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In truth, he carried two letters from Ariana with him every day. He wished Dumbledore would be a bit more diligent. A headmaster gallivanting off with his graduates in the middle of term? Even parcels left at the Owl Post were subject to storage fees.
The more Ian dwelled on it, the more annoyed he became, especially considering he had yet to receive any compensation from those pure-blood families.
"My grandfather said that if you need help, Dumbledore can assist you. But so can he." Aurora seemed to pick up on Ian's frustration as she casually adjusted a few of the instruments beside her.
"He can't help me with this," Ian said, still tinkering with the delicate astronomical devices. He was intent on capturing Dumbledore's reaction upon reading the letter. Grindelwald wouldn't give him the response he was looking for.
"Can you help me calibrate this?"
Aurora looked thoughtful for a moment before, like any good friend, stepping in to assist him with the adjustments.
First-year students at Hogwarts had Astronomy class once a week at night, requiring them to climb to the tallest tower in the castle. No specific textbooks were needed, just a quill and parchment. Although Astronomy seemed like a niche subject, it was a core requirement for all students until their O.W.L. years.
Slytherin attended Astronomy alongside Ravenclaw, which was different from Ian's previous classes. Their professor was Aurora Sinistra, a distinguished black witch who coincidentally shared the same first name as Aurora Grindelwald.
Professor Sinistra was renowned for her contributions to astronomy, though her expertise in divination and prophecy did not quite compare to that of the famed Grindelwald lineage. This was evident from her first lesson, in which she openly praised the prophetic abilities of the Grindelwald family.
She made no attempt to conceal her admiration, and under her passionate teaching, Ian and his classmates gained insights into aspects of wizarding astronomy they had never encountered before.
After all, Grindelwald's family was not British, and even among the children of pure-blood families, most only knew fragments of the infamous Gellert Grindelwald's history.
"This professor actually put your family in the same category as the Trelawneys? Merlin's beard, did your ancestors serve some ancient Seer or act as high priests for a revered magical order?" Ian had, of course, heard of Hogwarts' Divination professor, Sibyll Trelawney, an eccentric woman, no doubt, but one who undeniably carried the gift of prophecy in her blood.
The entire course of the Harry Potter story seemed to have been set in motion by one of her prophecies. If even Voldemort had taken her words seriously enough to act upon them, then there was no denying their significance.
"Honestly, I don't really know. I only know that there have been a few Seers in my family's history," Aurora replied, blinking as if she were only now considering the implications of that fact.
"That must be a bloodline gift," Ian mused. He had studied The Origins of Bloodlines and understood that certain magical talents, like Parseltongue or Metamorphmagus abilities, were traits passed down through wizarding ancestry.
"Do you want to study it?" Aurora extended her pale arm toward Ian, her expression open and unbothered, as if offering him the chance to examine her hereditary magical trait was no different from passing over a quill.
"Let's talk about it later," Ian said, slightly thrown by her casual attitude.
While they whispered, Professor Sinistra had begun the astronomy lesson.
"Our class does not require wands, only patience and keen observation," She announced. "Over the next five years, I will teach you to track the movements of celestial bodies and understand their significance in the wizarding world."
"The paths of the planets are not merely cosmic happenstance. Their alignments influence magical phenomena, and if you observe carefully, you may begin to uncover the greater mysteries of the universe. Once you do, I believe you will find it hard not to be captivated by the study of the stars."
For their first lesson, Professor Sinistra used an enormous enchanted model of the night sky to introduce them to the major planets, then had each student use their telescopes to locate them in the real sky.
To be honest, if there was any Hogwarts class that most closely resembled a Muggle school subject, it had to be Astronomy, even more so than Muggle Studies. There were no spells involved, no prophetic revelations, no complex magical theories, just a class full of students peering through ancient telescopes at distant celestial bodies.
Of course, in a few years, it would become an essential foundation for Divination, but for now, Ian found it mind-numbingly dull, making this easily his second least favorite subject after History of Magic.
Aurora, on the other hand, seemed completely absorbed in it, while the rest of the students dutifully followed Professor Sinistra's instructions, adjusting their instruments to track the stars.
"Some of you come from Muggle families," The professor continued, "While others were raised in wizarding families. I must caution you, do not make the mistake of equating Muggle astronomy with our own. Their knowledge is… incomplete."
"For instance, Muggles believe the solar system has nine planets," She said with an amused lilt in her voice, "But wizards recognize only eight. I think it is safe to say the error does not lie with us."
Her words carried the quiet confidence of a witch who had spent a lifetime studying the stars.
However, given the late hour, her voice was beginning to take on a rhythmic, almost hypnotic quality. Many students, Ian included, were stifling yawns and fighting to keep their eyes open.
It was an exhausting class.
The moment Professor Sinistra dismissed them, Ian was one of the first to bolt for the stairs, not because he was eager for bed, but because he still had ingredients to gather for his potions.
After all, what self-respecting wizard wouldn't keep a few vials of Infinite Firepower Potion on hand? Even if Snape had forbidden him from selling it, Ian still intended to brew some for himself. A well-prepared wizard needed an ace up his sleeve.
Of course, he had to be careful not to attract Snape's attention. To that end, Ian had devised an air-purifying charm to mask the distinct fumes of the potion's brewing process, replacing them with the harmless scent of a mild invigorating draught.
His original plan had been to create a spell that rendered the fumes entirely odorless and invisible, but given the rushed nature of the potion's production, and his current skill level, this was the best he could manage on short notice.
Just like when crafting an Ashes-to-Ashes Casket, the simplest method was to transfigure one substance into another without significantly altering its mass.
"I hope Hagrid's not asleep!"
Ian bid farewell to Aurora and made his way toward the hidden passage, slipping out of the castle with practiced ease before sprinting toward Hagrid's hut. Unfortunately, luck didn't seem to be on his side tonight, Hagrid's windows were dark, making it impossible to tell whether he was asleep or off patrolling the Forbidden Forest.
"I hope he's not in a foul mood."
Ian hesitated at the threshold, hand hovering in preparation to knock.
(To Be Continued…)