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All sorts of colorful treats poured out like a rainbow, dazzling and vibrant, instantly drawing the attention of every child.
Chocolate bars, potato chips, jelly cups, and brightly packaged fruit candies… things that might be commonplace to city kids were rare and precious treasures here.
"Come and get some! There's enough for everyone!" Ian called out with a smile.
The little ones froze for a moment, then erupted in a chorus of excited cheers.
In front of the worn-down house, their small figures crowded together.
However…
To Ian's surprise, they didn't fight over the snacks.
Though their eyes sparkled with longing, they didn't swarm forward as Ian had expected. Instead, they all turned to look at him.
"I want that chocolate bar!"
A little girl pointed shyly. After Ian nodded, she carefully picked one up, her face glowing with joy and satisfaction.
"Can I take these chips?"
A little boy quickly followed, his eyes brimming with excitement and curiosity. Once Ian gave the go-ahead, he gently picked up a bag of chips like it was the most precious treasure in the world.
"Take whatever you want!" Ian said helplessly to the group.
Finally, after a moment of hesitation, the kids reached out with their small hands, each only taking their favorite snack, and only one each. Their tiny hands gently touched the wrappers, and their eyes were filled with appreciation and gratitude for the gifts Ian had brought.
After every child had found their own "treasure," Ian noticed there were still quite a few snacks left on the table. They lay there untouched, as no one reached out again.
"Take some more!" Ian, a bit exasperated, picked up some snacks and stuffed them into the hands of the nearest kids.
"But you need to eat too! If we eat it all, what will you have during the holidays?" Asked Catherine while gnawing on a gummy candy, her innocent eyes staring at her returning big brother.
"Yeah! This is more than enough for us."
The other children nodded in agreement with Catherine. They had all learned to appreciate, share, and be grateful, lessons instilled in them by the few adults who silently cared for the orphanage.
"Tch, I've had enough already. Do you know what a 'noble school' is?" Ian huffed dramatically and played a little trick, acting all disdainful as he divided up the remaining snacks into everyone's hands.
"Amazing, Ian!"
"So much! So much! I can barely hold it all!"
"Ian! You're truly amazing!"
"When I grow up, I want to be like you, go study and bring good food back for everyone too!"
…
The thoughts of children are that simple.
This unexpected bounty filled every single one of them with joy. Their crisp, cheerful laughter broke the evening stillness, adding life to the otherwise quiet and worn-down space.
Ian's gaze swept over their youthful faces one by one. Some he already knew by name, while others still felt like strangers.
This was the orphanage. Some came, some left. But whether new or old, Ian felt that anyone who walked through these doors was family.
"Of course, Tom is the exception." Ian muttered to himself.
"Huh? What about me?"
"Were you talking about me?"
"Ian, did you just say my name?"
…
Kids had sharp ears.
Ian's quiet mumble instantly caught the attention of several boys named Tom, all turning to him in confusion.
"…."
Ian couldn't help but laugh and shook his head.
"I was talking about a classmate at school. Yeah… someone I don't know that well." Ian explained as he led his little brothers and sisters back inside. He first stopped by his dorm room.
Everything was just as he remembered, simple, but tidy.
His bed had been carefully made, as if silently welcoming him home.
"I clean your room every day! I even cleaned it three times this morning!" Catherine popped out of the group, beaming proudly as she showed off.
She was one of the kids who had looked forward to Ian's return the most.
"Alright, alright, you're the best. I'll tell you a story tomorrow," Ian said, winking at her. She was the only child in the orphanage who knew he had gone off to learn magic.
"I want to hear a story too!"
"Yeah! If Catherine gets a story, we want one too!"
"Ian! You promised me that when I grew up, you'd tell me the story of Orphan, remember? Look at my head, it's grown so big now!"
…
Their chirping voices were loud and chaotic, and Ian, feeling a headache coming on, could only agree to everything.
"If you all eat your dinner properly tonight, I'll tell stories to everyone tomorrow."
As soon as he said that,
A group of children immediately swarmed toward the washbasin area. Only Catherine remained standing where she was, and Ian figured she probably wanted to ask something about Hogwarts.
"Come sneak into my room tonight?"
Even Ian felt like a wicked villain after saying that, but he genuinely believed that anything related to Hogwarts should be shared privately with this special little girl, away from the others.
"Okay, okay!" Catherine instantly perked up and gave a little hop. But soon, her gaze fell back to the pile of snacks in her hands, her young face showing a bit of inner conflict.
"What's wrong?" Ian walked over, concerned.
"I'm trying to decide which snacks to give Miss Helena and the weird uncle she brought back," Catherine answered without hesitation, voicing her dilemma.
"Don't worry, I've prepared separate gifts for them. You don't have to share your stuff… eating too much junk food isn't good for older people anyway." Ian reassured her, then followed up curiously, "What's this about the strange uncle Miss Helena brought back?"
He was starting to feel a little wary.
This was Britain, after all.
Plenty of people had tried to sneak into orphanages to do unspeakable things. If you studied history carefully, you'd know the term copper obsession originated from this very land.
"You know, all of us kids were picked up by Miss Helena. She often brings new children back, but a few weeks ago, she brought home a quiet uncle who doesn't talk much."
"That uncle is a good person. He often teaches us to write and draw, but he only comes out before six o'clock. No matter what happens after six, he never leaves his room."
Catherine's description intrigued Ian.
"Can you take me to see him?"
Ian stowed away his luggage, locked his small suitcase securely in the wardrobe, and followed Catherine to a corner room that, as far as he could remember, was supposed to be unused.
Knock knock knock~
Catherine knocked politely on the door for him.
"Is Hogwarts fun?" She couldn't resist lowering her voice to ask.
"Of course! When you're old enough, I'll take you to Hogwarts. You'll be able to walk around like you own the place," Ian replied, ruffling Catherine's head dotingly.
"Do all magic users walk around like that?" Catherine's imagination was clearly in full swing.
"Uh… that's a metaphor. It means you won't have to worry about being bullied at school. If someone messes with you, just tell me and I'll make sure they get a good beating."
Ian struggled to hold in a laugh as he explained.
The little girl looked thoughtful.
"I get it now!" She smacked her forehead.
"You're the school tyrant!"
Catherine looked like she'd made a major discovery, her eyes sparkling with awe.
"I am not a school tyrant. I beat up school tyrants," Ian quickly defended his reputation. His serious expression didn't fool Catherine at all.
"Then I really get it! You're the tyrant of tyrants! The Overlord Tyrant!"
This was clearly a sharp little girl.
"…" Ian rubbed his face helplessly.
"Let's just knock again. Is he really not in there?"
Trying to steer the conversation back, Ian asked.
(To Be Continued…)