reaction was far milder than the first time. He shook his head, rubbed his slightly pale face, bid farewell to Professor McGonagall, and returned alone to the orphanage.

Back in his room at the orphanage, Anduin sat on the bed and replayed everything that had happened that day. The magical world held a powerful allure for him.

But then he thought again: in the current magical world, Voldemort wasn't dead yet. He had no idea what was going on inside Hogwarts at this time. It was far too dangerous. He wasn't about to entrust his life to someone else's hands—especially as a Muggle.

In the magical world as it stood, he had to gain the ability to protect himself. Otherwise, he might end up killed by Voldemort or his minions one day. Anduin recalled the information he'd gathered from Professor McGonagall and summarized a few key points:

First, the Ministry of Magic was on high alert. Underage Wizards, who previously only had the Trace applied after enrollment, were now monitored from the moment they received their wands.

Second, because the Trace was area-based, the Ministry couldn't pinpoint exactly who cast a spell in a wizard-dense location.

Third, Dumbledore was still holding down the fort, the Ministry was actively resisting, and Diagon Alley remained relatively safe.

Having made up his mind, Anduin decided to leave the orphanage as soon as possible and settle in Diagon Alley. He had to gain some self-defense capability before school started. With that thought, he pulled out his wand.

Looking at the wand—jade-like in texture, matte-finished, dark and deep—he sighed softly. "From now on, it's just you and me. I'll name you 'Dark Brush.' Ready to show the magical world what we're made of?"

As if responding to Anduin, the Dark Brush trembled faintly in his hand, sending out a few arcs of electricity. But they didn't harm him at all—only made him feel an even deeper connection to the wand.

With his resolve firm, Anduin turned in early, planning to start his preparations the next day.

Elsewhere, Hogwarts at night was like a sleeping dragon—silent yet brimming with the beauty of power.

Professor McGonagall climbed the stairs step by step to Dumbledore's office.

"Albus, how did the interview go tonight? I don't have high hopes for Divination Class. In the magical world, most fortune-tellers are frauds." Professor McGonagall spoke as she watched Dumbledore playing with Fawkes the phoenix.

"Then I'm sorry to inform you, Minerva, that we'll soon be welcoming Hogwarts's first Divination teacher." Dumbledore recalled the earth-shattering prophecy he'd overheard in Hogsmeade that day, steadied himself, raised an eyebrow, and turned to reply to Professor McGonagall, deftly changing the subject. "How did you find that Muggle-born new student today? You seem in good spirits. His name was An... An..."

"Anduin. Anduin Wilson. A very disciplined and polite child—both from my own observations and from what I've learned about him at the orphanage. As it happens, we also ran into the Potter couple today. Lily's child is due at the end of the month. They had a good impression of Anduin too." Professor McGonagall, seeing Dumbledore bring up the new student, didn't hold back her praise. Anduin had left an excellent impression on her.

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