The next day dawned.
As Luke emerged from Slytherin's basement, he noticed that delicate snowflakes had begun to gently descend from the sky.
"Is winter upon us already?" he mused.
The snowflakes, though small, added an enchanting touch to the surroundings, and a chilly breeze occasionally swept through the air.
The young wizards and witches around him had donned warm scarves, and Luke spotted Hermione diligently working on her homework at the dining table, wrapped in a patterned scarf of her own.
"Good morning, Hermione," Luke greeted her.
"Harry, Ron, um, and…"
Luke let out a tired yawn as he made his way over to the Gryffindor table. Over the past few days, he had become quite familiar with these spirited lions. Upon reaching Hermione's side, he couldn't help but notice a tall young wizard seated beside Harry.
"Andy Thomas, my roommate, and Ron's!" Harry introduced his close companion to Luke.
"Good morning, Luke. What did you think of last night?" Andy inquired.
Just then, Fred and George approached, their faces filled with anticipation. "We're eager for your response," Fred said.
"I've been studying hard these past few days. I'll provide you with an answer in a few days," Luke replied, gesturing towards the dark circles under his eyes. He had pulled an all-nighter the previous night.
"You're working too diligently," George remarked.
"What happened last night?" Ron, the younger Weasley brother, perked up. "You guys went out without inviting me and Harry!"
"Shh, lower your voice!" Fred and George hastily covered Ron's mouth, but he could only let out muffled protests.
"How can you be such a numbskull, Ronald?" Fred sighed in exasperation.
"Whooo-," Ron widened his eyes, casting an offended look at his two older brothers.
"Did you go on an adventure last night?" Hermione leaned in curiously once Luke had settled down. She noticed a new scent that replaced the usual jasmine fragrance.
"I ventured into the forbidden section to acquire some knowledge," Luke replied, glancing at Hermione and discreetly touching his nose. Thankfully, no nosebleed occurred this time.
He had never experienced nosebleeds in his previous life, so he couldn't fathom why they happened so easily now. Perhaps he had an excess of blood?
"I didn't expect you to go exploring at night too. Aren't you afraid of getting caught?" Hermione asked, noting down some points for their upcoming class.
"Fear not, Filch won't catch me. When I have the chance, I'll take you to see something fascinating in the dead of night," Luke assured her.
Hermione shook her head, determined not to be outdone in hard work. "I'm not going to miss out."
She cast a glance at Luke, noticing the faint dark circles under his eyes, a sign of his recent fatigue. Luke had been pushing himself too hard.
"Speaking of which, Christmas is approaching. Have you prepared any gifts?" Harry inquired, looking at the two of them. These young wizards and Luke had grown close during their time at school.
"Gifts?" Luke was taken aback. As an orphan, he had never been aware of Christmas gifts.
"But it doesn't matter; there are still many peculiar things about him.
These items had all been brought back from other worlds by the frog cubs – things like game consoles, snacks, books, and the like. These gifts were enough to amaze everyone.
"We're all set, and, of course, your Luke!"
The twins had arranged their gifts early in the morning.
"I think I need to prepare more."
Luke chuckled. His gifts were unique compared to the others'.
Since only the young wizards had no classes that morning, Luke had to come to the playground alone to practice his flying spell. As Luke ascended the stairs in the castle, he suddenly encountered a man with a purple hood in the corner.
Boom!
The books in Quirrell's hands scattered, and he fell to the ground.
"Professor Quirrell, are you okay?"
Luke crouched down and asked cautiously. But his eyes glanced at the back of the other's head. That's where Tommy, was. They had met once at the sorting ceremony, and Tom was also a professor of Dark Arts Defense. He hadn't expected to meet Quirrell here.
"No, I'm fine."
Quirrell adjusted his hat, which hadn't fallen off, and heaved a sigh of relief. After a moment, he stood up and took the book that Luke handed to him.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome, Professor."
Luke watched as Quirrell hurriedly left and touched his nose. Just now, his Sharinyan had seen the face on the back of the other's head.
"Meeting you for the first time, Tommy!"
A wicked smile appeared at the corner of Luke's mouth. He remembered that Rona's rat was Tom's henchman, Peter Pettigrew. And Luke had recently conducted some research on potion-making. To be honest, he didn't particularly like those things.
Upon arriving at the playground, Luke noticed that quite a few people had already begun practicing Quidditch. Among them, he even saw a female Seeker from Ravenclaw. Seems like a Ravenclaw student.
"Geralt, you're here too!"
Malfoy, who was flying on his broom, noticed Luke's arrival. He walked over, raised his broom, and showed it off.
"How about it, the broom my dad got for me, Nimbus 2000."
"Of course, you have a share too!"
With that said, Malfoy took it from his valet and handed it to Luke. Luke accepted the broom with a sense of surprise. He knew Malfoy wanted to outperform Harry, but he hadn't expected it to be so extravagant.
Nevertheless, he didn't need a showy broom. With that in mind, Luke cast a flying spell and joined the Slytherin training team. His strong control and excellent physique soon caught the attention of everyone on the training ground.
Because there was no ball he couldn't defend against, and no one could figure out how to block the balls he sent out.
Because his balls – they turned.
"It's just a simple use of magical power. Is it really that impressive?"
As Luke rested on the ground, he suddenly heard a voice.
"Cedric, the Hufflepuff Captain, you played a great game!"
.....
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