Changes, Learning

Chapter 92: Changes and Learning

Just as Wade expected, the Slytherins didn't complain to the professors.

Seven or eight Slytherins ambushing a Ravenclaw of the same age, only to lose the fight and end up crying their eyes out—this kind of embarrassing incident was something even Malfoy, who constantly boasted about "my father," wouldn't want others to know.

After Wade left that day, the few of them helped each other to the Hospital Wing for treatment, claiming they had accidentally caused an explosion while privately practicing Potions. Such mistakes were common among students, but so many students getting injured was too outlandish. Madam Pomfrey believed Professor Snape had failed in his supervisory duty and complained for over half an hour.

Snape, hearing that many students from his house were injured, rushed to the Hospital Wing. Before he even entered, he heard Madam Pomfrey's complaining voice.

A bewildered Snape: "..."

He had no idea what was going on and thought it truly was his responsibility. He could only stand by the door, face grim, enduring the scolding.

—After all, Madam Pomfrey was already the Hogwarts matron when Snape was a student there. He and James Potter's quartet often clashed and he was frequently injured, receiving much care from Madam Pomfrey. Now, Snape could stand up to Dumbledore, but he always reined in his temper in front of Madam Pomfrey.

Though he didn't utter a word, his icy gaze swept over each of their faces. Snape immediately recognized that the widespread redness and swelling on their bodies were caused by a failed Pimple-Curing Potion. But Potions Class had been ongoing for over half a year; who could still make such a basic mistake?

If it were Gryffindor's Neville Longbottom, or "Explosions Expert" Seamus Finnigan, then there might be some possibility.

When Madam Pomfrey went to attend to other students, Snape walked over and asked, "What happened?"

Malfoy, his face covered in ointment, lowered his head, his expression unclear, and whispered, "It was my own carelessness, Professor."

Snape narrowed his eyes.

Draco Malfoy's posture struck him as familiar—just like himself over a decade ago, saying the same thing whenever he lay in the Hospital Wing.

But back then, he knew that even if he told the truth, no one could help him, and it would only invite scorn and worse bullying... Draco Malfoy, who had always been spoiled rotten by his parents, oblivious to the world, what reason did he have to conceal for his aggressor?

However, since he was part of a group that got beaten, Snape couldn't be bothered to intervene further. He had always felt that with Draco Malfoy's arrogant and foul-mouthed nature, a beating was inevitable sooner or later.

...

The next day at noon, Michael and Wade went to the Great Hall to eat together. When they encountered the Slytherins, Michael instinctively tensed up, but saw that the two—Millicent and Nott—both slightly lowered their heads, only resuming what they were doing after Wade and Michael passed.

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

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

Michael eyed him suspiciously, then nodded understandingly. "If it's a secret you can't tell, then just pretend I didn't ask."

"It's not a secret," Wade said slowly. "I can show you too, just hope you won't be too scared."

"How scary could it be?" Michael initially didn't believe him, then seemed to recall something and asked uneasily, "—Did you get a Boggart?"

A Boggart is a magical creature that can transform into a person's greatest fear.

Wade shook his head. "Not that... though if I had the chance, I'd like to see one..."

Several Slytherin girls, led by Pansy, walked past. Seeing Wade, they looked somewhat uncomfortable and actively nodded to him.

After several consecutive encounters, Wade noticed that the Slytherins—at least some first-year Slytherins—had a subtle change in their attitude towards him. It wasn't resentment, disdain, or a desire for revenge, but a hint of admiration and reverence mixed with their fear.

Slytherin students—they seemed to have a bit of a power-worshipping mentality...

This thought flashed through Wade's mind.

...

Without the Slytherins targeting him, Wade's school life was mostly occupied by studying. He didn't even go to the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff Quidditch match, only hearing that Harry caught the Golden Snitch in just five minutes, and that Snape, who was refereeing, reportedly looked extremely displeased.

The Undetectable Extension Charm proved unexpectedly difficult, especially since Wade wanted to create a storage box like Newt Scamander's, which seemed like a small world in itself. The difficulty was even higher, and Professor Murray advised him not to rush.

In his spare time, Wade also crafted two alchemy pieces to practice. One was a slowly rotating Mobius strip with a tiny figure walking endlessly on it. The other was a small crab that automatically swept and mopped, sometimes even spraying cheerful colorful bubbles. Hermione and Padma adored it.

Incidentally, on Sunday afternoon, Wade brought his insect sparring partners to the Umbrella Room, resulting in an unprecedented chorus of sharp shrieks from everyone. Harry blasted a praying mantis's front leg off with a powerful Disarming Charm, Hermione successfully cast the Shield Charm for the first time, and Michael used an Incendio to make a spider squeal.

It proved that despite their ugly appearance, the insect sparring partners were excellent teachers. By the end, even Neville had made significant progress—when Padma was being swarmed, he actually jumped onto the spider's back and jammed his Wand into its massive compound eye.

Lupin's magic lessons had also begun. The first spell Wade asked to learn was the memory extraction charm.

Lupin: May I ask—why do you want to learn this spell?

In the Book of Friends, Lupin's written words showed caution, as he subtly warned: According to Ministry of Magic regulations, any spell that tampers with another person's memory is illegal.

Wade: The user is myself. A moment later, Wade's reply appeared on the paper: I've forgotten something important that I must remember. Also, I want to learn Occlumency. Do you know it?

Lupin: Of course. During the Wizarding War, we all had to learn how to prevent enemies from directly obtaining information from our minds. But honestly, I'm not an expert in this area. The person truly skilled in this kind of magic should be Severus Snape.

Wade: I just need to know the basic practice methods, at least enough to prevent others from silently infiltrating my mind and seizing my will.

Wade would never ask Snape to teach him Occlumency, because those skilled in closing their minds are often also skilled in Legilimency, and he couldn't let anyone see through his thoughts and memories.

It was still more reassuring for him to communicate this way, through the Book of Friends. Even if the learning effect was somewhat poorer, Wade could slowly improve through practice.

In the Room of Requirement, Wade finished writing a line of text. While waiting for Lupin's reply, he looked up at a grey stone basin placed on a stone pillar.

The basin was flat and wide, empty inside, without a single drop of water. The outside was inlaid with a circle of glittering, ornate gems.

-----------

Machine Translation by: https:// randomtranslator.com/

Read ***+ original & fanfic translations in English, Español, Português, Deutsch, Français, or Русский 

Or Translate for free at : https:// randomtranslator.com/translate

Join our Discord: https:// discord.com/invite/XXUR9nkjwa

-----------