"You… you… how dare you? Fine… just you wait! You'll regret this!" Walburga stammered, suddenly timid.
She spat out threats as she stepped back, grabbed her brother's collar, and shoved him forward with force.
Alphard's legs seemed injured, so the shove threw him off balance. Wade reached out and gently lifted—an invisible force steadied Alphard and set him upright.
Alphard gripped Wade's sleeve, his thick front teeth making speech almost impossible; it frustrated him so much he was close to tears.
Tom drew his wand and touched Alphard's front tooth; in the next second it quickly shrank back to a normal size.
Wade gave Tom an approving glance.
"I'm… I'm fine, Wade, don't get into trouble with her for my sake…" Alphard said urgently, his speech finally clear.
"It's all right, I'm not afraid," Wade said.
Walburga sneered, "You'd better not be! Just you wait!"
She and her few pure-blood cronies started to leave.
"Did I tell you to go?" Wade said coldly. "Why wait? If you want to settle things, settle them now."
"You… what are you trying to do…" Walburga said in shock.
Boom!
The next second, she and the pure-bloods behind her were blasted backward, slamming hard against the oak doors of Hogwarts Castle.
No one had seen how Wade made his move.
Tom, watching from the side, felt a chill run through his limbs.
During their practice duels over the holidays, he had thought the gap between him and Wade had narrowed.
But now it was clear—those duels hadn't even been serious.
He hadn't even seen what happened, and they were already plastered against the wall. How was anyone supposed to fight that?
Then again… if even he could improve over the holidays, there was no way that monster hadn't grown stronger too.
"Ah—let me down!" Walburga finally realized she'd been attacked, shouting from where she hung on the door.
Alphard stared in disbelief at his sister hanging there, completely speechless.
"Alphard…" Wade said as he looked around at the surrounding club members. "We are partners, comrades. Do you still remember our motto?"
"Help each other, advance together," those around him murmured in low voices.
"So… Alphard, since you're our companion and our comrade, we won't stand by and ignore your misfortune, even if it means facing some trouble because of it."
"You… guys… sob.." Alphard sobbed, unable to speak.
"What are you all doing here?" Professor McGonagall came hurrying over.
When she saw several students hanging from the castle's main doors, her face paled noticeably.
For a brief moment, she even thought Grindelwald had appeared and attacked the students.
Fortunately, there was no sign of that demon anywhere.
"Can someone tell me what on earth happened here?" Professor McGonagall looked around sharply, then drew her wand and released Walburga and the others.
"It—it was him! He attacked us for no reason!" Walburga shouted viciously, pointing at Wade.
"Wade!?" Professor McGonagall looked at him in shock. She could hardly believe that Wade would do such a thing.
"No! Professor! Wade was helping me! I—" Alphard tried to explain anxiously.
"Alphard, relax… Professor McGonagall is asking me," Wade said gently.
Alphard sniffled, as if he still wanted to say something, but after meeting Wade's calm gaze, he suddenly fell silent without knowing why.
After seeing Alphard calm down, Wade turned to Professor McGonagall.
"Yes, Professor, I was the one who hung them on the door. The reason is simple—they hurt my brother, Alphard. Please take a look at him, Professor. Is this something a sister should ever do to her own brother?" Wade said, pointing to the curse marks covering Alphard's body and speaking loudly.
When Alphard heard Wade call him "brother," he couldn't hold back another choked sob.
And when Wade mentioned his injuries, he broke down completely, crying uncontrollably.
After all, Alphard was only twelve. Having suffered so much humiliation these past days, and suddenly finding someone willing to stand up for him—how could he not cry?
"This…" Professor McGonagall gasped when she saw Alphard's condition.
Though she was usually strict, at heart she was a kind young woman.
Seeing Alphard covered in bruises, her heart had already softened.
However, before she could speak, Walburga, emboldened by the professor's presence, immediately grew arrogant again.
"Professor! Alphard is my brother! No matter what I do to him, it's a family matter of the Blacks. Since when do they have the right to interfere?"
At those words, Professor McGonagall's softened expression instantly turned cold and furious.
After all, her dislike for Slytherin students had never been without reason.
It could be said that these arrogant and foolish pure-blood students were one of the main reasons Professor McGonagall despised Slytherin House.
That resentment had been rooted in her since her own student days.
Already unable to tolerate the arrogance of such so-called noble students, Walburga's words had hit McGonagall's breaking point head-on.
Looking at the sobbing Alphard, Professor McGonagall flicked her wand lightly.
Walburga and the other pure-blood students were immediately hung back up on the door.
Ignoring their loud protests behind her, Professor McGonagall said, "Alphard, I'll take you to the hospital wing. In your condition, you can't attend the Welcoming Feast."
"No… Professor… I don't want to leave my comrades… my brothers!" Alphard clung tightly to Wade's robe, refusing to let go.
After finally being rescued and finding someone to stand up for him, Alphard was terrified that if he left Wade and his friends, his sister would bully him again.
"This…" Professor McGonagall turned to Wade, questioning him with her eyes.
"If he doesn't want to go, then let him stay. I can heal his injuries," Wade said gently.
Professor McGonagall knew about Dumbledore and Headmaster Dippet's plan, and she understood how heavy a burden Wade would have to bear in the coming school year.
So, even though she hadn't been the one to make the plan, she still couldn't help feeling a quiet sense of guilt toward him.
For that very reason, Professor McGonagall hadn't mentioned any punishment—no point deductions, no detention, nothing.
It was the first time she had ever let a Slytherin student off without consequences.
"I heard from Dumbledore that you've studied healing magic as well… I'll trust you then. But if it doesn't work, don't push yourself—send him to the hospital wing immediately."
Wade looked at her in mild surprise.
Professor McGonagall seemed more lenient today than she had ever been before.
Perhaps… the school—or rather, Dumbledore and the others—had new expectations for him this year?
Wade thought quietly to himself.
"Go on inside. The first years will be arriving soon," Professor McGonagall said softly.
From the castle doors, one could already see the faint glow of lanterns scattered across the Black Lake.
The first years were crossing the water by boat…
"All right," Wade said, extending his hand and slowly moving it downward in front of Alphard.
Where his palm passed, the wounds on Alphard's body began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Everyone around them stared in shock at the sight.
"Wade, you…" Professor McGonagall looked at him in shock. "Your healing magic is that advanced?"
"I just have a good memory and learn quickly, that's all," Wade said modestly.
There was no need to explain how extraordinary his memory was, and combined with a level of comprehension nearly equal to Tom's…
It could be said that Wade's strength came not only from his immense magical power but also from his remarkable ability to learn.
"I… I'm all better?" Alphard jumped a few times, then stomped his foot hard, a look of joy spreading across his face.
Tom said, "Yes, you're fine. But if you don't want the new students to see your crying face, you'd better head inside now."
A wave of good-natured laughter rippled around them.
Feeling embarrassed, Alphard scratched his head, then glanced toward Walburga, who was still hanging on the door.
"Then… what about them…"
"I'll handle it. Go on inside," Professor McGonagall said sternly.
The crowd that had paused began moving again, streaming through the great doors.
From a distance, they could still hear Professor McGonagall's loud scolding of Walburga and her group.
At first, Alphard and the others still looked cheerful—until…
"…Alphard may be your brother, but he's also a student of Hogwarts! It's unbelievable that you would so wantonly harm your fellow classmate! Slytherin, minus one hundred points!"
Everyone stumbled slightly… they had almost forgotten—this young Professor's favorite thing was taking points from Slytherin.
And unfortunately… Walburga and her group were all from Slytherin.
"Wade…" Alphard almost started crying again.
"It's fine… we can earn them back," Wade said gently.
Tom nodded and said with quiet pride, "You know, if we didn't start the term with negative points, the other Houses might feel a bit embarrassed by the end of the year."
"Nice one, Tom! That really lifts the morale!" Wade praised.
Tom continued, "No matter what, you're our friend, Alphard…"
"Help each other, advance together…"
_________
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