The Silent Bookstore Manager at Hogwarts

Red instantly realized his mistake. He should have pretended not to have seen anything, but it was too late... The old woman had clearly noticed something was wrong with him.

"Hello, you saw everything, right?"

The elderly woman wearing a wizard's hat spoke to Reid in this way, making him want to grab the key and go back to the Silent Bookstore, but he glanced back at the orphanage behind him... He couldn't leave, at least not until he figured out the woman's purpose.

"Yes, if you're talking about how you transformed from a cat into a human and asking if I saw it, I saw it all."

Red pointed to his eyes, and Professor McGonagall met his gaze for a moment. She had a strange feeling that if she continued to look, this wary little wizard prospective might actually be able to see through her more. Perhaps this was a manifestation of the child's magic?

"Is that so... I thought the Disillusionment Charm had malfunctioned, child... Let me introduce myself. My name is Miller McGonagall, and I'm a professor from Hogwarts. This time, I've probably come for you."

Professor McGonagall carefully examined the little boy in front of her. She was truly frightened when she learned from Dumbledore about the unusual magical fluctuations in London. She knew that if untrained young wizards with magical abilities suppressed their magic for a long time, they would only become Obscurus, a catastrophic existence. At that point, even the Aurors from the Ministry of Magic might not be able to help.

More importantly, the appearance of an unsung hero often signifies the tragic loss of a child. Therefore, she immediately traveled from Hogwarts in Scotland to London to try to find the young wizarding prospect who had spontaneously unleashed magical energy.

In fact, her heart was in her throat when she arrived at the orphanage. You see, young wizards living in such circumstances usually don't have a very good mindset, not to mention that a certain mysterious person, whom she couldn't mention, seemed to have come from the orphanage.

"Probably?" Reid instinctively reached for the key. Although he didn't sense any malice, it didn't mean that what the other party was about to do would be beneficial to him. So he had to be extremely cautious. In his current situation, there was no chance of winning the battle. Although he could escape, that would mean that the orphanage would likely become his scapegoat.

"Ah, I'm sorry... It seems I misunderstood what I said. In fact, I came on behalf of Hogwarts for you young wizards who don't understand the wizarding world and live in the Muggle world, to explain your situation."

"please......"

Red stepped aside in an inviting gesture, which surprised Professor McGonagall. The child in front of her seemed far too mature for an eleven-year-old. She then looked at the orphanage in front of her. Perhaps poverty really could make people mature early.

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"So, in other words... the 'Muggles' you're talking about... to be honest, I find that rather offensive, but whatever, I respect your statement. Outside of the Muggle world, there exists a group of people who know how to use magic and call themselves wizards, and the way to distinguish between Muggles and wizards is to see if they can use magic?"

Reid sighed. This simple, blunt method of discernment meant he didn't even need to doubt whether anyone in the upper echelons of the government was aware of this. Based on Professor McGonagall's description, wizards looked down on Muggles in every way, even disdaining to consider them as part of the same human race…

"Very good summarizing ability..." Professor McGonagall's words clearly seemed to have a follow-up, but she stopped there. Reid suspected that this was her teaching habit, so he didn't press her for anything else she hadn't said.

"So what's the purpose of your visit here? It can't just be to find out who I am, can it?"

"It's to extend an invitation to you... child, every eleven-year-old wizard with magical powers receives an invitation to Hogwarts. We cordially invite you to enroll at Hogwarts and learn how to use the powers you are meant to master."

As Professor McGonagall spoke, her expression softened slightly as she looked at the harsh conditions of the orphanage.

"Of course, we will provide some assistance to each enrolled young wizard, such as gold pounds, the currency of the wizarding world, to help you purchase the things you need for enrollment. Of course, the official start date of school is..."

"It's not a loan, is it?"

Red frowned. He didn't want to inexplicably be burdened with an insurmountable loan. After all, this was the capital of a notoriously heartless old imperialist country. They would never hesitate to lend money to a child.

"Of course not... Child, you are more mature than I imagined."

Professor McGonagall was both amused and exasperated. She had met many young wizards from Muggle families, but Red was the first boy to ask her such a question.

"Ah... then, what about them... I know this sounds ridiculous, but what about them after I leave?"

Red was stunned for a long time, then turned around and looked. Professor McGonagall followed his gaze and saw the little girl, who was recovering from a serious illness, sleeping peacefully wrapped in a thin blanket. She could feel the traces of magic entering the little girl's body. Undoubtedly, it was the power to heal others.

This was indeed a question that a child with such power would ponder. McGonagall silently agreed with Reid's thoughts, her expression softening further.

"These children won't say anything to stop me from leaving; they'll congratulate me on my departure, but... what will they do? What will they do next winter? How many of them will perish next winter under this shitty government and country? I'm the oldest child here... how can I repay their trust in me?"

McGonagall remained unusually silent, watching the child's seemingly sudden outburst without uttering a word.

"I'm sorry, I got too excited... Please forgive my rudeness. I need time to think about what you said."

"I know... children, just consider this a small token of my personal kindness, hoping you can get through these difficult days."

Without hesitation, Red accepted Professor McGonagall's gold pound. Poison or sugar-coated bullet, the orphanage needed the money, and that was enough.

"Thank you for your kindness, Ms. McG Miller... I will have the old lady write your name down; it is worth remembering."

McGonagall smiled silently, nodded slightly, and left the orphanage. Hogwarts' first day of school hadn't arrived yet, and there were still many things at the school that awaited her attention.