Professor McGonagall's eyes were full of astonishment; she was now convinced that Ivan possessed the gift of prophecy.
Just moments ago, she had reacted almost instinctively, and it had turned out exactly as Ivan had predicted.
Ivan asked, "I think my talent must be what you refer to as magic, Professor."
Seeing Ivan's nonchalant attitude, as if this ability were commonplace in the wizarding world, Professor McGonagall said seriously, "Your gift is extremely rare, even in the magical world. To my knowledge, only one person has had a similar ability."
"Oh? Who is it?"
"Sorry, but I cannot reveal their name."
Professor McGonagall apologized, "That person brought unimaginable changes to the wizarding world."
"Of course, believe me, Mr. Ambrosius, this has nothing to do with your talent. You are a good child."
To this day, whenever Professor McGonagall thought of Grindelwald, she still felt a chill down her spine.
(McGonagall, in this fic, was in the timeline of Fantastic Beasts here, so she is decades older than in Harry Potter.)
Ivan knew that the person Professor McGonagall was referring to must be Gellert Grindelwald.
However, Professor McGonagall clearly wouldn't associate Ivan with Grindelwald just because of a similar prophetic ability.
"Your gift is known as a Seer in the wizarding world, a rare magical talent."
Professor McGonagall had thought that guiding new students would be a routine task, but she never expected to find such a gem as Ivan.
A Seer, a natural-born prophet!
"Believe me, Mr. Ambrosius," McGonagall said earnestly, "you will achieve great things in the future."
"Thank you, and please just call me Ivan."
Professor McGonagall had a very good impression of Ivan, not only because of his special talent but also because he was as well-behaved and sensible as Mrs. Mena had said.
Thinking about Ivan's background, Professor McGonagall couldn't help but feel sorry for the child.
At Hogwarts, Muggle-born wizards were not uncommon.
But an orphan, a Muggle-born orphan...
In Slytherin, he would undoubtedly be at the bottom of the food chain.
Pureblood family > Pureblood > Half-blood > Muggle-born > Muggle-born orphan
Yes, Ivan belonged to the last category, essentially the lowest of the low. Better than Muggles, but not by much.
'This child, he shouldn't be sorted into Slytherin, right?'
Professor McGonagall knew the Sorting Hat's criteria well. Slytherin generally only accepted purebloods.
While there were occasionally ambitious half-blood and Muggle-born wizards, those were rare exceptions.
Ivan being a Muggle-born, eliminated any chance of him being sorted into Slytherin.
As for the other three houses, Professor McGonagall thought he would fit in any of them.
Of course, she hoped he would be sorted into Gryffindor.
As the head of Gryffindor House, Professor McGonagall felt she could take the best care of Ivan.
At this thought, Professor McGonagall suddenly paused: 'Is this child really Muggle-born?'
A natural Seer, such a talent, was almost unheard of in the wizarding world.
Yet, it had manifested in a Muggle-born.
Professor McGonagall found it hard to understand.
She wasn't a blood purist or a supporter of bloodline theories and was herself a half-blood witch.
However, from a purely academic perspective, the likelihood of Ivan's parents being wizards was much higher than being Muggles.
Professor McGonagall couldn't recall any wizarding family with the surname Ambrosius.
With this in mind, Professor McGonagall inquired about Ivan's background.
Ivan had no identifying items other than a piece of paper with his name when he crossed over.
He handed his ring to Professor McGonagall.
After examining it, she found nothing special about it.
Returning the ring with an apologetic look, Professor McGonagall said, "I have never seen the crest on this ring before."
"It's alright, I'm not very interested in my background."
Ivan said calmly, "I'm more curious about the magical world."
"By the way, Professor, where can I buy the items listed here?"
Ivan smiled slightly and pulled out the list from his acceptance letter. "I once 'saw' a magical alley reflected in the lake. Is it there?"
"Is that another prophecy?"
Professor McGonagall was increasingly amazed by Ivan's prophetic abilities. "What an incredible gift."
"Yes, we call that alley Diagon Alley. It's the largest wizarding market in Britain."
"And don't worry about tuition fees."
Professor McGonagall indicated for Ivan to prepare, "Attending Hogwarts is free, with food and accommodation provided by the school. Additionally, we offer a certain amount of Galleons as a scholarship for young wizards like you."
To help Ivan understand the concept of Galleons, Professor McGonagall explained the wizarding currency.
1 Galleon equals 17 Sickles, which equals 493 Knuts.
"So, shall we head to Diagon Alley now?"
"I understand your curiosity about the wizarding world, but I need to guide another new student first."
Professor McGonagall's current task wasn't just to guide Ivan.
Compared to Ivan, she still had to speak with another student's parents and convince them of the existence of magic.
Professor McGonagall arranged to return in the afternoon to take Ivan and the other new student to Diagon Alley to purchase the required items.
Once Professor McGonagall left, Ivan was alone in his room.
Ivan had already considered revealing his prophetic abilities.
Having transmigrated over, he didn't want to live in constant fear.
Ivan had read many Harry Potter fanfictions where the protagonists often saw Dumbledore as an adversary, constantly thinking about how to defend against his Legilimency and fearing their identity as a transmigrator would be exposed.
It's not that one shouldn't be wary of Dumbledore.
Indeed, Dumbledore was honorable and had a moral code, and wouldn't invade others' privacy lightly.
However, a little caution never hurts.
What puzzled Ivan was that these transmigrators would often overlook Snape, even seeking him out.
Snape's Occlumency could deceive even Voldemort.
His skills in fabricating memories, hiding emotions, and probing secrets might not match Dumbledore's, but to a first-year student, both were unbeatable.
Ivan didn't consider himself exceptionally intelligent.
He chose to reveal his Seer talent to Professor McGonagall because it could explain his foreknowledge.
Besides, Legilimency wasn't like mind reading in Marvel; it couldn't reveal all of someone's memories at once.
Essentially, Legilimency was a form of telepathy, only capable of reading surface thoughts.
To truly delve into someone's memories, a wizard would need to use their wand to extract the memories from the mind.
However, neither Dumbledore nor Snape would resort to such measures.
Using Legilimency on a student at Hogwarts would clearly violate the principles of the professors and invade the student's privacy.
"Occlumency is a must-learn magic!"
"And until I find a way to learn it, if someone reads my memories, I can always explain it away as a prophecy."
Having Transmigrated over once, Ivan didn't want to get involved in intrigues.
He yearned to explore the mysteries of magic, to experience the wonders of this world, and to live an extraordinary life.
As for getting involved in Dumbledore's plan to train a savior, Ivan was undecided.
He wouldn't dismiss the original story or concoct conspiracy theories based on preconceived notions.
Similarly, Ivan wouldn't seek out Harry and Ron to befriend them just because their names were familiar.
"When in Rome, do as the Romans do~"
Ivan munched on some snacks and sipped his tea. "Fuck them! The saviour's future is not my concern. I just need to take care of myself."
Thus, the time quickly moved to the afternoon.
The morning mist had cleared, and it was a lovely day, with bright sunshine lifting Ivan's spirits.
"They should be arriving soon."
Ivan glanced at the clock on the wall and then positioned himself where he had foreseen.
Shortly after, with a soft sound, two figures materialized out of thin air: Professor McGonagall and another new student she was guiding.
This was a girl of about ten, with brown eyes and thick, bushy brown hair, and notably large front teeth.
"Ugh! Cough, cough, cough!"
"Your first time Apparating, that's normal."
Professor McGonagall gently patted the girl's back, but the girl straightened up, took a deep breath, and suppressed the discomfort from Apparating.
"I.. I'm fine, just a little uncomfortable."
The girl lifted her head stubbornly, determined to show her strong adaptability.
"Pfft.."
Hearing the sound, the girl looked towards Ivan, seeing a boy around her age stifling a laugh.
"Mr. Ambrosius, it's not gentlemanly to laugh at a lady."
Professor McGonagall wasn't surprised that Ivan was waiting there; it was clear he had foreseen this.
"Ehm* Sorry, Professor McGonagall."
Ivan had already recognized the girl as Hermione Granger, the brain of the original trio.
The original Harry Potter movies could easily be titled "Hermione and Her Two Useless Friends," Ivan thought, with some justification.
Without Hermione, Harry and Ron might not have even made it through the first book.
Hermione glared at Ivan, displeased by his laughter at her expense.
Ivan smiled. "Like you, I'm also a new student at Hogwarts this year."
"And I apologize for my rudeness earlier."
Hermione scrutinized Ivan. She wasn't one to judge by appearances, but she had to admit Ivan was quite attractive.
Still, the memory of his earlier laugh made her annoyed. "Maybe my performance wasn't great, but I'm sure that's only temporary."
Ivan was a bit taken aback by her competitiveness.
Out of politeness, she extended her hand. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Ambrosius."
This meant she accepted Ivan's apology.
"You can just call me Ivan."
"Then you can call me Hermione."
"So..? Are you a wizard? I mean, not like me."
"Miss Granger, Mr. Ambrosius, like you, is a Muggle-born wizard."
Ivan nodded and pointed to a nearby orphanage. "To add, I live there."
Hermione noticed the orphanage sign and immediately realized Ivan was an orphan. She quickly apologized. "I'm sorry, I…"
Hermione, though eager to prove herself, was also anxious about entering the wizarding world from the Muggle world, fearing she might not measure up.
This insecurity made her somewhat overbearing, but upon learning Ivan was an orphan, she felt a surge of sympathy.
Ivan assured her he didn't care about his origins and asked Professor McGonagall, "Professor, are we heading to Diagon Alley now?"
Professor McGonagall inquired about Hermione's condition. The girl straightened her flat chest. "I'm fine, really. We can leave now!"
Seeing Hermione's determination, Professor McGonagall said, "Hold onto my arm."
Hermione quickly grabbed McGonagall's arm and reminded Ivan to brace for the discomfort of Apparition.
Ivan felt his body being squeezed through a tight tube.
When he regained his senses, they were in front of a shabby, old pub.
After Apparating twice, Hermione's face was pale.
Yet, she still looked at Ivan.
Seeing he seemed unaffected, Hermione's eyes widened in surprise: 'Aren't you a Muggle-born? Why aren't you reacting?'
Even Professor McGonagall watched Ivan curiously.
Admittedly, some young wizards were naturally gifted, but most found Apparition uncomfortable.
"I did experience it for the first time."
"As for not feeling much…"
Ivan suspected it was because of his Obscurial nature; the experience felt similar to turning into an Obscurus.
But he wasn't ready to reveal his Obscurial nature yet.
If it were Dumbledore, Ivan's status as an Obscurial might gain him sympathy.
Not revealing it to Professor McGonagall was because an Obscurial's power was too dark and dangerous.
Allowing an Obscurial into Hogwarts was like endangering all the young wizards.
If Ivan lost control, not just young wizards but even adults could be easily crushed.
Professor McGonagall might accept a werewolf as a student and teacher, but could she accept a ticking time bomb like Ivan?
Ivan hadn't seen this answer in any prophecy yet.
But one thing was sure: he couldn't share this secret with Hermione.
If word got out, he'd be expelled.
Parents wouldn't tolerate an Obscurial near their children.
Even with Dumbledore's assurances and professors' attestations of Ivan's control, adult wizards wouldn't accept him at Hogwarts.
"A strong body can lessen the side effects of Apparition."
Professor McGonagall guessed Ivan was hiding something but wouldn't pry.
Meanwhile, Hermione's competitiveness nearly overflowed.
Ivan could only think how unexpected her determination was.
Professor McGonagall led them into the Leaky Cauldron.
Contrary to their expectations of mystery, the pub was dark and dirty.
The patrons greeted Professor McGonagall warmly. The barkeep, Tom, eagerly asked, "Ahh~ Professor McGonagall, what can I get you?"
The hunchbacked, bald Tom, resembling a bat, gave Ivan a creepy vibe.
"Ah!" Hermione, startled by Tom, instinctively hid behind Ivan.
"Ehm*" Realizing this was undignified, she bravely stepped away from Ivan.
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