An Oath in Lyle's Name

A list had been enclosed with the letter, detailing everything Gemini would need for school.

Without a doubt, it was a very formal acceptance letter from Hogwarts.

On such a peaceful morning, it had appeared before him in such a peaceful, utterly undramatic manner.

Stuffing the letter back into its envelope, Gemini flopped onto the lawn again, looking as though he had nothing to do.

He knew that from now on, all he had to do was wait.

Hogwarts could not possibly send only an owl to notify him of his admission. They would most likely have to send an older Catwoman as well.

As for whether he wanted to attend Hogwarts, there was no need to fuss over it. He should go, and besides, it was probably not something he could refuse just because he did not want to.

"Hey, Gemini, do you still have any slingshots?"

Gemini had been lost in thought when a voice sounded beside his ear.

He lazily turned his head and saw a burly boy looking down at him.

The boy was named Filly, the same name as a steak. He was one of Gemini's cash cows, though hardly a premium one.

"If you want a slingshot, I have one. I'll give you a bargain—one pound and twenty pence?" Gemini had no intention of getting up and remained lying on the ground.

"I recently made a new friend. He's a great fighter, and he'll be going to Smeting Middle School too. You'll be going there as well, right, Gemini?" Filly glared at Gemini with a grim face. "That'll be our turf from then on. You should know how to behave."

"Hm?" Gemini finally sat up and looked at Filly with gentle eyes. "So what you mean is... you don't want to pay?"

"Mhm." Filly folded his arms and snorted, looking haughty as if he had ascended to a higher form of life.

Gemini let out a leisurely sigh and shrugged helplessly. "In that case, come with me."

He led Filly all the way to a secluded, quiet little garden in the suburbs. It looked as though it had not been tended for some time, and the vegetation had grown thick and lush.

Filly looked around, greed glinting behind his little glasses. "So this is where you hid all your stuff?"

"Not really. I just happened to find this place a few days ago. The owner seems busy with work and rarely comes by, so I occasionally take naps here."

Gemini turned around, smiling at Filly. At some point, a metal baseball bat had appeared in his hand. "You know, not everyone has the money to buy my goods, so some people get bad ideas."

"Have you ever wondered why no one else comes to steal my things?"

"What do you mean?" Filly's face went pale as a faint sense of dread rose within him.

"Mr. Filly Wilson, this is not a place for hiding things. It's a place for hiding people."

Gemini still wore a gentle smile as he carried the bat toward the deathly pale Filly.

Screams rang through the little garden, but because it was in the suburbs, they drew no one's attention.

A few minutes later, Filly lay sprawled on the ground like a dead pig, sobbing weakly. Gemini sat on top of him, cheerfully counting the pocket money he had extorted from Filly.

"Two pounds and ten pence. You're quite the little tycoon, aren't you?" Gemini said with a smile as he tucked the money into his pocket, stood up, and kicked Filly, whose face was bruised and swollen.

"What are you doing here?"

A voice suddenly rang out. Gemini followed it with his eyes and saw a little girl standing beneath an old tree, hands on her hips as she glared angrily at him.

The girl looked about Gemini's age. Her brown hair was a messy tangle, and her front teeth seemed a little large. Only her small face could be considered fair and pretty.

"Have I... done something to disturb you?" Gemini asked gently.

"Of course. This is my family's garden. You trespassed onto private property, and if I'm not mistaken, you were beating up that little fatty. That's against the law."

The little girl rolled her eyes and spoke with complete confidence, her bearing no weaker than his.

"Then I truly have disturbed you. My apologies. I'll leave right away." Gemini had no intention of arguing with her. He grabbed Filly by one leg and turned to leave.

"Wait, you can't leave." The little girl aggressively blocked Gemini's path. "I think you should apologize to him. It's wrong to hit people."

Gemini smiled politely. "My name is Lyle. What's yours?"

"Hermione Granger."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Granger." Gemini smiled. It was a very familiar name, but it had nothing to do with him.

"I can swear to you that I was not the one who started this."

"But you still hit him." Hermione frowned and glanced at Filly. "And you hit him badly."

"I have always known my limits."

"Then that means this isn't the first time you've done something like this."

"Life always needs a little exciting seasoning." Gemini shrugged.

"Even if you say that, this happened in my family's garden, and I can't pretend I didn't see it." Hermione looked serious. "If you hurt him badly, my family will be held responsible too. I have to tell my parents."

"In that case..." Gemini let out a leisurely sigh. "Fine, I'll wait here for you."

"Don't try to fool me. If I turn around and leave, you'll definitely run away, won't you?" Hermione did not believe his nonsense and watched Gemini warily.

Gemini solemnly raised three fingers. "I swear in Lyle's name: if I run away, then Lyle will die a horrible death."

Listening to him, Hermione felt that something was strange, though she could not put her finger on it. Still, he had already made such a vicious oath, so she could not say much more. She hurried off to find her parents.

The moment Hermione left, Gemini turned around and dragged the sniveling Filly away.

Whether Lyle died or not... what did that have to do with Gemini?

A few minutes later, Hermione returned to the little garden with her parents. Seeing the empty surroundings, the little girl trembled all over with anger and cold.

Elsewhere, after tossing the sniveling Filly by the roadside, Gemini walked toward the Orphanage feeling refreshed.

"So, Professor McGonagall... are you saying that you wish to train a wizard in the Lord's orphanage?"

Inside the headmaster's office of Holy Cross Orphanage.

The Priest headmaster, with a bulbous red nose, stared unfriendly at the figure across the desk.

She was a black-haired woman wearing an emerald green wool coat. Judging from her appearance alone, she had to be at least in her fifties, yet she showed not the slightest sign of age. She looked energetic and hale, her black hair meticulously pinned up behind her head as she confronted the Priest headmaster with a stern expression.

"This is the most suitable future for him. Children his age are at the stage when their magic grows fastest. Without proper training and guidance, it will certainly create severe hidden dangers."

"Has anyone ever told you that you look like a third-rate con artist? You heretic!" The Priest headmaster glared at Professor McGonagall aggressively.

Professor McGonagall took a deep breath. She had encountered situations like this many times before, and it was not enough to anger her.

Without a word, she drew her wand from her robes and gave the cabinet in the corner a light flick. Its doors flew open at once, and several bottles of whisky flew out, landing on the Priest headmaster's desk in a neat row.

"Has anyone ever told you that a drunk is unfit to be the headmaster of an orphanage, much less a Priest?"

The Priest headmaster stared speechlessly at the neatly lined-up bottles before him.

"If possible, I would like to meet the child first. May I?"