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

"I thought he was fighting against Snape!" Harry said in frustration. "I was trying to encourage him to be strong! I didn't expect him to side with Snape so quickly!"

Seeing the complicated expressions on everyone's faces, he couldn't help but feel irritated and raised his voice, "Are you trying to say—they're professors, people Dumbledore trusts, so they wouldn't do that? But I really—"

"Harry, calm down."

Wade abruptly interrupted his shouting, his calm voice like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing Harry's excitement. He looked at Wade, only to see Wade looking at the others.

“Tell him about it,” Wade said. “Harry already knows this much, so telling the truth won’t be considered breaking our promise to Dumbledore.”

Harry froze.

"Tell me...what?"

Chapter 101 Pencil Case

Harry felt as if his heart was being submerged in icy lake water, slowly drawing away the warmth from his body. His stomach was contracting, his mouth was filled with a bitter taste, and he even felt nauseous.

"So... Quirrell is... is..."

“Voldemort,” Wade reminded him, “to be precise, he’s possessed by Voldemort.”

A collective gasp filled the room. Michael, his face ashen, said, "Don't mention that name again, Wade."

Wade said helplessly, "If you're afraid of even a name, how did you manage not to tremble in front of Professor Quirrell?"

“How can that be the same?” Michael retorted. “Professor Quirrell is a coward, but that person… that person…”

Michael flinched, silently shut his mouth, as if he was having some difficulty breathing.

Wade looked at the others and saw that they all looked terrified, even Hermione seemed very scared.

—How amazing.

Wade thought to himself.

—They even dared to confront that person directly, but dared not mention his name?

Harry, however, had no such reservations. He stated bluntly, "So Voldemort, wanting to make a comeback, didn't just send two henchmen to steal the Philosopher's Stone for him... he even came in person..."

“Yeah—it sneaked in behind Quirrell’s head like a pendant,” Wade said. “He was surrounded by the smell of garlic all day long, and even had to endure some naughty students throwing snowballs at his face. Think about it, they thought they were ambushing cowardly Quirrell, but they were actually pounding… uh… the face of the Mysterious Man…”

Considering the feelings of most people, Wade didn't mention Voldemort directly again. His words made everyone feel both frightened and amused, and even Harry couldn't help but laugh.

“But…” Harry said hesitantly, “Why won’t Dumbledore let you tell me? I mean, I have the right to know the truth, right? Voldemort killed my parents!”

“Dumbledore did this to protect you, Harry,” Hermione explained. “He seemed worried that if you knew the truth, you would… seek revenge on Vader, which would be too dangerous.”

Harry was a forgiving person, and when he heard that the headmaster's actions stemmed from concern for him, his anger at being kept in the dark gradually subsided. However, he still didn't understand: "Then why not just arrest that guy now? While he's off guard, everyone can work together; do you think Quirrell and Voldemort can escape?"

“I guess—well, just guessing—based on what Professor Dumbledore said…” Wade said, “Eleven years ago, that person did indeed die, but for some reason, he wasn’t completely dead. He was somewhat like a ghost, impossible to imprison or kill. If we act rashly, we’ll probably only be able to keep Quirrell alive; Voldemort will still escape—”

“Don’t say that name, Wade,” Michael whispered.

“…Alright.” Wade continued, “The Mystic still has the ability to come back a second, a third time…you never know when he’ll appear…”

Some people trembled silently.

"It's like knowing there's a poisonous snake in your house, but you don't know where it is, and it could suddenly emerge from the shadows and bite you... It's more reassuring to have that snake right under your nose than to have it in such a situation, right?"

“But… isn’t Dumbledore worried that Quirrell might actually steal the Philosopher’s Stone, and then Voldemort might regain his former powers and even become immortal?” Harry asked again.

"—I told you not to mention that name." Michael muttered, "Since Dumbledore knows everything, he must have set up a trap where the Philosopher's Stone is protected, just waiting for Quirrell to steal it! But that guy is too cautious, he's been dawdling for so long without making a move."

“Perhaps he realized it was a trap?” Ryan suddenly said. “But his desire for immortality kept him hovering near the bait, unwilling to give up… Perhaps he was waiting for a foolproof opportunity…”

"What kind of opportunity is considered foolproof?" Theo asked.

“That must be—” Harry clenched his fist: “When Dumbledore left the school! Because Dumbledore was the only person he feared!”

……

In the days that followed, the young wizards began to pay unprecedented attention to Dumbledore's itinerary. If they saw the white-bearded wizard at the Great Hall during meals, they could rest easy for the rest of the day; if they didn't see him, they would immediately become anxious and try every means to find out from the professors whether Dumbledore had gone out.

However, they soon had to devote most of their energy to another matter—exam week was approaching.

For students, the terror of exams is, in a sense, equivalent to that of the Dark Lord, even for Hermione, who is already an excellent student.

Most Hogwarts exams consist of two parts: a written exam and a practical exam. The written exam is conducted in a large classroom that can accommodate all the students in the grade, and a new quill pen with an anti-cheating spell must be used. The practical exams are varied and the questions are set by the professors themselves. For example, Professor McGonagall asked students to turn a mouse into an exquisite snuffbox.

For Wade, all the exam content was quite simple; the practical exercises were more like a personal showcase. Judging from the professors' satisfied smiles, he was sure to get an excellent score.

The last subject was History of Magic—since Vader finished compiling his scrolls on the history of magic, he had rarely spent time on this course, only cramming for the exam. After finishing the paper, Vader confirmed that his accuracy rate was over ninety percent, which was enough for him.

Today is Thursday, the day Professor Morrie teaches him alchemy. After the exam, the students cheered that they were finally free, while Wade greeted Michael and, as usual, headed towards the Astronomy Tower.

Professor Morrie was fiddling with a microscope when he saw Wade enter. He exclaimed in admiration, “Look how amazing this is—Muggles use this machine to observe the tiny structures of things, including the tens of thousands of cells in the human body.”

He enthusiastically taught Wade how to prepare glass slides, how to adjust the light and focus. Wade didn't mention that he had already learned all of this before, but followed Professor Morrie's steps to observe worm eggs and moth wing slices before finally talking about his recent progress in alchemy.

"I'd like you to see this—"

As he spoke, Wade took a box out of his backpack. He then noticed that the Book of Friends next to him was slightly warm. Wade paused for a moment, then closed his backpack and placed the blue-gray box, which was only the size of a pencil case, on the table.

Professor Morrie's eyes lit up: "You succeeded so quickly?"

"Only a preliminary result has been achieved."

Vader reached out and opened the box. Inside were several quill pens and ordinary fountain pens, a clear view at a glance—that seemed to be all. He then closed the lid, tapped it with his wand, and the box flipped, expanded, stretched, and turned like pages of a book…

A moment later, a wardrobe taller than a person stood in the center of the room.

Vidra opened the door and said with a smile, "Professor, perhaps you would like to come in and have a look around?"

Chapter 102 Wardrobe Space

The space inside the wardrobe was far from the miniature world that Wade had envisioned; it was only slightly larger than the Umbrella House. The room was empty and devoid of any decorations.

Professor Murray certainly wasn't looking at these superficial things.

He didn't have the same eyes as Vader, but he had his own methods for examining the magic runes within—

The layers of inlaid ancient runes form a structure that is as intricate and perfectly balanced as a honeycomb.

The seamless, chain-like interconnected spells are complex yet orderly, simple yet neat.

Hundreds and thousands of incantations, like whirlpools, ensured the stability of the structure while leaving ample room for expansion.

This is just a prototype.

But it took root, sprouted, and grew tender leaves in the most perfect way. Professor Morrie examined its veins and could almost see the moment it grew into a towering tree.

After coming out, Professor Mori looked at Wade and said with a sigh, "I have nothing more to teach you about the Unseen Stretching Charm, Wade."

Wade made no attempt to hide his joy, revealing a happy smile.

This made him look more like his age than usual.

"What are your plans for the summer vacation?" Professor Morrie asked again.

“Reading, studying, nothing else,” Wade said.

Professor Morrie pondered for a moment, then frowned and said, "Students aren't allowed to use magic during summer vacation, which is very inconvenient for your studies. And since you live in the Muggle neighborhood, the Ministry of Magic would immediately detect any spellcasting you do..."

“Actually—” Wade explained, “I plan to stay at home for a few days, then go to the Leaky Cauldron and book a room there so I can bypass the Ministry of Magic’s surveillance of the Silk.”

Professor Murray nodded slightly and said, "That's one way... but it's not good. Old Tom is a decent man, but there are often unidentified people hanging around that place. It's not safe for a little kid like you to live in a bar, and the environment isn't good either."

“Mr. Lupin can stay with me; he’s going to teach me Defense Against the Dark Arts!” Vader said.

“Lupin?” Professor Morrie scoffed. “That’s exactly what I was worried about!”

His prejudice against werewolves was so deeply ingrained that he would never truly trust them.

“Well then, you go home first—” Professor Morrie thought for a moment and said, “I’ll go talk to Mr. Scamander, maybe he’ll be willing to let you visit him.”

“Mr. Newt Scamander?” Wade’s eyes lit up. “You mean—”

“Yes, I bet you’d love to see his amazing suitcase,” Professor Morrie chuckled. “No one is more skilled than him in the use of space and weather charms.”

With an excited look in Wade's eyes, Professor Mori added, "Perfect timing. He likes Steven very much, and Steven has mentioned you to him—yes, he's mentioned you several times—Mr. Scamander also has a very good impression of you."

When he left Professor Morrie's office, Wade still felt his heart pounding, his eyes sparkling, and he walked with an unusually light step.

Newt Scamander.

To Wade, this person was once merely the protagonist of the Fantastic Beasts film series—kind, gentle, and somewhat dull, almost never giving anyone a second glance. He loved magical creatures, was loyal to Dumbledore, and would go through fire and water for the old headmaster.

Upon arriving in the magical world, Wade discovers that Newt has also left a significant mark on modern magical history. His magical box, his outstanding performance in the two wizarding wars, and his lifelong dedication to protecting magical creatures are all recorded in history books.

It even includes—he once captured Gellert Grindelwald.

This is a man whose life is full of legend, although he himself may not want such a reputation.

……

After leaving the Astronomical Tower, Wade opened his Book of Friends.

The earlier messages had disappeared—which was to be expected, given that he had spent nearly two hours in Professor Morrie's class.

The latest news comes from Padma.

Padma: They went to the fourth-floor restricted area.

[Vade: Padma? Where are you?]