Harry Potter: Even Voldemort Can't Stop Me from Studying

For whatever reason, increased time spent together subtly changes relationships. Some grow closer—like Wade and his SSC companions; others become more hostile—like Potter and Malfoy, whose squabbles had become a common sight at Hogwarts.

In the evening, Wade and Michael returned to the Ravenclaw common room just as curfew approached.

As soon as they entered, Michael was called away by two girls—tomorrow was Halloween, and the students were excited.

A small party was being held in the common room, and Michael was one of the few first-years invited.

Older students had bought plenty of butterbeer, rum, and whiskey during the Hogsmeade weekend, and the common room was now filled with an intoxicating scent.

Michael tried to pull Wade along, but Wade waved him off—Wade always avoided such gatherings.

Last time, he'd seen two people who barely knew each other drunkenly kissing on the sofa, surrounded by a cheering crowd splashing beer, exuding an atmosphere of debauchery and indulgence.

Although Wade had lived in the West for eleven years, his thinking remained reserved and understated. He was much more cautious about relationships and physical contact than his classmates.

Returning to the dorm via the spiral staircase, the room was as neat and tidy as ever. The clothes he'd taken off yesterday had been washed, ironed, and neatly folded in the wardrobe.

On his desk was a kettle of plain boiled water, gently steaming. Wade poured himself a cup; the temperature was just right.

Hogwarts' Great Hall tables usually only offered various fruit juices, vegetable juices, or hot chocolate, and students typically drank cold tap water.

Wade wasn't used to this. Some time ago, he tentatively left a note on his dirty clothes, writing that he hoped to have hot water when he returned to the dorm.

The next morning, he woke up to find a steaming pot of black tea on his desk—the house-elves probably didn't quite understand "hot water," perhaps because no one had ever made such a request of them before.

So, Wade added another note: "Thank you for the black tea. However, I'd like plain hot water, boiled from clear water, no tea leaves added."

From that day on, no matter when he returned to the dorm, a kettle of perfectly warm water would always be waiting for him, and it was the same in the mornings.

It had to be said that at least half of the comfort of life at Hogwarts came from the house-elves.

Before going to bed, Wade placed three miniature pumpkin carriages on his desk—he had created them using Transfiguration. A tiny, glowing green lantern, the size of a bean, hung from the front of each carriage.

To: Zoe, Phil, Habi Thank you for your consistently thoughtful service. These are your Halloween gifts. Wishing you a Happy Halloween!

Waking up early, it was already Halloween, and the entire castle was filled with the scent of roasted pumpkin.

The pumpkin carriages on the desk had vanished, replaced by a fresh kettle of hot water, a plate of pumpkin cookies, a bunch of fresh flowers, and a pile of pretty little pebbles.

The heart-shaped cookies smelled delicious, the fresh flowers still had dew drops on them, and the thumb-sized pebbles looked like gemstones. These were all carefully prepared return gifts from the house-elves.

Wade couldn't help but smile.

He didn't despise the gifts from the house-elves for being cheap—the house-elves belonged to Hogwarts, and they truly owned nothing but the tea towels on their bodies, and even those tea towels technically belonged to Hogwarts.

Halloween wasn't a holiday. The first class of the day was Charms, and Professor Flitwick divided the students into pairs to practice the Levitation Charm. Wade was paired with Anthony Goldstein.

"Don't forget that subtle wrist movement we've been practicing!" Professor Flitwick squeaked. "Swish and flick! Remember, swish and flick your wrist! Pronouncing the incantation correctly is also very important—never forget the wizard Baruffio, who said 'f' instead of 's' and ended up lying on the floor with a buffalo on his chest! Alright, begin practicing!"

The students began reciting in a babble: "Wingardium Leviosa!"

The feather in front of Wade immediately floated up—he had already used this spell many times in the Umbrella Room, mainly for moving tables and chairs.

Hermione and Michael also succeeded shortly after. Professor Flitwick clapped his hands happily, saying, "Very good, I'm giving you two points—each!"

What followed was an even more astonishing sight—the feather in front of Neville shakily floated up, like a turbulent little boat in the waves, hovering two feet above him.

The Gryffindors' eyes nearly popped out in surprise, because Neville had always been clumsy in every class, and no one praised him except Professor Sprout.

Moreover, the Levitation Charm was quite difficult for young wizards; most of their feathers were still motionless. So, seeing Neville perform the Levitation Charm (though not yet perfectly) was as shocking as seeing a troll do ballet.

"Excellent! Excellent, Mr. Longbottom!" Professor Flitwick shrieked, hopping with delight. "Five points to Gryffindor!"

"No way? Longbottom actually succeeded?"

Wade heard Anthony beside him say in astonishment, then he cast the spell over and over, but his feather remained still.

Anthony was a tall, sturdy boy. His incantation was fine, but the delicate and subtle "swish and flick" motion was too difficult for him. He practiced repeatedly, his movements becoming increasingly distorted.

"Wait!" Seeing that he was about to poke the back of the front row student's head with his wand, Wade grabbed his wrist and said, "Try this—"

He drew a steep curve on a piece of paper, like a sine wave, marking the direction with arrows and noting where it should be faster. He enlarged it and floated it in front of Anthony, saying, "Wave your wand along this line, don't go out of bounds."

Anthony didn't question it. As fellow Ravenclaws, they both knew that Wade's Charms ability was arguably the best in their year. The blond boy first practiced silently to himself, then waved his wand—

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

The feather immediately floated up. Under Anthony's command, it rose higher and higher, even touching the chandelier overhead.

Anthony watched with a delighted expression, almost reluctant to put his wand down.

Terry Boot and Lavender Brown, sitting to their left and right, exchanged glances, almost simultaneously reaching out their hands.

Lavender ultimately snagged the parchment with superior agility, pulling it over to her group.

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

On the right side of the classroom, more and more feathers floated up, naturally drawing Professor Flitwick's attention.

Lisa Turpin had just snatched the parchment when she saw a small hand pull the parchment away from below. Professor Flitwick glanced at it and smiled, saying, "Oh, a very clever guiding method—"