Chapter 12: The Eccentric Friend  

Early the next morning, when the sky was still dimly lit, Hoffa woke up. 

It was ironic. In his previous life, he hadn't been a particularly good student, with mediocre grades. 

He was the type who would only put in 50% effort when 60% was needed, and who would settle for an 80% score rather than striving for 90%. 

But after coming to Hogwarts, he unexpectedly found himself motivated to study. 

Was it because of his curiosity about magic? 

Not really. It was because World War II was approaching, and unless he could flee to the United States or Australia before it started, nowhere on this planet would be safe. 

Especially Europe—it was downright dangerous. 

Avoidance wasn't Hoffa's preferred solution, so his only choice was to study magic diligently before the war, hoping to have some means of self-protection in the future chaos. As for how much "means" he needed, Hoffa felt he had to at least explore all of Hogwarts, obtain a second major magical knowledge, and collect all the spell fragments. Everything else was just a bonus. 

A timetable had appeared on his bedside table. Hoffa picked it up and saw that Monday only had two classes: Charms and Transfiguration. 

The first class was Charms, where each house's first-years would meet their head of house. 

There were no students from other houses in this class. 

The second class, Transfiguration, was a joint class with first-years from all four houses. 

Hoffa remembered how Harry and Ron were often late due to Hogwarts' ever-changing layout, and he didn't want to be late himself. 

So, while his roommates were still lazing in bed, he got up early. 

The Ravenclaw common bathroom was to the east of the dormitory, shared by both genders, and was a very clean place. 

It had three levels: the top floor was for prefects, and the lower floors were for regular students. The bathroom was filled with blue and green tiles, and rows of faucets carved with eagle heads. 

Hoffa had bought a toothbrush but forgotten to bring a cup. Back in London, he had thought a cup would take up too much space in his small bag, so he hadn't bought one. 

Habitually thinking like someone from his previous life, he figured he could just use his hands to cup water. 

So, he brushed his teeth haphazardly, then stuck his head under the faucet to rinse. 

When he raised his head, mouth full of foam, he saw the last person he wanted to see in the mirror. 

Aglaia. 

Yes, she had also gotten up early, holding a cup and various small items, wearing a blue star-patterned robe, standing behind Hoffa like a ghost. 

Seeing Hoffa with just a toothbrush and using his hands to cup water, she looked disgusted. 

Like she had just encountered something unpleasant early in the morning. 

Hoffa thought to himself that it was Murphy's Law—the more you didn't want to see someone, the more likely you were to run into them. 

Now, the bathroom was empty except for the two of them, making it extremely awkward. 

Aglaia muttered disdainfully, "Barbarian." 

Hoffa suppressed the urge to pull out his wand and turn her into a crow. He expressionlessly spat out the water, washed his face, and strode out of the bathroom. 

At that moment, he swore to himself that no matter how much she provoked him, he would never speak a word to this girl. 

After washing up, Hoffa waited in the common room for a while. 

His classmates gradually got up, chatting and laughing with their friends as they left the common room. 

But Hoffa didn't see Miranda come down. He thought maybe she had gotten up even earlier than him. 

So, he went to the Great Hall alone. 

But at the Ravenclaw table, he still didn't see Miranda. 

Maybe she had already gone to the classroom, Hoffa thought as he sipped his oatmeal porridge. 

She sure got up early. 

Hogwarts' breakfast had a hotel buffet vibe—plentiful, filling, and not bad in taste. 

The only problem was that humans weren't the only ones eating. 

Halfway through breakfast, a large group of owls suddenly flew down from the castle's skylights. 

They carried letters and packages, each looking for their respective owners. 

Some young wizards were very skilled at managing their owls, keeping them well-behaved. Others (especially the girls), being too indulgent, let their owls walk around on the communal plates. 

When Hoffa fished a feather out of his milk oatmeal, he lost his appetite and quickly packed up to leave. 

He was afraid that if he didn't leave soon, he might experience the legendary "rain of owl droppings." 

... 

Back in his previous life, during elementary, middle, and high school, teachers would come to the classroom to teach. 

But here, young wizards had to learn early on to go to different classrooms for their classes. 

After breakfast, Hoffa followed the older students through several corridors before finally finding the Charms classroom. 

When he arrived, the room was empty. 

In front of the wall covered in ancient runes, a large clock ticked away. 

Hoffa scratched his head, feeling there was still plenty of time, so he left the classroom to explore other areas of the school. 

He opened his system panel. 

Current location: [Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]. Current exploration progress: 0.1%. 

One-thousandth? Hoffa was shocked. Yesterday, he had explored the Black Lake, the Great Hall, and Ravenclaw Tower, plus today's classroom. 

Yet his exploration progress was only one-thousandth! 

How big was this school? 

Compared to King's Cross Station, where a few steps could earn him rewards, Hoffa thought it might take him the entire year to obtain a second major magical knowledge. 

After checking a few classrooms, the exploration progress didn't budge. These places were too insignificant compared to the vastness of Hogwarts. 

Moreover, when he reached a room filled with unknown animal bones and specimens, a robed old man pushed him out. 

"You're not old enough for Care of Magical Creatures class. Go away, find somewhere else to be!" 

Being driven away, Hoffa sat back in the Charms classroom, thinking that his quest for the Disillusionment Charm needed to be prioritized. 

Exploring a magical school without knowing how to become invisible was a fool's errand. 

Many areas were off-limits to first-years. 

With Headmaster Dippet being so strict, and without the "Chosen One" halo to protect him, if he were caught exploring recklessly, he'd be placed under observation. 

After a while, the classroom gradually filled up. 

A group of children gathered together, chattering excitedly. 

They compared wands, trying to uncover each other's wand secrets. 

Hoffa placed his wand on his knee. When someone asked, he politely said his wand core was made of unicorn hair. 

After all, they couldn't dismantle it to check. 

The chatter continued for five minutes, during which Hoffa kept an eye on the large clock in the center of the room. 

Tick, tick, tick. 

The second hand completed a full circle, and the hour hand pointed to 9. 

The moment the hour hand reached 9, the door opened with a *click*. 

A man in a bronze robe stepped in precisely on time. 

It was Vice-Principal Adalbert Goshawk. 

Entering the classroom, he waved his wand, and the door slammed shut. 

The room fell silent, and no one dared to breathe loudly. 

Looking at the professor's stern, almost harsh face, Hoffa suddenly thought of Professor Flitwick, the head of Ravenclaw fifty years later. 

He was much more amiable. 

Goshawk stood in the center of the classroom, took a deep breath, and scanned the first-years with his gray eyes. 

"One person is missing. Who's not here?" 

The Ravenclaw students exchanged glances. Hoffa felt something was off. 

He looked around and realized Miranda wasn't in the classroom. 

She was late? 

Was that really okay... 

Professor Goshawk, seeing no one speak, pulled out a piece of parchment and began roll call. 

"Aglaia Delacour!" 

"Here," the blue-eyed girl replied indifferently. 

"Esme Miller!" 

"Here!" 

"Antonio Colen!" 

"Here!" 

"Hoffa Bach!" 

Hoffa quickly responded, "Here!" 

... 

After calling out over a dozen names, the old man's gray eyes scanned the room. "Miranda Goshawk." 

No one answered. 

The students lowered their heads. Hoffa felt the moment was quite awkward. 

He wondered how many people knew Miranda was the professor's granddaughter. She really wasn't giving her grandfather any face! 

Vice-Principal Goshawk, however, was unfazed. He put down the parchment and said slowly, "Late on the first day. Fifty points from Ravenclaw." 

*Hiss!* 

The entire class gasped. 

Fifty points deducted on the first day of class! This man really was the head of Ravenclaw! 

But it didn't end there. Professor Goshawk asked, "Who shares a dorm with her?" 

Among the lowered heads, the silver-haired girl Aglaia slowly raised her hand. 

Professor Goshawk: "Knowing a classmate is late but not waking them. Another twenty points from Ravenclaw!" 

The students around them all gaped in shock. 

Hoffa was stunned. This old man was even harsher than Snape. At least Snape only deducted points from Gryffindor, but this guy was deducting points from his own house and enforcing collective punishment! 

Aglaia was furious. "I didn't call her? 

I did call her, but she didn't want to come to your class! What does that have to do with me? 

Am I supposed to drag her out of bed...?" 

But the old man didn't give Aglaia a chance to explain. 

After deducting the points, he waved his wand, and all the textbooks automatically flipped open. 

"Charms are a precise discipline. Unlike Potions or Transfiguration, they are an ancient art passed down orally, only graspable by those with rigorous intelligence. 

"Feel the magic with your heart, control the spells with your mind, not your tongue..." 

Hoffa glanced at Aglaia, who was sitting with her arms crossed, fuming. 

She looked utterly miserable. 

Although the house had inexplicably lost seventy points, seeing her suffer made Hoffa secretly pleased. 

The old man lectured at length in the classroom. Hoffa took out his quill and, like the others, diligently took notes. If there was any advantage to having an adult soul, it was knowing how to be humble. 

In the field of magic, he was a complete novice. 

Halfway through the class, Miranda still hadn't shown up. 

Hoffa realized he knew nothing about this new friend. Perhaps beneath her gentle exterior lay a rebellious heart. 

The first class didn't give Hoffa a chance to test his wand, as it was a theory class focusing on pronunciation and gestures. 

With Goshawk being so strict, everyone could only watch him demonstrate various spells, not daring to try them themselves. 

... 

After Charms came Transfiguration, a joint class with all four houses. 

Hoffa was looking forward to this class. 

Dumbledore himself was teaching, and this was a rare opportunity only available in this era. In a few years, when the great wizard became headmaster, only Harry Potter would have the privilege of being taught by him. 

Thinking of this, Hoffa quickened his pace. 

Suddenly, a lazy voice sounded beside him. 

"Dumbledore's class. I'm really looking forward to it!" 

Hoffa turned his head. 

It was Miranda. 

She was carrying a stack of books and had suddenly appeared beside Hoffa, as if she had Apparated there. 

Her once neat black bob was now messy, like a bird's nest. 

There were dark circles under her eyes, and she looked sleep-deprived. 

Had she been sleeping all morning? 

The Ravenclaw students around them glared at Miranda, their eyes practically shooting flames. 

Aglaia had already pulled out her wand, her face dark with anger. 

Her murderous gaze seemed ready to pierce Miranda through. 

Seeing a fight about to break out, Hoffa quickly pushed Miranda into a nearby corridor. 

He whispered, "Are you crazy? Yesterday you told me not to mess with your grandfather in class! 

"Now, on the first day, Ravenclaw lost seventy points—fifty because of you, and twenty because of Aglaia!" 

Miranda widened her eyes. "Aglaia lost points too?" 

"Because she didn't drag you out of bed!" 

Hoffa whispered, "Hey, next time you oversleep, at least come to class to sleep!" 

Miranda shrugged. 

"Pfft, these people are so uptight. We'll just earn the points back. What's the big deal? 

"Besides, the House Cup isn't edible. What's the point of fighting over it?" 

With that, she casually pushed open the corridor door. 

However, the corridor had somehow turned into a bathroom entrance. 

The previous hallway was nowhere to be seen. While Hoffa and Miranda were talking, the layout of the place had completely changed. 

Hoffa was dumbfounded. 

He didn't know what was going on, but he didn't want to be late for Dumbledore's first class and leave a bad impression. 

Miranda's expression also turned slightly serious. She asked Hoffa, "What day is it today?" 

Hoffa said grimly, "Monday. Did you oversleep?" 

"Crap, Monday. These damn magical corridors. 

"Quick, follow me!" 

With that, Miranda pulled Hoffa into the bathroom. 

She counted the stalls, then pushed open the third toilet, revealing a deep passageway below. 

It was a secret passage! 

Miranda waved to Hoffa, "Get in!" 

Hoffa didn't know how Miranda knew about such a hidden passage, but he had no choice. He followed her into the tunnel. 

Once inside, Hoffa started sliding. The passage was as smooth as a playground slide, and the two of them slid faster and faster. 

After a long slide, Hoffa crashed into the hem of Miranda's robe, and they tumbled together. 

Fortunately, it was pitch black, and Hoffa couldn't see what he had bumped into. He quickly disentangled himself, his face slightly red. 

Miranda: "Lumos." 

After whispering the spell, her wand lit up, and they found themselves in a stone tunnel. 

"Follow me." 

Miranda calmly led Hoffa through the secret passage. 

After going up and down for about ten minutes, they finally emerged from the tunnel. 

They were inside the castle, with rows of paintings chatting on the staircases. 

As they spoke, the stairs beneath them shifted positions like restless gears. 

Right under Hoffa's feet, a staircase swung toward a solid wall, as if it wanted to crash into it. 

Without hesitation, Miranda grabbed the staircase and leaped. 

Hoffa couldn't stop her and watched in shock as she jumped off the high platform, which was at least seven stories high. 

Was this girl trying to kill herself?