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"Ah, my esteemed business partner! Any luck selling the map?" Ian greeted her warmly.
Cho Chang sighed, shaking her head. "Not yet. I'll have to wait until tonight. I'd rather not get caught and end up in detention."
She was no fool— she knew the true value of such a map extended far beyond helping first-years avoid getting lost in broad daylight.
"Fair enough," Ian conceded with a nod.
"When I got back to the common room, I heard from the older students that you were still waiting here for the library to open. Did Madam Pince really take the day off?" Cho Chang asked, frowning.
Ravenclaws had a particular quirk— they were always worried that someone else was studying more than they were. Even when told the library was closed, they felt compelled to check for themselves.
"She's skipping work!" Ian huffed indignantly.
"I heard the Defense Against the Dark Arts class has found its latest victim— I mean, its new professor." Cho Chang smirked. "A Gryffindor upperclassman said Madam Pince and Hagrid went to escort them."
Ian raised an eyebrow. "Since when does the librarian double as a bodyguard?"
"A shame, really. I was hoping to borrow 'Standard Spells, Grade 2.'" Cho Chang sighed. Studying ahead was second nature to Ravenclaws, and she was among the most diligent.
Of course, Ian had a feeling his impromptu tutoring sessions might have had something to do with that.
"I'll be covering that book soon in my lessons. Just make sure to turn up."
Ian and Cho Chang walked back to the common room together, passing a few stubborn young Ravenclaws who still refused to believe the library was closed.
"You haven't already finished all seven years' worth of material, have you?" Cho Chang asked, looking down at the boy beside her. Ian was shorter than her and still had the look of someone just beginning to grow, yet his academic prowess was undeniably impressive.
"Of course not… Just gathering all the material for seven years would take at least a month or two to read through." Ian shook his head, stating the fact as it was.
"So, I should be done in a month or two."
He said it casually, without a hint of arrogance. But Cho Chang's disbelieving stare made it clear she thought he was joking.
"You're incredible. Some people are saying you might even be better than Dumbledore was at your age." There was genuine admiration in her voice, not a trace of doubt.
After all, Ian had already proven his ability through the impromptu study sessions he held in the common room at night. Anyone who had attended them knew firsthand just how gifted he was.
"Who said that? They have such an eye for talent! Tell me, I need to thank them properly." Ian's mood lifted, the frustration of the locked library fading.
"Lots of people," Cho Chang replied thoughtfully. Then, after a pause, she added, "What are you teaching tonight? I haven't sold the map yet, and my pocket money's running low, so I want to pick my classes wisely."
She looked a little embarrassed, clearly mindful of her finances.
"We're business partners. I trust you. Just put it on tab, and I'll deduct it from your share later." Ian wasn't stingy with friends, but he believed in principles. Give someone an exception once, and soon they'd expect another. Just look at the Muggle world—how many businesses had crumbled under the weight of favoritism?
"Thanks, but I'm not hopeless in every subject," Cho Chang said, her pride showing through. Ian respected that. He wasn't about to push his lessons on anyone who didn't want them.
He wasn't a personal trainer, after all.
"Tonight's class is Defense Against the Dark Arts— helping everyone strengthen their weak points," Ian explained. Of course, he'd been careful to phrase it that way, just in case anyone got the wrong idea.
"Great, we haven't had that class since term started. I'll be sure to attend tonight's SCP meeting."
Cho Chang's words made Ian stop in his tracks. He turned to her, frowning in confusion.
"...What meeting?"
"The SCP meeting," She repeated, tilting her head slightly.
Ian inhaled sharply.
"Who came up with that name? That's downright ominous!" He hadn't expected to be leading a gathering of so-called 'Class C wizards.' The name SCP brought back memories from his past life, and none of them were good.
Compared to the horrors of that world, even Hogwarts' cursed Defense Against the Dark Arts position seemed relatively harmless.
"Secret Circle of Practitioners. What's wrong with it?" Cho Chang asked, clearly puzzled.
Ian sighed.
"The Secret Circle of Practitioners..." He muttered the words to himself, finally understanding how the name had come about. Whoever came up with it had an interesting way of thinking.
"Let's change it to SCOP. I'll convince the others," he decided. Even though he didn't believe in omens, he didn't fancy tempting fate either.
The name SCP just felt like an invitation to disaster.
One disaster after another, without end.
"Huh? That sounds a bit odd," Cho Chang mused. "Does the 'O' stand for you?"
Organizer?
Overseer?
She couldn't figure it out. But Ian just gave her a knowing look and said nothing.
Before long, they arrived at the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room.
"You go ahead," Ian said, stopping outside.
"Aren't you coming in?" Cho Chang asked curiously.
Ian shook his head, his eyes fixed on the bronze eagle knocker that guarded the entrance.
"I want to study our common room door."
Of course, he wasn't about to tell Cho Chang that he and the bronze eagle had been getting along rather well lately.
Who knew if she'd start spreading rumors that he was in some kind of relationship with the talking door? This girl, who had once shared a boat with him on their first night at Hogwarts, had a streak of Gryffindor mischief in her.
As Cho Chang entered, the door shut behind her, leaving Ian alone. He sat down once more, ready to begin his next lesson.
But this time, his student wasn't a young witch or wizard.
It was the bronze eagle itself.
"Where shall we begin today?" Ian mused.
Back in his past life, he had studied endlessly, only for most of that knowledge to go unused after arriving in this world. But this time, he intended to put it to good use.
Knowledge was meant to be shared.
And besides magic, why not discuss number theory, algebraic geometry, or even partial differential equations? If those topics grew tiresome, he could always turn to philosophy—Socrates, Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, and even Marx.
The bronze eagle was an excellent conversational partner.
...
(To Be Continued…)