Loch Lomond, the sky had completely darkened.

In the clear night sky, yet to be obscured by industrial smog, moonlight silently cascaded down, enveloping the entire lakeside in a silvery veil. From the fish bucket on the lawn came the occasional sound of three large fish splashing as they turned over, and the stone pile built for a bonfire had long since cooled, the blackened stones covered in droplets of water.

With a flash of light, the figures of Erina and Dumbledore appeared beside the lake.

"Oh, before I knew it, it's already so late? That just goes to show, wasting so much time this afternoon, it would have been better to just do as I said from the beginning."

The girl looked around, glancing at the old man beside her with a hint of complaint.

Dumbledore chuckled wryly and shook his head, not intending to argue.

He had truly witnessed what it meant to be difficult. What seemed to him a very simple Unbreakable Vow had taken up the better part of the afternoon. If Grindelwald hadn't been quite the silver-tongued devil himself, they might still be negotiating.

"And this mark is so ugly! Professor Dumbledore, you didn't mention before that it would leave a scar!"

Erina raised her left hand in dissatisfaction, wrinkling her little nose, looking pitiful as if about to cry.

Under the bright moonlight, three faint chain marks were clearly visible on the girl's delicate, fair skin, each corresponding to one of the three vows she had made in the Nurmengard tower.

"The marks will automatically fade after a day, unless you actively trigger them, at which point they will reappear."

Dumbledore explained calmly, unmoved.

After the long afternoon of verbal sparring, he had learned how to maintain a relatively pleasant mood in conversations with the silver-haired loli, which was to selectively ignore some of the girl's unimportant little complaints, including this act of playing pitiful.

Seeing that Dumbledore didn't react any further, Erina pouted, her bright eyes darting around. She tugged on the long sleeve of Dumbledore's wizard robes and said tentatively.

"Professor, about the trip to Diagon Alley with you tomorrow, I've thought about it carefully, and it's really not appropriate. How about, let's just forget about it?"

Without a doubt, in the magical world, Dumbledore was definitely a top-tier "national god," not to mention the string of Savior and Guardian titles, the fact that he was the Headmaster of Hogwarts was enough to make his every move affect the entire magical world.

Erina couldn't imagine what kind of inhumane spectacle they would face if people discovered Dumbledore in Diagon Alley tomorrow, helping a cute, weak, and helpless little witch purchase her school supplies.

"In fact, you just need to give me the scholarship Galleons, and you can rest assured about everything else." The girl patted her chest and said proudly, "No unscrupulous merchant can easily deceive me. Even if I'm alone, I can smoothly buy all the necessary school supplies."

Dumbledore lowered his head, taking a deep look at the innocent-looking silver-haired loli. Images of a messy Headmaster's office, a trembling phoenix Fawkes, and a half-empty owlery flashed before his eyes—he wasn't worried about Erina being deceived, he was worried about the unsuspecting Diagon Alley shop owners who weren't psychologically prepared.

Besides, having witnessed Erina and Grindelwald's tit-for-tat debate, he was even more strongly determined to properly educate and pay attention to this dangerous half-blood loli.

He even had a strange premonition that if Erina was allowed to roam freely in Diagon Alley, she would definitely cause big trouble, and then, bound by the vows, he would still have to come and clean up the mess.

"No, I vowed to protect you to the best of my ability, until I have nurtured you into a capable and independent witch."

Dumbledore shook his head, replying with a firm and undeniable tone.

"Alright, let's go back early."

"Tomorrow morning at nine o'clock, I'll take you to Diagon Alley to buy some necessary items for the new semester, like spell books and wands—"

As he spoke, Dumbledore suddenly paused, slapping his forehead with some annoyance.

"Oh, it seems I'll have to ask Minerva for a list of required books and equipment for new students."

After all, since he became the Headmaster of Hogwarts, he hadn't taken new students to Diagon Alley to buy supplies. He really couldn't remember exactly what needed to be bought now.

"In any case, remember your vows, Erina Kaslana."

Dumbledore ruffled Erina's little head, bent down slightly, and looked seriously into the girl's lake-blue eyes, "Although you haven't been sorted yet, from now on, you are already a member of Hogwarts."

"I know, I know, stop ruffling my head all the time, you're making my hair greasy."

The silver-haired loli pushed away the large hand on her head in dissatisfaction. She decided that in a few years, when she was taller, she would wear ten-centimeter high heels and see who could still touch her head casually.

"As for the vows, they will remind me themselves, so you don't have to worry."

Erina smiled slightly, raised her left hand, and clenched her fist. The originally hidden chain marks instantly lit up, spiraling up the girl's forearm like fiery chains.

In the darkness, she looked like an inviolable Valkyrie, sacred and full of power.

"Nonsense! This is not a toy! Before your magic exceeds mine and Grindelwald's by two times, never try to challenge the Unbreakable Vow."

Dumbledore's face darkened, scolding angrily.

The old man's pupils contracted slightly, his gaze focused on the three dazzling chains of vows—the instantaneous thought of violating all the vows was something that even Grindelwald might not be able to do now.

Clearly, Erina had deliberately touched the prohibitions in all the vows in her mind at the same time, which triggered the warning phenomenon. If she were to actually carry out any of the thoughts in her mind now, the Unbreakable Vow would instantly take her life.

"Don't panic, no big deal, just kidding. I don't want to die so early."

Erina stuck out her tongue playfully, released her fist, patted Dumbledore's darkened face like an adult, and said lightly.

"It's just... not allowed to actively harm others, not allowed to be at odds with the magical world, and to do my best to continue the legacy of Hogwarts. It's very simple, even if you don't say it, I wouldn't violate them anyway."

"Remember, tomorrow morning at nine o'clock..."

The usually amiable Dumbledore finally couldn't help but glare at the silver-haired loli. He had begun to wonder if bringing this little troublemaker to Hogwarts was the right thing to do.

"Wait! Professor Dumbledore, there's one more important thing."

Seeing that Dumbledore seemed to be leaving, Erina hurriedly waved her hand, grabbed his sleeve, and stopped him.

"What else is it, dear Miss Kaslana?"

Dumbledore took a deep breath, maintaining a gentle tone as he asked patiently.

"There is! Just a small favor!"

The silver-haired loli turned around, laboriously picked up the bucket placed on the shore, and handed it to Dumbledore ingratiatingly, pointing her chin at the three large fish in the bucket, and said with an expectant tone.

"Professor Dumbledore, I remember there's a spell that can remove the bones of creatures. Could you, by any chance, help me remove the bones of these three fish..."

Snap!

Before Erina could finish speaking, the air in front of her suddenly exploded.

Dumbledore, with a darkened face, didn't even say goodbye, and simply disappeared before her eyes.

————

(Mysterious Journey is begging for support with recommendation tickets! Please recommend!)

ps: Sorry for being a little late, because there was supposed to be a negotiation scene in Nurmengard Tower where Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and Erina sign the Unbreakable Vow, but I found that I really can't handle two highly intelligent characters like Grindelwald and Dumbledore, especially the intellectual negotiation part. So, I skipped it directly. If I improve my writing skills in the future, I will try to flashback.

Sorry~~ I really tried my best, I wanted to give everyone a better and more complete story, but compared to experienced authors, my writing skills are really a hard flaw.

After all, I'm just a Mysterious Journey who can only be cute~