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

Draco Malfoy's posture seemed somewhat familiar to him—just like himself a decade or so ago, when he would say the same thing to others while lying in the school infirmary.

But he knew that even if he told the truth, no one would help him, and he would only be met with contempt and even more bullying... Draco Malfoy was always spoiled by his parents and didn't know his place, so why did he cover up for the abusers?

But since he was always beaten up by a group of people, Snape didn't bother to interfere much—he had always felt that with Draco Malfoy's arrogant and foul-mouthed manner, it was only a matter of time before he got beaten up.

……

The next day at noon, Michael and Wade went to the Great Hall for lunch. When they encountered Slytherin, Michael subconsciously tensed up, but the two men—Mirison and Nott—both lowered their heads slightly and waited for them to pass before continuing what they had been doing.

"—What did you do to them?" Michael asked incredulously.

“Uh…” Wade thought for a moment, “You might not believe it, but they had already given up before I even entered the classroom yesterday.”

Michael looked at him suspiciously, then nodded knowingly: "If it's some secret that can't be told, then just pretend I didn't ask."

“It’s not exactly a secret,” Wade said slowly. “I can show you all, just hope you won’t be scared.”

"How scary could it be?" Michael was skeptical at first, then, remembering something, he asked nervously, "—You got your hands on a Boggart?"

Boggarts are magical creatures that can shapeshift and transform into whatever a person fears most.

Wade shook his head: "No... but if I had the chance, I'd like to see it for myself..."

A group of Slytherin girls, led by Pansy, walked by and, seeing Wade, nodded somewhat awkwardly.

After several encounters, Wade noticed a subtle change in the attitude of the Slytherins—at least some of the first-year Slytherins—towards him. Instead of resentment, contempt, or seeking revenge, their attitude was now tinged with fear, but also with a hint of admiration and worship.

Slytherin students—all seem to have a tendency to admire the strong…

The thought flashed through Wade's mind.

……

Without Slytherin's targeting, Wade's school life was mostly consumed by studying. He didn't even watch the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, only hearing that Harry caught the Golden Snitch in just five minutes, and that Snape, who was the referee, reportedly looked very unhappy.

The difficulty of the Seamless Stretch Charm was unexpectedly high, especially since what Vader wanted was to create a storage box that resembled a small world, like Newt Scamander's. The difficulty was even greater, and Professor Morrie advised him not to rush.

In his spare time, Vader also created two alchemical works to practice his skills. One was a slowly rotating Möbius strip with a little figure walking on it without stopping; the other was a little crab that automatically swept and mopped the floor and sometimes sprayed colorful bubbles that made people feel happy. Hermione and Padma both loved it.

Incidentally, on Sunday afternoon, Wade brought his insect sparring partners to the Umbrella House, resulting in an unprecedentedly sharp and explosive explosion. Harry used a very powerful Disarming Charm to knock away the mantis's forelegs, Hermione successfully used the Armor Charm for the first time, and Michael used a Blazing Fire Charm to burn the spider until it sizzled.

As it turned out, despite the insect sparring partners' ugly appearance, the teaching effect was excellent. By the end, even Neville had made significant progress—when Padma was surrounded, he actually jumped onto the spider's back and stuck his wand into its enormous compound eye.

Lupin's magic lessons have already begun, and the first thing Vader asked to learn was the spell to extract memories.

[Lupin: Can I know—why do you want to learn this spell?]

In the Book of Friends, Lupin's writings are filled with caution; he subtly advises: "According to the Ministry of Magic, any spell that tampers with another person's memories is illegal."

[Wade: The user is myself.] A moment later, Wade's reply appeared on the paper: [I forgot something important and I need to remember it. Also, I want to learn Occlumency; do you know it?]

[Lupin: Of course. During the Wizarding Wars, we all had to learn how to avoid giving the enemy direct access to our minds. But to be honest, I'm not an expert in this area. The one truly skilled in this kind of magic is Severus Snape.]

[Wade: I just need to know the standard practice methods; at the very least, I need to prevent others from silently infiltrating my mind and taking over my will.]

Wade would never seek out Snape to learn Occlumency, because those skilled at Occlumency are often also adept at Legilimency, but he could never allow anyone to see through his thoughts and memories.

It still felt safer communicating through the friend's account. Even if his learning wasn't as effective, Wade could gradually improve through practice.

Inside the "Always Request" room, after writing a line, Vader looked up at a gray stone basin placed on a pillar while waiting for Lupin's reply.

The stone basin was flat and wide, and completely empty, without a single drop of water. The outer edge, however, was inlaid with a ring of gemstones, making it appear sparkling and quite ornate.

Chapter 93 Heart-to-Heart Talk

After a practice session, Harry hesitantly whispered to Michael, "What should Ron do if he wants to join the SSC? Would Wade agree?"

During this time, Harry felt happy every time he studied and trained at the Umbrella House, and even when he got injured, he felt a sense of accomplishment. But as soon as he returned to his dormitory, this happiness vanished quickly, like a punctured balloon.

Ron hadn't spoken to him for over two weeks. Sometimes when he saw him, he would pretend not to see him. In class, Ron would always go and sit with Seamus or Dean (the other two boys in the dorm). The two were no longer inseparable.

Although SSC was great, Harry also missed the times he spent slacking off with Ron, playing wizard chess together, and complaining about how much homework and how difficult it was. Ron was the first friend he made after entering the magical world, and Harry cherished that friendship.

He thought that if Ron could also join SSC, then perhaps they could return to how things were before.

Michael pressed for details and, after learning what had happened, mentally crossed Ron off the list, once again marveling at his own foresight.

Michael thought for a moment and said, "Harry, I understand you want to make up with your friend. But have you considered that friendship requires maintenance from both sides? You can tolerate his temper, but does he understand your predicament?"

Harry hesitated for a moment before saying, "I... I did promise to ask for Ron, but I broke my promise..."

"That's another issue, Harry."

Michael slowly said, "I think if someone wants to join another established group, he should take the initiative to demonstrate his abilities and willingness, and gain everyone's recognition through sincerity, hard work or talent, rather than having his friends speak on his behalf—that would put both of us in a difficult position."

He looked Harry into the eyes and said, “First, there’s you—I bet these words have been weighing on your mind for a long time, making you worry about how to bring them up and whether you’ll be rejected, causing you constant tension and anxiety… Then there’s us—if someone doesn’t like Ron Weasley, they’ll have to struggle with whether to refuse or put up with it. Would refusing make them seem petty? Would it hurt our friendship?”

Actually, when Hermione wanted Harry to join, Michael had considered saying the same thing, but Wade's words convinced him—Harry Potter's parents had both died in the war, and their orphan should certainly be treated well. Michael also understood Hermione's motherly affection for Harry.

Once these Gryffindors take someone to heart, they become so enthusiastic they'd practically give their whole heart. But Michael can't tolerate them constantly bringing people in—if Ron's in, will Seamus and Dean join in a couple of days? And in a few more days, will all the other Gryffindors be brought in too?

Michael didn't say it directly, but his disapproval was clear. He concluded, "Weasley turned what was originally his own problem into ours. And what was he doing all this time? – Giving you the silent treatment – ​​Harry, if a friend is willing to break off a friendship over something this trivial, does he even value it?"

"—Or is he so sure that no matter how he treats you, you'll take the initiative to reach out and make up with him?"

Harry fell into a long silence.

……

Back in the Ravenclaw common room, Michael brought it up with Wade and asked, "Do you know anything about Harry Potter's life before he came to the school?"

“I heard he grew up in a Muggle relative’s house,” Wade said, adding that it was common knowledge.

Michael sighed. "His relatives probably didn't raise him properly... Harry probably didn't even have any friends before."

"How do you know?" Padma asked, leaning closer. "He's a great guy! He couldn't possibly not have friends, could he?"

Although wizards are accustomed to living in seclusion, Padma and her friends knew that Muggle children always came in groups. During holidays, they would occasionally play with the children from nearby villages.

"He's acting a bit subservient with his friends," Michael said, puzzled. "Even though his parents are dead, he's still a 'savior'! Why is he like this? I thought Harry Potter would be more proud, even arrogant like Malfoy!"

“Muggles probably can’t understand what ‘the boy who survived’ means. In their eyes, Harry must just be a burden left behind by his relatives, right?” Wade said, flipping through the book.

Padma listened intently, muttering, "No wonder..."

“What?” Michael asked.

“Didn’t you guys notice?” Padma said, “Harry Potter’s clothes under his robes always seemed a bit ill-fitting… I thought it was some Muggle fashion trend.”

The two discussed their various speculations in hushed tones, while Wade turned another page of his book without saying a word.

In his memory, Harry Potter was abused by his aunt's family as a child, but their relationship seemed to have reconciled as he grew up? It's unclear whether this impression stemmed from the original story or fan interpretations…

But recently, Wade noticed a strange sign—Harry's attitude towards Professor Quirrell had suddenly become warmer. Every time they met on the street, he would give him an encouraging smile. It was said that he had also started to actively answer questions in Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Hermione didn't dare to openly stop him and could only watch helplessly.

His actions made many people nervous. Snape hovered around Harry even more frequently, leading Harry to believe that Snape was stalking him and trying to find something to use against him to put him in solitary confinement, which even caused Harry to miss two days of SSC training.

During SSC training that day, Neville, whose wand had been knocked away again, seemed deeply affected. He stood there in a daze for a while, causing everyone to worry. Vader gestured for the others to continue training, walked over, patted Neville on the shoulder, and asked, "Want to talk?"

Neville nodded sullenly.

The two walked over and sat on the sofa. Wade didn't rush to speak; he first poured himself a glass of water and drank it slowly.

Neville remained silent for a while before asking, "Wade, my disarming spell gestures were correct, and the incantation was correct too, right?"

"Hmm, you're almost as perfect as Hermione," Wade said confidently, though he himself had some doubts.

"But I still keep failing..."

Neville kept his head down, his fingers digging into the cracks in the table, as if he found it difficult to say what he wanted to say.

"Is it because I'm too stupid?" he asked in a low voice.

“I don’t think you’re stupid. You did very well in Herbalism class, didn’t you?” Vader said. “You haven’t learned the Disarming Charm yet, which may be because you lack confidence—if you doubt your own magic, it won’t respond well to you.”

“So—” Neville hesitated for a long time before finally asking, “It has nothing to do with the wand, right?”

Chapter 94 Magic Wand, Dragon Egg

Wade didn't understand: "What does this have to do with the wand?"

Neville looked at his wand, his gaze sweeping over every familiar scratch, and whispered, "This isn't my wand; it was left to me by my father—my grandmother didn't want me to wear it. She said that if it wasn't her own wand, its effectiveness would be greatly reduced… but I…"

He insisted on carrying the wand and didn't go to Ollivanders to buy a new one—it was as if his parents were with him.

Neville always felt powerless when casting spells with this wand, but he didn't dwell on it. He had long accepted the fact that he was clumsy, timid, and not very talented, and even often wondered why he was sorted into Gryffindor instead of Hufflepuff.

Actually, Neville had argued with the Sorting Hat for a long time during the Sorting Ceremony—he felt he didn't have the courage required for Gryffindor and asked the hat to sort him into Hufflepuff. But the Sorting Hat insisted that he should go to Gryffindor and ultimately announced the Sorting Ceremony.

However, after joining SSC, Neville felt a steady improvement every day. Spells began to seem less difficult for him, and for the first time, he experienced immense joy and a sense of accomplishment. Therefore, when he encountered setbacks again in spell learning, he could no longer calmly tell himself—

"Yes, you are just that stupid and clumsy, you can't do anything right."

He knew he was capable of it, but the partners he chose were holding him back.

Neville confides in his grandmother in the Book of Friends, where Mrs. Longbottom tells him again in a strong tone—let go of those useless insistences, you need to get a new wand that suits you!

“Wade, what do you think I should do?” Neville asked, bewildered.

Wade knew that when he hesitated, he had already leaned in one direction. It was just that going against his long-held beliefs was like asking him to give up his feelings for his parents, which was why he was in such a dilemma.

Wade thought for a moment and said, "How about we let a coin toss decide?"

"A coin?" Neville, who was still struggling with his question, was dumbfounded.