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

Neville said with a long face, "I... actually, I haven't even mastered fluorescent blinking yet!"

“…Oh.” Hermione was a little disappointed, but also a little happy. She puffed out her chest slightly and said, “Well, it’s okay, I can teach you—I mean—we can learn from each other…”

Neville looked like he was about to cry.

“Navie,” Vader suddenly said, “what’s moving in your pocket?”

Neville looked down and said, "Ah, it's my pet. It always likes to run around."

He pulled a dark gray toad from his pocket, held it in his palm, and happily introduced it to the two of them: "Look, its name is Leifu."

Wade and Hermione leaned back simultaneously, trying to distance themselves from the ugly creature without Neville noticing.

The short, stout toad stretched its legs, then leaped off Neville's hand. Neville hadn't closed the cubicle door when he came in, so Mr. Raeford, without hesitation, ran for freedom, bouncing twice and disappearing.

Neville stared at his empty palm for two seconds, then let out a scream: "Reverie!"

He chased after him, and Wade heard the sound of the boy accidentally bumping into the carriage.

The two people in the cubicle exchanged a glance.

Hermione whispered, "Although the notice said... I didn't think anyone would keep a toad as a pet!"

Wade nodded in agreement. He knew that some golden, pink, or emerald green toads were indeed quite beautiful, but how could anyone actually like that grayish, bumpy appearance?

Neville genuinely loves his toad.

After a long while, the boy returned, wiping away tears, sobbing, "I couldn't find it—everyone said they didn't see it—"

Wade advised him, "The train is sealed. Look for it when you get off; you'll definitely find it." Surely no one would steal a toad.

Neville wasn't comforted; tears were still streaming down his face.

Seeing how heartbroken he was, Hermione sighed helplessly, stood up, and said, "I'll go with you to look for him."

She looked at Wade questioningly, and Wade shook his head.

Hermione and Neville left, and the previously noisy box immediately fell silent. Wade looked out the window; the rolling hills slowly receded into the distance.

He knew that if he went with Hermione and the others to find the toad, he would run into Harry and Ron, and eleven-year-olds could easily become friends. Thus, the trio would become a quartet.

However, after thinking it over for a long time, Wade still felt that he didn't need to cling to the protagonist's coattails, because what attracted him was not the childish adventure story of elementary school students fighting against the great demon king, but the magic itself was interesting enough.

Chapter 6 Arriving at Hogwarts

Hermione and Neville searched the entire train, but couldn't find the escaped toad. Fortunately, Neville had moved on from the sadness of his pet's escape—or perhaps not, since he was still upset, but at least he wasn't crying anymore.

Hermione entered the room and was surprised to see a pile of snacks on the table. She asked, "What are these?"

“A lady selling snacks just came by,” Wade gestured. “Look, I bought a lot—strawberry custard, chocolate balls, pumpkin tarts, potcakes, and fruit syrup. Let’s eat together. Oh, Neville, would you like to try this mint toad?”

Neville took it, muttered "Rive" as he took a bite, and his eyes suddenly lit up: "Delicious!"

Hermione didn't refuse, and sat down gracefully, taking a piece of cake and saying, "Thank you, I'm hungry too. By the way, you probably won't believe it, but Harry Potter is in a cubicle less than ten meters away from us—do you know Harry Potter?"

“Of course, his name is mentioned in ‘Important Magical Events of the Twentieth Century’,” Wade said, unwrapping a chocolate candy. “But I think it’s best not to bother him—he also lost his parents on the night he became a hero. If it were me, I would rather not have that honor.”

Hermione paused, startled: "You—you're right—I didn't expect that..."

Neville lowered his head, his grip on the mint toad tightening slightly.

The Potters' sacrifices and honors are world-renowned, but few know that during that time, the Death Eaters captured and tortured Neville's parents to the point of madness in their search for the missing Voldemort.

The boy kept these dark thoughts to himself, and the group enjoyed a hearty meal.

Wade thought he would have plenty of snacks left over, but the train rattled along for a long time, and it was already dark when they still hadn't reached their destination. The three of them had finished all the snacks on the table, the witch selling the goods was nowhere to be found, and they still hadn't decided on their dinner.

“Isn’t Hogwarts in England?” Hermione stood up angrily and said, “I’m going to the front of the train to ask the driver when we’ll arrive.”

"go together."

This time, Wade stood up. He was also a little curious about the train driver who might only work four times a year, wondering who was in charge of that job.

Neville followed, wanting to look for his pet again.

The train driver was an unremarkable brown-haired man with a pipe in his mouth and a full beard, but he had a very good temper. Faced with the three young wizards' "questioning," he chuckled and replied, "Don't worry, we'll be there soon. You'll have dinner at Hogwarts Castle."

Hermione went home satisfied.

As he passed through the numerous cubicles, Wade casually observed them, finding them all unfamiliar faces. He only recognized the Weasley twins—their cubicle was quite lively, with cheers and laughter audible from afar, as if they were playing some amusing game.

Before they even reached the cubicle, they suddenly heard screams. Three children stumbled and ran down the aisle, one of the blond boys shoving Neville and yelling, "Get out of the way! Don't block the way!"

"Hey!" Hermione exclaimed, stomping her foot angrily as she failed to stop him. "You rude jerk!"

Wade reached out and caught Neville, who was about to fall.

“Thank you,” Neville said gratefully.

Wade shook his head and said to Hermione, "Go change into your school uniform first, we'll wait outside."

Hermione nodded, swallowing her anger, and stomped into the cubicle. After locking the door and drawing the curtain, she quickly changed her clothes. Then it was Neville's turn. The three of them had just packed their belongings into their suitcases when they heard the driver's voice echoing through the train—

"We will arrive at Hogwarts in five minutes. Please leave your luggage in the car, and we will take it to the school for you."

The train slowed down and stopped at the platform. Hundreds of students poured out like bees leaving their hive, crowding the small, dark platform. Hermione and Neville followed closely behind Wade, their faces pale.

"First-year students! First-year students, follow me! Watch your step!" A tall man carrying a lantern shouted in a loud voice from a distance.

Wade and the others squeezed through the crowd. They noticed that the senior students were all heading in another direction, but no one dared to question Hagrid's enormous size, the guard of the hunting grounds.

A group of people walked through a dark path in the woods and finally saw a majestic castle in the distance. Countless windows shone with light, which was reflected by the dark, mirror-like surface of the lake, making the castle look exceptionally magnificent.

"Wow—" the freshmen exclaimed in unison.

Under Hagrid's guidance, the group crossed the Black Lake in a small boat and finally arrived at the foot of the castle. Hagrid even found Neville's toad on another boat. Neville excitedly took his precious toad, while Hagrid knocked three times on the castle gate.

The door was wide open, and Professor McGonagall, with a serious expression, stood in front of it.

“Welcome to Hogwarts,” she said.

………………

The Sorting Ceremony began.

Hogwarts has four houses: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. The houses are chosen by a talking hat based on the students’ talents and qualities, something Wade knew in his previous life.

Having been in this world for eleven years, he had actually forgotten many of the plot points from the novels and movies. However, after discovering that he had come to the world of Harry Potter, he tried his best to recall many memorable scenes and recorded them in his own unique way.

Before registering, Vader had carefully considered which house he wanted to go to—while the Sorting Hat values ​​talent, it also considers the students' own wishes.

First, Slytherin is obviously out of the question—neither of his parents are wizards, and in Slytherin, where lineage and family background are highly valued, he would likely be ostracized by the other students. While Wade isn't afraid of teenagers, he has no interest in taking on high-difficulty challenges.

Gryffindor?

After much deliberation, Wade still felt it wouldn't work.

With Harry Potter around, Gryffindor was the epicenter of the storm, with all eyes on them. Moreover, in the story, most Gryffindors were somewhat dim-witted, easily swayed by rumors, isolating and ostracizing the innocent Harry Potter, leaving a very bad impression on Wade.

Similarly, Ravenclaw seems to have had instances of bullying, mocking and teasing classmates (Luna Lovegood).

If it were Hufflepuff, it wouldn't be like this. While most Hufflepuff students may have mediocre grades, they are sincere, kind, and trustworthy. So what if they're considered stupid? Vader believes his mind won't change because of the House.

Having made his decision, Wade appeared much more composed than the younger wizards who thought they were about to fight trolls. After the Sorting Hat sang a song, Professor McGonagall, holding a long list, assigned the freshmen to their respective houses, some quickly, others hesitating for a moment. Suddenly, Wade heard a familiar name—

“Hermione Granger!” Professor McGonagall called out.

Hermione ran over and hurriedly put on her hat.

A moment later, the Sorting Hat shouted, "Gryffindor!"

A burst of enthusiastic applause erupted from the long table in Gryffindor.

Then——

“Wade Gray!”

Chapter 7 Branching

Wade strode over, put on the Sorting Hat, and chanted to himself, "Hufflepuff! Hufflepuff! I'm going to Hufflepuff!"

“Hufflepuff?” a faint voice said. “Oh, perhaps you didn’t hear the song I just sang. No problem, I can sing you a verse separately—the people there are upright and loyal—”

Wade: "..."

He vaguely sensed something.

The Sorting Hat continues: "Hufflepuff students, steadfast and honest—"

Wade: "..."

Okay, I understand, you don't need to sing anymore!

Sorting Hat: "Fearless of arduous labor—"

Wade: "..."

That's a bit much! Your voice is way too loud!

The Sorting Hat rustled and said, "While Hufflepuff never rejects any student who aspires to Hogwarts, there are places more suitable for you... Well—it's always hard for people to know themselves, isn't it?"

Wade thought to himself, "I'm not going to Slytherin!"

“Of course it is—” the Sorting Hat shouted, “Ravenclaw—”