"Honestly, when I first saw that big guy, I thought we were going to die!" Padma said while holding onto Hermione's arm. "Hermione, you were really brave."
Hermione blushed and said, "At that moment, I didn't think of anything else; my mind was all about the Levitation Charm. I mean—I'm really lucky, the most I've ever made float before was a textbook!"
"Bro, that Glisseo Charm of yours was amazing!" Michael said, gesturing with his wand. "Glisseo! You've got to teach me that next time during study sessions!"
"No problem." Wade turned to say, "—Harry, don't worry about Professor Snape's comments; using a bucket was a good idea. On the contrary, ordinary spells on a giant troll are about as effective as a mosquito bite."
"No wonder Michael's Body Freezing Spell didn't work before—later you didn't use direct spells on the troll," Harry said thoughtfully. "But I don't think I saw those two spells you used in The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)."
"Wade has already self learned the spells up to The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 3)." Michael said proudly, "And he spends all his time in the library and study room; he's learned more spells than all of us combined—even though school has only been in session for two months."
Harry felt a bit ashamed and inferior—if Ron, Michael, or even Malfoy knew more spells than he did, he could comfort himself by saying it was because they had learned at home.
But he knew that Wade and Hermione hadn't been exposed to magic before starting school, yet now they were among the best students in their year.
He couldn't help but wonder—Am I being too slack in my studies?
Watching the others chatting and laughing, Harry naturally joined the conversation. Ron, who tried to say something but couldn't find a moment to speak, trailed behind awkwardly.
Soon they reached a fork in the path and went their separate ways. Harry, Hermione, and Ron headed towards Gryffindor Tower.
Without Michael and the others to lighten the mood, the atmosphere among the three immediately became tense. They avoided looking at each other and quickened their pace back to the common room.
...
On the way back to Ravenclaw Tower, Padma pretended to be casual, looking ahead at the road, and said, "Wade, can I learn that Sliding Spell too? It sounds really interesting."
"Of course," Wade replied. "I have no classes tomorrow morning, so I can teach you then."
"Um— it might not be convenient in the common room. I heard—" Padma glanced quickly at Michael and asked, "Do you have a special place for practicing spells?"
After all, she was only eleven years old. Although she tried hard to make her request subtly, the hint was obvious.
Wade understood. He pondered for a moment and said, "I need to consult with others, but I think they shouldn't mind your joining."
"Of course—welcome!" Michael said with a smile.
"Great!" Padma couldn't help but jump with joy, then blushed and composed herself, smoothing out her clothes. "I'm honored."
Outside the common room door, the eagle-shaped knocker asked, "O, T, T, F, F, S, S, E, N, what is the next letter?"
"Um…" Michael, who wasn't great at riddles, rested his chin on his hand and pretended to think. After three seconds, he gave up and asked, "What do you think it is, Wade?"
"It's 'T'," Padma said.
"Correct," the knocker replied in a chanting tone, and then the door opened.
"Why 'T'?" Michael asked as they entered. "Is it the 'T' from Troll? Does the knocker know we defeated a troll today?"
He made an exaggerated expression, and Padma couldn't help but laugh. "It's the first letter of the numbers one to ten—One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten."
The common room was packed with people; it seemed like all of Ravenclaw was there. Several long tables had been added near the fireplace, laden with food and drinks.
The students were celebrating Halloween for the second time here, and it was even better than in the Great Hall—because there were no professors watching over them, telling them what they could or couldn't do.
Wade noticed that some of the usually solitary students had also chosen to stay in the common room, just sitting in the corners.
The common room had been decorated for Halloween, with a huge skeleton frame walking around, occasionally causing a scream; some students were wearing skeleton masks, which occasionally emitted eerie sounds.
"Want a bloody lollipop?" Terry enthusiastically offered a lollipop to Lisa.
Wade navigated through the crowd and headed straight to his dormitory—the stench of the troll seemed to still linger in his nose, and he wasn't in the mood to eat.
Padma watched his retreating figure with some unease and asked Michael, "Didn't Wade skip the dinner? Why isn't he joining the party?"
She worried that she might have made things uncomfortable, making Wade prefer to go back to the dormitory hungry rather than spend time with them.
"Don't worry, it's not your fault. Wade just doesn't like noisy places," Michael said casually, focusing on piling food onto his plate.
Padma sighed in relief and felt a bit hungry as well. After they had filled their stomachs to about seventy or eighty percent, they had some leisure to continue chatting.
"By the way, about your study group—when Wade consults with the others tomorrow, make sure to speak well of me!" Padma remembered this and couldn't help but remind him again.
"OK! OK! I promise to do my best!" Michael said with a smile, raising his hand.
—Consulting opinions?
Michael knew better than anyone that as long as Wade agreed, the others wouldn't have any objections.
Theo and Ryan were easygoing and wouldn't refuse a suggestion from a friend; Neville was timid and indecisive, and Michael thought he had no strong opinions; the only one who might be a bit difficult was Hermione, with whom Padma had just established a relatively good friendship.
Actually, when Michael first proposed that "joining new members must be approved by everyone," what he really meant was "if Wade doesn't agree, you can't bring anyone else in"—the restriction was aimed at the other four members.
He was well aware that while SSC appeared to be a collaborative group, most of the time, it was Wade who was doing most of the helping—
Wade's notes made it easier for them to understand the obscure expressions in their textbooks, his essay-writing techniques allowed them to complete high-quality assignments in a short time, and he helped them master various spells quickly and accurately.
Anyone who joined this group would quickly experience these benefits.
Gryffindor and Hufflepuff are both enthusiastic folks, and if they found the group beneficial, they might bring along other friends without asking—thinking that bringing in more members was contributing to the group!
In reality, it would only cause trouble for Wade, and SSC wouldn't last long this way.
Wade wouldn't openly refuse, but if the group grew larger and noisier, he would eventually slip away quietly to a secluded, peaceful place of his own, just like now.
That's why Michael had to establish rules, to restrain the enthusiasm of those two houses and also to tactfully refuse those who try to join through him.
The only exception is Wade—because he is the core and has the right to decide whom he wants to help.
Michael had never shared these calculations with anyone. At the moment, facing Padma's request, he just smiled and nodded, promising to persuade the others.
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