"I never learned this spell." Aurora had no intention of being corrected; the sparks continually shooting from her magic wand, once adjusted correctly, turned out to be another kind of compound magic that provided both light and warmth.
It was even more functional than Ian's compound spell— the little wizard pulled out two pieces of dry, hard bread and toasted them, quickly filling the secret passage with a delicious aroma.
"Did you swipe these from the Great Hall?" Aurora snatched a piece and stuffed it into her mouth. The toast smelled wonderful, but she still frowned as if she wasn't used to the coarse texture.
"A gift handmade by my younger brother and sister." Of course, Ian too received gifts from the orphanage; only, the little ones without owls chose to let Snape deliver them.
At Ian's request, Snape had gone to Wu Orphanage once, and from the headmaster's letter, it seemed Snape hadn't displayed any of his usual unpleasant traits there.
"Did you grow up eating this kind of stuff?"
Aurora looked at the rough toast in her hand, a bit surprised.
"Of course not."
Ian pushed open the hidden door at the key point of the secret passage. They climbed out from a secluded underground stone chamber; outside, the cobblestone street was covered in a thick blanket of snow today as well.
"Life wasn't great at first. We only had a proper meal during holidays, and if someone donated money, then we'd get bread like this."
Ian's wand slowly dimmed. Flakes of snow fell down, landing on his and Aurora's shoulders, decorating their cloaks in a blanket of white.
"Those who dare to face their past can usually create a better future." Aurora, surprisingly, came out with something wise, gazing ahead at the little town steeped in medieval charm.
The holiday atmosphere here was strong, no less than at Hogwarts— in fact, when it came to excitement, it far surpassed Hogwarts Castle itself.
Every shop seemed to have a prior agreement; all their windows were decked out in colorful Christmas decorations, and there were all sorts of quirky snowmen out front, beckoning for customers. Quite a few wizards were dressed up as Santa Claus, though, in Ian's eyes, none quite matched the one he'd seen in the Misty Illusion Realm.
"Little wizard, want a cupcake?"
They stepped onto the main street.
Ian and Aurora were soon stopped by an enthusiastic Santa Claus. He intercepted Aurora's outstretched hand, speaking to this wizard of Hogwarts Village who always skirted the edge of the law.
"Mr. John, putting hallucinogens in the candy is illegal." Ian didn't even need to open the wrapper; he could instantly tell what was inside the sweets.
His nose was even keener now than Hagrid's Fang.
"So that smell was a hallucinogen?"
Aurora froze for a second, rummaging for her wand— only to find Ian had already predicted her move and snatched it from her robe first.
"It's just a little herb extract from the Muggle world. Do you even know what ancient Eastern spices are?" The wizard named John had no idea what he'd missed out on.
He only grumbled, put away his cupcakes, and sulked off into the distance.
"If no one wants to go to his cake shop, he might as well move to Knockturn Alley. He'd do great business there." Ian led Aurora towards the Three Brooms.
"I think I get why there's an age limit in Hogwarts Village— it's because they sell contraband here." Aurora glanced thoughtfully in the direction of her family's bookstore.
No telling what kind of schemes she was brewing for the Saints to sell there.
"Drink it."
Ian first brought Aurora into a deserted alley, then pulled out a potion and handed it to her. He'd made all the preparations in advance for today.
"Fur Cover Mushroom, turtle shell powder, caterpillar slices, and bat tongue— Aging Potion?" Aurora sniffed the bottle and instantly identified what potion Ian had brewed.
"Gulp gulp gulp~"
Aurora pretty much guessed what Ian wanted to do.
She downed it enthusiastically in one go.
Ian also immediately drank down the bottle of Aging Potion in his own hand. As the potion trickled down his throat, a warm and powerful force surged through Ian's body.
It felt like time itself was accelerating at that moment.
In the blink of an eye, Ian and Aurora underwent a shocking transformation— from eleven-year-old children to adults in height and appearance.
Like Polyjuice Potion, the Aging Potion only changes the user's outside appearance, making them look older. It lasts longer than Polyjuice, so you don't have to take it every hour, and it's much easier to brew. But it also can't cause any real internal change.
"Not bad, not bad— looks like I won't end up a trainwreck like Malfoy." Ian instantly produced a mirror and began admiring himself. His features, once delicate and handsome, now looked more chiseled and defined. The Great Wizard's green eyes had an even brighter, more vivid hue— an indescribable charisma shimmered in their depths.
Captivating, utterly enchanting.
"Who's Malfoy?"
Aurora wasn't nearly as vain as Ian; she simply borrowed Ian's mirror for a look at herself. Now, the German girl's skin was as smooth as porcelain under the moonlight, and her long hair tumbled down like a waterfall, a few strands swaying before her beauty, colder and more striking than ever.