The sky over the shores of Loch Lomond had already gone dark.
In the clear night sky yet to be obscured by industrial haze, moonlight silently sloped down, engulfing the shore in a silver gauze.
The sound of three fish splashing around occasionally came from the bucket on the grass. Meanwhile, the fire on the stone pile had long ago gone out, and the scorched rocks were covered in beads of water.
In a flash of fire, Alina and Dumbledore appeared next to the lake.
"Wow, it's already gotten so late? In other words, rather than wasting so much time this afternoon, it would have been better to just do as I recommended."
The girl looked around her as she grumbled to the old man.
Dumbledore bitterly smiled and shook his head, not planning to argue.
He finally understood what the word 'unreasonable' meant. What should have been a simple Unbreakable Vow had taken up more than half of the afternoon.
If Grindelwald hadn't been so eloquent, they might have still been negotiating the issue.
"And this mark is so ugly! Professor Dumbledore, you never mentioned anything about it, leaving a scar!"
Alina raised her left hand in dissatisfaction while wrinkling her nose, putting on the pitiful expression of someone about to cry.
Under the bright moonlight, one could clearly see three faint chains on the back of her white and tender hand, each one corresponding to one of the three vows she had made at the top of Nurmengard Tower.
"The marks will disappear in one day. They will only appear again if you trigger them on your own."
Dumbledore calmly explained.
After the afternoon's long war of words, he had now learned how to maintain a relatively happy mood while conversing with this silver-haired girl.
That was to intentionally ignore the girl's irrelevant grumblings, and this included her attempts to garner pity.
Seeing no reaction from Dumbledore, Alina pouted. Her bright eyes turned, and she began to pull on the sleeve of Dumbledore's wizard robe as she spoke in a probing tone.
"Professor, with regards to accompanying me tomorrow to Diagon Alley, after some thought, I still think it's a little inappropriate. Why don't we just forget about it?"
There was no doubt that, in the magic world, Dumbledore was a top-class 'national idol' that everyone knew about.
Putting aside his glorious titles such as savior and guardian god, just the fact that he was the Headmaster of Hogwarts made it so that his every move would attract the attention of the Magic World.
Alina found it impossible to imagine what sort of inhuman spectacle the pair would become when Dumbledore appeared in Diagon Alley to help a little witch who was 'weak, pitiful, and helpless, but really knew how to eat' to buy school supplies.
"Professor, you can just give me the Galleons, and I'll be fine. There's no need for you to worry about anything else." The girl patted her chest and proudly said.
"No one can trick me that easily. Even if I'm by myself, I can still smoothly obtain all the necessary school supplies."
Dumbledore looked down and profoundly gazed at the apparently innocent silver-haired girl. The images of the devastated Headmaster's office, the trembling Fawkes, and the Owlery that was now more than half empty emerged in his mind.
He wasn't worried that Alina would be tricked. He was worried about the poor and unprepared shop owners of Diagon Alley, who had no inkling of the truth.
Besides that, after observing the sharp clash of words between Alina and Grindelwald, he had grown even more determined to teach and watch this dangerous half-Veela girl.
He even had a strange foreboding that if he let Alina go into Diagon Alley alone, she would stir up a major problem, and in the end, the binding of the vow would force him to clean up the mess.
"No. The vow I made says that I must guard you as much as I can, all the way until you are a mature witch who can hold her own."
Dumbledore shook his head, speaking in a tone that could not be argued against it.
"Enough. Let's go back while it's still early.
"Tomorrow, at 9 am, I will come to pick you up so that we can head to Diagon Alley to buy necessary supplies for the new school term, as well as your wand—"
As he spoke, Dumbledore suddenly froze and slapped his forehead in frustration.
"Oh, it seems that I will have to get a list of the necessary books and supplies necessary for a new student from Minerva."
After all, he hadn't taken a new student to Diagon Alley to get school supplies ever since he had become Headmaster of Hogwarts. He could no longer clearly remember the exact items he needed to buy."
"In any case, remember your vow, Alina Kaslana."
Dumbledore rubbed Alina's small head, slightly squatted down, and looked into her lake-blue eyes. "Although the Sorting Ceremony hasn't happened yet, starting from now, you are a member of Hogwarts."
"I know, I know. Stop rubbing my head. My hair's gotten all greasy."
The silver-haired girl unhappily pushed the large hand away. She decided that in a few years when she was a little taller, she would wear ten-centimeter platform shoes. She would like to see who would casually rub her head then.
"As for the vow or whatever, it will remind me on its own. You don't need to worry about me."
Alina smiled as she raised her left hand and balled it into a fist. The chains that had hidden instantly brightened, turning into chains of fire that spiraled up the girl's arm.
In the darkness of the night, she exuded the divinity and power of an inviolable valkyrie.
"Stop making trouble! This is no toy! Until your magic is twice that of Grindelwald and me, never try to challenge the Unbreakable Vow."
Dumbledore's face darkened as he angrily rebuked.
The old man's pupils constricted as he solemnly stared at the three dazzling vow chains. Instantly coming up with the thought of breaking all the vows was something that probably not even Grindelwald could manage.
It was clear that Alina had intentionally triggered all the vows by thinking such thoughts, causing them to give this warning. But if she attempted to actually realize these thoughts, the Unbreakable Vow would immediately snatch away her life.
"Don't panic; it's no big deal. I'm just joking around. I have no plans of dying an early death."
Alina naughtily spits out her tongue, and then she unclenched her fist and lightly patted Dumbledore's gloomy face like she was an adult as she spoke in a relaxed tone.
"Isn't it just...don't actively harm others, don't become an enemy of the Magic World, and do my best to continue the legacy of Hogwarts? It's very simple. Even if you didn't mention it, I would never break these vows."
"Remember, tomorrow at 9 am..."
The normally-genial Dumbledore finally couldn't help but glare at the silver-haired girl. He was beginning to wonder if bringing this miniature disaster to Hogwarts was a mistake.
"Wait! Professor Dumbledore, there's still one very important matter."
Seeing that Dumbledore was planning to leave, Alina hastily grabbed his sleeve and pulled him back.
"What else is there, dear Miss Kaslana?"
Dumbledore took in a deep breath and spoke in a gentle and patient tone.
"There is, there is! It will be as easy as lifting a finger!"
The silver-haired girl turned and heaved up the bucket. With a fawning look on her face, she placed it in front of Dumbledore and nodded at the three fish inside as she expectantly began to speak.
"Professor Dumbledore, I recall that there's a spell that can take the bones out of living creatures. Look here! Why don't you help me take the bones out of these three fish..."
Pop!
Before Alina could finish, the air in front of her popped.
With a dour face and not even saying goodbye, Dumbledore had vanished.