Hogwarts Admission Invitation

After going around several street corners, Silan skillfully took a shortcut and soon returned to the orphanage where he lived.

This orphanage had been founded by the kind Mrs. Hazel, who had taken in several children with no family or relatives.

Mrs. Hazel was a devout believer. She had done charity work since she was young, and in her later years, she used her savings to open this orphanage.

Because it was so old, some of the paint on the orphanage walls had peeled away.

"Oh, little Prewett, you're back. You must be hungry, right?"

Mrs. Hazel called out to Silan, then turned and brought out half a loaf of bread from inside, with a thin layer of meat floss on top.

That counted as a rare food in the orphanage.

After all, Mrs. Hazel was old, her savings were limited, and there were too many children, so their material conditions had always been poor.

Normally, the meat floss on the bread would be scraped off and divided among all the children.

"This is for you. Hurry and eat."

Hazel winked at him, her face showing a little favoritism.

Although she had always treated the children fairly, she had a particular fondness for Silan.

It was not only because the boy always left early and returned late to earn money for the orphanage, but also because he was sensible and polite, always helping her take care of the other children.

Silan did not refuse her kindness. After taking the bread, he said, "Thank you, Mrs. Hazel."

"This is ten pounds and seventeen pence, earned from fortune-telling." Silan took half the money from his pocket. After walking a few steps, he turned back and took out a sandwich. "This is a sandwich Miss Granger gave me. Remember to eat it."

"Where are James and Kini?"

"They're all waiting for you in the dormitory."

Watching Silan's departing back, Mrs. Hazel felt a little distressed.

The child was still so young. His thin shoulders could barely hold up his worn clothes, yet his heart shone like gold, always considering others.

Whenever she thought of Mr. Prewett, who had cruelly abandoned him, Mrs. Hazel felt angry.

How could anyone bear to abandon such a good child?

As Silan approached the dormitory door, it opened on its own before he could push it.

The tall, fat James shouted, "Silan's back!"

The seven or eight children in the dormitory immediately swarmed to the doorway, but they stood properly on both sides so they would not block Silan's path.

"These are sandwiches Miss Granger gave me. Share them."

Silan set down the sandwiches in his hand.

The children all stared at the sandwiches. To them, this was a rare delicacy.

But none of them dared fight over them. They merely swallowed as they looked at the sandwiches in Silan's hand, their gazes seeming stuck to them.

The tallest and fattest, James, picked up the sandwiches and carefully broke them apart, giving everyone a piece.

He always did this sort of thing.

Of course, he saved the biggest piece, the one with the most filling, for Silan.

Kini, who was small and thin but had bright eyes, did not rush to eat his sandwich. Instead, he first poured Silan a glass of water and handed it to him. "Running the stall was hard work, Silan."

"Thank you, Kini. Thank you, James. Go ahead and eat."

Only after hearing Silan's words did the other children begin wolfing down their food.

James swallowed his sandwich in two bites, then scraped the bits from between his teeth with his tongue. Most of the children were the same. Kini ate only half, planning to save the rest to eat with the orphanage's stale bread tomorrow.

That would make it easier to swallow.

"We did well this time. We earned quite a bit of money. Divide this among yourselves and buy something you want."

After watching them finish their sandwiches, Silan took another five pounds from his pocket and handed it to James to distribute.

"Mrs. Hazel doesn't know, right?"

"Don't worry, Silan. We've gotten good at this."

"That's good. Tell me what happened on the streets today."

After eating the sandwiches and receiving money, the other children immediately became much livelier. One after another, they reported all the news they had heard that day to Silan.

This was their daily routine.

It was a rule Silan had set.

They were a team. Or perhaps... they could also be called a gang?

The other children ran errands and gathered information, while Silan made the plans and dealt directly with the targets.

That man from today was their recent target.

One day, Silan had heard from the other children that the man's wife was cheating on him. Using that as the core of his plan, he lured the man to his fortune-telling stall, revealed the news under the guise of divination, and gave him an idea for catching her in the act.

Only when the plan succeeded today did they make progress.

After getting money for the first time, these children had all clamored to pull off something big. Silan had been the one to hold them back.

There was nothing wrong with making a little money through small schemes, but if they got carried away and wanted to become rich overnight, they would probably die suddenly first.

After hearing the day's news, Silan went to bed.

A few days later, while Silan was still running his stall, Kini called him back.

"I don't know what happened either, but Mrs. Hazel looked very anxious. She told me I had to bring you back," Kini said.

That gave Silan a vague suspicion.

When he returned to the orphanage, Silan saw from far away that Mrs. Hazel was standing on tiptoe and looking around anxiously.

"Oh, you're finally back." Mrs. Hazel grabbed Silan's hand. "A guest wants to see you. Oh, a very important guest, Silan. You may have to go study somewhere else."

Study somewhere else?

Hogwarts?

While he was thinking, Mrs. Hazel had already pulled him into the house.

"Professor McGonagall, this is little Prewett. He's a good child, truly, an especially good child."

Perhaps because she was excited, Mrs. Hazel seemed a little incoherent. "He's a poor but good child. His mother was a good person too. She used to come here often to help, but she died of a serious illness a few years ago. That was when I adopted him."

"His father was?"

"His father? Don't mention that bastard! I used to think he was a good man, but he turned out to be a heartless scoundrel. After abandoning the mother and son, he never came back. Oh, I still remember his name."

The usually gentle Mrs. Hazel was so angry that the white hair on her head trembled. In a terrifying tone, she said, "Fabian Prewett!"

McGonagall was visibly stunned when she heard that name. Her gaze fell on Silan, then moved away as though she had touched a red-hot iron.

"You mean... this child's father was called Fabian Prewett?"

"Yes, yes. I remember he left ten years ago, saying he had something important to do. Then he never came back!"

Ten years ago?

1981!

McGonagall could clearly feel her heartbeat quicken. A surging emotion made her head feel swollen.

She would never forget that year.

So many things had happened that year, but one thing remained deeply etched in her memory: the Prewett brothers had died that year.

Could this be a coincidence?

"Mrs. Hazel, could you let me speak with this child alone?"

McGonagall spoke with difficulty, trying to make her voice sound calm, but even she could hear the hoarseness in it.

"Of course, Professor. This child is very clever. I think he'll improve in his studies. You must accept him. Please."

"I will, Mrs. Hazel."

Only the two of them remained in the room, and it suddenly became quiet.

Silan Prewett.

McGonagall silently repeated the name in her heart.

Ever since seeing this child at Hermione Granger's home, she had been somewhat concerned about him.

After all, the child did resemble the Prewett brothers somewhat.

Moreover, she had been surprised to find that there truly was a child surnamed Prewett on this year's admissions list.

But was he really Fabian Prewett's child?

Why had she never heard of him before?

The chaotic thoughts made McGonagall dizzy, but the many unbelievable coincidences had already convinced her by fifty or sixty percent.

"Have some black tea, Professor McGonagall. I hope you won't mind. This is already the best black tea here." Silan handed McGonagall a cup of tea.

When she took the "black tea," McGonagall saw only a murky, thick brew.

It was easy to imagine that this so-called "black tea" had actually been made from bits of spoiled tea leaves.

"Thank you, child." McGonagall took a sip of the black tea. "Child, listen to me. The school you will attend is Hogwarts. It is a school of magic, and you are a wizard."

After introducing Hogwarts, McGonagall showed him a little magic.

Silan's face displayed a suitably surprised expression.

He had expected this long ago, but he still had to put on a show.

"So, if you are willing, you can go to Hogwarts to study magic."

Silan frowned slightly, as though considering something.

"What is it, child?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"But Professor, I don't have any money." Silan's words made Professor McGonagall's heart ache.

McGonagall looked at the dilapidated surroundings and felt even worse.

Back then, the Prewett brothers had donated almost all the family's wealth to the Order of the Phoenix to fight Voldemort.

This child should have grown up with a silver spoon in his mouth, but now...

Professor McGonagall suppressed the emotions in her heart and continued.

"Of course, Mr. Prewett, you needn't worry. Hogwarts has an education fund that will allow you to complete your studies."

After saying that, she added, "You do not need to repay this money."

"Thank you, Professor McGonagall."

"So you agree?"

Silan revealed a gentle smile and nodded.

McGonagall finally relaxed. An unusual trace of a smile appeared on her previously stern face.

She stuffed a letter into Silan's hands.

"This is your admission invitation. It was originally meant to be delivered a few days later, but I was too anxious, so I brought it to you myself."

"Tomorrow. It's already a little late today. Tomorrow, I'll take you to Diagon Alley to buy the things you need for school."

Professor McGonagall's hat (There is a risk of copyright infringement with real-person photos, so use a professor's hat...)