The Nervous Top Student

After bidding farewell to Professor Kettleburn, Xiwen walked toward the lawn in the center of the castle's teaching area.

Speaking of the new semester, I only had a brief meeting with Miranda on the train. I didn't even have a chance to ask her how the royalties for "The Book of Spells" were coming along, or how she was doing lately. Thinking about how I hadn't borrowed her notes for the semester, Xiwen decided to go and try to get closer to her.

Entering the teaching area through the small door on the northwest side of the castle, you can see, through the tall stone pillars along the corridor, that even on weekends, many Ravenclaw students are still studying diligently on the lawn.

Miranda was also on the lawn in the teaching area, lazily leaning against a stone pillar in the distance, engrossed in reading a hardcover book.

It seems that because the book "The Book of Spells," which has become a bestseller in England, has provided her with ample royalties, Miranda's life is no longer as strained as she once described to Xiwen, and now she has extra money to dress herself up.

Today, Miranda wore the exquisite metal glasses that Xiwen had given her for Christmas. Her light gray hair was draped over her shoulders. While engrossed in her book, she would occasionally unconsciously flick the ends of her hair that fell across her chest with her left hand.

She wore a brand-new school uniform gown, over which was a white women's blouse. The blue striped tie and the school uniform's azure collar complemented Miranda's gentle blue eyes.

She wore a blue plaid Scotland- style kilt, revealing her two fair calves. Her brand-new school robe was unbuttoned and hung loosely on both sides of her calves, almost touching the tender green grass as she leaned against the stone pillar.

Miranda was completely unaware, engrossed in reading the book in her hands.

Xiwen walked halfway around the corridor, leaned against the left side of the stone pillar where Miranda was, and turned his head to look at the book in her hand.

"Advanced Spellcasting? Professor Hicks's book?" Xiwen asked curiously, noticing the title in the header.

Miranda tilted her head slightly, glanced at Xiwen beside her, and said, "Is Lali Hicks a professor? You sound like you know the author?"

"She's Ilvermorny's Charms professor," Xiwen said to Miranda with a smile. "Didn't you know? Professor Hicks came to Hogwarts once last term, and she was in the Great Hall then."

"Really?" Miranda finally couldn't stay calm any longer and abruptly turned to look at Xiwen. "I've wanted to see her for so long! Why didn't you call me when she came!"

"The problem is, I didn't know you were reading this book at the time..." Xiwen said innocently, shrugging his shoulders.

"Oh, right. I only started reading this book towards the end of summer vacation," Miranda said, somewhat dejected. "What a pity. If I could have had a proper conversation with her, maybe I could have written a second edition of <The Book of Spells>."

When the topic turned to the second edition of the Book of Spells, Xiwen immediately perked up and asked, "Which publisher will you be releasing the second edition of the Book of Spells with?"

"What other publisher offers better treatment than yours?" Miranda rolled her eyes and said to Xiwen. "During the summer, so many bookstores and publishers sent me letters asking about my earnings. I looked through their revenue sharing agreements with authors, and it seems like the person at your publisher who decides on the revenue sharing is an idiot. Otherwise, how would I get so much?"

"Who are you calling an idiot?" Xiwen's face darkened as he said indignantly. "You're not happy with the high score, are you?!"

"I knew it was you!" Miranda laughed lightly, looking at Xiwen.

"The share you gave me has truly alleviated my family's financial difficulties. I'm able to study without any worries thanks to your help. I'm so grateful to you!"

"Hey, don't say that!" Xiwen waved his hand and said, "It's business, everyone gets what they need."

Miranda looked at the stubborn Xiwen and laughed even more heartily, saying with a smirk, "So, how could I possibly look for another publisher?"

Xiwen nodded in satisfaction and said to Miranda, "In that case, I actually have another way to contact Professor Hicks."

"Really?" Miranda asked, somewhat incredulous. "You know, this author lives in the America; owls can't really deliver letters there."

"Of course not that low-class way of sending letters by owl!" Xiwen stood up and took out a mirror with a Phoenix- shaped frame from his Pocket Watch Space.

Xiwen manipulated the mirror, and then it appeared as if a page of a book had been turned on the surface, revealing Flamel's face.

"Hello, Xiwen," Flamel said with a smile. "Why not just come straight over as usual? Why bother with Two-Way Mirror?"

"Good morning, Mr. Flamel!" Xiwen greeted him first, then asked, "I'd like to introduce a friend to you, would that be alright?"

"Then bring them over quickly, we've been finding it too quiet here!" Madam Flamel's face squeezed into the mirror as she spoke kindly to Xiwen.

"Okay, we'll be right there!" Xiwen nodded emphatically and put the Two-Way Mirror away.

Then, as if remembering something, Xiwen looked at Miranda and asked, "By the way, you don't have anything else planned for today, right?"

Miranda, rubbing her glasses in disbelief, nodded blankly and asked in a trembling voice, "That was... Nicholas Flamel?"

"Who else could it be but him?" Xiwen chuckled. "Come with me, we need to find a quiet place to go to the Flamel house."

Then, Xiwen pulled the still somewhat incredulous Miranda toward the Entrance Courtyard, and then down the stairs leading to the castle dungeon.

It was already quite late, and occasionally some young Slytherin wizards would pass by the spiral staircase. They all looked at Shiv with strange expressions as they saw Xiwen leading a witch in a blue-collared school robe.

Miranda felt a little uneasy, so she secretly tapped her wand on herself, turning the blue of her clothes green. Only then did she secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

Xiwen watched Miranda's self-deceptive actions with amusement, and was about to make a few teasing remarks.

Then he suddenly remembered the scene when he secretly ran to Ravenclaw Tower. Back then, hadn't he also taken off his school robe and tie, daring to enter Ravenclaw Tower wearing only a plain white shirt?

So Xiwen silently gave up the idea of teasing Miranda.

Now dressed in green, Miranda no longer attracted the attention of the passing Slytherin wizards, and the two successfully arrived at the dungeon room belonging to the Ghost Xiwen.

"Are you ready?" Xiwen asked Miranda as he closed the door.

"Wait a moment." Miranda stopped Xiwen's actions, then nervously conjured a mirror using Conjuration.

She carefully styled her hair in front of the mirror, changed her clothes back to Ravenclaw blue, and then looked at Xiwen and asked, "How do I look now?"

"You're already very beautiful, Miss Academic Star!" Xiwen said, both amused and exasperated. "Flamel is very friendly, you don't need to be so nervous."

Miranda breathed a sigh of relief and nodded solemnly to Xiwen.

Then, a golden halo lit up the room.