was another daydream, a day when she wasn't called "Mud Seed."

"Bang!"

Suddenly, Snape stood up abruptly.

He stared intently at the painting, a hint of fear even appearing in his eyes.

It felt like facing a terrible curse, yet also like facing the sweetest pastry imaginable.

Flowing long hair, sparkling eyes, and a smile as bright as the sun.

It was just a black and white portrait, but Snape seemed to see the fiery hair, the emerald green eyes, and hear the girl's silvery laughter.

He called his name with a voice he could no longer hear:

[Severus~!]

lifelike.

Snape snapped back to reality.

He abruptly pulled the painting aside, angrily raising his hand—then carefully putting it away again.

Damn it.

Now Snape knew why a mere painting could drive those Muggles wild.

This is nothing short of the devil's artwork.

"How is it, sir?" Ethan smirked. "Are you satisfied?"

"...How...did you...know about this person?"

Snape spoke slowly and deliberately, his dark eyes fixed on Ethan's.

Ethan nodded his head and said, half-jokingly:

"You gave me such an image, a profound idea, and I simply depicted it."

At this moment, he was in a very good mood.

Judging from Snape's reaction.

Ethan was certain that the painting was a success.

Look how much Professor Snape likes it!

[An exceptionally high-quality painting has been detected and automatically added to the gallery]

【Name: "Always" (Sent)】

[Type: Portrait]

[Rank: Tier 1, White Rare]

[Description: A portrait of a deceased person, the love of a lifetime]

[Effect: Effectively evokes memories, creating an immersive and captivating experience. When given as a gift, it permanently increases the favorability of a specific character.]

This painting can be viewed on the wall when you visit the gallery.

[Number of paintings currently in the gallery: 1]

[You will receive a newbie gift pack when you have collected 5 paintings.]

Your soul fusion level has increased by 1%.

Current Soul Fusion Rate: 26%

As the system broadcast the message, Ethan felt a warm current surge from his limbs and bones.

Like a cold person drinking a sip of warm soup, Ethan realized just how stiff and sluggish the magic within him was.

Is this the effect of increased soul fusion...?

Ethan feels that, although it's only 1%, he can now create paintings of exceptional quality more easily.

However, what is the reason for the improvement?

Ethan looked up at Professor Snape.

Perhaps it's related to contact with important figures in this world?

Ethan pondered to himself.

Everything will only be revealed once you enter Hogwarts.

The only certainty is that if he wants to improve his painting skills and create more extraordinary works, he will succeed.

Therefore, it is necessary to increase the degree of soul fusion.

Hogwarts...

That's something to look forward to!

Ethan's eyes darkened, and he licked his back teeth with the tip of his tongue.

"...Originally, I was going to report your strange situation to the Ministry of Magic, or to Dumbledore."

Snape's voice rang out, almost as if he were talking to himself.

"But then I thought, what does this have to do with me?"

Snape's lips curled into a slight smile as he pulled a letter from his pocket and swiftly handed it to Ethan.

"I'm just here to deliver a letter, that's all."

Wow, how elegantly and tastefully they describe bribery!

Ethan clicked his tongue in amazement and curiously took the letter.

The thick envelope had a shield-shaped wax seal printed on it.

In the center is a capital "H", surrounded by four animals: a lion, a snake, a badger, and an eagle.

It's an acceptance letter to Hogwarts!

Immediately, Ethan felt a surge of excitement.

He eagerly tore open the letter—being careful not to damage the exquisite wax seal—and took out the thick parchment inside.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Acceptance Letter

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore (Sir Merlin, First Class, Chief Wizard of Wizengamor, President of the International Confederation of Wizards)

【Dear Mr. Vincent:】

We are pleased to inform you that you have been admitted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Enclosed is a list of required books and supplies.

The semester begins on September 1st. Given your specific situation, we will assign a dedicated person to assist you and remind you of important points before the start of the semester.

[Vice Principal Minerva McGonagall]

The second page lists the textbooks and supplies needed for the start of school.

Then, regardless of whether he understood or not, Snape launched into a long tirade of common knowledge about the wizarding world.

This includes what a Muggle is, what Hogwarts is, the four houses, and so on.

Although he was very reluctant, perhaps because of the painting, Snape explained it in quite a bit of detail.

"I must remind you that your actions violate the Wizarding Code of Secrecy—displaying magic in front of Muggles," Snape said.

"That is, your stupid paintings."

"Before school even started, you forced the Ministry of Magic to send several people to erase the memories of those Muggles and make them move away from those damn paintings."

"At the same time, recall all those evil [contraband] items."

Ethan: "Recycling? Including the one I just drew for you, Professor Snape?"

"..."

Snape choked up, a rare occurrence for him.

He squinted, scrutinizing Ethan's innocent and pure face, as if he had only asked the question casually.

"...If you come to my house, Slytherin, I will definitely take special care of you."

Snape gritted his teeth and hissed like a snake.

With a wave of his hand, a cloth bag appeared on the table, from which coins jingled.

There was also a ticket for Platform 9¾ next to it.

"Hogwarts provides special needs students with stipends, which, while not substantial, can last for a period of time if managed properly."

"I've already told you everything you need to know before school starts. I believe in you... the little genius painter from Spider's End Alley, you can go to Diagon Alley to buy things by yourself."

"I can do it, thank you for coming, Professor Snape." Ethan nodded and smiled.

Snape snorted through his nose, walked to the empty cabinet, and stroked it as if inspecting it.

Then, like a big black bat, it fluttered away from the doorway and disappeared without a trace.

Ethan closed the door and let out a long sigh.

Clutching the envelope, I felt as if everything that had just happened was a dream.

At that moment, Ethan suddenly noticed that there was a book in the previously empty cabinet.

Ethan walked over and saw that on the black cover, in simple gold lettering, it read "The Complete Guide to the Fundamentals of Potions".

...It's obvious who left it there.

"Oh dear, Professor Snape, you two-faced sly fox."

Ethan shook his head with amusement.

I picked up the book with great interest, turned the pages, and saw that it still had annotations from its previous owner.

"Dung stones, a type of stone taken from a sheep's stomach, can neutralize various toxins and are an ingredient in many antidotes... Note: It has an extremely strong, nauseating muttony smell. If it does not have this smell, it is fake."

"Hmm, just hearing the name is disgusting..."

However, when it really comes down to life and death, one probably won't care about so much.

Ethan thought to himself.

By the light of the lamp, I continued reading.

It was getting late, and although he was very excited, Ethan decided to go shopping at Diagon Alley tomorrow.

......

The next morning, Charing Cross Road, London.

Ethan stood between a bookstore and a record store.

Pedestrians came and went around him, but no one paid any attention to where he was looking.

——Broken Cauldron Bar.