Prying up the floorboards.
Digging up the dirt.
Prying open the coffin.
Burying it again and laying the floorboards back down.
As the saying went, practice made perfect. Ian went through the whole process smoothly, and it didn't take him long. For once, he climbed into the hard wooden bed before eleven at night.
"At least it's good for my neck and lower back."
At such a young age, Ian was already thinking about taking care of his health. His sleep was usually pretty good, but tonight his overactive mind kept him awake.
"A library where I can read for free, the Hogwarts kitchens, the Owlery in the West Tower... I hope nobody uses it as a place to grab a snack."
His thoughts were racing.
They drowned out the drowsiness brought on by his physical exhaustion.
Before he knew it, Ian was planning out his goals for his first year.
"I'll definitely have to look for the Room of Requirement. Maybe it can give me a wand I can't take outside, so I can practice magic in there without worrying about anything."
"Quidditch can be for whoever wants to learn it. But I should still look into Flying Broomsticks. Maybe I could customize one to look really cool... Too bad I didn't get to ride the Hogwarts Express."
Ian had no idea when he finally fell asleep.
Outside the window.
Stars glittered like diamonds scattered across black velvet, their light soft and distant. A shooting star streaked across the sky, like a casual brushstroke of ink on a celestial canvas.
The chirping of insects and the rustling of leaves accompanied everyone until dawn.
"Brush my teeth! Wash my face!"
He didn't even need an alarm. As soon as sunlight streamed into the room, he sprang up with a sudden sit-up and quickly put on the black robes Snape had bought him in Diagon Alley.
Most young wizards changed into their school uniforms aboard the Hogwarts Express. Since Ian clearly wouldn't have that chance, he had no choice but to get dressed as soon as he got up.
He couldn't exactly change in front of the whole school, could he?
It wasn't as though anyone would throw those wicked Galleons at him.
"Even if they did, I still wouldn't want to embarrass myself!" Ian was a man of principle when it came to money. He figured he'd be better off robbing some dark wizard in Knockturn Alley than earn money by selling his body.
After checking that the floorboards were secure and that he'd packed all his belongings back into his trunk, Ian waited eagerly for Snape to arrive.
And so.
The sun rose, climbed high in the sky, then wandered off toward the west... Ian's eager expression gradually gave way to a hollow, listless despair.
"Did he forget about me?"
Ian remembered Snape saying he'd come to get him on the first day of term. But after nearly a whole day of waiting, Snape still hadn't shown up. Ian had begun to reconsider whether Snape was trustworthy.
In the original story.
That old bat hadn't exactly been known for his reliability, had he? The more Ian thought about it, the more he suspected he'd been stood up. He grabbed his trunk and decided to make his own way to Hogwarts.
The Hogwarts Express's final stop was near the village, and the castle wasn't too far from here. He'd only have to follow a narrow path through a dense forest along the way.
"Thump!"
Just as Ian dragged his trunk toward the front door, the cottage door was kicked open. Snape walked in, his expression as unchanging as ever, and glanced around.
He seemed to let out a sigh of relief.
At last, his deep-set gaze settled on Ian.
"If you're ready, follow me."
With that,
Snape turned and walked outside, his face set in a scowl.
"I thought you'd forgotten about me."
Ian hurried after him.
"Hmph. Do you not have legs? Couldn't you go to school by yourself?"
Snape sneered.
"I was just about to rely on myself."
Ian pursed his lips.
Following behind Snape, he stepped outside—and only then noticed someone else waiting there with a trunk.
The afterglow of the setting sun fell across the girl's face, casting a soft golden sheen over her platinum-blond hair.
"Miss Grindelwald."
Ian greeted her, surprised.
"Good afternoon, my friend. You can just call me by my name."
Aurora nodded slightly.
The moment he saw that the two of them knew each other, Snape's brow furrowed. His gaze shifted back and forth between them before finally fixing sharply on Aurora.
"Did you teach him that spell?"
Clearly,
Snape had linked the Corpse Control Curse Ian had learned to Aurora.
Even though Ian's ability to learn had left him at a loss, Snape still found it hard to believe that Ian could have picked up some little scrap of paper with Dark Magic written on it in the streets of Hogsmeade Village.
"He hasn't learned any magic from me."
Aurora met Snape's eyes, her tone calm. There wasn't a hint of emotion in her odd-colored eyes, and Snape's glare didn't frighten her.
"Miss Grindelwald, I don't care why Dumbledore agreed to your application to Hogwarts. I only hope you'll follow the rules of the school."
"Don't let anything that shouldn't be here start circulating around the school," Snape said sternly. It was clearly a veiled warning.
"That's a perfectly reasonable request." Aurora nodded without arguing. Ian, standing not far from her, kept watching to see if she'd reach for her wand.
"And you!"
Snape suddenly turned to Ian.
"What nonsense did you tell Headmaster Dumbledore?"
His glare looked murderous.
"Huh?"
Ian looked bewildered.
"I only had a cup of tea with Headmaster Dumbledore." Ian recalled his earlier encounter with Dumbledore, his face showing confusion and a trace of indignation.
"I thought my manners were impeccable. It was Headmaster Dumbledore's bird that nearly made me feel like an old man before my time." Ian instinctively touched the top of his head.
Living in England,
A man had two things to worry about from the moment he was born.
First, being attracted to the same sex.
Second... whether he'd end up with a Mediterranean Sea on top of his head.
"If you hadn't said anything foolish, why would Dumbledore..."
Snape angrily began to tear into him.
But then—
"Professor, when are we leaving?"
Aurora interrupted him.
Perhaps realizing that his family's rumors shouldn't be overheard by outsiders, Snape swallowed the question stuck on the tip of his tongue. Scowling, he strode past them and headed out of Hogsmeade Village.
"Come on!"
His voice rang out with Sonorus.
"Hey, friend, want me to help carry your trunk?"
Ian eagerly moved to Aurora's side.
"It's easy for me."
Aurora calmly declined his help.
"I knew you were strong. In that case, could you carry mine for me? It's a bit much for me to drag."
Under the girl's astonished gaze, Ian dragged his trunk over to her other side. He even helpfully pried her fingers open and placed the trunk handle in her hand.
"?????"
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
Aurora watched as Ian took off running.