Wade was always the last one to leave the Spell Study Group sessions.
Some people liked to save up all their questions until the very end, dumping them on him all at once. Others had done their homework and wanted to discuss how to apply the Spells. And then there were those who seemed to just hang around to network, chattering on about nothing in particular.
Before he knew it, the session would have stretched on for another half an hour. By the time Wade was walking back to the common room, he felt utterly exhausted.
However, these study groups weren't just about giving and helping others for him.
In the process of teaching others, Wade felt as though he was reassembling his knowledge, gaining a deeper understanding of the Spell, and clarifying his own thoughts.
Moreover, even if others weren't as skilled as Wade, their ideas and perspectives could still inspire him. By drawing parallels, the more he analyzed, the simpler knowledge seemed to become.
As Wade walked, he mentally organized and summarized what he had gained that day. The castle was unusually quiet at this hour, with only the sound of his own footsteps echoing in the empty corridor.
"Once proud and tall, now cowering in the wall, a toothless serpent, feared by none... la la la la la la... feared by none..."
From another floor, Peeves's song drifted faintly, his raspy voice sounding a bit noisy, like some eerie background music.
Suddenly, Wade felt a chill beside him. A ghost with a vacant stare and robes stained with silver blood emerged through the wall. It turned and glanced at Wade, said nothing, then sank down and disappeared through the floor.
A moment later, Wade heard Peeves shriek... the sound fading into the distance...
The song stopped.
Once the surroundings became completely silent, a faint sound grew clear.
At first, Wade thought it was the pipes, or Moaning Myrtle hiding on some toilet, feeling sorry for herself. But after listening carefully for a moment, he realized it was a deeply suppressed, yet still audible, sob.
It was a boy's voice, and it sounded familiar.
Wade stood quietly in the corridor. Perhaps the quiet environment made the person relax, for he wept uncontrollably, his sobs mixed with heavy breathing and the sound of him blowing his nose.
"Damn it... damn it... damn it!"
The faucet turned on, water rushing, and Malfoy splashed cold water on his face, then choked and coughed violently from the water.
Wade didn't continue to witness another's vulnerability and pain. He simply softened his footsteps, changed direction, and quickly left.
...
In the blink of an eye, it was the morning of October 30th. The entire castle had been spruced up, even the portraits hidden in corners had been scrubbed clean.
As Wade passed through the Entrance Hall that morning, he heard Griffiths loudly complain, "The dust on my clothes is antique! You little things, show some respect!"
But the Cleaning Crabs ignored him, scuttling across Griffiths's face with a clicking sound, constantly emitting transparent bubbles from their rear. After the crabs crawled past, the portrait was spotless.
Only Griffiths was unhappy. Unusually, he didn't stop students to chat in the Entrance Hall, but instead turned his back in a sulk, only showing everyone his back.
Then the little crabs scuttled back over and cleaned his back as well.
"You ill-mannered brats, clean your dirty shoes!"
Filch's roar rang out, and two first-year students scrambled away in fear.
The upcoming event had made the caretaker extremely tense. His murky yellow eyes were like searchlights, scrutinizing every student who passed by, occasionally letting out a bellow—
"Wipe the mud off your clothes! Every student must be absolutely neat!"
"Slobs, look at these footprints! Your parents should be ashamed of you!"
"No eating in the corridors! No crumbs on the floor!"
"He's terrifying, that guy!" Michael had been scolded for a bit of dust on his hem. When he sat next to Wade, his face still held the dazed look of someone who had just been verbally assaulted.
"If anyone threw a Dungbomb in the corridor right now, I have no doubt Filch would pick up a statue in the corridor and smash the culprit with it!"
"While his methods are a bit extreme, it's also for the honor of the school." A gentle voice spoke from behind them.
"Oh, you sound just like Hermione, but the person getting yelled at can't be as rational as you two." Michael's mouth twitched. He turned around, put on a cute smile, and said in a high-pitched voice, "Good morning, Professor Flitwick."
"Morning!" Professor Flitwick, who wasn't as tall as Michael even when standing, said cheerfully, "I hope you don't actually have Dungbombs hidden in your dormitory, Michael."
"Of course... of course not." Michael looked down and said sincerely, "I was just talking, but you know, Professor—I never do anything silly like that."
Two passing Gryffindors rolled their eyes at Michael.
"Excellent," Professor Flitwick said. "You've got dirt on your elbow, do you know?"
He pointed. As Michael looked down to check, Professor Flitwick nodded to Wade and walked towards the teachers' table.
Wade casually cast a Scouring Charm and looked at Michael curiously. "Where did you get so much dirt on you this early in the morning?"
Their clothes were thrown into the laundry basket every night before bed, and the House-elves would take them to be cleaned. In the morning, a clean, ironed set was always placed by their beds.
Of course, some boys would leave their clothes scattered or stuff smelly socks under their beds or in their trunks. In such cases, the elves wouldn't touch them arbitrarily, but Wade knew Michael wasn't that unhygienic.
Hearing this, Michael blinked, a mysterious smile on his face. "You're not the only one who wakes up early, Wade. But the Black Lake in the morning is truly captivating."
Wade understood. "Did you find a new girlfriend again?"
Michael's lips curled into a lazy, satisfied smirk. He drew out his words, "Hmm... how should I put it?"
Suddenly, he was bumped from behind and nearly face-planted into the cake in front of him. Michael angrily got up and turned around, only to see Padma and a few other girls walking past, laughing and chatting, without even glancing at him.
He suddenly felt a bit guilty, wiped the cream from his nose, and sat down dejectedly.
"Come on, it's time for class." Wade stood up, picking up his bag.
Michael pushed away his cake and followed him out. A moment later, Filch's hoarse roar echoed from the doorway:
"You! Yes, you! What's on your face? Cream! And it's all over your face! Clean it off immediately, or I'll make you scrub armor with a toothbrush! I mean it!"
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