Chapter 64: Edward Lee: Pure-blood family? Then do you know how many years my Lee family has been passed down?

For Livid’s request, the senior sister naturally had no reason to refuse.

Moreover, having spent so many years entirely by herself, she had long since grown deeply accustomed to a profound sense of loneliness. Now that someone was here to converse with her, she truly felt quite wonderful.

The senior sister explained to Livid, "In fact, every spell possesses a certain scope, and... if your attention and focus are high enough, you can even cause a significant transformation in the form of the incantation itself."

"Only wizards of exceptionally formidable strength can achieve this through a profound understanding of spells. However... wizards with the ability of ancient magic are the exception."

"Although blindly venting your ancient magic power unleashes immense might, it is far from the optimal way to utilize it."

"The optimal way to utilize it is actually to reinforce your own magic with ancient magic... I imagine you have already experienced the sensation of this reinforcement."

Livid nodded, recalling how he had previously channeled all of his ancient magic power to augment his transfiguration.

He had then successfully turned the lively and energetic Nagini into a small snake.

Even Albus Dumbledore, upon witnessing it, deemed that style of transfiguration to be overwhelmingly domineering...

Consequently, Livid shared this experience with the senior sister.

"When I first awakened my ancient magic, I used it just like you do. However, as my understanding of ancient magic deepened, I discovered that you only need to imbue your magic with a mere wisp of ancient magic power to obtain a spell far more formidable than before! There is simply no need for such waste."

Livid was suddenly enlightened. "You mean to say that your chain-lightning-like method of spellcasting is actually realized through the power of ancient magic?"

The senior sister said with delight, "You are truly clever, yes, exactly so. Furthermore, this does not consume an excessive amount of your ancient magic power. Look at me—the amount of ancient magic power I can mobilize is only a tiny fraction... yet it is still enough to fundamentally alter the form of the Killing Curse!"

"The most crucial point is that by merely using ancient magic to reinforce your own spells, no one can possibly detect it. This cannot be considered a violation of Professor Dumbledore's injunctions to you."

It had to be said that although the senior sister had been frozen at a very young age, her rich combat experience meant she could teach Livid far more than he had ever imagined.

Thus, over the next half month, Livid studied alongside Tom during the day while practicing Parseltongue with Nagini on the side.

At night, he would enter the realm of dreams to study nightmare magic and ancient magic with the senior sister.

Guided by the senior sister and backed by his own foundation in ancient magic, his progress in nightmare magic was astonishingly rapid!

Half a month passed, and he was already capable of invading the dreams of individuals whose magical strength was inferior to his own.

When augmented by the power of ancient magic, his nightmare magic could even begin to exert a preliminary influence on others in reality.

Concurrently, his mastery of ancient magic also improved.

The senior sister told him that he must definitely visit any locations suspected of harboring ancient magic hotspots, because absorbing from one even once, no matter how small in scale, yielded far better results than a whole year of solitary practice.

This filled Livid with anticipation for such places.

If not for the fact that he needed to sleep early at night to study with the senior sister—and that the diary was hidden deep within the Restricted Section of Hogwarts—he would have longed to sneak into the Forbidden Forest every single night to search!

...

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was the morning of September 1st.

On this day, both Livid and Tom woke up early.

Just as stated in their acceptance letters, Livid and Tom were supposed to set off for Hogwarts today.

By the time they got up, their luggage had long since been packed by Toby and placed neatly in the corner of the room.

"Master Livid is going to school, and Toby... Toby won't be able to accompany Master Livid. However, Toby will obey Master Livid's command and stay temporarily at the Hog's Head Inn."

Toby looked thoroughly depressed at the thought of not being able to follow Livid to Hogwarts.

Especially when he learned that there were many other house-elves at Hogwarts who could also help him take care of his master, he felt an indescribable sensation.

"It's fine. Besides, Hogsmeade Village is only a short walk from Hogwarts anyway. I'll come to see you often," Livid said while gathering his washing utensils.

Tom let out a hum and remarked, "How is it that I've heard only third-year students are allowed to visit Hogsmeade Village on weekends? Otherwise, doing so would be a violation of school rules..."

"What? Did I hear that right? Tom! You've actually decided to abide by the school rules?" Livid said with an expression of utter shock.

"What do you mean by that? Is there anything strange about this? Do you take me for some reckless delinquent who casually breaks school rules?" Tom frowned.

"Oh, nothing at all. I'm just astonished by your transformation," Livid sighed dramatically. "If Professor Dumbledore could see you right now, he would surely be immensely gratified!"

"Pwah! Your words make me sick to my stomach! Who cares about gratifying that old codger!" Tom said with a look of pure disgust.

"Wuwuwu, Toby is so moved! Master Livid is actually willing to break school rules for Toby's sake!" Toby was overcome with emotion.

Tom watched from the sidelines, completely speechless.

He found it utterly impossible to comprehend the mental circuitry of house-elves.

However, even Tom had to admit that having a house-elf at one's beck and call made life considerably more comfortable—especially since Toby showed him deep respect and had likewise helped pack his luggage.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

The door was rapped.

Tom called out, "Come in!"

Aberforth pushed the door open, a faint smile on his face.

"Young gentlemen, we need to arrive at King's Cross Station before ten-thirty to board the Hogwarts Express."

Livid and Tom exchanged glances.

"Hogwarts is less than three miles away from us... yet we have to travel over a thousand miles away just to catch a train?" Tom's mind went blank.

"Indeed," Aberforth replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"And... the final stop of the Hogwarts Express appears to be Hogsmeade Village right here?" Livid added.

"Precisely!"

"Yet we still have to waste six or seven hours just to ride a train?"

Tom found this completely incomprehensible; it was a dreadful waste of time! With that time, wouldn't it be far better spent studying?

"It is a tradition of Hogwarts, gentlemen," Aberforth smiled. "Even if you were standing right next to Hogwarts at this very moment, I would still recommend that you take the train, because it gives you a chance to get acquainted with your future classmates aboard the Hogwarts Express."

"After all, you will be studying together in the same school for the next seven years... Aren't you the least bit curious about the kinds of classmates you'll have? Who knows, you might even make a few friends. You must understand that connections are often of vital importance."

Tom turned his head away in aversion. "I am here at Hogwarts to study, not to socialize."

"Very well, if we must go, we go. I've heard that those pure-blood families all possess some extraordinary foundations," Livid's eyes flickered.

"Foundations? Are you referring to unique magical knowledge?" Tom's interest was instantly piqued.

"Naturally. Just think about it—we've only been here for this short while, and look at how much we've learned from Mr. Aberforth."

"That makes sense! Then let's set off," Tom said with a resolute gaze.

"It's only eight o'clock, Tom..."

...

Ten o'clock in the morning.

Livid and Tom, having changed into the finest set of robes they had purchased at Mr. Malkin's shop, stood before the fireplace of the Hog's Head Inn.

When traveling out in the world, maintaining an impressive facade was never a bad idea.

"Hisss... hisss..." Livid murmured in Parseltongue to the Nagini on his arm.

"If you're trying to say 'Let's go', then your second syllable needs to be dragged out by half a beat. Otherwise, you're practically cursing at people," Tom said dismissively.

"Nonsense, dragging it out by half a beat is the curse!" Livid retorted indignantly.

Tom stared at Livid in shock. Oh no! He actually learned it!

A moment later, the two of them appeared with their luggage in the Leaky Cauldron.

Green flames flared in the fireplace once more, and Aberforth's figure stepped out from the hearth.

"Let's go, I'll take you directly to King's Cross Station."

Truth be told, both Tom and Livid felt they didn't need anyone to escort them.

However, Dumbledore had previously instructed Aberforth to accompany them without fail.

Otherwise, Dumbledore feared that the previous human-trafficking incident might repeat itself...

The Leaky Cauldron was not particularly far from King's Cross Station.

Aberforth took Livid and Tom by horse-drawn carriage, arriving in about twenty minutes.

Walking into the station, Tom stared at the ticket in his hand with tightly furrowed brows.

"Platform Nine and Three-Quarters... Where on earth is a platform like that in this station?"

"That is also to prevent Muggles from discovering it, Tom," Aberforth explained. "This way."

Before long, Livid and Tom were led to a pillar between platforms nine and ten.

Livid was well aware that Platform Nine and Three-Quarters was concealed behind this solid-looking wall.

Observing closely, he detected faint magical fluctuations emanating from it.

Aberforth was just about to open his mouth to introduce the hidden wall to Livid and Tom.

Suddenly, a somewhat shrill and haughty female voice rang out from behind the three of them.

"Mudblood, get out of the way!"

The three of them turned around to see an arrogant-looking, impeccably dressed couple standing behind them.

In front of the couple stood a strikingly attractive girl of about thirteen or fourteen years old, though the haughty expression on her face ruined her aesthetic appeal. It seemed she was the one who had just spoken.

Beside the girl stood a boy of around eleven, whose face bore a trace of bewilderment, as though he too was surprised by his sister's remarks.

Livid took stock of the family opposite them; any idiot could tell at a glance that this had to be some pure-blood family.

Upon hearing himself cursed as a Mudblood, a flash of anger crossed Tom's face.

Through his understanding of the wizarding world gained over this period, Tom knew precisely what a Mudblood meant.

During his search for clues regarding his surname, he had consistently failed to find any wizarding families that shared his name.

Consequently, Tom actually harbored a secret fear that both of his parents might have been Muggles.

Therefore, when he was called a Mudblood, although he felt rage, he had no idea how to retort.

Aberforth's face also grew gloomy. "Mr. Black, your daughter seems to lack proper upbringing."

Mr. Black lifted his chin, a false smile plastered across his face. "Ah, so it's you. No wonder I caught a whiff of ram stench from afar."

He cast a sidelong glance at Livid and Tom, then sneered, "Moreover, what my daughter said is the absolute truth; I see nothing improper about it. As for the upbringing of our Black family, it is hardly your concern."

Veins bulged on Aberforth's forehead; he looked ready to leap forward and brawl with this Mr. Black at any moment.

Naturally, Livid was not about to let Aberforth resort to physical violence. Striking first, especially in front of Muggles, would land Aberforth in immense trouble.

"Black? I've heard of it. I was under the impression that the House of Black was the purest of pure-blood families in Britain, but seeing them now... I am deeply disappointed."

Livid spoke with a deliberate, aria-like cadence, pronouncing every single word with care.

This manner of speaking had been learned from future Professor Snape—both biting and sarcastic, while possessing an undeniable elegance characteristic of Slytherin...

Livid's words instantly captured the attention of the entire Black family.

Tom and Aberforth, upon hearing Livid speak, also clamped their mouths shut.

Livid stared intently at the young girl, his tone chillingly cold. "How dare you presume that I am not pure-blood?"

"Presume? Hah, spare the act! If you were of pure-blood origin, how could you possibly not know how to enter this wall? Only those Mudbloods are completely oblivious to these things!" the girl said with disdain.

"So that is how you distinguish between pure-bloods and non-pure-bloods... From this alone, it is evident that your magical competence is far inferior to what I had imagined. I am bitterly disappointed. Did your ancestors secretly intermarry with Muggles? How else could you be inferior even to house-elves? House-elves can tell a pure-blood from a non-pure-blood at a single glance."

"You! You insult me!" The girl nearly flew into a frenzy upon hearing this remark. Her parents likewise wore expressions of absolute fury.

"Is labeling a noble pure-blood wizard a Mudblood not an insult in its own right?" Livid's tone turned freezing cold.

"You claim to be a pure-blood? But you're clearly an Easterner..." The girl was left momentarily dazed by Livid's words.

"Tsk, tsk. Such profound stupidity and narrow-mindedness. Are there truly no pure-blood wizards anywhere outside of Britain? If the students at Hogwarts are all specimens like you, I would be sorely disappointed. Perhaps I ought to have gone to Durmstrang instead of Hogwarts." Livid continued to assail the fragile nerves of the Black family with his Snape-esque sarcasm.

Livid's words completely stunned the Black family.

The crux of the matter was not how logical Livid's statements were, but rather that his confident demeanor did not look feigned in the slightest. Coupled with his expensive-looking attire and an air of arrogance even more entrenched than their own...

Mr. Black could no longer maintain his haughty expression, and cautiously probed, "You claim to be of pure blood as well. May I ask which family you hail from?"

A smile even more insufferable than their own bloomed on Livid's face.

"My surname is Li, Livid. Of course, according to your customs, you may address me as Videl Li. Would you care to inquire in China just how ancient the lineage of the Li family is? Have you ever heard of Laozi?"

As soon as Livid finished boasting, he glanced over to see Tom staring at him in utter shock.

Hiss... He couldn't possibly have believed that, could he?