Who would seriously want to be free labor?
"Were you a bad boy at school?" Ariana tilted her head in curiosity, pondering for a moment before finally writing down what Ian said, showing her friendship.
"How could that be possible..." Ian chuckled awkwardly, "Oh, by the way, you could also suggest to Dumbledore to hatch the phoenix for me, so I can have time to be a diligent student."
"It'd be best if he could spare a billion Galleons to help Hogwarts' needy students, like some orphan without any source of income."
For Ian's unreasonable request, Ariana only helped him write the first part.
Indeed.
It involves Galleons.
Even kids know to be vigilant. Seeing Ariana start to write earnestly, Ian discreetly moved towards Pandro's direction.
"That's Ariana's snack!"
Ian snatched the Bibiduo Flavor Beans from Pandro's hand.
"I just gave you a Phoenix Egg!" Pandro loudly protested, reaching to grab something else, but Ian took away the entire bag of snacks.
"That was clearly a trade!"
Ian retorted confidently.
"You should probably hurry up and capture the Giant Dragon you promised to bring to my teacher, Lady Morgan." He subtly hinted that Pandro was acting on instructions. Meanwhile, Ian took this chance to bring up the Witch's identity, observing Pandro's reaction.
However, the young man merely paused, frowned, and his eyes flickered with distress, without a strong reaction or anything coming to mind.
"I knew it was that witch!"
Pandro started feeling sullen—Ariana spent a long, long time thinking about what to write in those two letters, like an entire afternoon.
The golden sunlight pierced through the sparse clouds.
Ian tried to learn Swordsmanship from Pandro, but Pandro immediately called for a practical match, resulting in Ian being disarmed every time in almost five seconds.
"Let's try something else, Wizard Chess! Wizard Chess is great fun!"
Ian suspected Pandro was retaliating for taking the snacks, so he decisively chose Wizard Chess to regain some dignity, only to find Pandro was more fierce than the player in Hogwarts Village.
This guy has obviously just started learning this game!
"Not playing anymore!"
Yet another three consecutive losses.
Seeing Ariana seal the two letters, Ian quickly found the chance to sneak away. His time was indeed running out, and he could already feel it.
"See you next week."
Ian carefully gathered all his things, and his figure gradually blurred—until he completely disappeared from the Misty Illusion Realm. Pandro picked up the longsword on the ground and walked towards the slightly melancholic Ariana.
"Let's continue."
He handed the longsword to Ariana.
But Ariana, reminded of many things again, shook her head and declined after wiping her eyes, clearly having lost the mood to continue practicing swordsmanship.
"I feel learning swordsmanship is pointless..."
Facing the obviously downcast and blunt Ariana.
Pandro didn't get upset.
He merely gazed at the girl before him, with eyes as clear as gemstones. Though he still looked like a youth, his voice seemed to suddenly become steady and powerful.
"Of course, it has meaning, Ariana, Swordsmanship will come in handy one day. Only when you become a Valkyrie will you have the chance to embrace the opportunity for reunion."
"Magic can't give you the fate; I'm giving it to you."
Under the sunlight.
Pandro's voice was gentle and sincere.
As if able to dispel all the clouds within one's heart.
"Has your, um... that vulnerable part stopped hurting?" Ariana rubbed her eyes and raised her head inquiringly, faintly dispersing the bright smile on Pandro's face.
"Actually, it still hurts a bit, Ian was too rough."
His expression turned stiff.
A lingering fear.
…
The air held a slight chill, mixed with the faint sound of the night wind and the rustling of distant leaves outside the window, as Ian awoke from his sleep and immediately started searching his pockets.
The warm touch brought him great joy.
He had truly brought back the Phoenix Egg from the Misty Illusion Realm!
"My treasure~"
Ian couldn't imagine how cool he would look riding a phoenix in the wizarding world, cuddling the egg that glowed red at night, he shifted his love from "Advanced Dark Arts Unveiled" to the egg as if changing face in Sichuan opera.
"I'll research it myself first and find Dumbledore tomorrow!" Ian was completely sleepless, retrieving the retired alumnus Newt's works to start searching for information about phoenixes.
At the desk.
He studied under the lamp amidst the snoring of his roommates, the stars outside twinkling like dazzling gemstones on black satin, occasionally a meteor streaked across leaving a brief, radiant trail.
The next day.
An all-nighter Ian didn't find the knowledge he was looking for, nor was it in Bloodline Origin, and likely there were no such records in Hogwarts' library. After all, according to the authority on Fantastic Beasts, Newt the alumnus, the birth of a phoenix is acknowledged as an enigma in the fantastic beasts circle.