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

The Room of Requirement was on the eighth floor of the castle, while the Potions classroom was in the basement. Too lazy to climb the stairs, Vader simply flew down on his broomstick, circled the castle twice, and then landed in the central courtyard.

When he landed on the ground, Wade's fingers were almost frozen, and his ears and nose were red from the cold.

As it turns out, winter is not a suitable season for flying. Even with protective measures, it's still cold when the wind is howling.

"Snapped!"

Harpy suddenly appeared, handed Wade his backpack, then eagerly took the broom, gazing at Wade with loving eyes, and excitedly said, "Harpy will help Wade Gray put the broom in the dorm!"

“Thanks for your help, Happy,” Wade said with a smile.

Harpy bowed deeply, his long nose almost touching the ground, and then he disappeared with his broom.

Vader had already eaten breakfast and was planning to go straight to the Potions classroom. But as he shivered from the cold, the damp, chilly ground suddenly became repulsive, while the Great Hall with its roaring fire seemed alluring.

Wade walked up the steps, through the foyer, and sat in the auditorium for a while.

By this time, some miserable fifth-grade students were already sitting around the long table. Most of them had messy hair and looked troubled and helpless. They were eating breakfast while reading... or reading breakfast while eating, looking like they were about to fall apart.

Wade didn't dare disturb the high school seniors who were studying themselves silly. He sat quietly for a while, read a chapter of Potions class, and then quietly left the Great Hall after his body warmed up.

"Hey, Wade, long time no see!"

As I walked through the foyer, a familiar voice rang out.

“Griffiths?” Wade looked over in surprise.

“Yes, it’s me.” The red-haired wizard leaned over a tall picture frame, the original owner of the painting was squeezed into a corner by him, looking angry but unable to speak out, glaring resentfully at Griffiths from behind.

"Haven't seen you for a whole holiday, did you miss me?" Griffiths' voice was as cheerful as ever: "Hmm? Looks like you had a great holiday! Your face seems a bit rounder... but I'm different—"

He rolled up his sleeves, pointed to a bruise on his arm, and said to Wade, "See that? Someone beat me up! It's only been a few years, but everyone seems so distant, and everyone's become so short-tempered—"

Are you sure it's not because of you that you've become irritable?

Wade muttered to himself, glanced at the poor wizard whose territory had been taken over by the bully, and asked Griffiths, "Weren't you in the hallway? How did you end up in the foyer?"

“No, my painting is still in the hallway!” Griffiths shook his finger and laughed. “They only said there was no room in the foyer, but they didn’t say I couldn’t visit other people’s rooms! Dumbledore won’t have any objections if I visit an old friend I haven’t seen in a long time!”

"Hey, kid!" In a painting nearby, an old man wearing a top hat suddenly shouted at Wade, "You're the one who brought this guy out of the Astronomical Tower, aren't you? Have some mercy and send him back right now!"

"Yes, yes!" The elderly men and women who had seemed to be asleep all shouted, "Send them back! Send them back!"

"We finally managed to get him to the Astronomical Tower, why did you bring him out again?"

"Do you know how annoying he is? My hair is falling out in clumps!"

"—You're a portrait, you won't lose your hair."

"I'm just using a metaphor! A metaphor! Understand? Don't nitpick my words."

"I'm just telling the truth... Why are you so angry? Can't we just talk things out?"

"Aaaaaah—someone drag this guy away!!!"

The portraits, which were usually quiet, suddenly started making noise on their own. The students who got up early for breakfast were extremely surprised and gathered around to watch with great interest.

Wade quietly left the foyer. Griffiths, ignoring the noise he was causing, walked unceremoniously past the portraits, waking some who were actually asleep, and followed Wade out of the foyer.

“Noisy fellows, aren’t they?” Griffiths said with a smile. “House-elves are much quieter than them.”

Wade stopped and looked at Griffiths.

Chapter 67 A Busy Day

Eye contact.

A moment later, Wade walked forward again, asking, "You saw that just now?"

“Hmm.” Griffiths nodded and said, “When I was visiting, I happened to see you and that house-elf… The mark of a good house-elf is that he never lets a wizard know he’s there, and Hogwarts’ house-elves have always been the best—many students graduate without ever having seen a single elf!”

Griffiths chuckled and remarked, "Those naive little fools think the castle has some kind of magical housework magic that makes their dirty clothes and shoes clean!"

"Whether someone sees it or not isn't the standard for judging whether it's good or bad." Wade defended his little friend: "Harby is good too."

“You’re right,” Griffiths nodded in agreement, his lack of rebuttal seeming rather odd.

There were no portraits in the corridor ahead, so Griffiths had to stop and watch the young Ravenclaw wizard disappear into the distance.

"—A Ravenclaw who befriended a house-elf?"

He muttered to himself, then suddenly laughed, "Really just friends?"

……

Wade suddenly noticed that the professors were treating him much more gently, and even Professor Snape had given him two extra points for the first time ever. You see, in the past, even though Wade's potions were almost perfect every time in Potions class, Professor Snape would only give him one point three times out of ten.

Widow wished he could have captured the astonished expressions on the faces of the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs in the classroom.

Even the usually strict Professor McGonagall kept Wade behind after class and gave him a reading list.

“Transfiguration is the most magical of all magic,” Professor McGonagall said with a smile. “If you can read these books carefully and understand them deeply, you will surely go far on the path of Transfiguration.”

“Thank you, Professor.” Wade glanced at the reading list; he hadn’t read most of the books, but—

"These last few books seem to be in the restricted section of the library."

“That’s right. After you’ve finished reading the previous books, you can come find me—” Professor McGonagall looked at him expectantly and said, “I will sign your note.”

Professor Flitwick, of course, promised Wade that he could borrow any book from his private library at any time, and that whenever Wade came to ask questions, the candy and desserts on Professor Flitwick's table would be more plentiful than usual;

Professor Sprout's smile became even more amiable, and she lent Wade several books on herbalism after class.

As a result, Wade's time became increasingly tight.

In the mornings, he would ride his broom directly from the tower to the eighth floor of the main tower, and one of Zoe's three friends would rush to help him return the broom to his dormitory.

He conjures up exercise equipment or a swimming pool in the House of Requirement to work out, then turns it into a study to read and prepare for his lessons, before having breakfast. Throughout this time, a house-elf is always nearby, and if anyone passes by, they will alert him in the Book of Friends to prevent him from bumping into anyone when entering or leaving the House of Requirement.

If he had classes, he would naturally go to the classroom first; when he didn't have classes, he would basically spend all his time in the Room of Requirement.

If he wants to practice magic, the House of Requirement can provide relevant books and targets for casting spells; if he wants to practice potions, there will be crucibles of all sizes and models, balances, fuels, measuring cups, etc., but he still needs to prepare the materials himself in advance; if he wants to study alchemy and the "gifts" and "tests" that Professor Morrie gave him, the various alchemical equipment is even more complete than at Professor Morrie's place.

From dinner until curfew, this is roughly SSC's regular activity time. They gather at the Umbrella House to practice spells, finish the homework they didn't complete during the day, discuss and solve problems together, or simply sit together and chat.

In reality, given Wade's current advanced learning pace, none of the members of SSC can offer him any valuable help. This place can be considered Wade's personal after-school tutoring class, and it's free.

However, not everything needs to be considered from a mutually beneficial or utilitarian perspective.

The time spent with these companions was also very precious to Wade. Here, his mind and spirit could be fully relaxed, and he could let go of some of the worries that had been weighing on his mind. He could chat and laugh casually, relieving the fatigue of a long day of intense studying.

Moreover, seeing the originally clumsy Neville and others make significant progress under his guidance brought him even more joy and satisfaction than when he himself learned a new spell—after all, Vader had become accustomed to the latter, while the former was always a pleasant surprise.

Positive emotions are always contagious, and everyone had a smile on their face when the Umbrella House event ended.

“If only I could suggest to the principal that the school’s curfew be extended by another hour,” Padma said cheerfully as she packed her books. “I’ve never felt so happy about learning before.”

Even Neville nodded in agreement. As long as he was in the Umbrella House, even learning potions no longer felt painful.

He still makes mistakes frequently, but his friends correct them promptly, and no one scolds him.

"Next week is the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, right?" Michael looked at the two houses, his eyes searching.

“Yes.” Hermione sighed with worry. “I heard that Professor Snape is the referee.”

“You’re in trouble then,” Padma said sympathetically. “Professor Snape certainly won’t make a fair judgment—everyone knows how much he hates Gryffindor, especially since Harry Potter is in your house.”

Almost everyone in the school knew that Snape was targeting Harry Potter.

However, the few people who had been to the principal's office last time looked at each other, their eyes revealing a similar understanding.

The next day at noon, Hermione gave a signal in the Great Hall, and the group tacitly gathered at the Umbrella House to discuss the matter—

“Professor Snape must have been sent by the headmaster to protect Harry Potter on the field, right?” Ryan said. “Although Professor Snape has a bad temper, Professor Dumbledore trusts him so much, so he must be trustworthy.”

Michael fiddled with his Quidditch player model, watching the little figure get knocked down and get back up again and again, and added with a smile, "Of course, deducting points and protecting—these two things can go on at the same time, without conflict—"

Ryan sighed, "There are so many professors at the school, why did the headmaster have to send someone who hates Harry Potter the most?"

Chapter 68 Orphans

"Isn't this more advantageous for you?" Michael asked nonchalantly.

“That’s true—but I think Cedric and the others would certainly prefer a fair match,” Ryan said earnestly.

"Hmm... it really is Hufflepuff," Michael remarked.

Ryan said irritably, "Don't think I don't know you actually mean I'm stupid."

"Haha, how could that be?" Michael said with a dry laugh.

In any case, if it were Ravenclaw, he knew his house wouldn't let such a great opportunity slip by.

“Actually—Wade—I wanted to ask—” Hermione said hesitantly, with a hint of pleading, “Could Harry join SSC as well?”

The air suddenly went still.

Ryan was somewhat uneasy.

He saw the smile on Michael's face suddenly disappear, and he just stared at the brown-haired girl, then at Wade.

Wade's expression didn't change much; he even readily agreed: "Of course, Harry Potter isn't a difficult person to get along with. The problem is you—Hermione."

"—Me?" Hermione looked over nervously.