Chapter 4: It's Occlumency

Half an hour later.

In the lounge area on the fifth floor of Foyles Bookshop.

The divination dice spun endlessly on the table, much like a mechanical top wound up and showing no signs of stopping.

"This makes no sense..." Ino muttered to himself.

Though perplexed, he maintained a calm expression while calculating the potential causes of this issue in his mind.

After a brief contemplation, he considered another possibility, quietly pocketed the dice, and then looked at the girl beside him with a displeased expression.

Over the past two years, he had performed at least a hundred divinations and was intimately familiar with the rules of the dice.

The six-sided dice, with numbers from 1 to 6, represented the likelihood of an event occurring: 0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100%.

However, the dice's continuous spinning indicated an impossible outcome: that the event neither succeeds nor fails.

Such a result should never appear in a divination.

Like any event, the probability should never be exactly fifty-fifty; it might be 49.999%, but never 50%.

Returning to the matter at hand.

Ino's mind replayed the scene of their encounter. Considering her previous accusation of him being a fraud, he quickly realized she hadn't been truthful. She likely used some false information to test his divination, something he had encountered before.

Understanding this, he said with displeasure:

"Bunny... I mean, Miss Nameless! Are you sure you have a chance of entering those two schools and not another one like Smelting's Academy? You should know that a fool will never get into Cambridge or Oxford."

Out of consideration for the payment, Ino refrained from calling her "Bunny Girl" again, but subtly criticized her attempt to discredit him.

"Granger. My name is Hermione Granger. And I'm certain my grades are good enough to get into those two schools, not some second-rate school you mentioned."

Hermione understood the criticism and now looked as if she were a cat with her fur standing on end, full of aggression.

Facing this cute yet fierce expression, Ino didn't even bat an eyelid. His thoughts were already preoccupied with her name.

After all, the name "Hermione" was highly distinctive. Coupled with the owl's letter from before...

After a moment of hesitation, Ino asked:

"So, your father is a dentist too?"

Upon hearing the word "dentist," Hermione was momentarily taken aback and asked with some surprise:

"Did you divine that? Although correct, I asked you to divine my future school."

"Confirmed!" Ino thought to himself.

Same name, living in London, and also having a dentist father.

He was now one hundred percent sure the girl before him was none other than Hermione Granger, the future Minister of Magic and one of the Golden Trio.

At that moment, Ino decided to distance himself from her as soon as possible.

Being close to Hermione at Hogwarts would indirectly tie him to Harry, which Draco Malfoy would undoubtedly be interested in.

Getting close to the Boy Who Lived? Ino had zero interest. The next seven years with Harry... well, those who know, know.

"Miss Granger, the divination result is that neither of those schools will be your future."

After delivering the divination result succinctly, Ino picked up the one-pound note from the table and turned to leave.

Seeing the girl's confusion, he reluctantly promised before leaving:

"Of course, if you do end up at either of those schools, I will refund you double before the term starts. Don't worry, I won't run away."

With that, Ino walked out of the lounge without looking back.

With Miss Know-It-All here, he didn't plan to stay at the bookshop any longer. Instead, he decided to buy a few books to take back, preparing for his future school life.

Meanwhile.

Watching the empty seat, Hermione lowered her head, feeling a bit dejected. She was not happy at all.

"Everyone else gets a long chat during their divination, but with me, it's only a few minutes..."

...

Foyles Bookshop, ground floor.

Under the surprised gaze of the cashier, Ino paid a hefty sum of ten pounds and successfully purchased three famous fairy tale collections.

"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," "Andersen's Fairy Tales," and "One Thousand and One Nights."

Leaving the bookshop, it was nearing noon.

Ino quickened his pace home, as there was something more important waiting for him in the afternoon.

The letter delivered by the owl clearly stated that a Hogwarts professor would visit that afternoon to help him get all the items listed in the admission letter.

This was something he absolutely could not miss.

...

Back at his place, Ino alternated between reading his new books and quietly waiting for the appointed time.

Time ticked by slowly.

When the old pocket watch in his hand pointed to the hour, Ino decisively closed his book and began scanning his surroundings.

Sure enough, in his line of sight, a figure appeared out of nowhere the next second.

Seeing the person clearly, Ino's heart skipped a beat.

He felt a bit disgruntled—everyone else gets the responsible Professor McGonagall for their first-time guide, and he ends up with the tormented Half-Blood Prince.

The man in the black, voluminous robe with greasy, slicked-back hair was none other than Severus Snape, the current head of Slytherin and Potions Master.

While Ino was momentarily stunned, Snape approached him with an expressionless face.

Even though Ino had read the original series and had some understanding of Snape, being stared at by those empty, lifeless eyes in reality still made him uncomfortable.

What Ino didn't know was that, in the moment their eyes met, Snape's mind was also in turmoil.

Pure, clean, bright... From those amber eyes, Snape gleaned a myriad of things.

It was as if a window had been opened through the river of time, showing him all the beauty in the world.

Number 19 Spinner's End, an old house, a little boy clinging to his mother's side, clamoring for wizard stories...

In a quiet park, a frail, dark-haired boy, and a girl with a sweet smile and bright green eyes...

Scene after scene flashed through Snape's mind.

"Ha! Put away your lousy Occlumency."

Snape's voice was cold and piercing, his tone alone making it clear he was suppressing something.

"I am a professor at Hogwarts, here only because your name appeared on the list of those needing guidance. Now it seems there's been a mistake, and someone doesn't need this guidance."

"Don't need guidance?" Ino, hearing this, ignored the mention of Occlumency and quickly explained:

"Sir, I think there's a misunderstanding between us. I've been a wanderer since I was ten. Without the school's help, I really can't purchase all the required items for admission on my own."

Ino spoke rapidly, knowing that Snape, unlike the responsible Professor McGonagall, meant his threats.

If Snape said he wouldn't help, he truly wouldn't. And that would leave Ino in a bind, not knowing where Diagon Alley was and worrying about the money needed to buy books and a wand.

Ino wasn't clear on the exact costs in the magical world, but he knew it wouldn't be as cheap as the ten pounds he spent on a few books this morning.

Snape, after hearing the explanation, didn't immediately leave. Instead, he took a moment to survey the surroundings.

A wild bridge, a tattered canvas, a second-hand stool...

If anything could be considered presentable, perhaps it was that mostly new aluminum kettle.

And it was fortunate it was midsummer now. If it were winter, staying in such conditions would almost certainly mean freezing to death by the next day.

"Pack your things and follow me!"

Snape believed Ino's explanation, or rather, he trusted his own judgment. Yet, he was still puzzled.

"The boy in front of me is proficient in Occlumency..."

That was the point that baffled him the most. This wasn't just superficial use to hide one's thoughts.

Snape knew better than anyone that only someone proficient in Occlumency could make any intruder see what they subconsciously wanted to see.