He didn't dare to blend in.
Because he just felt that the unrestrained Grindelwald really wanted to send Quirrell to the stake, and this year's professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts might hold grudges even more than Voldemort.
Who knows if old Grindelwald left some eavesdropping methods in the hall, writing down the little wizards and professors who spoke ill of him in a little notebook for future reckoning, one by one.
"Ian, do you think our headmaster is really a succubus? If that's the case, then I understand why my grandmother is still fascinated by Dumbledore."
William tried to draw Ian into the topic of discussion.
Ian buried his eyes down and continued gnawing on his meat, and faced with the little wizards waiting for his opinion, he gave his answer almost without blinking.
"I think the history of Hogwarts is quite long, with many graduating wizards. Hopefully, next year, we'll be able to produce even more useful wizarding talents for society."
"The elite training route of Hogwarts is not a failure; it's just that in the overall teaching arrangement and adjustment, there should be more emphasis on improving the living standards and environmental awareness of the little wizards."
Completely off-topic, mismatched responses left the little wizards even more bewildered.
"Are you still half asleep? Or did you not hear William's question?" Michael waved his hand in front of Ian's eyes, trying to confirm that Ian wasn't sleepwalking.
William also patted Ian's shoulder beside him.
"Wake up, Ian, it's big news, big news. I only like girls... Can I still become a Saint?" His voice was lowered, with a few traces of worry.
"I'm awake."
Ian turned his head to look at his green-haired roommate, who had once pictured Dumbledore and a bunch of men on underwear, now telling him he only liked girls and was worried about not being able to become a Saint because of that.
"Young Professor, you have more contact with Headmaster Dumbledore; can you tell us your opinion?" The Chocolate Frog boy and a few other little kids joined in the small class, gathering around.
"What! The indoor Flying Class is about to start! We can't be late!" Ian popped one last piece of beef into his mouth, then sprang up under the bewildered stares of the startled crowd.
His figure disappeared quickly.
Just like a boy turning into the wind.
...
In the indoor Flying Class, the little wizards weren't late. They didn't see Ian, who left the hall five minutes early, either. When the class bell rang, Ian had locked himself in the Room of Requirement.
The news flash wasn't written by him, nor was he the one interviewed, so he didn't want to get caught up in it and become the scapegoat for the two old men's frustrations and anger.
"Hogwarts is indeed dangerous!" Ian thought Lockhart might be out of luck; he peeked upstairs and saw the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher madly writing letters in the office.
Aurora was punished, standing in the corner of the office, looking dusty like a quail—not that Ian didn't want to rescue a good friend, but he felt Aurora needed to learn not to volunteer to be a punching bag.
"I still feel the safest with you." Ian hugged the Dementor he took out of the cage, and incidentally plucked some "fur" like tattered rags.
The obedient Dementor had learned not to inhale near Ian, perhaps realizing it was useless, just staring dumbly as Ian wove its "fur" into a handkerchief.
"Could this really be the raw material for an Invisibility Cloak?" Ian not only hadn't handled an Invisibility Cloak from the three Hallows, but he hadn't even touched one made from Invisible Beast fur.
Of course, not having seen a real Invisibility Cloak before didn't stop Ian from sitting in the middle of the great classroom, chewing beef while studying the Dementor's "fur."
Such alchemy materials were never recorded in various books, meaning Ian had to understand its characteristics from scratch and know how it changed under the influence of magic.
Only with complete understanding of the material's characteristics could Ian attempt to use it—a handkerchief of invisibility might not mean much, but it could verify the truth of Ravenclaw's claims about the Hallows.
Even though Ian greatly respected the founders of Hogwarts and would verbally express his gratitude every now and then, he would still only truly believe in things he had validated himself.
"It really is a kind of magic material."
While analyzing the Dementor's "fur" characteristics, Ian also noticed the cooling effect this material had. He thoughtfully glanced at the Dementor not far away.
Just an ordinary glance, and unexpectedly, the Dementor was so frightened, it darted to the front of its cage, opened the cage itself, crawled in, and closed the cage again.
"What are you afraid of? It's winter now; I won't pluck your fur to make a cooling mat." Ian felt that not only Slytherin students misunderstood him at Hogwarts.
Even this timid Dementor was the same.
"Evil... evil... wizard..." The Dementor shivered in the corner of the cage, forced to speak human language in fright.
This Dementor's language system was considerably more advanced than it initially was.
"Have you ever seen an evil wizard give you such good rewards? I'm way better to you than those Azkaban officials!" Ian immediately raised his wand for a modified version of the [Fear Descending] magic spell [Joyful Arrival], combining Legilimency and Soul Stealing to comprehend some new things himself.