Swearing in the Name of Lyle

Tucked behind the letter was a list of all the items Gemini needed for school.

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

On such a peaceful morning, appearing before him in such a calm and undramatic manner.

Tucking the letter back into the envelope, Gemini flopped back onto the lawn, acting as if he had nothing to do.

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

Hogwarts wouldn't just send an owl to notify him of his enrollment; they'd probably send a grown-up cat-girl.

As for whether or not to go to Hogwarts, there was no need to be coy. He had to go, and it wasn't like he had a choice anyway.

"Hey, Gemini, do you still have a slingshot?"

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

He lazily turned his head, and a sturdy boy appeared in his line of sight, looking down at him.

The boy was named Filly, the same name as a steak, and was something of Gemini's subordinate, though not a particularly valuable one.

"If you want a slingshot, I have one. I'll give you a good price, how about one pound twenty pence?" Gemini had no intention of getting up, just lying on the ground.

"I recently made a new friend who's a really good fighter. He'll be going to Smeting Middle School too. You're going there too, right, Gemini?" Filly looked at Gemini with a stern face. "That'll be our territory from now on, so you should know how to act."

"Hmm?" Gemini finally sat up, looking at Filly with a gentle gaze. "If I'm hearing you right... you don't want to pay?"

"Uh-huh~" Filly crossed his arms and grunted, looking arrogant as if he had achieved an evolutionary leap in life.

Gemini sighed leisurely and shrugged helplessly. "If that's the case, then follow me."

He led Filly to a secluded and quiet small garden on the outskirts of town. The garden looked like it hadn't been tended to in a while, with lush vegetation.

Filly looked around, his small glasses glinting with greed. "You hid everything here?"

"Not exactly. I just discovered this place a few days ago. The owner of the garden seems to be busy with work and doesn't come often, so I sometimes come here to take a nap."

Gemini turned around, smiling at Filly, a metal baseball bat appearing in his hand at some point. "You know, not everyone can afford my goods, so some people get bad ideas."

"Have you ever thought about why others don't try to steal my stuff?"

"What do you mean?" Filly's face turned pale, a bad feeling dawning on him.

"Mr. Filly Wilson, this isn't a place to hide things, it's a place to hide people."

Gemini's smile remained gentle as he walked towards the pale-faced Filly, carrying the bat.

Screams echoed in the small garden, but due to its location on the outskirts, they didn't attract anyone's attention.

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

"Two pounds ten pence. Quite the rich one, aren't you?" Gemini chuckled, stuffing the money into his pocket. He stood up and kicked the bruised and swollen Filly.

"What are you two doing here?"

Suddenly, a voice rang out. Gemini looked towards the sound and saw a little girl standing under an old tree, hands on her hips, glaring at him.

The little girl looked about Gemini's age, with messy brown hair and slightly large front teeth. Only her small face could be considered fair and pretty.

"I... is there something I'm disturbing you with?" Gemini asked gently.

"Of course. This is my family's garden, and you're trespassing. Also, if I'm not mistaken, you're beating up that chubby kid, which is illegal."

The little girl rolled her eyes and spoke eloquently, her demeanor not at all weak.

"My apologies, I'm very sorry. I'll leave now." Gemini didn't intend to argue with her. He grabbed one of Filly's legs and turned to leave.

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

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

"Hermione Granger."

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

"I can swear to you, I wasn't the one who started this."

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

"I always know how to hold back."

"So that means you've done this more than once."

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

"Even if you say that, this happened in my garden, and I can't just pretend I didn't see it." Hermione said seriously. "If you injure him, our family will also be responsible. I have to tell my parents."

"Since that's the case..." Gemini sighed leisurely. "Alright, I'll wait here for you."

"Don't try to trick me. If I turn around and leave, you'll definitely run away, won't you?" Hermione didn't believe his nonsense and looked at Gemini warily.

Gemini earnestly raised three fingers. "I swear by the name of Lyle, if I run, then Lyle will die a terrible death."

Hermione felt something was off about his words, but she couldn't quite pinpoint it. However, since he had made such a dire vow, she couldn't say anything more. She hurried off to find her parents.

As soon as Hermione left, Gemini turned and dragged the sniveling Filly away.

Lyle's life or death... what did that have to do with Gemini?

A few minutes later, Hermione arrived at the small garden with her parents. Seeing that the surroundings were empty, the little girl trembled with cold from anger.

Meanwhile, Gemini, after leaving the sniveling Filly by the roadside, headed towards the orphanage with a refreshed spirit.

"Professor McGonagall, are you saying you want to cultivate a wizard within the Lord's orphanage?"

Inside the director's office at Holy Cross Orphanage.

The priest, who had a bulbous nose, glared at the figure across the desk.

It was a black-haired woman wearing a dark green woolen coat. Judging by her appearance, she was at least fifty years old, yet she showed no signs of aging. She looked energetic, her black hair neatly tied up at the back of her head, and she confronted the priest director with a serious expression.

"This is the most suitable future for him. Children his age are at the peak of their magical growth. If they are not cultivated and guided, it will certainly lead to serious hidden dangers."

"Has anyone ever told you that you look like a third-rate swindler? You heretic!" The priest director stared intently at Professor McGonagall.

Professor McGonagall took a deep breath. She had encountered situations like this many times before and was not about to get angry over it.

Silently, she took out her wand from her pocket and gave a gentle flick towards the cabinet in the corner. The cabinet door immediately opened, and several bottles of whiskey flew out, landing neatly on the priest director's desk in a row.

"Has anyone ever told you that drunks are not fit to be orphanage directors, let alone priests?"

The priest director, looking at the row of perfectly arranged liquor bottles before him, was rendered speechless.

"If it's possible, I'd like to meet the child first. May I?"