Hogwarts: Voldemort, don't stop me from studying!

Hermione and Neville, without prior agreement, thought of Percy Weasley, the Gryffindor prefect—"I'm the prefect, you have to listen to me!" "Do you want to cause the house to lose points?" "Younger students, don't even think about getting away with it. Filch will check everyone one by one and won't let anyone who shouldn't be there slip out! Of course, I'll also help keep an eye on you troublemakers."

Or perhaps two Weasleys in third year—"Of course, no problem. Dung bombs or burp powder? — That's a great idea! You'll give Filch a surprise! Fifteen silver sieges! — I swear, only five knaps more expensive than Hogsmeade!"

However, Percy discovered their shopper activities before they could get the money. Most importantly, the twins were buying mostly prank products that would make Filch scream, so the two brothers were chased all over the lounge by their older brother.

Although Hermione and Neville were worlds apart academically, they were both, in a way, "outsiders" of Gryffindor. They swallowed their complaints about the Weasleys, but secretly envied the atmosphere at Hufflepuff.

But then Wade laughed and said, "Michael, let's not even talk about how envious Hufflepuff is of having an upperclassman who's willing to take care of younger students—when we're in our third year, would you be willing to help the young Ravenclaw wizards buy all sorts of sweets?"

“Are you kidding me?” Michael said without thinking. “This is too much trouble! I don’t want to spend my precious weekend doing to-do lists!”

“So—we are Ravenclaws of our own,” Wade said calmly, selecting some items that others hadn’t chosen much, so they could exchange them later.

It's just a question of whether Cedric will be intimidated by Theo and his partner's long list.

……

“Actually, I think you’re just like Cedric, Wade.”

After the day's lessons were over, Theo stayed behind and said this to Wade.

"Huh?" Vader was still immersed in the petrification spell and had completely forgotten what everyone had said before.

Theo looked into his eyes and said earnestly, "Although I've never said it, the reason our SSC group is together is entirely because of you, Vader—you always selflessly guide us in practicing spells and are willing to share your painstakingly compiled notes with us. I've never seen another Ravenclaw do that."

Wade was somewhat surprised. He looked at Theo, unsure of what to say.

“Michael and Hermione are so smart, they only hang out with us because of you; as for me, Ryan, Neville, and I, the three of us weren’t particularly good students before, and were even at the bottom in some subjects, but thanks to your help, we’ve recently started to earn some points for the house. Professor Flitwick has praised us several times, and last time Neville dared to raise his hand to speak in Herbology class, Professor Sprout even gave him an extra point.”

Theo concluded, "Wade, you are Ravenclaw, but you are not a selfish, cold person. You have helped us a lot—that's what I wanted to tell you."

For a long time after Theo left, Wade felt a strange emotion filling his heart.

He packed his things, walked out of the umbrella house, and saw Claudia in the portrait walking in the grass. The girl had a trace of sorrow between her brows, and her expression was just like Lin Daiyu in his memory.

As he watched the umbrella house door close, Wade muttered to himself, "How could it all be because of me that everyone gathered here? That Theo guy, has he forgotten—he's the one who applied for this classroom with Professor Sprout!"

Miss Claudia remained silent as always. She never spoke to the students, nor did she occasionally go out to visit other portraits like the others; she always stayed on this empty lawn. If it weren't for her occasional strolls, she would have been virtually indistinguishable from a Muggle portrait.

……

Cedric kept his word and bought everything that Wade and the others had written on the list, without charging them an extra Nate.

"Oh my god, I'm flying!" Hermione exclaimed. The brown-haired girl had only drunk a drink when she slowly floated up from the ground. Wade quickly reached out and grabbed her to prevent her from falling and getting hurt.

After a while, the magic on the drink wore off, and Hermione slowly landed on the ground. She said, a little annoyed, "They should have put the precautions on the packaging!"

“This is so much fun, Hermione!” Michael said.

Hermione blushed and glared at him: "But I'm wearing a dress!"

Michael was speechless, then lowered his head and said, "I'm sorry—you're absolutely right."

"Look, everyone!" Theo shouted, "I'm going to eat this little black pepper devil!"

Everyone looked at him expectantly.

Theo popped the candy into his mouth, chewed it a few times, and then his expression suddenly changed. The next second, he started breathing fire from his nose!

Everyone laughed.

Michael grabbed a handful of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and handed them out to everyone, saying enthusiastically, "Here, try these Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans! Let's bet on who's the unluckiest!"

He popped one into his mouth first, "It's alright, it's carrot flavored."

Ryan ate one, then said with a bitter face, "Damn it—it tastes like earwax."

Wade asked curiously, "How do you know what earwax tastes like?"

Ryan paused, looking up and down, then turned to Theo as if nothing had happened: "Hurry up, it's your turn."

Theo ate it with a grin: "Mmm—honeydew melon flavor! How lucky!"

Hermione also ate one: "Beef flavor, not bad, not great."

Neville stared fearfully at the yellow Beans in his hand, muttering, "Is it always me who's unlucky?" He swallowed them with his eyes closed, then stuck out his tongue and mumbled incoherently, "Water, water, water!"

"Did you taste sand?" Michael handed him the water and asked curiously.

Neville, with tears in his eyes after drinking a large glass of water, said, "It tastes like super spicy chili peppers."

Everyone looked at Wade.

Wade looked at the Multi-Flavor Beans with disdain. He had never eaten this wizarding world specialty before, because he had heard that Multi-Flavor Beans even tasted like vomit—what kind of prank was the manufacturer thinking?

But everyone was waiting for him, and after some mental preparation, Wade finally threw the bean into his mouth.

"What does it taste like?" his friends asked curiously.

Wade breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "It smells like snow."

Chapter 26 The Levitation Spell

Regardless of the reason, the increased time spent together will cause subtle changes in people's relationships. Some will become closer and closer, like Wade and his SSC companions; others will become more and more hostile, like Potter and Malfoy, whose constant bickering has become a Hogwarts spectacle.

In the evening, Wade and Michael returned to the Ravenclaw common room just before curfew. As soon as they entered, Michael was called away by two girls—tomorrow was Halloween, and the students were excited; a small party was being held in the common room, and Michael was one of the few first-years invited. The upperclassmen had bought plenty of butterbeer, rum, and whiskey over the weekend, and the common room was now filled with a pleasantly intoxicating aroma.

Michael tried to get Wade to join, but Wade waved him off—Wade had always been averse to these kinds of parties. The last time he'd seen two people who weren't very close get drunk and kiss passionately on the sofa, surrounded by a bunch of people clapping and cheering, spilling beer everywhere, creating an atmosphere of hedonism and unbridled pleasure.

Although Wade had lived in the West for eleven years, his thinking remained reserved and introverted. He was much more cautious about relationships and physical contact than his classmates.

Returning to the dormitory via the spiral staircase, the room was as clean and tidy as ever. The clothes I had changed out of yesterday had been washed, ironed, and neatly folded in the wardrobe.

There was a pot of boiled water on the desk, steaming gently. Wade poured himself a glass; the temperature was just right.

At Hogwarts, the long tables usually only have various fruit juices, vegetable juices, or hot chocolate; students usually just drink tap water. Wade wasn't used to this, and a while ago he tentatively left a note on his dirty clothes, hoping to have hot water when he returned to his dormitory.

The next morning, when he got up, he found a pot of steaming hot black tea on his desk—house-elves probably didn't understand what "hot water" meant, and perhaps no one had ever asked them for it.

So Wade added, "Thank you for the tea. But I'd like hot water directly from boiled water, without tea leaves."

From that day on, no matter when he returned to the dormitory, there was always a pot of hot water at just the right temperature waiting for him, and the same was true when he woke up in the morning.

It has to be said that at least half of the comfort of life at Hogwarts comes from house-elves.

Before going to sleep, Vader placed three miniature pumpkin carriages on the table—he had created them using Transfiguration, with a small lantern, about the size of a bean, emitting a soft green light hanging in front of each carriage.

To: Zoe, Phil, and Happy

Thank you for your continued dedicated service. This is a Halloween gift for you.

Happy Halloween!

……

I woke up early in the morning to find that it was already Halloween, and the whole castle was filled with the aroma of roasted pumpkin.

The pumpkin carriage on the desk has disappeared, replaced by a new pot of hot water, a plate of pumpkin cookies, a bunch of fresh flowers, and a pile of pretty pebbles.

The heart-shaped cookies smelled delicious, the flowers still had dew on them, and the thumb-sized pebbles looked like gems—all carefully prepared return gifts by the house-elves.

Wade couldn't help but laugh.

He didn't mind that the house-elves' gift was too cheap—house-elves all belonged to Hogwarts, and they had nothing except the tea towels they wore; even the tea towels actually belonged to Hogwarts.

Halloween is not a holiday; the first thing in the morning is a spells class. Professor Flitwick divided the students into pairs to practice the Levitation Charm, and Wade and Anthony Goldstein were paired together.

"Never forget that subtle wrist movement we've been training!" Professor Flitwick shrieked. "A flick and a twitch! Remember, a flick and a twitch of the wrist! Pronouncing the spell correctly is also very important—don't forget the wizard Balfio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself lying on the floor with a bison standing on his chest! Alright, let's begin!"

The students began chanting all at once: "Yugadim-Leviosa!"

The feathers in front of Wade immediately began to float up—he had already used this spell many times back in the Umbrella House, mainly to move tables and chairs—Hermione and Michael also succeeded one after the other, and Professor Flitwick clapped his hands happily and said, "Well done, I'll give you two extra points—everyone!"

Then, something even more surprising happened—the feather in front of Neville fluttered up, like a small boat bobbing in the waves, hovering two feet above him.

The Gryffindors were so astonished their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, because Neville had always been clumsy in every class, and no one praised him except Professor Sprout. Moreover, the Levitation Charm was very difficult for young wizards; most of them couldn't even get the feathers in front of them to move. So seeing Neville use the Levitation Charm (albeit not very successfully) was as shocking as seeing a troll perform ballet.

"Fantastic! Fantastic, Mr. Longbottom!" Professor Flitwick shrieked, jumping for joy. "Five points for Gryffindor!"

"No way? Longbottom actually succeeded?"

Wade heard Anthony beside him say in surprise, and then he cast the spell again and again, but the feather remained motionless.

Anthony was a tall, strong boy. He could recite the incantation without much trouble, but the delicate and subtle movements of "a wave and a shake" were too difficult for him. He practiced again and again, but his movements became more and more distorted.

"Wait!" Just as he was about to shove his wand into the back of the student's head, Wade grabbed his wrist and said, "Try this—"

He drew a steep curve on the paper, like a sine wave, and marked the direction with arrows, indicating where it should go faster. He then enlarged the drawing and made it float in front of him, saying to Anthony, "Wave the wand along this line, without going out of bounds."

Anthony didn't question it. As fellow Ravenclaws, they both knew that Wade's spellcasting skills were arguably the best in the grade. The blond boy silently demonstrated the spells to himself first, then waved his wand—

"Yugadim Leviosa!"

The feather immediately floated up, rising higher and higher under Anthony's direction, even touching the chandelier overhead. Anthony watched with delight, almost reluctant to put his wand down.

Terry Booth and Lavender Brown, sitting on either side of them, exchanged a glance and almost simultaneously reached out their hands. Lavender, with his superior agility, ultimately grabbed the parchment and pulled it to his group.

"Yugadim Leviosa!"

More and more feathers began to float up on the right side of the classroom, naturally attracting Professor Flitwick's attention. Just as Lisa Dupin snatched the parchment, a tiny hand pulled it away from below. Professor Flitwick glanced at it, smiled, and said, "Oh, a very clever way of guiding the conversation—"

Chapter 27 Alchemy and Weasley

Professor Flitwick glanced at it and said, “Oh, a very clever way of guiding you—it’s a shortcut, but it can definitely help you master the spell faster. Vader, this must be your idea.”