"Who told you such things? You'd better give me a list later." Ian just glanced sideways at Malfoy, making the little snake immediately shut up.
"That's something I found at home, it's been sitting in the corner for a long time. I thought it was like Daphne's mysterious book that could tell me stories."
"I never imagined, it would be... it would be... such an evil thing." He had no choice but to change the subject and steer the conversation towards his own predicament.
Obviously.
The butterfly effect did occur.
Daphne's storybook from Grindelwald piqued Malfoy's curiosity, causing something that should have appeared in the next semester to come to Hogwarts early.
"Looks like you know what the thing you hid is." Ian followed Malfoy all the way to the Slytherin Common Room, his teasing making Malfoy shiver with a desolate expression.
"I'm not a fool, I can guess... but I don't dare to say it." Malfoy lowered his voice as much as possible, but even so, it was hard to hide the fear in his voice.
"The diary told you to give the thing to me?"
Ian voiced his previous suspicion.
Sure enough.
Malfoy nodded honestly, "Yes, the diary told me to give you the thing. He assured me that there was no curse or magic against you in the crystal ball."
He was clearly trying to salvage the potential consequences of his actions. After all, whether it was from the folklore of Hogwarts or the official history from the pure-blood families, anyone who wanted to harm this terrifying senior next to him never ended well. Marcus Flint was expelled by his family and sent abroad this year.
Siberia.
As remote as can be.
All to prevent Marcus Flint from being killed in retaliation.
"Indeed, it's not something targeting me. Honestly, if what you gave me was curses and traps against me, I would be less interested than I am now."
Ian followed Malfoy all the way to the Slytherin Common Room front, a place he was also quite familiar with, as he had come here more than once before sending Aurora back.
"Open!"
Before Malfoy could say the password.
Ian directly gave an instruction to the door. Just as Malfoy was about to remind Ian of the password, a low creaking sound echoed in the once-quiet surroundings.
The door appeared.
The stone serpents above rolled.
The door, which should have refused unwelcome guests, opened without defense. Behind it, a dim light seeped through, faintly revealing the unique lighting of the Slytherin Common Room.
Since it was class time now, the common room was empty.
"???"
Malfoy was visibly stunned.
He looked at the little wizard beside him in disbelief.
"How did you do that?"
Malfoy's tone carried a trace of incredulity.
"The benefits of making more friends, Malfoy. Stop using foul language to make enemies all the time." Ian generally wouldn't tell those not familiar with him about his close friendship with Hogwarts.
Malfoy was slightly surprised upon hearing this, but he nevertheless got thoughtful.
"Stop babbling, take me to the diary." Ian didn't give Malfoy much time to think, directly stepping into the Slytherin Common Room first.
He walked down the corridor to the dormitory area.
"You seem more familiar with this place than I am..." Malfoy discovered some details that were creepy on further thought, but didn't dare to ask more, quickly leading Ian to his dorm.
Open the door.
A rich aroma of aged leather and mysterious spices wafted in. Velvet drapes in deep green hung on the walls, embroidered with silver serpent motifs that glistened dimly in the light. In the room stood a dark-wood carved bed, half-covered by a curtain, exuding an air of nobility.
Compared to other houses.
This house's dorm looked much more luxurious, mostly due to the decorations by the students themselves, given that many of the students from this house came from pure-blood families that valued opulence.
"Harry also moved into a luxury suite."
Ian estimated the value of the ornaments in the room, while Malfoy had already rushed to his bed, diving under it, as most people would choose such a place to hide things.
A rustling sound of searching came from under the bed.
"How many things do you have hidden under there?" Ian curiously tried to bend down for a look, only to find Malfoy emerging with a face smudged with dust.
"It's gone! The diary is gone!"
His voice trembled, filled with fear and disbelief.
"Hmm?"
Hearing that, Ian's eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of doubt rose in his heart, and he instinctively looked around, trying to find a clue in this dim and luxurious dorm.
"No! How could this be happening!"
Malfoy emerged from under the bed, hair disheveled, his panic-stricken face becoming more obvious as beads of sweat like beans rolled down his forehead, his hands involuntarily trembling.
"It's over, it's over. If he notices anything wrong, he will definitely retaliate against me... and my parents!" Malfoy didn't know what the diary he obtained was.
But he was very clear about who the diary was related to.
"A cunning rabbit has three burrows, that guy might not have noticed your betrayal, maybe he intended to hide it from the start, after all, I would likely come to you after you gave me that crystal ball."