"When you're done, please have it delivered to the Hufflepuff Common Room."
Seeing the house-elves who hadn't managed to grab any work all looking over, Edward quickly motioned for Audrey to slip away. He would never forget the time he'd eaten four people's worth of food under the expectant gaze of a dozen big eyes, stuffed so full he'd felt like throwing up for days.
"What were those... little things just now?" Audrey asked. "Are they magical creatures from your world?"
"You could say that. They're our house-elves."
She was stunned, her hands unconsciously gesturing. "But shouldn't elves be... a very noble, very elegant race? Why would they..." She suddenly covered her mouth. "Sorry, I don't mean your house-elves are bad, it's just, just..."
Edward laughed. "It's fine. It's just the differences between worlds."
The two stopped in front of a pile of large wooden barrels.
Unlike the other houses, entering the Hufflepuff Common Room didn't require a password or a riddle, but you had to tap the bottom of the second barrel in the second row of that pile of large wooden barrels to the rhythm of "Helga Hufflepuff." If the person tapped the wrong melody, tapped the wrong barrel, or tapped the wrong number of times, they'd be drenched in aged vinegar that had been fermenting for who knew how many years-a Shanxi person's dream come true.
Next, they enjoyed a sumptuous dinner in the Hufflepuff Common Room. Although he'd said only four portions, what actually arrived was enough to feed ten people.
Audrey fully displayed the poise and etiquette of a Loen noble lady at mealtime-from the way she held her knife and fork, to how wide she opened her mouth, to the rhythm of her chewing, she strictly adhered to the family education she'd once received.
Yet Edward couldn't appreciate it at all, only fretting on her behalf.
"Meow?"
A light, delicate figure ran over from the direction of the bedroom. It silently leaped onto the table, curiously glanced at Audrey, then turned to Edward with a "meow," as if asking a question: "('?ω?`)?"
This was a small black cat. Though she was a size smaller than an ordinary cat, she was actually already two years old-she just had black-footed cat blood, making her frame more petite. Her two blue pupils were like brilliant sapphires, and at a glance one seemed to see a deep, secluded starry sky hidden within.
The black-footed cat was a born hunter, nocturnal and agile, with astonishing combat ability, often able to take down prey much larger than itself. Before transmigrating, Edward had wanted to keep one, but unfortunately couldn't find a source back home.
"This is my cat, Lilith." Edward beckoned, and Lilith immediately clung over, tail held high, rubbing back and forth against him. "Oh, every student who enrolls at Hogwarts can bring a pet, but generally there are only three choices-an owl, a toad, or a cat."
Audrey slowly swallowed the food in her mouth and asked, puzzled, "Owls and cats I can understand, but why toads? Are toads a different kind of creature here?"
"That's not it. Using toads as pets is a very old tradition. Actually, most students nowadays choose owls-they can deliver your letters anywhere. What do you plan to keep?"
"Mmm, I have Susie and that's enough. Oh, Susie is a golden retriever."
Edward nodded. "I know. She's the one who chewed up my trouser leg. And before returning to this world, she'd already figured out I was a fake."
"Huh?"
"Susie told me. She'd taken a potion too, hadn't she?" He grabbed Lilith's front paws and lifted her up. "Lilith, how about I get you a potion to drink too?"
Lilith unceremoniously kicked him with her hind legs, nimbly landed on the table, then whipped her tail rapidly and let out several consecutive "meow" cries: "ヽ(`Д)"
"You just want to eat."
Edward flicked her lightly on the tip of her nose and produced a small dried fish. She snatched it up and expertly curled into Edward's arms, purring as she ate.
Audrey set down her knife and fork. "I'm full. Thank you for the hospitality."
"Alright then, let's go find Professor McGonagall to arrange your lodging. Oh, I forgot to introduce-Hogwarts has four houses in total. Professor McGonagall is the head of Gryffindor House. I'm in Hufflepuff. The other two are Ravenclaw and Slytherin. You'll probably come into contact with all of them."
She hesitated slightly. "Um... you've introduced me to all sorts of things these past hours, but you've never mentioned yourself. Like... your name."
Edward was taken aback and quickly apologized. "Sorry, sorry. You might not believe it, but I've actually had the illusion that we've known each other for a long time."-For this Miss Justice, he truly had "known her for a long time."
He extended his hand and gave a simple self-introduction:
"My name is Edward. An orphan. I only have a given name, no surname."
Of course he had a surname-it had just scattered to the winds along with his transmigration long ago.
Chapter 7: Diagon Alley
After finishing the meal, Edward took Audrey to find Professor McGonagall to arrange her lodging.
Professor McGonagall's office was a small study on the second floor of Hogwarts Castle, with a view of the Quidditch Pitch from its window. This seemingly strict and old-fashioned lady had, in her youth, been a standard little Gryffindor lion-loving adventure, loving Quidditch.
Although it was summer vacation, the fireplace in the office was still lit, yet the temperature in the room was just right. Such was the wonder of magic.
The moment Audrey entered the office, she saw a tabby cat comfortably grooming itself.
Woman and cat exchanged a glance, and the tabby cat rapidly enlarged, transforming into Professor McGonagall-a cat-woman who had matured far too much:
"Oh, so this is the transfer student Miss Audrey Hall that Professor Dumbledore mentioned."
"That's right. Good evening, Professor McGonagall." Edward once again served as translator.
Audrey suppressed her urge to ask why a person could turn into a cat, and pinched her skirt to curtsy like a proper lady.
"Come with me."
Professor McGonagall still did things with such brisk efficiency, leading the two quickly toward the Gryffindor dormitories. From introducing Hogwarts, to introducing Gryffindor, to finally arranging the dormitory-it was all done in one smooth flow.
By the time they left the Gryffindor Common Room, only Edward and Professor McGonagall remained.
"Edward, please spend the next few days teaching Miss Hall English, and take her to Diagon Alley to purchase all the various things she needs for school." Professor McGonagall instructed. "This is something I should do myself, but as you know, during this period I need to go to the Muggle world to ensure those future young wizards can enroll on schedule next semester."
"Alright, Professor."
"Ah, right. The school will provide Miss Hall with a scholarship. I'll just give it to you directly."
After handing Edward a bag of Galleons, Professor McGonagall hurried off.
Edward looked at the empty, deserted castle and sighed. He walked to the window and gazed at the starry sky, momentarily dazed.
Before today, all he'd needed to do was learn magic well, collect the Horcruxes in advance, act at the critical moment to save as many regrets as possible, then focus his energy on researching the Philosopher's Stone to obtain longevity at least on par with Nick Flamel.
But the emergence of the Lord of Mysteries World forced him to make changes. Susie, who had just stepped into Sequence 9, already had such strong resistance to magic. Relying on magic alone in the Lord of Mysteries World would definitely not be enough.
Therefore, he had to take a potion!
But which Pathway should he choose?
On the other side, Audrey, having finished washing up, lay on the soft bed, her heart equally unsettled.
Before today, this little princess of the Hall Family had thought her experiences were rich enough: the mysterious Tarot Club, the powerful Mr. Fool, Susie who had taken a potion, and all sorts of knowledge and rumors about the mysterious world.
Until another equally wondrous world suddenly unfolded before her. After experiencing shock, fear, worry, doubt, and curiosity, now her heart was filled only with anticipation-anticipation for what surprises this world would bring her.
Audrey gently exhaled and closed her eyes. "Goodnight, Hogwarts. Goodnight, Mom and Dad. Goodnight, Audrey."
Suddenly, she opened her eyes: Oh no! What about the weekly Tarot Club meeting?!
Over the next three days, Edward taught Audrey English from the most basic alphabet.
Edward's English had come with him when he transmigrated, and his method of learning English came from the English classes he'd taken in his previous life. You had to know that most students back home spent over a decade on it-even if they passed the College English Test Band 4 and Band 6, they still ended up with nothing but mute English.
So at first he worried whether he'd teach Audrey to be the same way, but he soon realized his worries were unfounded. People of the Lord of Mysteries World seemed to have incredibly strong talent for learning languages and mystical knowledge.
In the mysticism circles, if you didn't know Jotun, Hermes, and Elvish, you'd be too embarrassed to show your face. Even Big Sis (Danitz), who disliked studying, had a solid command of quite a few mystical languages.
So Edward also took the opportunity to have Audrey teach him Hermes-he'd already confirmed that aside from Loenese, he didn't know any other mystical languages.
After three days of study, Audrey could already hold simple daily conversations, but Edward's learning was not going smoothly. Even Lilith, who'd been by his side the whole time, sometimes wore a look of disdain: "?(o?o)?"
"It must be because I haven't taken a potion!" That was how he comforted himself.
"Yes, yes." That was how Audrey comforted him.
And so, the day for shopping in Diagon Alley soon arrived.
Edward had originally wanted to use the Floo Network in Professor McGonagall's office to go directly to the Leaky Cauldron's fireplace, but Professor McGonagall had gone out early, so he found Dumbledore instead.
The moment Fawkes delivered the two to the entrance of Diagon Alley, he vanished with a "crack," not even giving Edward a chance to say thanks.
Come to think of it, Edward felt somewhat wronged. When he'd wanted to ask Fawkes for a feather, he'd actually only wanted to make a few more of Voldemort's "twin wands." By the final battle, with everyone armed with one, it would absolutely show Voldemort what cruelty meant!
Before them was a cobblestone street lined with shops on both sides, wizards in all manner of dress hurrying through the alleys.
She had only come into contact with Edward, Professor McGonagall, and a few others during these days at Hogwarts. Suddenly seeing so many people-especially with quite a few frequently casting amazed glances her way-she felt somewhat unaccustomed.
Edward pulled out a letter and handed it to her. "This is the acceptance letter Professor McGonagall asked me to give you." He shrugged. "A bit late, but it's still the proper procedure and ceremony."
Audrey opened the letter. On it were beautiful words handwritten with a quill:
Dear Miss Audrey Hall:
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Enclosed is a list of required books and equipment. The term begins on September 1st.
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Below is the list)
II. Equipment
1. One wand
2. One House Hat
3. One Winter Cloak
III. Other Items
1. One quill
2. Ink and parchment
Although Audrey could already communicate simply in English, reading this acceptance letter was still somewhat difficult, so Edward simply read it aloud in Loenese.
"Next, we just need to purchase everything on this list one by one." Edward led her toward Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. "Let's get you a Warlock Uniform first. You can't keep wearing that dress forever."
The two entered the shop, and the short, plump Madam Malkin received them immediately, her face full of smiles and her tone exaggerated:
"Oh~ I swear, you must be the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. Are you going to Hogwarts? But why have I never seen you before? A girl like you-one look and you'd be unforgettable for life."
"I... I just transferred to Hogwarts. This is my first time here." She answered in fairly fluent English, and even remembered to add, "Thank you for the compliment."
Madam Malkin waved her wand, and several measuring tapes flew automatically to Audrey's side. Madam Malkin took notes as she worked: "Oh, what perfect proportions. After the clothes are done, may I keep your photograph in the shop?"
Audrey watched the self-operating measuring tapes curiously and gave a slight nod. "That's fine."
The whole clothes-making process took much longer than Edward's had. Madam Malkin seemed to be meticulously sculpting a treasure, striving to make every stitch and every thread the best it could be. Several customers came in during the process, but Madam Malkin had no time to attend to them, and eventually simply closed the shop door.
"Done, dear."
Nearly two hours later, Madam Malkin stepped back half a pace, looking with satisfaction at the new uniform on Audrey. "I swear, this must be the best work of my life."
Edward, who had long been waiting half-asleep, hurriedly prepared to pay and leave.
Before you continue