From Hogwarts to Sturhaven

“Oh, I remember, Father.” Although Draco tried to pull his eyes away from Ivy’s magnificent Slytherin relic robes and put on a smug expression, everyone could see the envy in his eyes.

He held out a hand and introduced himself in a drawn-out tone: "Draco Malfoy, a first-year student at Hogwarts, and I bet I'm a Slytherin."

Ivy extended her hand to shake his, and introduced herself: "Ivy Doom, like you, is also a Hogwarts freshman."

"You're a freshman too?" Young Malfoy's voice seemed to sharpen slightly with surprise, but he cleared his throat before old Malfoy could frown, regaining his affected aristocratic air. "But you're dressed... Oh... I see! Maybe I should learn from Ivy's confidence, Father?"

"Open ambition and confidence? I think that's exactly the kind of quality Salazar—Slytherin himself liked." Old Malfoy's aristocratic manners were even more refined, and even more repulsive, especially his slightly raised chin, which Ivy hated from the bottom of her heart, and definitely not because of the difference in perspective caused by his height.

"Why don't you ask your classmate where he got his robe made? Maybe I can order one for you too," Old Malfoy continued, offering his suggestion.

Young Malfoy turned his head and stared intently at Ivy.

Ivy declined, saying, "The Slytherin robes... I think they're quite old."

"What a pity..." Old Malfoy shook his head to express his regret, and wanted to say something more.

However, the shopkeeper Ollivander returned from the room behind the counter, carrying a wand box lined with purple velvet.

“Mr. Doom!” Ollivander called out enthusiastically, handing the wand case to Ivy. “I think it is absolutely my grandfather’s finest work! Silver linden and phoenix tail feathers, fifteen and a half inches long, a magnificent and exquisite combination that will provide a powerful advantage in Legilimency and Prophecy!”

"Leech and prophecy?" Ivy raised an eyebrow as she looked at the pale silver wand. So this was the very quality that made silver linden wood so sought after over a hundred years ago.

“That’s right.” Ollivander rubbed his hands together, looking eager to learn about the wand’s abilities. “Try it, Mr. Doom. If it’s not quite right, we can find you another one.”

This wasn't the first time Ivy had raised a wand, but this one was unlike any he had ever used before. The magic flowing through it was as smooth as eating Dove chocolate.

He gently shook the tip of his wand, and a dazzling silver light burst forth from it, transforming into a magnificent phoenix in the air. It circled the cramped wand shop once before exploding into a shower of light fragments.

“Perfect!” Ollivander exclaimed excitedly. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget this moment. You’re destined for the history of magic, Mr. Doom.”

Ivy nodded in satisfaction, put away the wand, and then asked, "Since it's been over a hundred years since I came to collect it, I wonder about the storage fee..."

“No need.” Ollivander shook his head vigorously, his silver hair flying wildly. “That scene we just witnessed is enough!”

Ivy thanked him again and left the wand shop. As he passed the Malfoy family, he whispered, "Excuse me."

After watching Ivy leave, Lucius Malfoy patted his son on the shoulder: "Besides Harry Potter, you also need to get along well with him. Remember that, Draco."

Seeing his son nod, Lucius took out a few Galleons from his pocket: "Perhaps a few Galleons can help you make a small extra request to Madam Malkin. However, you'd better go alone. I'll go buy you the textbooks, and Mom will take care of the wand. We need to go home early today."

Young Malfoy took the gold coin from his father, cheered, and left Ollivander's wand shop.

Walking down Diagon Alley, Ivy checked her shopping list; only the wand was complete.

He was still missing six first-grade textbooks, at least three sets of plain-colored school uniforms with name tags, potion-making equipment—that is, a cauldron, a crystal bottle, a balance scale, and dragon-skin gloves—and a telescope for astronomy.

Potions and astronomy tools are easy to find; Ivy remembers there are quite a few old ones in the House of Requirement. But he's not short of money; problems that can be solved with Galleons aren't really problems at all.

“Let’s start with books.” Ivy decided that his next target would be Flourish and Blotts, but he wouldn’t buy any extra books for leisure, since Hogwarts already had enough books, and there was also a treasure trove like the forbidden section.

Ivy was a little happy because he had plenty of time to spend on it, and the first-year coursework wasn't too heavy; studying magic was his main focus.

There are many wizards of all ages in Flourish and Blotts, most of whom are probably preparing their children for the start of school, so there are students from every grade.

Ivy noticed that the clerk had already bundled up stacks of books. All he had to do was say the grade level, and the clerk would put a stack of books in the customer's box, then announce a number and wait for the customer to pay.

While waiting in line, Ivy glanced around Flourish and Blotts. Besides the students queuing for textbooks, there were also quite a few young wizards interested in other books lingering among the wooden bookshelves, trying their best to find their favorite books.

A girl with bright blonde hair caught Ivy's attention. Judging from her height, she might enroll in the same school as Ivy, or she might be a year or two older.

Ivy went through all the female characters he remembered from the original work in his mind, but found that he couldn't match any of them to his real name.

This made him exclaim with satisfaction: "This is indeed a real world. In addition to the scenes described in the seven novels, there are many other vivid characters in this world."

Perhaps noticing Ivy's gaze, the girl raised her head from her book.

Her upturned eyes and beauty mark made her look aristocratic, and her emerald eyes and bright golden hair complemented each other perfectly. She was a girl who could easily leave a deep impression.

Seeing the girl look at him, Ivy nodded slightly in response. He didn't plan to approach her now; there was plenty of time at Hogwarts, wasn't there?

Chapter 10 Harry Potter

Ivy's subsequent journey through Diagon Alley was unremarkable, except for his encounter with Hagrid and Harry holding ice cream outside Madam Malkin's Robes shop.

Hagrid was visibly startled when he saw him, and it wasn't until Ivy nodded at him that Hagrid remembered that he was also one of the young wizards who had enrolled this year.

"Oh...hello," Hagrid said dryly, wondering who Ivy's handsome face and gorgeous robes reminded him of, but it certainly wasn't a pleasant memory.

“Hello, Mr. Hagrid.” Ivy looked at Harry beside him. He was a thin boy, but coming to Diagon Alley and experiencing the world of wizarding had clearly put him in a state of extreme excitement. “This must be Harry Potter?”

“Hmm? Yes, he really is Harry.” Hagrid’s furry face showed hesitation, as if he was struggling with whether or not to let Harry come into contact with a Slytherin. “But how did you know?”

“I was right there when Professor McGonagall reported to Dumbledore that Harry Potter hadn’t received his acceptance letter.” Ivy smiled at Harry, who was looking at her curiously. “And I bet Dumbledore sent the phoenix to deliver the message to you, right? He wrote that note in front of us, and you just happened to walk in when Professor Snape and I were about to leave the Headmaster’s office.”

“Not hard to guess, is it?” Ivy extended a hand to Harry. “My name is Ivy Doom, also a first-year student. Just call me Ivy.”

“Oh, okay, Ivy.” Harry grabbed Ivy’s hand and shook it up and down, then asked curiously, “You mean, you were at Hogwarts before you enrolled? What kind of school is that? Headmaster Dumbledore and a phoenix that can be used to deliver messages? What’s that?”

“Alright, Harry, those questions will be answered when we get to the school. How about we keep it a little mysterious for now?” Hagrid interrupted Ivy’s answer, giving Harry a shove in the back with his hand, which was about the size of a pot lid. “Remember? You’re still missing a wand, and I have to get it to Dumbledore today. We can’t delay any longer; the sun is about to set.”

“In that case, I won’t bother you any longer.” Ivy politely took his leave, but he didn’t forget to add, “You can find the answers to all your questions in the book, ‘Hogwarts: A History of the School.’ If you’re particularly curious, you might want to buy a copy and take a look.”

"Thank you!" Harry followed Hagrid away, but he didn't forget to turn back and wave to Ivy. To do so, he laboriously moved the cage filled with snow to his other hand, which was full of things.

Ivy waved to him, then turned and walked into the Madam Malkin's Robe Shop.

€€€€€€€€

Time always flies, and waiting with hope makes it fly even faster.

September 1st is the first day of school for Hogwarts and almost all Muggle schools in the Northern Hemisphere.

Ivy had already passed Platform Nine and Three-Quarters and successfully boarded the Hogwarts Express. Ivy knew very well that this steam locomotive was also over a hundred years old, seemingly about the same age as herself, but different from her status among wizards.

The Hogwarts Express wasn't exactly a "fast" train in 1991, but Ivy, the master of dark magic, was still one of the best.

Ivy knocked on the compartment door. Harry was peering out the car window, and judging from the red hair peeking out, it was the Weasleys standing outside.

"May I come in, Harry?"

“What?” Harry turned his head and saw Ivy wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt. “Of course, Ivy.”

“Very good.” Ivy came in from the door and directed her luggage to be moved to the shelf.

Throughout this time, Harry stared wide-eyed, holding his breath as he watched intently.

“Magic!” Harry shouted, pointing at Ivy.

“Don’t be so surprised,” Ivy said casually, sitting in her chair. “You’re a wizard too, and I believe it won’t be long before you master this magic.”

No sooner had Ivy finished speaking than the train whistle sounded.

Ivy could sense that Harry's mood had suddenly sombered, and guessed that it was because he was worried about falling behind in his magical studies. So she smiled and said to him, "Welcome to the magical world."

Harry relaxed and a smile returned to his face.

Then the train jolted, and the Hogwarts Express started moving.

The door to the cubicle opened again, and the tall, thin, red-haired boy with freckles walked in.

"Can I sit here?" he asked, pointing to the seat next to Harry. "The other seats are taken."

“Of course!” Harry blurted out, then looked at Ivy, who was standing silently to the side, and Ivy nodded slightly to him.

“Oh.” Ron sat down, looking relieved.

“Hey, Ron.” The Weasley twins poked their heads out from the half-closed door.

“Listen, we’re going to take a walk in the middle carriage now… Li Jordan got a really big bag spider.” The two then looked at Ivy, who was sitting next to Harry, “Make sure you get along well with your classmates.”

“Hmm,” Ron uttered a guttural sound.

Having received a response, the Weasley twins pulled their heads back in and closed the cubicle door behind them.

“Fred and George…” Ron explained, blushing, “My brother… has the same last name as me, Weasley… My name is Ronald, you can also call me Ron…”

“Harry Potter. You can call me Harry too.” Harry nodded amicably. He could tell Ron was excited, but after the trip to Diagon Alley, he was somewhat immune to it.

"So you really...?" Ron seemed to want to say something, but quickly remembered that there was a third person in the cubicle, so he stopped talking and his face turned even redder.

"Ivy—Dum. Just call me Ivy." Ivy's self-introduction eased his awkwardness to some extent.

"Is your whole family wizards?" Harry asked Ron, clearly envious of Ron having three wizard brothers.

“Oh! I think so…” Ron was clearly surprised by Harry’s question, but they quickly continued chatting happily on the topic.

Harry talked about his terrible cousin, while Ron complained about the difficulties of living in a large family. Before long, the two reached a consensus.

"And you, Ivy? What are your parents like?" Harry stared at him through his round-framed glasses.

“They’re all gone.” Ivy’s statement was simple, and he noticed a hint of empathy in Harry’s gaze.

Chapter 11 On the Train

Ivy didn't feel she needed the sympathy of a child who had lost both parents and lived in her aunt's house for eleven years.

So he tried to change the subject: "You know what? I'm actually a wizard from over a hundred years ago."

Upon hearing this, Harry and Ron's eyes widened, but they quickly broke into smiles, perhaps taking the truth as a joke.

"That sounds really cool!" Ron exclaimed. "So why are you coming to school with us? Is it to relive school life?"

"That's part of the reason," Ivy nodded in acknowledgment.