Hogwarts: This Dark Lord is so evil.

Chapter 567 So-called close friends...aren't they just people to take the fall for?
It didn't take Li Weide much time to settle Hufflepuff's father.

After a brief conversation with Mr. Hufflepuff, he agreed to Levi's proposal.

This is not surprising...

Since this father was willing to let his daughter follow the teacher's teachings without considering his own safety, he could certainly accept a plan that would allow his daughter to focus on her studies without distractions.

Now that the deal is done, the rest is simple.

After Gryffindor saw off an owl, several burly, bearded men, just like Gryffindor, appeared outside the woods and happily took Mr. Hufflepuff back with them.

Incidentally, some people even went to the Hufflepuff family's inn to help move things...

Watching the busy figures of the Gryffindor wizards, Gryffindor smiled very happily.

Hufflepuff stood to the side watching, her eyes filled with gratitude.

She wanted to go forward to help, but was refused by the several burly men who looked fierce but were excessively friendly.

Gryffindor chuckled, “Do you know why they came so quickly and so happily? It’s simple. When I sent the message by owl, I also sent a bottle of your shop’s finest wine! You know, fine wine is as important to us warriors as the blood in our veins!”

Hufflepuff was grateful for what he heard and was also impressed by Gryffindor’s thoughtfulness and kindness, which were completely different from their outward appearance.

“You’re a wizard, not a warrior… you stupid lion,” Slytherin retorted bluntly.

Gryffindor retorted defiantly, "You stinking snake, who says wizards can't be warriors? I have two hands; I can easily hold a wand in one hand and a sword in the other!"

“That’s not elegant at all…” Slytherin said disdainfully.

"Elegant? Don't forget! When you were being chased by bandits before, if it weren't for me, a wizard who also serves as a warrior, protecting you, and you were only relying on your half-baked magic, your snakeskin would have been peeled off!"

"Ha, that's just because I want to test new magic. When a real crisis comes, I'll naturally use other spells to protect myself," Slytherin said coldly.

"The critical moment has long passed... Why didn't you use your magic, but instead hid behind me and sneakily attacked with a crossbow?"

“That’s because the most critical moment hasn’t arrived yet…” Slytherin frowned.

"Those bandits' axes are about to chop me down on the head! Isn't this the most dangerous moment yet?" Gryffindor retorted, dissatisfied.

Slytherin said slowly, "I mean, for me, this is not the most critical moment yet..."

Gryffindor was furious. "Are you saying that my danger doesn't mean yours is in danger? So you can just stand by and do nothing?"

"Of course. Anyway, I wasn't in a critical situation yet..."

"You vile snake, you've broken my fiery heart! I even considered you my dearest friend!"

"Don't be sad, a close friend... isn't that what you use to shield someone from harm? Ordinary people aren't worthy of shielding me from harm..." Slytherin said haughtily.

"So you're saying I should thank you for taking the knife for you?"

"if not?"

"Teacher, look at him!" Gryffindor pointed at Slytherin and looked at Livid with a wronged expression.

“You two have such a good relationship,” Ravenclaw said enviously, holding his books.

Hufflepuff was a newcomer, so he stood to the side, not daring to interrupt.

"Where do you see that we're on good terms? He used me as a shield! Are you kidding me?!" Gryffindor almost laughed out of anger.

Li Weide watched them bickering with great interest. "Oh dear... seeing you two bickering reminds me of a close friend of mine. Back in the day, we used to bicker like this too."

"Teacher, would your best friend also use you as a shield?" Gryffindor asked, still looking aggrieved.

“No!” Li Weide shook his head firmly.

“Look! The teacher and his best friend wouldn’t do that!” Gryffindor shouted angrily at Slytherin, as if he had found a backer.

Li Weide laughed and replied, "Because I usually use it to ward off curses."

"Huh?" Gryffindor was dumbfounded. "Teacher, even you..."

Li Weide laughed and said, "Haha, this was just a little joke I played with my friend... I used him to block the spell because I knew it couldn't hurt him. By the same token, I think... Salazar used you as a shield because he also believed those bandits couldn't do anything to you; it shows he trusts your strength!"

"Is that so?" Gryffindor was dumbfounded.

“Since we’re close friends, we naturally understand each other’s strength. But if you were ever in danger, I think Salazar would definitely not stand idly by,” Li Weide said with a smile.

On this point, Li Weide felt he had a lot to say.

Gryffindor couldn't resist going to see Slytherin again.

Slytherin simply turned around and wiped his wand, looking utterly aloof and indifferent.

“Master… I still think he’ll watch me die,” Gryffindor sighed.

Li Weide laughed and said, "No, the Slytherins are all proud and aloof. They may say no, but their actions speak louder than words."

The Slytherin family... their ingrained arrogance is something Li Wade is very experienced in.

Whether it's the Slytherin of later generations or Tom, they're all the same...

"Really...really?" Gryffindor seemed genuinely heartbroken by his best friend.

Ravenclaw laughed, "It must be true, you see, he didn't object, did he?"

Slytherin snorted, but did not actually deny it.

"Hmph, next time I encounter an enemy, I will never stand in his way again!" Gryffindor said indignantly.

Li Weide said cheerfully, "Oh my... it's really amazing. My best friend once said something like, 'I'll never help you again.' Then, after I seemed to disappear one time, he searched for me all by himself for a long time."

“It’s so nice to have a close friend…” Ravenclaw said enviously. “I’ve been studying at home all my life and never had the chance to meet a friend like that.”

Li Weide suddenly smiled and asked, "Royna, do you know what kind of friend can be considered a true friend?"

"Hmm...we know each other very well, we can talk about anything, and we share the same interests?" Ravenclaw replied hesitantly.

Li Weide added with a smile, "We also share common ideals and goals."

Several students seemed to be deep in thought upon hearing this.

"As expected of a teacher, even a casual remark shows such vision," Gryffindor exclaimed.

Li Weide laughed and said, "This isn't just a random addition, Godric. It's precisely because we share the same ideals and goals that we can talk about anything and have such similar interests..."

“I understand!” Ravenclaw suddenly said. “We follow our teacher to learn, and in the end, we all want to help him pass on his knowledge and spread it so that more people can have access to learning... Does that mean we all share the same goal and ideal? In that case, we can become best friends very soon!”

After Ravenclaw finished speaking, he noticed the surprised look on Hufflepuff's face and added with a smile, "You're new here, so I suppose the teacher hasn't had a chance to tell you this yet... There are conditions to our learning from the teacher: after mastering the skills, we must widely disseminate the knowledge we've gained, passing it down from generation to generation. This ensures that all young wizards have access to knowledge... Therefore, this has become our shared ideal." Gryffindor nodded, indicating that this was indeed the case.

Hufflepuff was somewhat moved after Ravenclaw finished explaining this "common ideal".

She knew all too well the value of knowledge...

After studying the books her mother left behind, she was unable to learn anything else because she had no idea where to find more.

The teacher's ideal was to have his students spread his knowledge so that more people who had no other way to learn could gain knowledge.

Doesn't that mean that if this ideal were realized, young wizards like her who couldn't learn new knowledge would also have a new way to acquire knowledge?

Such an ideal is truly...so selfless! So noble!
“Teacher! I am also willing to fight for this ideal!” Hufflepuff expressed his stance to Li Weide without hesitation.

“With such a great father… I knew you wouldn’t let me down, Helga.” Livid stroked his long beard with satisfaction.

Hufflepuff nodded and said, "So I believe that we will all become close friends in the future, because we share the same ideals."

The others nodded in agreement, even Slytherin, who had been maintaining a cool and aloof demeanor, nodded in approval.

Slytherins do have a problem with Muggles and a bit of prejudice against half-blood wizards... except for geniuses.

Slytherin acknowledged Rivid's judgment regarding Hufflepuff. Since the teacher accepted her as a student, it proved that she was indeed exceptional and deserved to be his classmate, or even his close friend.

……

After completing the relocation of the Hufflepuff family inn, Li Weide and his friends finally embarked on their study tour once again.

Another week has passed in the blink of an eye.

During this period, Li Weide would teach four students knowledge they had not yet learned every day.

Of course, this knowledge was also rigorously selected by Li Weide.

Most of them come from Ravenclaw tiaras.

To the greatest extent possible, we must prevent the excessive use of knowledge from our own time, which could lead to too many changes in history.

At the same time, Li Weide also provided detailed answers to many questions they had not understood before.

The four giants of this period had not yet grown up, so Li Weide could easily serve as their teacher.

Therefore, after a period of time, everyone felt that they had benefited greatly.

Especially for Hufflepuff, many of the magical questions that had troubled her for years were easily explained by her teacher, and she felt an unprecedented sense of relief.

However, over this period of time, the other three have also fully accepted Hufflepuff.

Even someone as proud as Slytherin didn't hesitate at all.

The food she makes is just so delicious.

Li Weide's carriage accommodations were very good, and now, in addition, the food was also very good.

When the group started studying, they were naturally able to concentrate without any distractions.

How could anyone not like a friend who is a great cook?

It was dinnertime that day.

The carriage was still moving slowly along the road.

Hufflepuff had already prepared a large feast in the kitchen inside the carriage, and then used his wand to manipulate a large number of plates onto the table.

“It’s wonderful… No matter how simple the ingredients are, Helga can make them taste so delicious!” Ravenclaw exclaimed. “Even though I’ve only been eating them for a week, I feel like I can’t live without them anymore.”

Hufflepuff smiled modestly, "I'm glad you like it. There's not much I can do, but cooking happens to be one of my strengths."

Gryffindor said with shame, "Alas... what kind of things did I make before... I am so ashamed that my teacher actually ate all that stuff I made for more than a month, and he didn't complain at all! He didn't utter a single word of complaint."

“Everyone has their own expertise, Godric. You just happen to be bad at cooking,” Livid comforted the straightforward Gryffindor. “Besides, your cooking isn’t as bad as you make it out to be. It’s just much worse than Helga’s, but it’s still much better than mine.”

Upon hearing this, Gryffindor became happy again.

This guy is still easy to coax...

During the meal, Ravenclaw suddenly said, "I think it's too inefficient to find students ourselves if we want to spread knowledge."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Gryffindor's mouth was full of food, and his words were somewhat muffled.

“I think…” Ravenclaw, holding his fork, pondered for a moment, then said, “Just like the priestly schools set up by the church… how about we work together to choose a place and build a magic school? Specifically for teaching students, and then we can spread the word that young wizards who want to learn can come to the academy to find us?”

“Releasing the news is too slow, and by then not everyone will meet the criteria,” Slytherin said, stroking his chin. “Aren’t you an alchemist? How about… you prepare one or two alchemical tools to identify talented young wizards, then we can send them letters to come over, and finally make the selection among these people?”

Li Weide listened to their discussion with great interest, and when he heard about alchemical tools, he couldn't help but have an idea.

Could this be how the "Acceptance Pen" and "Admission Book" came about?
“Great! This way, even Muggle-born wizards will have a place to guide them on how to properly use their magic!” Hufflepuff exclaimed happily.

Ravenclaw's eyes lit up. "That's a great idea! Although I'm not capable of doing it yet, I believe that once I've mastered my skills and can go out and teach others, I definitely will be able to do it! Hehe, I'll definitely choose the smartest young wizards to be my students in the future!"

“Then I’ll choose the bravest warrior!” Gryffindor exclaimed excitedly. “In my opinion, a true wizard must be able to wield a wand and a greatsword!”

However, Slytherin frowned slightly when he heard Hufflepuff's words. "What talents could a wizard from a Muggle family possibly have? There's no need to recruit them."

Although Hufflepuff was born into a Muggle family, at least his mother was a wizard, so he had a foundation from the beginning.

But those Muggle-born wizards know nothing! Not to mention basic knowledge of the magical world, many of them are even illiterate and can't even read. What's the difference between them and the other dirty Muggles?
Slytherin felt that recruiting this group of students was a waste of time and energy.

“No, Salazar, I think we should recruit all the talented young wizards, regardless of whether they are Muggle-born or not… How do you know that Muggle-born children are not talented? As long as a good teacher is willing to teach them, even the dumbest child can make progress.”

“Helga, this is a waste of time and energy. You should know that,” Slytherin frowned. “It would be better to recruit young wizards from pure-blood families… I guarantee there are plenty of talented people there!”

“Every young wizard should have the right to an education, Salazar… We cannot deny their wizarding status simply because of their background. You must understand that a wizard’s talent is innate and has nothing to do with their origin.” Hufflepuff directly opposed Slytherin’s viewpoint.

"Alright." Li Weide waved his hand to stop the argument from escalating further. "Since everyone has their own students they want to recruit... why don't you do this? You can set up four colleges in the school, each of you can manage one college, and then recruit the students you like into your respective colleges."

"Hey? That's a great idea!"

Since they could make up their minds immediately and stop arguing, Gryffindor was naturally the first to raise their hands in agreement.

In fact, he dislikes arguing the most.

"If you can take action, don't talk," has always been his life motto.

Because of this, Slytherin fought with him quite a few times...

(End of this chapter)