r18novel Chapter 160, Page 159: The Baldness Curse and the Psychological Shadow
Chapter 160, Page 159: The Baldness Curse and the Psychological Shadow
Chapter 160, Page 159: The Baldness Curse and the Psychological Shadow
If witnessing firsthand the existence of magic in this world shocked Hermione, then the little wizard's smiling words directly terrified the disheveled little girl.
As if memories from the past were attacking her, Hermione felt a chill run down her spine and wanted to run away, but the only door leading outside was right behind Ian.
She glanced back at the office where her father, Mr. Granger, and Ms. Elena were; the door was tightly shut, which ultimately prevented her from mustering the courage to seek her father's protection.
"You—you—what are you saying? I don't understand, I don't understand at all." Faced with the choice between admitting and denying, Hermione chose to play dumb, which she had always despised the most.
The "it smells so good" principle continues to exert its influence across time and space.
"You know that the person standing in front of you is a wizard, or what you understand as a magician, right?" Hermione's gaze sharpened slightly as Ian raised his wand.
Her entire body visibly tensed up, and her panicked expression clearly showed that she was worried Ian would cast a spell on her.
"You—" You wizards should also abide by the law, right? In our British legal system, intentionally harming another person is a serious felony.
"Section 18 of the Offences Against the Person Act of 1861 stipulates that the maximum penalty is life imprisonment!" Hermione was clearly more than just a bookworm. She could even recite British legal provisions by heart, perhaps partly due to quick thinking under pressure.
Although the little girl stuttered a bit at first, she became incredibly articulate and articulate as she spoke, though her somewhat irritable demeanor made Ian chuckle.
He felt that the idiom "bluffing" had become a tangible reality at this moment.
"Who said I wanted to hurt you? You must have a persecution complex." Ian deliberately made a disdainful expression and put his raised hand on his temple.
"As your kind senior, I just want to show you the wonder of magic." With that, the young wizard pulled a wisp of silver memory from his mind.
Should we use the word "benevolence" here?
Hermione was quite particular about word choice, and although she was watching Ian's every move closely and was very nervous, she still pointed out Ian's incorrect word choice.
of course.
In the young wizard's opinion, his choice of words was not wrong.
"You'll realize how accurate my description is once you're able to study at Hogwarts," Ian said, giving the little girl a meaningful look.
He realized that he didn't necessarily dislike showing off.
"What are you doing?"
Hermione's gaze locked onto the silver thread clinging to her wand—this silver thread was like flowing moonlight, or the brightest star in the night sky, radiating a soft and mysterious glow.
Just as Hermione was wondering if it was cerebrospinal fluid.
"Of course, it's to help some forgetful children recall things they've selectively forgotten." Ian waved his hand, and a silver thread drawn from his temple on his wand floated lightly in the air. It was like a silver ribbon leading a mysterious journey, allowing Hermione to witness the wonder of magic for the first time with utter awe.
All I saw was...
Silver threads floated in mid-air.
It then transformed into countless starlight points, enveloping everything in a dreamlike glow, as if it were some kind of paint that colored everything around it.
The line between reality and illusion blurred, taking Ian and Hermione back to the day they met. The lifelike scene around them left Hermione speechless.
"My God! This is like a dream!"
Her small mouth involuntarily opened slightly, forming a surprised "0" shape, but she forgot how to close it, as if even her breath had stopped for that moment.
Hermione saw the scene in the distance where she and her mother walked towards the fortune-telling stall, and she saw another "little wizard" talking to her mother and herself.
Everything felt so real, as if she had stepped back in time. Hermione's mind was immediately filled with images of numerous time-related movies.
How unbelievable, how shocking!
From an observer's perspective, Hermione was experiencing magic for the first time, just like Ian. She was so shocked and stunned that she tried to touch the telephone pole next to her to confirm whether it was real or not.
Unsurprisingly, Ian's memory-presenting magic also had the essence of Dumbledore's style. The little girl not only successfully touched the telephone pole, but also had her hair suddenly explode due to Ian's sneaky and mischievous actions.
"Is this magic!?"
Hermione didn't experience the pain and injuries that come with being electrocuted, since it was just an illusion created by Ian. However, when she opened her mouth to speak, a lot of smoke still drifted out from between her teeth.
"No, this is irrefutable proof that you agreed to eat the table." Ian raised his hand, gesturing for Hermione to look at the distance, where the same thing that had happened before was being replayed once again.
The young wizard even presented it in slow motion, as if worried that Hermione might not hear every word of the dialogue. He displayed his thoughtfulness and meticulousness as a future English gentleman.
"That's a very good suggestion. I'd also like to give you one: 'New Principles of Numerical Divination' is a good book; you might want to take a look."
"There is no magic in this world!"
"What if there is?"
"Then I'll eat your table."
Not far away, Hermione confidently began to speak, but as Ian recreated her embarrassing moments, the real Hermione immediately covered her face in shame and anger.
"Then I'll eat your table."
"Then I'll eat your table."
"Then I'll eat your table."
Ian played with the voice loop mode in his own memories, and even gave Hermione's voice different intonations, which was tantamount to making a unique and bizarre video in front of her.
"Okay! I know! I know!" Hermione tried to interrupt Ian's outrageous outburst, her eyes quickly reddening and tears welling up.
But in the end, it stubbornly refused to let it slip immediately.
"Do you want me to apologize to you? I'm sorry, okay?" Hermione was also showing her craftsmanship, but her slightly stubborn tone didn't show much sincerity.
and so.
Ian, who felt he needed to correct Miss Beaver's bad personality, simply resumed the flow of his memories.
"Oh, well, Miss Hermione Granger, I'll remember what you said. People who don't keep their promises will go bald when they grow up." That's what he said to the Hermione in his memory.
Although Ian did not repeat his own words this time, nor did he create a meme video of his own words, Hermione was still shocked when she heard this.
Her panic was even more palpable than before. She instinctively raised her two small hands to cover her head, the slight trembling betraying her inner turmoil and fear.
"Is this a curse? Or some other kind of magic that will come true if not followed?" The little girl, who knew almost nothing about the wizarding world, spoke with barely concealed panic.
"Then you'll have to decide for yourself." Ian's smile was very sly; he once again demonstrated his ability to deceive people by not telling the truth but also not telling the absolute truth.
He believed that a young girl who loved beauty wouldn't dare to gamble.
Hermione really didn't dare to gamble.
but.
As Ian pulled out the divination table again, she stared wide-eyed in horror at the table surface, which had been modified and was now covered in thorns.
"No! I don't want to eat this!"
Hermione's throat bobbed. She felt like the little wizard in front of her wanted her dead—eating wood was one thing, but how was she supposed to put her mouth to this thorny wood?
It might not hurt your mouth, but it'll hurt your stomach!
"Well, there's nothing we can do about that then."
Ian shrugged deliberately.
This immediately made Hermione even more uneasy.
"I don't want to be bald!"
The little girl's voice trembled with tears again, but she maintained her stubbornness, "I want to learn magic too! I'm sure I can find a way to break this curse!"
have to say.
Although Miss Beaver seems a bit ignorant now, her inherent confidence is still very evident, and she is indeed quite talented in learning magic.
Otherwise, there wouldn't be the saying about Hermione and her two useless men.
"You won't learn curses at school, but I can recommend my Transfiguration spell to you. It can turn this table into some incredibly delicious little cakes."
Ian finally revealed his true intentions: "For just one thousand pounds, no, five hundred pounds, three hundred pounds will also do, and then you will break the bald curse you've placed on yourself!"
The young wizard had no idea how much of a secret stash Hermione had.
He subtly incorporated a little trick into his speech, in order to prevent Hermione from complaining about him when she met the visiting professor. He wasn't afraid of any punishment, but he was always trying his best to maintain his image.
"I don't believe you! I'm going to ask my dad to take me to Hogwarts!" Miss Beaver remembered the name Ian had mentioned, and perhaps she thought her own father would definitely be able to send her to school.
This is a common perception among children from elite families. In fact, Hermione's background in such a family must have had a positive influence on her future ability to become a high-ranking official in charge of the Ministry of Magic.
After all, there are very few dentists in Western countries, and people attach great importance to their teeth, so even the best dentists in these countries can barely squeeze into the upper class.
Being exposed to politics from a young age naturally leads to a greater talent for it—just as Hermione believed that her father would surely find a way for her to attend magic school.
Such thinking wouldn't exist in the minds of left-behind children like Harry Potter.
"The price will be different at Hogwarts—" Ian wasn't worried at all. He didn't believe that a student as eager for knowledge as Hermione could resist the temptation of [Ian's Little Classroom]. In the last few months, he had already expanded his little classroom to other houses.
This is the epitome of a school filled with outstanding students.
"You've only been in school a year longer than me! I'm getting out!" Hermione's image of the little wizard was truly frightening; she even had the illusion that Ian had black horns growing from his head.
The little girl instinctively wanted to get away from Ian, but she wandered around in Ian's memory illusions, leaving Ian no time to raise his hand to stop her dangerous behavior.
"This is just an illusion. In reality, we are still orphans—" Before Ian could finish speaking, he heard a very dull thud.
next moment.
Then Miss Beaver collapsed to the ground, clutching her forehead. She had clearly bumped into the edge of the memory illusion, onto a wall located within the orphanage.
"I warned you."
Ian reluctantly helped Hermione up.
"You definitely did it on purpose!"
Hermione finally couldn't hold back anymore and started wailing.
BRRRRE
to be frank.
Hermione's setback wasn't Ian's intention. His memory illusion magic was certainly inferior to Dumbledore's, so there must be an unseen limit to it.
"I'm fed up with you crybabies." Ian waved his wand to cancel his spell, and he and the sobbing Hermione returned to the orphanage corridor.
"Here's a book for you, don't cry."
Ian pulled a genuine Lockhart book from his purse. He originally had quite a few Lockhart books, but he used most of them as toilet paper to wipe his bottom.
To be honest, the toilet paper used in the wizarding world was really not something he could compliment.
"What book? A magic book?"
Perhaps for other children, candy is what can make them happy, but Hermione is an exception. She was immediately attracted by the trashy book that Ian took out.
Me, the One with Magic
Hermione could almost picture a fantastical world just from the title.
"You also have to lift the curse for me!"
Hermione hugged the book Ian handed her tightly.
"Didn't you say you'd find a solution yourself?"
Ian blinked.
"Of course I can!"
The strong-willed Hermione immediately responded, though she was still worried about the bald man. But recalling the table Ian had just taken out and then put back, she dared not make that choice.
"That's fine then, but you can't complain about it after you've accepted the gift."
Ian chuckled and had the eleven-year-old girl in front of him completely under his control—just as he had predicted, Hermione did not reveal what had happened earlier after Mr. Granger came out.
Even when Mr. Granger asked her what happened to her eyes, she simply replied that she got sand in them. At least when it came to keeping her promises, Hermione probably only dared to chew on the table.
"If possible, I would like to ask Mr. Prince to recommend my daughter to your school. You may ask me for any compensation you require."
Mr. Granger had obviously guessed a lot of things, and there was clearly a reason why he would donate such a large sum of money again. It was also a little trick of him to let Ian see his donation certificate while he was talking.
"Look, your father is much more generous than you," Ian said to Hermione first, then turned to Mr. Granger when he saw Hermione looking up at the sky and ignoring him.
"If you could help us find families in your social circle who are willing to adopt children, we would also appreciate your help in this regard for my younger siblings." Ian knew the principle that it is better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish, and he also knew that no amount of donations could compare to finding a good home for the children in the orphanage.
"Of course, no problem!"
Mr. Granger immediately agreed, and he raised his hand to pat the little wizard's head. "You are a wise child. It seems that Ms. Elena was right."
Ian readily accepted the praise.
"There's no problem with Hogwarts either. Miss Granger will receive her acceptance letter from the house soon, and I'll definitely protect her while she's there."
"You might not know this—I'm actually a school bully." Only the last sentence of Ian's promise was meaningful, so he lowered his voice and quietly introduced himself to Mr. Granger, glancing around nervously. He used a very direct style of introduction, perhaps because Mr. Granger might not understand his self-proclaimed title of "Emperor of Hogwarts."
"I sincerely express my gratitude to you." Faced with Ian's "self-disclosure," Mr. Granger seemed unsurprised, perhaps having already "recognized" this.
Before leaving with an even more worried Hermione, Mr. Granger waved to the friendly Ian and made his daughter say goodbye to him.
Miss Beaver, though reluctant, felt somewhat resentful.
"I will definitely find a way to break the baldness curse! I definitely will!"
She may have mistaken the book Ian gave her for a book to learn magic, because before leaving the orphanage with Mr. Granger, she was still tightly clutching the book "I Can Use Magic".
Perhaps, at this moment, Hermione Granger is still unaware that her fear of the "baldness curse" might be the least significant psychological trauma she ever experiences.
The shadow of my mentor, Ian Prince.
This shadow had just begun to fall upon this little girl who hadn't even stepped into the wizarding world yet. Of course, this shadow also destined her to reach even greater heights.
Whether it's a blessing or a curse, only Hermione, who will one day carve her own epitaph, will know.