Chapter 13
Facing the fair lady, Soren took the initiative to show his gentlemanly demeanor.
He took the lead, stepped into the barn, and turned on the indoor lights.
Dim, yellowish light spilled from overhead, and faint dust floated in the air, carrying the musty scent of wood mixed with soil.
Accompanied by the light and noise, rustling sounds came from every corner of the barn.
Once Ella followed him in and turned to close the door, the real hunt officially began.
Soren's gaze was sharp; he spotted the large rat hiding on the beam at a glance and raised his lowered wand again. With a flick and a twitch, he incanted, "Avada—ahem, Wingardium Leviosa!"
This time, there were no special light effects. The large rat floated up in response, its four short claws scratching desperately downwards, but it couldn't grasp the beam no matter what.
The great wizard had achieved another great victory!
Soren used his wand to control the rat's floating trajectory, slowly moving it downward.
Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Brigitta's massive wings and remembered the obvious fact that owls could fly.
Sigh... Why go through all that trouble?
"Go, Brigitta! I choose you!"
He lifted the owl with one hand and tossed it upward with force.
Brigitta used the momentum to take flight, flapping her wings elegantly. She swept behind the rat like lightning and grasped the scruff of its neck—the place where its fate was sealed—with talons strong enough to crush bone.
Super effective!
The large rat couldn't even wheeze anymore!
Right before Soren and Ella's eyes, it tore apart and swallowed the adult rat in a few quick bites; it certainly looked a bit hungry.
In the time that followed, Soren repeated the process, feeding his beloved pet with free owl food while practicing the Levitation Charm.
It was no exaggeration to say that this was one of the two spells he was currently best at.
The other was a self-created, simplified version of the Accio.
Long before he got his wand and learned magic systematically, he had mastered this technique of manipulating objects from a distance. This allowed him to achieve great success on his first attempt when learning spells, even when his movements and pronunciation rhythm weren't quite standard yet.
During the practical training, Ella also successfully overcame her phobia of rats, using two twigs to play a feeding game with Brigitta.
Half an hour passed in a flash, and both human cubs and the messenger miss were very satisfied.
Soren told Ella in a cheerful tone that from now on, every Friday, Brigitta would come over to spend the weekend with them, and he invited her to participate more in the harmless and beneficial rat-extermination operation.
Ella was naturally more than happy to oblige. If Headmistress Brent hadn't heard the news and rushed over to check on the "legendary owl," she probably would have stuck to Soren the whole time.
Unfortunately, the Headmistress played the role of the spoiler and took her away early.
Soren hesitated for a long time but ultimately didn't tell Headmistress Brent the truth—that Ella already knew about the existence of magic.
Although he did enjoy the idea of a companion by his side while he studied, for the sake of focusing on his learning, it was better not to let Ella follow him around all the time.
His idea was nice, but reality often didn't like to play by the rules.
On Saturday, after finishing lunch, Ella ran over to play with him again.
On Sunday, after finishing lunch, she ran over to play with him again and again.
Soren eventually went numb to it and simply sold out his teammate, letting Ella take Brigitta outside to play so he could study in peace by himself.
Just like that, he spent Monday to Thursday in secluded study, and from Friday to the weekend, he set aside one hour each day to take the two ladies to the barn to practice casting spells, living a plain but fulfilling daily life.
On the calendar, the crossed-out dates increased rapidly, and soon it was late August.
The day school started was not far off.
Soren Reed and the Magic Library: Chapter 18 – Good News: Infinite Mana Bar; Bad News: The Body Can't Handle It
As school approached.
In the Orphanage, laughter quietly faded away, replaced by an atmosphere of anxiety.
After enjoying the sweetness of the vacation, the days of going to school like serving a prison sentence seemed particularly arduous.
Especially for those "commando members" who were counting on the last few days to finish all their written assignments, this period was particularly busy.
As a model student, Soren was naturally not among them, but he was still incredibly busy.
Inside his single room, all the textbooks for first-year Hogwarts students were placed on the bed, lined up in a row.
Ella, barefoot and sitting on the bed in a cute "duck sit" pose, randomly picked a book, flipped to a page, started a sentence, and then asked Soren to recite the key knowledge recorded on that page.
Every time, Soren, sitting at the desk with his back to her, could accurately recite the answer. Occasionally, if he stumbled, he could connect the context and solve the problem himself.
Just as he had decided at the beginning—he had memorized all the textbooks, including the boring History of Magic!
In the [I Love Reading] achievement, the 8/100 unlock progress bar confirmed his efforts.
Not only that, he had mastered all the spells required for first-year students, reaching a level where he could directly take the final exams.
Only Potion Class was an exception.
He was confident that his theoretical knowledge was perfect; he just needed hands-on practice to verify the results.
After completing the daily routine of reviewing the old to learn the new, the next step was spellcasting practice.
Generally, Soren practiced alone in his room to avoid startling the unsuspecting orphans and causing a magical leak.
But in recent days, the situation was special; an Ella had "sprouted" in his room...
This was indeed beyond his expectations.
Ever since he told Ella about the existence of magic and handed over the good job of walking the owl to her, their relationship had advanced by leaps and bounds. If they were just good friends before, now it had reached a level where... people would look at them with colored glasses.
Because of this, Headmistress Brent, who had never disturbed him before, had to come over two or three times a day. First, to drag Ella, who was stuck here, back to the girls' dormitory to sleep, and second, to keep an eye on them, for fear that they would do something improper.
The first time he heard the subtle warning from the Headmistress, Soren almost choked on his own saliva.
Good heavens, he was eleven, and Ella was ten. Even if Britain was relatively open, they shouldn't be this precocious...
Thinking of this, he turned to look at Ella.
Just then, Ella was looking at him too, with a pitiful expression on her face, her eyes rimmed with red.
Ever since the countdown to school start reached the last seven days, her emotions had completely spiraled out of control. She was like this every day, as if Soren were a villain who had abandoned her.
"Sigh..."
Even with a mature mind like Soren's, he couldn't help but sigh sometimes.
"It is hardest to bear the kindness of a beauty"—the ancients did not deceive me.
"Ella..." he called out.
"..."
Ella didn't speak, just looked at him like that.
"It's eight o'clock in the evening; you should go back to sleep."
"..."
Ella didn't speak or look at him anymore, silently curling up under the covers and lying down to sleep.
—Sleeping on his bed!
Soren was speechless.
Just as he was about to lecture the little girl, a knock on the door suddenly sounded.
"Knock, knock, knock."
Having heard it for several days in a row, Soren knew who was knocking just by the sound.
Ella was the same, of course. She sat up from the bed with a start, stepped into her shoes, and went to open the door reluctantly.
When the door opened, the visitor was naturally Headmistress Brent.
She had clearly been agitated by the children causing problems before school started over the past few days; a blister had even formed on her lip.
As soon as she entered, her gaze swept up and down over Ella, then looked at the messy bed, and finally at the innocent-looking Soren.
In the end, she said nothing, just raised her hand and pointed outside.
Ella, who dared to act temperamental with Soren, walked away reluctantly like a little quail, shrinking her neck.
Afterward, the door closed again, leaving Soren, who had suffered mental damage, to sigh dejectedly.
After resting for a moment, his next daily task proceeded smoothly.
Wand to the right hand—
Levitation Charm, Alohomora, Lumos and Nox, Reparo, Scourgify, Accio... all the spells recorded in the first-year textbooks were cast with fluid motion.
After repeating the cycle dozens of times, his right arm felt slightly sore, and he had consumed a fair amount of physical and mental energy.
Thus, he switched the wand to his left hand, and the cycle began again—
When he told Mr. Ollivander that his dominant hand was his right, it was indeed the truth. But that didn't mean his left hand couldn't cast spells!
Referencing the classic quote from Skyrim:
Heaven gave him two hands, so why couldn't he dual-wield?
This wasn't a hot-headed fantasy, but a secret revealed to him by the achievement system.
[Metamagic Feat: Dual-Wielding Spellcasting]
[Metamagic Feat: Multi-Spellcasting]
Never mind how exaggerated the unlock difficulty was; the system had confirmed that this was an achievable goal!
Since confirming this, Soren began to deliberately practice left-handed spellcasting, as well as the more advanced—wandless magic.
After casting dozens of rounds with his left hand, he put down his wand and practiced casting spells empty-handed.
Although this increased the difficulty of spellcasting significantly and the error rate rose noticeably, he knew very well that in real combat, these techniques could be of great use.
Those orthodox wizards from the academies often thought that disarming their opponent's wand meant victory.
But if they faced Soren, they would be in for a rough time—
Imagine, when they successfully cast Expelliarmus on him and relaxed their vigilance, he would backhand them with an Avada Kedavra using his middle finger; who in the world could resist that, and how could they possibly defend against it?
For this beautiful vision, Soren practiced until he was dizzy, mentally exhausted, and unable to concentrate, only then stopping to rest.
As of now, he still only had a superficial understanding of the essence of magic in the Harry Potter world.
This issue, the book magical theory covered very superficially; after all, it was a popular science book for novice wizards. Books involving truly profound knowledge would likely still need to be found in the Library, or even the Restricted Section.
He could only judge from personal experience that although wizards in this world didn't have mana bars and could theoretically cast spells infinitely, there were still limitations.
Taking himself as an example, as long as he cast spells, it would consume physical strength, mental energy, and emotional power; he couldn't achieve true perpetual motion.
After all that tossing and turning, it was late at night.
Soren rubbed his sore temples and did a few sets of eye exercises.
The peaceful daily life was coming to an end; when he arrived at Hogwarts, he would have to find a secret practice field away from the crowds again, which was also a hassle.
The Room of Requirement, the Forbidden Forest, or... the Abandoned Bathroom where Myrtle resided?
Before the Chamber of Secrets was opened, it was still considered safe.
While thinking with his eyes closed, the long and fulfilling day finally passed...
Soren Reed and the Magic Library: Chapter 19 – The "Dark Wizard" Attacks!
Late August, the last day of the vacation.
Soren acted out of character; instead of secluding himself to study, he walked out of his room.
Before leaving the Orphanage to go to Hogwarts, he wanted to place a few idle pieces on the chessboard to layout his future.
As an Ambitious person, even before he knew he was in the Harry Potter world, he still had detailed and far-reaching plans for the future.
In his grand blueprint, Brent Orphanage was a very important early-stage stronghold.
The orphans living here, although ignored by the outside world, usually found it difficult to have any major development.
But thinking in reverse, weren't these "invincible people" who were helpless, had simple social connections, and were full of confusion about the future, the best foundation?
As long as he showed them hope, shared some benefits, and planted a seed of loyalty in their hearts, when the time was ripe, Soren could wave his arm and gain a loyal personal guard.
Chapter 14
In his initial vision, he had originally intended to lead them into the business world.
Now, though...
It was still entering the business world!
It was just that the target projects had shifted from stocks, real estate, and the internet to magical items with much broader market prospects.
Over these past few days, he had thoroughly studied the book *Magical Drafts and Potions* and truly discovered many opportunities to make a fortune. Once he started school and gained hands-on experience, and then established a supply chain, he could find ways to turn potions into commodities.
And the ultimate goal of all this was, in fact, quite vulgar—it was simply for money.
Soren Reed was a man of experience; he knew very well that, regardless of time or place, achieving anything required money and people, and the wizarding world was no exception.
His current plan was to first bring the orphans under his wing, then find some less conspicuous money-making projects to accumulate initial capital. As for how to exchange Muggle currency for wizarding currency in large quantities later, he would have to wait until he actually visited Gringotts to find out; there was no rush for now.
While mentally reviewing his recruitment script, he kept walking toward the fourth floor of the Orphanage without stopping.
The Brent Orphanage where he lived was a private Orphanage that had been around for quite some years; the main building was a four-story low-rise. The first and second floors were children's living areas, the third floor was the office area and the director's office, and the fourth floor was in a semi-idle state.
For safety reasons, the rooftop terrace was not open to the children; there was only a staircase reserved for staff, which could be used to hang laundry.
This also meant that the area on the other side of the fourth floor was rarely visited, and the vacant classroom closest to it had become a "contested territory" within the Orphanage. The older children occupied it year-round as their secret base.
As he walked, a little tail followed behind Soren Reed. At first, she was hiding and skulking, but later, emboldened, she appeared and followed him brazenly.
In the entire Orphanage, there was only one child who dared to provoke him like this, and it was easy to guess who it was.
It was Ella...
—Her clinginess was inversely proportional to the countdown to the start of school.
Soren Reed was resigned to her behavior, so he simply brought her along with him on his expedition.
When they reached the corner between the third and fourth floors, a "sentry" spotted them. As soon as he saw Soren Reed's face, he screamed, turned, and bolted to report the news.
This was a common tactic the older children used to deal with surprise inspections by the caregivers.
Soren Reed remained unmoved, continuing his advance at a leisurely pace.
Ella hid half her body behind him, peeking and looking around, as if she treated this as an adventure game.
A few minutes later, the two arrived in front of the vacant classroom.
The classroom door was locked from the inside. Through the dusty windows, one could see a group of older boys hiding inside, looking at them nervously.
"Open the door, Sean. I have something to discuss with you all."
Soren Reed offered courtesy before resorting to force.
"Get lost, you evil Dark Wizard! You're not welcome here!"
Sean's face was full of defiance; relying on the fact that Soren Reed couldn't get in, he spouted nonsense.
"Ha—fine then. You really don't give me any face."
With a soft sigh, Soren Reed smiled and raised his wand, swinging it down sharply as if wielding a sharp sword.
"Alohomora—!"
Unlike the whisper he used when opening the barn door, his voice was loud this time, shouting the incantation.
The intense emotion enhanced the magical power; the mortise lock clicked as it unlocked, and the subsequent thrust violently slammed the door open.
The classroom door rebounded violently inward, hitting the wall with a heavy thud, making a loud "bang" and knocking off some plaster.
Such a terrifying scene made the boys scream in fear, huddling together in a panic.
Seeing that terrible "Dark Wizard" break in, a few quick-witted children bolted toward the back door of the classroom, trying to escape their desperate situation.
But how could Soren Reed give them a chance to escape?
With an elegant wave and a flick of his wand, he cast silently—Levitation Charm!
Several chairs flew up out of thin air, stacking themselves in front of the back door to block the exit.
Witnessing this incredible scene again, the deserters were completely desperate; they scrambled back, squeezing in with the other children to get some meager psychological comfort.
Sean and his few die-hard brothers were even more dumbfounded.
They had always gone around calling Soren Reed a Dark Wizard, but there was no actual basis for it; it was purely rumor-mongering. Who told him to always be so mysterious, like to meddle in others' business, and since no one was his match, they could only vent their frustrations verbally.
Who could have thought... he actually was a Dark Wizard!?
"W-what are you going to do!?"
Sean, protected by the others, steeled himself and called out, trying hard to recall if he had offended Soren Reedrecently, but the answer was no. They had already been avoiding him; why was he still coming to finish them off!?
Soren Reed didn't rush to answer, casually taking a few steps forward.
As he kept advancing, the boys retreated in unison, finally pressing their backs against the wall, wishing they could shrink into it.
Soren Reed stood in the center of the classroom, calmly looking over the boys he had surrounded single-handedly, and said in a calm tone:
"I said it before, I just want to have a talk with you all. Also, I am a White Wizard, not a Dark Wizard. Don't let me hear that baseless rumor again, or you will face the consequences."
"Talk... talk about what?" Sean asked, plucking up his courage.
"Talk—" Soren Reed paused, then suddenly raised his wand at him. "Right, before we talk, we must first deal with your problem. I told you to open the door, you refused, and you spoke ill of me. I cannot just ignore such an act of defiance."
The silent Levitation Charm was cast again!
With an upward flick of the wand, Sean screamed as he lifted off the ground.
His back was pressed against the wall, his whole body dragged into mid-air by magical force, his feet kicking wildly but unable to touch the ground.
Intense panic made him stiffen, and a feeling of suffocation followed.
In his panic, he tightly clutched his own neck with both hands, trying to breathe, but he couldn't get any air in.
Gradually, his face turned bright red, looking terrifyingly like he was about to suffocate.
The boys around him were terrified; the timid ones were trembling, wishing they could kneel and beg for mercy.
Ella was also startled, hesitating as she reached out to touch Soren Reed's arm, wanting to stop the fight.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on Soren Reed's face, seeing his expression change again and again, finally settling into one of speechlessness mixed with a hint of disgust.
"Sean... what are you doing? My force is on your coat and hood. Why are you choking yourself?"
"!?"
Sean froze. Under the gaze of his friends, he tried relaxing his hands, and suddenly he could breathe again.
So it wasn't a throat-locking spell...
He thought... he thought... sigh...
Soren Reed and the Magic Library: Chapter 20: A Great Speech!
A farce caused by self-inflicted fear came to an end.
Once the boys' emotions had calmed down a bit, Soren Reed prepared to begin his performance. He didn't put Sean down, still leaving him hanging in mid-air to demonstrate his power.
"Alright, let's get back to the point. Where was I just now?"
Soren Reed paced slowly, walking back and forth in front of the boys like an instructor giving a lecture.
"Oh, right, I said I wanted to talk to you all, to discuss a very serious topic, about—"
His gaze swept across everyone in turn, making them nervous again, each body tensing up.
"—your future."
As his words fell, the boys were no longer nervous, turning to look at each other instead.
They never expected that Soren Reed would come storming in for such an inexplicable reason. But since he had now displayed terrifying magic, no one dared to respond lightly.
Soren Reed hadn't expected them to, anyway. He stopped walking and looked at the one hanging high up: "Let's take Sean as an example. If I remember correctly, you should be starting high school next year, right?"
Sean opened his mouth, nodded blankly, clearly still not having recovered from the thrilling encounter just now.
"But your grades are terrible, and you have no special talents. The only high school you can go to will be of the lowest tier, and don't even think about university. Your life trajectory generally has two paths—"
"One is dropping out of high school, doing odd jobs, becoming a tramp, or perhaps joining a gang and becoming a detestable gang member."
"The second is graduating from high school. If you are law-abiding enough, perhaps you can get an ordinary job that sells manual labor. Gas station attendant, supermarket cashier, restaurant waiter—there's always one that suits you."
"And regardless of which of these two it is, I don't think it will be a very decent job. Do you think I'm right?"
Listening to his harsh words, Sean's face flushed red again, even brighter than when he was oxygen-deprived earlier. He opened and closed his mouth, wanting to retort, but couldn't say a word.
That shamed and angry posture, like a boiled shrimp, successfully amused a few onlookers, who let out "pfft" sounds of suppressed laughter.
Before Sean could even react, Soren Reed's gaze swept over, locking onto the boy who laughed the loudest.
"Henry, do you think what I said is very funny?"
The boy who was named was startled, his body instantly stiffening, not knowing where to put his hands and feet. "I... I, I didn't, I just thought..."
"You don't need to think." Soren Reed interrupted him on the spot. "Are your grades very good? You haven't even passed math, and your other subjects aren't any better. Wait another two years, how much difference will your future have from Sean's?"
"And you, you, you—and you!"
Soren Reed named them one by one, pointing out those who had snickered just now. Not only did he get all their names right, but he also gave a precise evaluation of their academics.
Before this, these children didn't know that Soren Reedactually understood them so well, and they were all dumbfounded.
After criticizing them one by one, Soren Reed shook his head, looking disappointed in them: "Look at you guys, all you know is how to play all day long, do you not think about the future at all? You don't have severe disabilities; the government and the Orphanage won't support you for your whole life!"
Seeing their breathing become rapid and their faces turn ugly, Soren Reed fiercely pressed his attack: "Or are you saying that you don't care at all about what the future holds, don't care if you fall into a deeper quagmire, and intend to prove with your own actions the words of those children who call us bastards?"
Once this slang insult came out, it undoubtedly dealt a heavy blow to the orphans' hearts.
You have to know, school bullying in the UK is notoriously severe internationally, with a claim that one in five students is a victim.
And that was the data from ten or twenty years later; one didn't even need to think about the nineties.
Even at Hogwarts, even the "famous savior" could not escape being bullied. Not to mention these orphans at the Brent Orphanage who truly had nothing.
Even Soren Reed himself had nearly been bullied when he first started school. That was why his temperament changed drastically, becoming strong and aggressive, fiercely counterattacking those ill-mannered brats and teaching them what politeness meant.
But just because he could do it didn't mean other orphans could.
They had no parents to begin with, lacked the love and discipline of family, and on top of being bullied at school, their poor grades couldn't be entirely blamed on them.
It was a pity that not all children had mature cognition to see the essence of things.
Soon, boys started complaining, speaking words of self-abandonment or self-pity.
Looking at the young, indignant faces, Soren Reed knew the timing was just about right; adding one more scoop of hot oil would seal the deal.
He finally leveled his wand and placed Sean, who had the fortune of experiencing the Levitation Charm, back on the ground.
Then, Soren Reed pointed the wand tip at his own face, switching to a proud tone: "But I am different. Not only are my grades excellent and my intelligence peerless, but I am also a wizard, about to go to a magic school to study.
I will learn more and stronger magic there, learn to brew all-powerful potions, and thereby win glory, raise my reputation, acquire wealth, and even stop death.
My life is completely different from yours; the gap between them is something you probably couldn't even glimpse, no matter how much you try to imagine it."
"..."
A deathly silence enveloped the surroundings.
The boys looked at him blankly, not knowing why he would say such heart-piercing words. Did he come today just to lecture everyone and then show off his excellence and success?
Well, if that was his goal, he had achieved it perfectly.
Following envy and jealousy, a twisted hatred began to sprout in their hearts.
Why should Soren Reed be able to achieve success, while they orphans were destined to be ordinary and humble?
Why, when everyone had similar backgrounds, was he the only one who could escape the sea of bitterness?
Why...
They were really unwilling to accept it, suddenly giving rise to a desire to drag him down to hell with them, to suffer together.
Just at this moment, Soren Reed's words did a 180-degree turn: "I am telling you this, of course, not to show off. I just want to tell you—"
He stopped walking, his gaze slowly sweeping over everyone. The sheer sense of oppression made everyone hold their breath in terror, not daring to show the slightest hostility in their eyes.
With everyone watching, Soren Reed raised his wand, the tip pointing straight up like a drawn sword, and said in a confident voice:
"I—am extraordinary."
"I—am omnipotent."
Chapter 15
"I—will eventually succeed."
"I can become a qualified leader, and I am willing to share honor and success with my subordinates, partners, and even collaborators. And I—am looking for such a group of trustworthy people."
In the empty classroom, the echoes lingered for a long time.
Looking at Soren Reed's serious and earnest gaze, the boys suddenly understood something. The hatred in their hearts quietly dissipated, transforming into a fervor like a raging fire.
Sean, as the leader of the boys, was exceptionally bold. He endured and endured, but still couldn't help asking: "Do you mean... us?"
His voice carried hesitation and a tremor, appearing very lacking in self-confidence.
Soren Reed, however, used a firm tone to confirm the guess that even he himself dared not believe: "That's right, why not?"
Soren Reed and the Magic Library: Chapter 21 I Created the Ouroboros Organization!
"But... you also said..."
"We... are neither smart enough... nor do we have any talent, and... we even spoke ill of you."
Admitting one's own shortcomings is a very difficult thing. Sean spoke haltingly, his lack of self-confidence born from inferiority written all over his face.
The other boys were much the same, speaking in whispers that were hard to hear even for themselves.
Soren Reed watched them quietly, waiting for them to finish speaking, before calmly responding: "It doesn't matter."
"...What?" Sean was puzzled.
"I said—it doesn't matter." Soren Reed put down his wand, "Intelligence, skills, and abilities are not fixed at birth; they can be cultivated later. And the qualities I value have already been clearly told to you—I am looking for people who are trustworthy, to whom I can entrust a mission, and who can share weal and woe with me!"
"You want loyal people..." Sean, who had some understanding of gang culture, clearly understood the subtext, but his doubt also lay there, "You know, Soren Reed, our relationship... isn't very good. Do you really think we are worth trusting?"
When asking this question, he himself felt it was somewhat absurd.
Not to mention the distant past, just these three or four years, even if their relationship with Soren Reed couldn't be called fire and water, it wasn't good either. Basically, they each did their own thing and never hung out together.
With such an awkward relationship... does it have anything to do with trust?
"You certainly aren't trustworthy right now, but you can become trustworthy—"
Soren Reed started with a slightly convoluted sentence to explain his thoughts to them,
"I won't say anything like—because you and I are orphans from the same Brent Orphanage, I consider you family—that kind of nonsense. But we do have similar backgrounds, similar growing environments, and similar living situations.
I can understand your joys and sorrows, and I can see your predicaments. In this respect, we are all the same, all helpless orphans. And because of this, I am willing to treat you as 'my own people'."
He paused for a moment and switched to a softer tone: "I have been at the Brent Orphanage for eleven years, and some of you arrived even earlier than me. I dare say, I see everyone's personality, strengths, and weaknesses clearly. Likewise, you have watched what kind of person I am for so many years; you should have your own judgment.
Now—I have found a path to the heavens, a door that opens to glorious achievements. I need to establish an organization, a force, or even an army, to win this great cause.
When I look around, I see you, who share the same fate as me. Therefore, I am willing to take a risk and give you a chance to change your destiny, a chance to walk with me!"
The inflammatory speech lit a fire in the boys' hearts. They weighed the pros and cons, and the more they thought about it, the more they felt that following Soren Reed was an incomparably correct decision.
They were just a group of helpless orphans with no real skills. What could be easier to achieve success than following a powerful wizard?
Nothing!
In an instant, the group with impulsive personalities and simple minds was moved, and even the more rational ones began to waver.
All of this was within Soren Reed's expectations.
He pressed on, describing his grand blueprint: "My plan is very simple. In the current first stage, I will look for a source of wealth from potions, finding a product that can be normally sold in the ordinary world without attracting excessive attention.
At that time, I will be responsible for production, and you will be responsible for sales. We will first earn a sum of money to improve our lives, and then we will scheme for more.
Believe me, the benefits contained in magical items far exceed those of ordinary objects. When we have common interests and work together toward success, then, I expect each of you to be dutiful and trustworthy."
This sentence was taken from the famous declaration of British Vice Admiral Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar, which these orphans who grew up in London would naturally not be unfamiliar with.
"Of course—"
Before they could reply, Soren Reed changed the subject, his voice carrying a biting chill, "To avoid certain people selling out the collective interest and becoming shameful informants, I will leave a magical brand on you. Once anyone betrays, they will have the fortune of seeing real Dark Arts.
Alright—that's all I have to say. Those willing to walk toward success with me, stay where you are. Those who are not, you can go to the door and wait; I will use magic to modify your memories, let you forget the secrets you heard, and leave safely."
After speaking, Soren Reed cleared the path, signaling that those who wanted to quit could leave on their own.
Actually, that last sentence was a lie; he hadn't yet mastered the magic to modify memories. But he still dared to say it, only because he understood the mentality of these orphans too well—
They were like a group of drowning people struggling for survival. After grabbing a straw, they would rather drag the straw into the water with them than ever let go!
This ruthlessness and determination, unique to those with no way out, would help them make a decision.
The boys' subsequent reactions confirmed his words.
When Soren Reed gave the "exit" option, no one wavered.
The boys stood shoulder to shoulder, looking at each other, reaching a tacit agreement without words.
—They chose to follow Soren Reed!
There was nothing on an orphan worth coveting. Since Soren Reed, as a wizard, didn't despise them, what was there for them to be pretentious about?
"Soren Reed... Boss, we'll follow you!" Sean relinquished his position as leader and was the first to change his form of address.
"Right! We are willing to follow Boss Soren Reed!"
"Long live Boss Soren Reed!!"
Seeing someone take the lead, the other boys spoke up enthusiastically, collectively submitting.
Listening to these shouts of "Boss," Soren Reed tried hard to keep smiling, but actually felt a bit awkward inside.
But there was no help for it; this group of young boys was at that naive age where they thought gang culture was cool, and they bought into it. Even the slightly chuunibyou speech just now was specifically tailored by Soren Reed for these brats.
It would be better to wait until the organization was on the right track, then find an opportunity to restrain the atmosphere and take a more formalized route.
After both sides reached a consensus, Soren Reed asked them to roll up their left forearms... Ahem, never mind, let's make it the right forearm, roll up the sleeves of their right forearms, to avoid "certain people" misunderstanding.
Then, he held his wand and used the shimmering tip to leave a magical mark on their skin.
Strictly speaking, this magic was actually just a trick and was not recorded in the Standard Book of Spells.
Soren Reed saw this little trick in A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration. Although it looked similar to the Dark Mark at first glance, it was actually just a harmless "magic tattoo" and wasn't permanent.
Even if nothing was done, after a year or so, the magical mark would disappear on its own, and... unfortunately, it didn't possess any practical magical effects.
But—
The boys didn't know that!
Sean, who bravely stepped forward first, was trembling all over while receiving the tattoo. Even though this magic wouldn't cause any harm or pain, his face was still as pale as paper.
Thanks to him, the children in the back were also scared to death, looking just like a group of prisoners about to go to the execution ground.
Soren Reed wanted to say something but stopped.
But on second thought, this magic didn't have any actual binding power anyway. In the early stages, it relied entirely on his personal deterrence and this bit of ritualistic feeling to hold things together, so he might as well just go with the flow.
Thus, he kept a straight face the whole time, pretending that the conferring ceremony was a very serious and formal matter, leaving a ping-pong-ball-sized magic tattoo on each of them.
After the whole process was completed, the boys looked at the mysterious mark on their right forearms and cast inquisitive gazes at Soren Reed.
Soren Reed satisfied their wish and explained: "The shape of this mark is a symbol passed down from ancient times, called—ouroboros. It has extensive and grand symbolic meanings in various fields, the most well-known of which are [infinity] and [cycle].
I hope our organization can be like this symbol, infinitely cycling, immortal and indestructible, self-proliferating!"
Image: "ouroboros Mark", Location: "Images/1772947545-100471970 - 114550467.jpg"
Soren Reed and the Magic Library: Chapter 22 Ouroboros Organization—Three Prohibitions!
"ouroboros—"
"Ouroboros Organization—"
The boys spontaneously grasped the name of their organization, looking at the magic mark with new understanding.
That's right—it's ouroboros!
Looking closely, the mark, shaped like a ring, was exactly a snake with its mouth wide open, swallowing its own tail.
What a mysterious and cool mark; it felt like the style had suddenly elevated!
In the nineties, British boys mostly in their middle school years were just at the age where they were interested in gang culture. They didn't think having a tattoo on their arm was unsightly at all; they just thought it was really cool.
Furthermore, seeing that their companions all had marks on their arms, they naturally developed a sense of belonging to this newly born organization, feeling that they had something to rely on.
And the leader of the organization, the Dark... White Wizard Boss Soren Reed, was the source of this sense of security—from now on, they were no longer ordinary orphans without belonging, but members of a mysterious organization led and protected by a powerful wizard!
"ouroboros... ouroboros..."
The boys excitedly chanted the name, everyone was incredibly thrilled.
After a while, some little smart aleck had a flash of inspiration and thought of a slogan that perfectly matched the organization's style: "Long live ouroboros—!"
The surrounding children were stunned in unison, and after reacting, they suddenly felt the slogan was so fitting and so resounding!
In the blink of an eye, they accepted this slogan, and led by some sycophants, they shouted loudly together at the great organization leader—
"Long live ouroboros—!"
"Long live ouroboros—!!"
Opposite them, Soren Reed tried hard to keep smiling, but found this action increasingly difficult.
Damn it...
Where did that genius come from, coming up with such a terrible idea.
Fortunately, they didn't "raise their right arm 45 degrees, fingers together and pointing forward" at him, otherwise, if Dumbledore or someone else saw it one day, how would he survive...
No, this bunch of brats is too unreliable; they must be strictly restrained!
After thinking for a moment, Soren Reed cleared his throat and waved his wand to signal that he wanted to speak.
The boys immediately quieted down, watching him with pairs of eyes filled with "loyalty."
Soren Reed almost lost his composure, but managed to stabilize his mindset with difficulty: "Everyone quiet down. I want to announce three important prohibitions, and I hope everyone will strictly enforce them in the future!"
The boys held their breath; even Ella pricked up her ears.
"The first prohibition: No infighting, unite against outsiders!"
Soren Reed waved his wand, pointing straight at the ground, emphasizing:
"The 'inner' in this rule does not just refer to formally marked members, but also includes all peripheral members and potential members. For example—the other children in the Orphanage.
I just said that it is precisely because of the same background and situation that I am willing to try to trust you, because you are 'my own people' in my eyes.
"Likewise, the other children are also my own people in my eyes. Sean—"
Sean, suddenly called out, was taken aback and instinctively shouted "Here!"
"You are the oldest child in the Orphanage who is best at organizing people."
Soren Reed replaced 'forming gangs' with a relatively nicer term, "I think very highly of you, and my requirements for you are higher. I require you—to unite all the children in the Orphanage. Whether in the Orphanage, at school, or in any outside place, you and other organization members must protect them well.
These children are all potential members of the organization and the newcomers you will lead in the future. I hope that each of you can take responsibility, so that in the future, I can be assured of letting you serve as core members and send you out to handle things on your own.—Do you understand?"
"Understood!" Sean shouted excitedly, "We will definitely protect the children in the Orphanage and unite against outsiders!"
"Very good, let us continue—"
"The second prohibition: Keep learning, no drugs, no gambling!"
Soren Reed looked around at everyone, his tone stern: "In the future, our business will not stop at selling small goods. By utilizing magical items, we will build a global commercial empire. By then, we will need senior engineers, product managers, and executive CEOs. These important positions must, of course, be left to our own people in the organization—such as yourselves.
But can you imagine our senior engineer not being able to read equipment manuals, our product manager failing math, or our executive CEO not even being able to write a basic strategic plan?"
Several children who fit the description lowered their heads in embarrassment, muttering to themselves, feeling that Boss Soren Reed was even more terrifying than the school's dean of students.
"Therefore, I require you to keep learning. I don't ask for you to get full marks in every subject like me, but at least you cannot fail.
I think this vacant classroom is not bad. From now on, all organization members who fail a subject must come here to study consciously every day. For those who are unqualified for a long time, the possibility of canceling their official membership cannot be ruled out."
The poor students trembled under his glare, lamenting their soon-to-be-lost free entertainment time.
"As for no drugs and no gambling, there's nothing much to say. You must have seen what kind of people those who touch these two things are like. I declare in advance that those who have these two bad habits don't even count as people in my eyes. Not only will they be expelled from membership, but they will also be severely punished!"
"..."
On this point, even the orphans knew that what Soren Reed said was reasonable, and they nodded obediently in agreement.
Soren Reed caught his breath and continued to speak—
The third prohibition: Keep secrets, act in the shadows!"
"Our Ouroboros Organization has just been created, I am still a wizard apprentice myself, and you are even more inexperienced newcomers. In this world, there are far too many people and organizations more powerful than us."
"I certainly have the confidence to lead you to surpass them, but all of this takes time. I need to learn, the organization needs to develop, and you also need to hone yourselves, always ready to meet challenges."
"Before we have obtained enough power to protect ourselves, everyone must keep secrets and act in the shadows. This is for our common interest and safety!"
The children nodded again, recognizing his words from the bottom of their hearts.
"For now, there are just these three rules. During my studies, Sean will be responsible for organizing manpower and protecting the members and the children. Ayla—"
He paused, finding a suitable position.
"—Ayla will serve as my messenger. Every one to two weeks, I will correspond with her by letter. If I have new arrangements, she will relay them to you."
"Considering Ayla is smarter than all of you, the self-study progress of failing members will also be supervised by her. Don't even think about slacking off on me!"
"..."
"Speak! Don't play dumb! If you can't even overcome this small difficulty, how will you ever make a name for yourselves in the future!"
"Yes... understood."
"Everything follows Boss Soren's orders..."
"ouroboros... long live..."
The boys, who had been full of vigor just a moment ago, now looked like frost-bitten eggplants, wilting down.
Despite this, no one had the thought of wanting to quit the organization.
This was a mysterious organization with a wizard at the helm. As long as they stayed in this organization, they would definitely be able to live a completely different life. A few difficulties? They could definitely grit their teeth and get through it!
"Very good!"
A look of approval appeared on Soren Reed's face. He clapped his hands lightly and put his wand back into his sleeve. "I look forward to your performance next. At the same time, I also solemnly promise you that by the next winter break at the earliest, or next summer break at the latest, I will definitely bring back results that can change everyone's current situation."
"Now—Ouroboros Organization·First Temporary Meeting—Dismissed!"
Soren Reed and the Magic Library: Chapter 23 Ayla's Token of Love
Fourth floor of the Orphanage.
Soren pushed open the ajar classroom door and left gracefully with Ayla.
Compared to the tense confrontation when they arrived, both of them now had relaxed and happy smiles on their faces.
As for the newly recruited organization members, Soren left them in the classroom to avoid their overly excited expressions arousing the suspicion of the caregivers.
While walking, he quietly opened the system panel to check the harvest of this perfect performance.
[Wizarding World Achievement Page]
As soon as his gaze fell, Soren was slightly stunned. The page was... nothing had changed?
That shouldn't be...
His heart stirred, and he quickly switched to the [Muggle World Achievement Page], his eyes scanning the achievement tree rapidly.
Tree top... nothing.
Tree branches... nothing.
Tree trunk... nothing.
After searching for a long time, he finally found a newly lit achievement near the tree roots.
He knew it, at the very least, he had established a secret organization, so it had to be—
...Huh?
[King of Children]
[Description: Congratulations, thanks to your outstanding eloquence, powerful strength, and extraordinary charisma, you have successfully won the support of a group of children, and they revere you as their king!]
[Buff: Leadership Aura (Limited to children in your same faction)]
[Effect: Children who meet the above conditions are more convinced by your words, and they are also willing to play with you!]
[System Evaluation: Don't lower your head, the crown will fall. Oh... wait, you don't even have a crown...]
After reading the detailed description, Soren's vision went black.
What the hell is this!?
He had just personally created the great... destined to be great Ouroboros Organization!
And the achievement the system gave was [King of Children]???
Is this reasonable!
This is just too much!
Soren verbally abused the system in his heart but was met with ruthless cold violence.
The achievement system was as calm as ever, unmoved no matter how the host screamed or scratched, its emotional state as stable as a corpse.
Just as Soren was busy arguing fiercely with the system, a beautiful figure suddenly blocked his path.
If he hadn't reacted fast enough to brake in time, he would have almost collided with her.
The one who jumped out to block his path was Ayla, who had been following him closely like a little tail. Since just now, she had been circling around Soren, looking eager to try.
"Ayla, what is it?"
Soren kicked the system away and looked at Ayla gently.
"Um..." Ayla put her hands behind her back, wiggled her body a few times, and then extended her fair, slender right arm in front of him. "What about mine?"
"What about yours?" Soren played dumb.
"My... um... my ouroboros mark."
Ayla rolled up the sleeve of her sun-protection clothing and pointed to a spot on the back of her right forearm, indicating she wanted it tattooed there.
Soren stopped pretending and refused again: "No, Ayla, listen to me, good girls shouldn't get tattoos."
He had thought that using the "good girl" trump card would easily convince Ayla, but he didn't expect it to fail this time.
"This one is different."
"It's the same, look, I don't even have a mark on my own arm."
"I don't care... this one is different!"
Ayla insisted, continuing to gesture at the chosen spot.
Soren patiently reasoned with her, but he couldn't dispel her idea at all.
With the deepening understanding in recent times, he increasingly realized Ayla's true temperament—seemingly weak on the outside but stubborn on the inside; she was a stubborn girl in every sense.
After some intense tug-of-war, Soren still lost to Ayla, who would cry if she didn't get the tattoo.
But he argued strongly, persuading Ayla to change to a more hidden place for the mark. It was finally decided on the outer side of her right upper arm, as high up as possible, so that a little bit of her jacket sleeve could cover it.
Before starting, in line with the principle of maximizing benefits, he added an option that could increase favorability: "Since you really want it, then I'll give you a special mark."
"Special?" Ayla's eyes lit up instantly.
"Yes, unique, so it can be distinguished from ordinary members."
Soren waved his wand lightly and drew another kind of ouroboros mark on the wall beside them.
Unlike the standard ouroboros that connects head to tail in a circular shape, the ouroboros in this mark twisted its body, presenting the shape of the "∞" (infinity) symbol.
Ayla looked at this mark, her mind filled with the word "unique."
For a girl, especially one who is just starting to experience romantic feelings, hearing such a description from the boy she admires would undoubtedly make her heart race.
She managed to suppress the palpitations in her heart and pretended to be calm, saying she wanted this style.
Soren cooperated by pretending to be completely oblivious, practicing on the wall a dozen times, and only after confirming it was beautiful and smooth did he leave this magic mark on Ayla's right arm.
In the empty corridor, the orange light flickering at the tip of his wand looked a bit scary, easily reminding people of the sparks splashing when a welder is welding.
But in reality, this magic did not cause any harm to people.
During the spellcasting, Ayla kept stealing glances at him, thinking she was being subtle. Only after the magic mark was completed did she realize, and imitating the boys, she bared her teeth.
—As if the process of receiving the spell really hurt.
Kind-hearted Soren once again pretended not to see, simply because he was the culprit who did it on purpose.
Ayla got the unique ouroboros mark as she wished and was overjoyed. Her fingertips stroked the mark back and forth, and her eyes, deep and charming like the deep blue ocean, were filled with rippling longing.
Soren had thought this matter was over and intended to take her and continue walking forward.
Unexpectedly, Ayla still blocked his path, lowering her head and whispering: "Wait a moment, I... I also have something for you."
As she spoke, she took out a handmade, long, origami gift box from her dress pocket. Trying her best to suppress the urge to blush, she pretended to be casual and handed it to Soren.
"Is this a gift for my advancement to school?" Soren took it curiously and asked, "Can I open it now?"
"Um..." Ayla responded vaguely.
After getting permission, Soren gently untied the cute bow and opened the lid.
Inside the gift box was a lock of soft, pale golden hair, carefully tied with a white ribbon.
Without looking closely, he knew that this was Ayla's hair, which he had played with before.
"This is...?"
Soren certainly knew what it meant for a girl to give her hair to a boy.
In fact, in 19th-century Europe, the culture of making jewelry using the hair of lovers or the deceased was indeed popular. The latter was more for commemoration, while the former—was undoubtedly a [Token of Love], often used to express love and loyalty.
Clearly, in terms of what is romantic, the East and West have similar aesthetics.
He was just a little surprised that Ayla was far bolder and more straightforward than he had imagined, even more proactive than him, a boy.
"This is... um... well..." Ayla stammered for a long time, and with a tone that could hardly hide her guilty conscience, she argued, "Didn't you ask me for hair a few times before, saying it was for setting up alarms? I thought you might need it for boarding school this time, so I prepared some extra."
"Oh—so that's how it is."
Soren really believed it—yeah right!
What a clumsy excuse, full of a little girl's delicate and sensitive thoughts. But that true and genuine emotion was indeed conveyed to the bottom of his heart.
He lowered his eyes to stare at the hair carefully tied with a ribbon and gave the answer he had already thought of in a gentle tone: "I think... this should be very useful, so I will accept it, thank you."
Since that late admission letter disrupted his peaceful life and forced him to change his life plans, he had indeed thought a lot.
Among them was the part about Ayla—
Ayla might really not have wizarding aptitude and couldn't accompany him to Hogwarts, but this did not affect the decision he had made from the beginning.
He was a greedy person; he wanted to experience the magic of the Wizarding World and also wanted to explore the blue ocean of the Muggle World.
The same went for feelings—children only make multiple-choice questions; adults, of course, want everything!
Soren Reed and the Magic Library: Chapter 24 Cinderella and the King... and the Fairy Godmother?
Seeing Soren accept the gift, the tips of Ayla's ears instantly turned a coral color, and she shyly turned her face away.
When this thought suddenly popped up last night, she was startled by her own boldness. Reason told her it wasn't very good and seemed not reserved enough, but for some reason, she ended up doing it impulsively.
Fortunately, she didn't let it slip, and Soren didn't understand this outdated romantic culture, leaving room for both of them to buffer.
As for the future... leave it to her future self to worry about.
Trust in the wisdom of my future self!
After throwing her worries to her future self, the current Ayla bloomed with a brilliant smile.
Soren, who was close at hand, was dazzled by that brilliant smile and suddenly understood why poets always use flowers to describe a beauty's smile and face.
That was indeed—a smile as brilliant as blooming flowers.
The ambiguous feelings that stopped at a certain point did not continue to spread; both sides left further development for the future and began to enjoy the last vacation before school started.
On the way back to the room, Ayla fluttered like a butterfly around Soren, swaying to the left one moment, drifting to the right the next, and sometimes walking backward in front of him.
Chapter 17
While going down the stairs, Soren Reed had to reach out and grab her arm, afraid she might slip and fall.
Aila's eyes curved into crescents, and she laughed happily, treating this as just another fun game.
With her active behavior, the short ten-minute journey back felt much longer subjectively.
Once they returned to the room, she kicked off her sandals, lunged sideways to occupy Soren Reed's bed, picked up "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," and began reading with great interest.
Soren Reed naturally sat on his designated chair in front of the desk, opening "magical theory" for the umpteenth time, searching for hidden gems between the lines.
That is right, even on the last day before school started, his study plan was not interrupted.
Family, background, upbringing... these were things he could not change.
But persistence, perseverance, diligence... these were weapons he could actively hold in his hands.
In the near future, he would wield these weapons to defeat strong enemies, to create the future, and to embrace everything he wanted—in the name of ambition!
Time quietly slipped away once more.
Soren Reed had thought today would pass in the blink of an eye, just like the past month or so.
But he was wrong—
When he was preparing to practice spellcasting, the usually incredibly obedient Aila made a request: she wanted to experience the feeling of flying into the sky, just like Sean.
"The... feeling of flying into the sky?"
Don't get him wrong, Soren Reed did not think anything inappropriate; what he had in mind was indeed the scene in the classroom just now.
The problem was—
When Sean was hoisted up by his Levitation Charm, he was truly scared out of his wits, feeling like he was about to wet his pants. How could that possibly be a good experience?
But looking at Aila's expectant eyes, he once again lost to his soft heart.
"Fine, I will let you experience it. Do not be afraid later; I will ensure your safety."
Aila nodded quickly, scrambled up, and stood barefoot on his bed.
Soren Reed estimated the height of the room, turned around to sit backwards on his chair, and aimed his wand at Aila: "Get ready, I am starting."
With an elegant flick and swish, he chanted: "Wingardium Leviosa—"
The holly wand sensed the gentleness in its master's heart and carefully directed the magic, lifting Aila softly into mid-air.
In an instant, Aila's crisp laughter echoed throughout the room, full of excitement and joy, without a hint of panic.
Seeing that she was not afraid at all, Soren Reed gradually let go, using his wand to plan a route for her, letting her fly slowly around the small room.
After a while, he even added a variable-speed flight mode, incorporating little screams into the laughter to add some extra fun.
Three minutes later, the power of the Levitation Charmwas exhausted. Aila landed back on the bed, satisfied, her legs softening as she settled into a cute 'duck sit' position.
Before Soren Reed could ask her about her experience, she looked up, revealing that pleading expression again that made her impossible to refuse.
"Once more! Once more!—Please!"
Soren Reed shook his head speechlessly, emphasizing again and again that he would only play with her one more time.
And then...
Then he suddenly discovered that using the Levitation Charm like this was actually a very efficient way to practice!
After all, a human body is naturally heavier and larger than practice props, and the center of gravity shifts constantly with body movements during flight, adding a lot of difficulty to the Levitation Charm.
And this kind of difficulty was exactly right for a semi-novice like Soren Reed, who was used to practicing with still objects.
More importantly, playing with Aila made him feel very happy. This positive emotion fed back into his spellcasting, giving him the feeling that his magic was becoming increasingly handy.
He even had a realization that with this current happy mood, it should be very suitable for casting the [Patronus Charm], but unfortunately, he did not know how to do it yet...
Magic in the Harry Potter world has a strong idealistic color, a fact that Soren Reed had verified through both magic books and his own experience.
In other words... falling in love not only would not affect his studies, but actually had a beneficial effect?
He looked up, watching Aila, who was as beautiful and moving as a fairy tale princess, and added a sentence in his heart—especially when the romantic partner perfectly matched his preferences and could provide sufficient emotional value.
Just like that, he did not mention 'one last time' anymore. Since this kind of playing was beneficial for both Aila and him, he would just keep playing!
For the whole afternoon, Aila enjoyed the feeling of flying into the sky.
Soren Reed also gained a lot. The abundance of positive emotions made his magic exceptionally active, giving him the wonderful feeling that all the cells in his body were singing in unison.
His eyes also enjoyed a visual feast with beautiful scenery while chasing Aila's figure.
The fun flight game lasted until the dinner bell rang.
Amidst the melodious bell, Soren Reed put Aila back on the ground, shook his somewhat tired arms, and said dotingly: "Are you satisfied now? If we keep flying, you will definitely have nightmares tonight."
"If I really could dream, then it must be a sweet dream..."
Aila lay on the bed for a while to recover, then jumped up suddenly.
Under Soren Reed's surprised gaze, she gently lifted a corner of her skirt, slightly bent her knees, and bowed elegantly in a very standard and quintessentially British manner, looking just like a noble princess about to attend a royal banquet.
"Thank you for indulging my willfulness, Soren Reed... This is the happiest day since I arrived at the Orphanage. When I was flying in the sky, I really felt like Cinderella in the fairy tale, and you, you are like my... my..."
At this point, she suddenly became shy, embarrassed to speak her true thoughts. In the confusion, she blurted out the name that often appeared with Cinderella: "My... Fairy Godmother."
"..."
Soren Reed was stunned, not expecting to receive such an "identity."
"Fairy... Godmother—me?"
He looked down at his image, unable to think of any similarities between the two. Oh... that is not right. If he really had to say, he and the Fairy Godmother did have something in common: they both knew magic.
After a few chuckles, he half-complained and half-teased: "Fine, since I have become a Fairy Godmother, next time I will prepare a magical pumpkin carriage and a gorgeous ball gown for you. Look forward to it."
Aila was also incredibly embarrassed by her slip of the tongue, but too shy to correct it, so she simply accepted it.
Soren Reed looked at her flushed cheeks, truly afraid she might cook herself, and considerately helped her out: "Let us go, to the dining hall. Let us spend the last dinner at the Orphanage with everyone."
"Mm... Mm!"
Aila shook off the embarrassment, took the hand he offered, jumped lightly off the bed, and went to pick up her glass slippers.
Before the real ball arrived, she still had a lot of preparation work to do. Not to mention anything else, to attend a ball, she at least had to learn how to dance...
Soren Reed and the Magic Library: Chapter 25 - Violating the Rules is Also Part of the Plan!
The first floor of the Orphanage, the communal dining hall.
The last dinner before school started was more sumptuous than the usual meals.
Each child's plate was filled with dishes carefully prepared by the caretaker aunts. The staple food was roasted small potatoes, and the side dishes were British Dish No. 1, British Dish No. 2, British Dish No. 3, and a bowl of vegetable soup.
Forgive Soren Reed for not being able to call these dishes by their names; doing so would really be unappetizing.
To quote a sharp-tongued meme from his previous life—the British eat as if the German planes are still flying over their heads.
This was the reason why Soren Reed had been diagnosed with mild malnutrition many times...
Fortunately, he had expended a lot of energy today. In a state of hunger, even a 'life-sign maintenance meal' became... not so hard to eat.
To further ignore the pain of eating, he took the initiative to chat with a few children nearby.
In England, there is no such thing as 'no talking while eating' table etiquette. On the contrary, the British generally believe that one should not be silent while eating, because the dining table is an important social venue.
Thanks to this, Soren Reed took the opportunity during the chat to completely eliminate the false rumor that "he was adopted by some middle-aged, greasy man in black who did not look like a good person."
The children then realized he was just going to a boarding school, and while curious, they did not ask anything more.
Until just before finishing dinner, a not-so-wonderful little episode occurred.
Caretaker Alisha, as a representative of the caretakers, distributed dessert to the orphans—treacle sponge pudding with a lethal amount of syrup—and offered blessings to all the children.
When it was Soren Reed's turn, who was about to go to boarding school, she wiped the corner of her eyes with a handkerchief and comforted him in a pained tone: "Eat more, little Soren Reed. When you go to your new school, you will not be able to taste this kind of 'taste of home' anymore. Look at you, you poor thing, you are already as thin as a noodle and a picky eater. How will you manage at school..."
Soren Reed did not hear the rest of the sentence clearly; that first sentence alone almost broke his composure.
Why say such cruel words to a child?
Why equate the 'taste of home' with British food?
Why? Why?? Why???
He would never be able to look at the term "taste of home" the same way again. He hated it so much...
After forcing a smile and coaxing Caretaker Alisha away, Soren Reed felt terrible. He just wanted to go back to his room to study and get away from the hustle and bustle of the outside world.
But before leaving, he did one last thing—he swept his gaze over the small members of the Ouroboros Organization.
After their eyes met, the boys led by Sean were very excited.
Fortunately, they all remembered the organization's "three prohibitions," forcibly restraining their emotions and paying tribute to their great leader by bowing their heads slightly.
Soren Reed nodded with satisfaction and stood up from his seat.
On his left, Aila also sped up, finished a double portion of pudding in a few bites, and without even waiting to swallow completely, stood up to follow him, continuing to act as Soren Reed's little tail.
Soren Reed had long expected this, ignored the strange looks from the other orphans, and turned to leave.
After more than a month, the gossip about him and Aila had long been flying all over the Orphanage. Let them be.
Back in the room, this time Aila did not clamor to play with him. She felt like she might be too full and lay on the bed, unwilling to get up.
Soren Reed picked up his book again. In the intervals of serious study, he would occasionally look at Aila's happily swinging legs to relieve eye strain.
At eight o'clock in the evening, Headmistress Brent arrived on time to catch her.
The usually obedient Aila threw a rare little tantrum, and then, right in front of Soren Reed, she was easily KO'd by Headmistress Brent and left crying...
Soren Reed could not help with this and could only wish her a long life in his heart.
To his surprise, Headmistress Brent did not leave immediately today. Instead, she stepped into the room and closed the door behind her.
Soren Reed realized she had something to say, so he quickly put down his book and stood up quietly and properly.
Headmistress Brent stared at him quietly for a while before saying softly: "Soren Reed, you are going to school tomorrow. There are some things I think we need to talk about."
"Please speak." Soren Reed looked obedient.
Looking at his extremely deceptive, obedient appearance, the Headmistress just wanted to sigh.
"Soren Reed... I am indeed old, but I have not reached the age of being deaf and blind. Over the past month or so, I can guess a thing or two about what you have done, even if I have not seen it with my own eyes."
"I do not understand. Your teacher gave you such strict instructions to follow the rules of the school and the Ministry of Magic, so why will you not listen? Are you really not afraid that they will find out you have violated school rules and regulations and expel you?"
Soren Reed remained calm, having long anticipated this encounter.
He knew very well that whether it was letting Aila into his room, taking her and Brigitta to the warehouse to catch rats, or establishing the Ouroboros Organization, none of it was very secret.
As long as someone investigated carefully, even without magic, they could find out what he had done.
But he still did it almost recklessly, naturally having his own considerations.
Some of these considerations involved his trump cards and secrets, which he could not tell others, so he could only choose the less sensitive parts to talk about.
"Headmistress Brent, I do not follow the rules because there are many unreasonable aspects to them. Blindly obeying would only drag down my growth speed. As for whether I am afraid of being discovered—"
Soren Reed paused, a sly smile appearing on his face: "I am really not afraid. In fact, from the very beginning, my assumption was that everything I did would be seen by the Ministry of Magic or other interested parties."
"...Huh?" Headmistress Brent was confused. "Then why did you still..."
"I still did it, that is right." Soren Reed continued, "Because this is also part of the plan. I need to constantly violate the rules to determine the blurred boundaries between 'legal,' 'illegal,' and 'unlawful,' and find the gray areas within them. Only in this way can I obtain extra benefits outside of school and escape the predicament of having nothing."
Headmistress Brent seemed to understand a little, but also a little not:
"I can understand your urgent desire to change the status quo; most of the children in the Orphanage are like that. But your behavior is too dangerous; it is practically playing with fire. You are still so young, can you not just study hard first, and wait until you graduate to make decisions with a more mature mindset?"
"After graduation—"
Soren Reed dragged out the tail of his words and said quietly: "That would be too late. I cannot wait that long. I am afraid I cannot say much about the specific situation. What I can assure you is that as long as I do not touch those clearly marked red lines, even if someone jumps out to report me for violations, they cannot do anything to me."
"What are you guaranteeing with...?"
"With my globally applicable, super invincible trump card—!"
Soren Reed and the Magic Library: Chapter 26 - Soren Reed: "Am I a very, very bad little wizard?"
Your... what, exactly?"
Headmistress Brent was completely bewildered; no matter how she thought about it, she couldn't imagine what kind of super powerful trump card an ordinary orphan like Soren Reed could possibly have.
Soren maintained a mysterious smile, not rushing to reveal the secret.
After a brief stalemate, Headmistress Brent was the first to yield, unable to help but ask curiously: "Can you tell me? I can help you weigh your options."
"Hmm—" Soren drew out his tone, deliberately pondering for a moment before replying, "It's not impossible... provided that you can keep it a secret for me?"
Looking at his mischievous expression, the Headmistressalways felt something was off.
But her curiosity had truly been piqued, and she subconsciously switched to her tone reserved for coaxing children: "Of course you can. You must trust Grandma Headmistress; I have always been tight-lipped."
"Alright then." Soren stopped acting and happily threw out his trump card: "My trump card is—I just turned eleven!"
Headmistress Brent: "...Huh?"
"The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UK Children Act 1989, and the Wizarding World's International Confederation of Wizards laws for the protection of underage wizards, all collectively safeguard my life, property, and legal rights."
Headmistress Brent: "...Huh?"
"Furthermore, according to records in books, the population of the Wizarding World is far lower than that of the Muggle World. Although there are no accurate figures, judging by the various details revealed, the total global wizard population is absolutely shockingly low."
"By that logic, underage wizards like me are extremely rare, comparable to an endangered species."
Headmistress Brent: "..."
"Based on this intelligence, I boldly speculate that as long as I don't cross those absolute red lines, even if the Ministry of Magic comes knocking, it would at most be a reprimand and education. After all—"
"I am just a little orphan raised in the Muggle World, knowing nothing about the Wizarding World. Even if I make a mistake, it would be due to being young, ignorant, and impulsive—something that adults can forgive."
"Take yourself, for example. You know everything now; in your eyes, am I really a very, very bad little wizard?"
Headmistress Brent: "..."
After listening to Soren's syllogistic reasoning, the Headmistress, who had seen countless orphans, took a long time to let her stalled brain resume functioning.
She finally realized where that inexplicable sense of disharmony came from—
All this time, Soren had presented himself as intelligent and sensible, like a "little adult." He had never, like just now, seemed particularly like... like... like an ordinary child!
That's it!
His mature way of thinking, his sophistication in gauging people's hearts—how was that like an eleven-year-old child!
By observing the Headmistress's micro-expressions, Soren judged that she had realized it, and he delivered the final blow: "It seems you understand now. In my view, my age and background are the best disguise and protective camouflage."
"Even if those people were like you, knowing that I shared the secrets of magic with my best friend, knowing I practiced spells in private, and knowing I organized a small group in private, they still couldn't do anything to me."
"Simply because I am a 'clueless' Muggle-born orphan who hasn't even entered school yet."
This is called clueless?
No, Headmistress Brent only felt he understood too much; he didn't seem like a child, but a monster!
She had one more thing on her mind: "You also organized a small group? Besides Aila, who else is in it? Don't you go doing anything reckless; the nature of this is quite different..."
"I know." Soren nodded. "Rest assured, the purpose of our organization is—unity, continuous learning, and prohibiting drugs and gambling. My only selfish motive is to use magic knowledge to find a path to prosperity for everyone to improve our quality of life. Even if the Minister of Magic or the Headmaster of Hogwarts came, I would dare to openly tell them this and debate with them."
As the saying goes, sages judge by deeds, not by intent.
Putting aside what the future might bring, at least for now, Soren really didn't think there was anything shady about the Ouroboros Organization.
Reasonably speaking, this was just a small group of orphans huddling together for warmth; they hadn't done anything bad.
With the triple buffs of being a minor, an orphan, and a wizard seed, he was absolutely invincible as long as he didn't make any fundamental mistakes!
Thinking of this, Soren put his hands on his hips, his aura of dominance fully displayed.
Headmistress Brent was intimidated...
She closed her eyes, paused for a long time, and then let out a long sigh. She finally understood why she always felt this batch of orphans was particularly difficult to handle.
It wasn't because she was getting old, but because—
There was a Soren Reed in this batch of orphans...
"You..." Life is not easy, the Headmistress sighed. "As long as you have a sense of proportion, that's fine, but don't always take such risky paths. In this world, there aren't that many fools, nor that many good people..."
"I know, Headmistress. I want to talk to you again about this room—"
After a few quick exchanges, Soren successfully obtained the allocation rights for the private room, intending to leave the room, along with old textbooks and other items, to Aila, providing her with a place to study in peace and facilitating communication between the two via owl.
Headmistress Brent also cleared her thoughts during the conversation. Before leaving, she offered him one last proverb: "You are indeed the smartest child I have ever met, Soren, but you must remember—Pride goes before a fall."
"From the Bible, Proverbs 16:18." Soren bowed slightly, performing an elegant salute. "I will keep your teaching in mind, Headmistress Brent."
"..."
"Click."
After a brief silence, the Headmistress turned to leave, but accidentally bumped into something while pushing the door open.
"Ah—"
A little girl's exclamation came from outside the door.
Immediately after, the Headmistress discovered Aila, who had returned halfway to eavesdrop, and her brows immediately furrowed.
Naturally, there was another chaotic scene, effectively dispelling the serious atmosphere.
Finally, the noise outside the corridor gradually faded away.
Soren went to lock the door first, then strolled back to the desk and looked at the open book.
What he told Headmistress Brent was indeed the truth, but with reservations. Strictly speaking, knowing the future was his true reliance, no less than the achievement system.
The "plot" of the next seven years at Hogwarts, the "character settings" of each important plot NPC, and what "treasures and opportunities" would appear in the plot—all were presented before him without reservation, just like this open book.
It can be said that these seven years are the best time for him to achieve greatness; missing these nodes would make it hard to find such good opportunities in the future.
After a brief moment of distraction, Soren steadied his mind and seized the last bit of time to practice spells.
Maximizing the use of his identity advantage is only an expedient measure. The key to winning has always been that to forge iron, one must be strong oneself.
At midnight, he finished work early, packed his luggage, and prepared to go to sleep early to head to Hogwarts in perfect condition.
After everything was ready, he lay on the bed, staring at the familiar ceiling, feeling a long-lost insomnia.
In his mind, various thoughts intertwined and collided like tangled hemp—
"Study hard, fall in love more, accumulate strength, forge alliances, seize opportunities and treasures, and perhaps stir up some trouble to ensure Lord Voldemort is dead for good—the next few years will really be busy..."
"First year... sigh, I really want the Philosopher's Stone, but I'm too weak; it's hard to make a move..."
"Aila... Aila is also a problem. A year later, when she finds out she can't go to Hogwarts, she'll probably cry her heart out; I have to think of a way..."
"The essence of magic... the origin of wizards... what exactly are they..."
Before he knew it, his breathing became steady, and he fell asleep.
The chaotic thoughts followed him into his dreams, causing him to have a rare dream.
In the dream, Soren received his Hogwarts acceptance letter. He excitedly bought his school supplies, found Platform 9 3/4, and boarded the magical train from there, heading to the legendary Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
On the winding tracks, the magical train let out a loud whistle, moving forward, and forward again.
The cute little witch sitting opposite him hummed a song softly, the lyrics were:
Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hogwarts,
Please teach us knowledge,
Whether we are bald old men,
Or children with scraped knees.
Our heads...
"Ring, ring, ring—"
Suddenly, a ringing sound came from the sky, ruthlessly dispelling the beautiful dream.
In the faint morning light, Soren opened his eyes. After a few seconds of confusion, he remembered today's itinerary.
The dream was over...
It was time to set off for Platform 9 3/4!
Soren Reed and the Magic Library: Chapter 27: I Kiss You Goodbye, in the Blooming September
At 6:00 AM, the morning sky still carried a hint of hazy sleepiness.
Before the other children woke up, Soren tiptoed into the boys' communal bathroom and took a refreshing shower.
After washing, he stood in front of the mirror, focusing on grooming his appearance, especially his hairstyle, striving to leave the most perfect first impression on everyone at the upcoming Sorting Ceremony.
Spending three times longer than usual, he finally walked out of the bathroom satisfied and hurried to the dining hall for a quick meal.
Once everything was ready, he pulled his packed suitcase and boarded the private car to King's Cross Station on time.
Incidentally, the driver was Headmistress Brent.
The other children didn't have his special treatment; they had to walk to a nearby pickup point and take the school bus to school.
However, there would be one lucky person who was an exception today.
"Aila—"
Among a group of girls walking together, Soren spotted that unique figure at a glance.
Even though all the girls wore the same style of school uniform, she was still as beautiful as a princess who had stepped out of a fairy tale, firmly capturing Soren's eyes and making it impossible for him to look away.
On the other side, Aila, who had been walking with her head down and looking unhappy, suddenly snapped to attention. She raised her head, her gaze piercing through the crowd, and saw Soren standing by the car.
In that instant, her thoughts seemed to fall into a stagnant quagmire.
All the sounds around her disappeared, leaving only the sound of her pounding heart echoing in her ears.
By the time she came to her senses, she found herself running toward him—her feet had once again taken steps on their own accord, as if she had unlocked a "magic auto-pathfinding" spell.
Ignoring the strange looks from the other children, she leaped up and threw herself into Soren's arms, the sadness and reluctance of a sleepless night finally finding release.
Soren hadn't expected her reaction to be so intense. He hugged and comforted her for a long time before, under the death glare of Headmistress Brent, holding her hand and sitting into the back seat together.
The car door closed, and the vehicle slowly started, driving into the morning mist that had not yet dissipated.
In the rear window, the old iron gate of the Orphanagegradually faded into the distance, and along with it, the envious gazes of the girls.
About half an hour later, the vehicle arrived at the transit station—the girls' school Aila attended.
Along the way, Soren pulled out all the stops, trying his best to soothe her emotions, promising to write to her every week. Even so, she still cried for quite a while, giving Soren, who was not good at coaxing girls, a massive headache.
He even felt that if not for Headmistress Brent being there, Aila might have wanted to go all the way to King's Cross Station with him.
In the end, the Headmistress's authority prevailed, once again overcoming the girl's little willfulness.
Under Soren's gaze, Aila performed the tragic drama of looking back every three steps.
It made him feel both moved and a bit amused, and he could only wave vigorously, saying goodbye to his girlfriend-in-waiting.
Three steps... five steps... ten steps...
The distance between the two continued to increase, yet Aila's walking speed slowed down, as if there were an invisible bungee cord that had stretched to its limit.
Finally, at some moment of parting, she seemed to have made up her mind, turned around, and ran back.
Soren, who was about to sit back in the car, stopped in his tracks, thinking she wanted one last goodbye, even though they had already done it a dozen times before.
A young girl's heart, perhaps, is just that sensitive and fickle...
Soren opened his arms once again, mentally prepared for the shoulders of his coat to be soaked by tears again.
However, when Aila rushed over, she jumped up high, her slender arms carrying a breeze, and wrapped them tightly around his neck.
Then came her stunningly beautiful face, rapidly approaching, bringing with it warmth and the scent of her body, the strands of hair brushing against his cheek—and a soft yet fiery kiss.
In front of the school gate, under the Headmistress's disapproving gaze, Aila resolutely used her actions to make a statement, conveying the words of love she had hesitated to say.
This time, she did not let tears blur her eyes; she left behind a smile as brilliant as spring flowers, turned, and ran away, never looking back again.
A brief parting is for a longer reunion.