Chapter 9

The night had grown deep, and in the vast room, there was only one source of light. The fire under the chimney flickered, occasionally making futile attempts to send out scattered sparks, trying to expand its warm territory.

In the world, only the waters of the Thames continued to flow quietly. Yi Xiao was curled up on the sofa, the dim firelight casting his face into an uncertain shadow, making his pale skin look abnormally pale, even somewhat frightening.

He stared fixedly at Harry, not knowing what he was thinking.

Hermione, who was unconscious, suddenly moved. Yi Xiao seemed to be startled awake, and a faint smile appeared on his pale face, with a glimmer of life gradually returning to his eyes.

"Hmm..." Hermione slowly sat up, rubbing her head in pain, looking around in confusion. She immediately reached for her wand, but could not find it in its usual spot. However, she saw Yi Xiao sitting on the sofa.

Hermione immediately became tense. The battle that had just taken place left a deep impression on her. She pushed Harry and Ron, who were lying beside her.

Soon, the three of them woke up and stared at Yi Xiao. Finally, Hermione spoke first.

"Who are you?"

"Yi Xiao, an Easterner. You can also call me Sean."

"Where are we?"

"My home."

Ron couldn't help but interject, "Why did you attack us?"

Yi Xiao smiled faintly, "You know, it was you who started it first?"

"Ah, yes." Harry took over, "But, do you know who I am?"

Harry realized his words were impolite and quickly added, "I mean, did you recognize me?"

Yi Xiao looked at them quietly, and when they started to feel uneasy, he suddenly laughed heartily, "Of course, I certainly know, the famous Harry Potter."

Without waiting for them to speak, Yi Xiao continued, "Although I don't know why you attacked me, I can see that your situation is not entirely safe. It's too late, so you can rest here for the night. It's still safe here for now, and I have no ill intentions. Your wands are on the table. I'll go upstairs to rest. You can choose any room you like."

With that, he went upstairs without waiting for their response, his footsteps gradually fading away, leaving only the creaking sound of the door closing.

...

In the hall, the three of them looked at each other. Hermione asked, "Why did you attack him, Harry?"

"I don't know, I just... my mind told me to. I think I was influenced by him again." Harry was referring to the Horcrux in his mind, though he didn't realize it yet.

"Harry, you can't let him influence you. You should continue practicing Occlumency," Hermione said seriously.

"But he is really powerful," Ron suddenly interjected. He added, "At least more powerful than most Aurors I've seen."

The three of them retrieved their wands but didn't leave. They huddled together, discussing something.

...

Yi Xiao lay quietly on his bed, thinking about what had happened today.

The plan was successful. He had taken advantage of their unconscious state to place tracking threads on Harry and Ron. He didn't think they would suspect him because he had used his mental power to influence Harry, who had a vulnerable soul, making him easier to manipulate. Additionally, Harry's paranoia would likely blame Voldemort, not himself.

Poor Dark Lord, Yi Xiao curled the corners of his mouth.

The tracking thread on George was still detectable, indicating that the magic was successful. Yi Xiao had improved this spell from the one used by the Ministry to monitor underage magic use. Although he had only used it on George to test its effectiveness, he was glad it wasn't Bill and Fleur he had encountered that day.

Yi Xiao had planned to visit the Weasleys' home when no one was around to steal an Invisibility Cloak, but after the attack on the Burrow, he suspected that the two new Weasley homes had been protected by the Fidelius Charm, which he couldn't break with his current skills, so he abandoned the plan.

In fact, Yi Xiao didn't care much about these things. That night, he suddenly recalled some matters. Although he was born in an orphanage, he had been collecting information about himself all along. He had discovered that a very terrifying-looking person had left him at the orphanage door. No one had seen him clearly, but from the surveillance footage, if his appearance was meant to scare people, he had succeeded. The police investigation later found no information about this person.

Yi Xiao had never given up searching over the years. He was often bored and needed something to do.

Yi Xiao idly counted his fingers. Since he could remember, the days had passed one by one. No matter what knowledge he pursued, nothing was difficult for him. He had traveled many places, had a lot of money, and had even had girlfriends. Now, he had learned magic, but he still felt no motivation. So, he often set himself a goal, even if it was just for comfort.

This was all due to his emotional detachment. He had tried hard to learn to value and to feel pain, but he knew he had never truly tasted the flavor of emotions. He had once thought it was a psychological defect, but this supernatural journey made him consider it might be a curse or something else.

Tasting the flavor of emotions, Yi Xiao decided to make this his new goal and start searching, though he had no clear leads. Perhaps the magic lamp could help him?

The night passed without incident.

...

The next morning, before dawn, Yi Xiao was already awake. With Harry in his home, there was a risk that Death Eaters might come. Although the Death Eaters in the Harry Potter world were not very professional, there was still a chance of a slip-up.

Yi Xiao dressed and went downstairs. Harry and the others were still asleep.

He first went to the home of the person who sold him the house and modified his memory while he was asleep.

When he returned home, he encountered two wizards dressed as repairmen trying to sneak in. Yi Xiao remembered they had the same appearance in the movie when they entered the fast-food restaurant.

He casually dealt with them and brought their bodies inside. When he returned to the house, Harry and the others were already awake.

"Hi, you..." Harry greeted, not knowing what to say next.

Yi Xiao floated the two bodies in from outside, and Harry and the others immediately gathered around.

"It's not safe here anymore. We should leave," Yi Xiao said, sitting on the sofa.

"I'm sorry, we've put you in danger," Harry expressed his regret.

"It's okay, I was planning to leave anyway," Yi Xiao shrugged.

"You can help us," Hermione suddenly said, "You are very powerful." She grew more confident as she spoke. "You are so strong, you can definitely defeat the Death Eaters, and you are not afraid to fight them, right?"

Hermione saw that Yi Xiao and the others were looking at her strangely and added, somewhat embarrassed, "And I think you are a good person."

...

In the end, Yi Xiao bid farewell to Harry and the others. He estimated that they would still go to the Black family's old house, while he would look around England for any unexpected gains.

Of course, he added to himself, they would meet again at Hogwarts.