It seemed as though Ian was still writing the truth but had learned to use rhetorical flourishes more frequently, the exaggerated style was clearly a skill Ian had mastered.
"What are you writing?" Mia curiously leaned over to look at Ian's notebook.
However—
Ian quickly tucked the notebook into his chest, preventing the little girl from getting a peek. Among all the orphans, Mia was definitely the biggest chatterbox, embodying many traits of a Gryffindor.
"Where's my gift? Mia! You didn't get me a birthday present, did you?" After hiding the notebook, Ian boldly shifted Mia's attention by demanding a gift.
"No way! Of course I did!" Mia immediately pulled out a small box, beautifully wrapped in decorative paper.
"Ian, this is the sound of the sea. I hope you feel as happy every day as I do when I hear the waves." Inside her gift was her most treasured possession, a beloved seashell necklace.
"Me too! I got you a gift!"
"Look at mine first! Ian! Look at my gift first!"
"This is all my wealth! They belong only to you!"
...
With Mia starting things off, the children eagerly rushed up to Ian, each clutching their presents. With the sincerest of hearts, they prepared meaningful gifts for him.
Tom, a shy boy who always wore a bashful smile, gave Ian a small wooden carving he had made himself. The wood was rough and uneven, but it bore the words "Best Brother" carved into it.
Jack gave Ian a Bible, its pages yellowed and cover worn. Jack said this book had accompanied him through countless lonely nights, giving him endless comfort and strength. Now, he wanted to pass that strength on to Ian, hoping God would protect him always.
Daniel also gave a book, a copy of his grandmother's "Secrets of Witch Doctors." Ian flipped through it, and even from the standpoint of a conservative wizard, he thought the book was utterly ridiculous.
Some of the recipes—
Just hearing about them made one want to vomit.
It was said this book had been passed down through eighteen generations of Daniel's family… Of course, Ian couldn't refuse a gift from a friend, so he gratefully accepted Daniel's present with a bright smile. Perhaps by taking this book, Daniel might finally break their house's "curse" , the average age never exceeding thirty.
"This! This is my gift!" Catherine tightly held a drawing she had made herself, it depicted Ian and all the kids happily running on a grassy field.
She eagerly handed the painting to Ian, her eyes sparkling with hopeful anticipation.
"It's very well drawn. I think I'll have to frame it in my room, right next to my few Van Gogh pieces. Maybe one day you'll become an exceptionally talented artist."
Ian offered Catherine some encouragement.
"I… Ian, I don't want to be just an artist, you know."
There was a hint of exaggerated joy in Catherine's eyes, but also a touch of nervous hesitation. Her dreams of the magical world had always lived deep in her heart.
"No problem, of course no problem… You'll definitely achieve what you desire. Here, have a drink."
Ian poured a glass of blue sparkling water for Catherine.
The little girl didn't hesitate.
With a "gurgle" sound, she quickly drank it all down.
She even wanted more.
The other kids immediately clamored for a drink as well, and Ian happily poured a cup for each of them, though their drinks were much lighter in color than Catherine's. Luckily, the kids didn't mind at all; they just wanted a drink poured by their big elder brother Ian. The Feast Hall soon echoed with the chorus of "hoot hoot" drinking sounds.
"This is my gift." Lupin, somewhat awkwardly, handed over a small box at that moment. Ian opened it to find a card inside, probably worth less than the box it came in.
"Thank you, Senior Lupin." Ian gave Lupin a smile.
He understood.
This down-and-out werewolf was genuinely poor. The fact that he managed to scrape together enough money to buy a card, and a box to put it in, was probably a huge strain on Lupin's wallet.
"You know my situation…" Lupin clearly felt embarrassed and awkward about how humble his gift was.
"Birthdays are about happiness above all."
Ian gave Lupin a hug.
He was a very sentimental young wizard, so he decided to hold off reporting Lupin's mischief for three days as a small token of gratitude for Lupin spending money on him.
"You haven't seen my gift yet!"
One after another, the kids continued to bring gifts to Ian.
Each gift carried the orphans' deep blessings and care for Ian. They might lack flashy appearances or expensive price tags, but the pure affection behind them was far more precious than any material thing. To Ian, these gifts were not just objects , they were a testament to the strong friendship between him and his friends at the Orphanage.
They were beautiful memories of the happy times they had shared. In this family without blood ties, Ian was not alone, and neither was anyone else.
The celebration and joy lasted all day. Besides the blessings and company of his family, when Ian returned to his room, he also had gifts from friends at Hogwarts. But just as he finished showering and was about to open the presents, he heard hurried footsteps outside his door.
"Knock knock knock~"
Someone was knocking.
The knocking was urgent and persistent.
"Who is it? I'm already asleep."
Though Ian sensed the person's emotions and thoughts outside, he still asked rhetorically, mainly because, having changed into his pajamas, he didn't want to open the door or talk to anyone.
"Ian! It's me! It's Lupin!" The honest werewolf obviously didn't pick up on Ian's implied meaning. While speaking, he kept knocking relentlessly, the loud banging making the entire doorframe shake.
"Ah!"
With no other choice, Ian put on his clothes and waved his wand. In the next moment, the sleeping room transformed into an incredibly spacious laboratory, he had done a tiny bit of magic modification to his own room, allowing the ordinary room and the lab to coexist in this little space.
If even the unpopular Noseless One could build a fireplace, then Ian could certainly remodel his own room.
"Is there something going on this late at night? Don't you usually not go out at night?" Ian opened the door and let Lupin in, clearly displeased by Lupin disturbing him.
"Tonight's different!"
Lupin glanced around and didn't even stop to admire Ian's modifications to the room.
"What's going on with that little girl?" His gaze fixed on Ian, carrying a probing look. Though his voice seemed calm, his rapid breathing gave away his anxiety.
Obviously, Lupin's inner calm was just a facade.
"What little girl?"
Ian sat down in front of an experiment table and began unpacking gifts from classmates. Michael had given him a magic oven, I wondered if he had dismantled the oven at home.
"It's really huge!"
Ian looked at the oven, about two meters long and half a meter wide, and couldn't help but cover his mouth in genuine amazement. Now he suspected Michael had somehow gotten his hands on a crematorium.
Compared to an oven sized to cook for twenty people, and with the ability to cook without electricity, it definitely had the traits of something suitable for a sinister purpose.
"Hiss~"
Lupin was stunned by the oven's size, but he clearly had no mood to care about it.
The thing that had kept him up half the night was far more terrifying.
(To Be Continued…)
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