During breaks, Zhao Lun mainly spent time with the Weasley twins.
The brothers were well-acquainted with the academy and knew nearly all its secrets, except for a few places. Playing alongside them allowed Zhao Lun to quickly learn these hidden truths.
Of course, they were quite entertaining as well, making their time together anything but dull.
Following their lead, Zhao Lun became familiar with several of these small secrets as he had hoped.
Norway, whose memory was not the best, always relied on Zhao Lun to avoid getting lost. Zhao Lun did his best to accommodate him, earning his trust in the process.
Zhao Lun had a good learning ability, enhanced by his optical brain, which allowed him to stand out academically.
Due to his exceptional performance, which resembled that of a class genius, Zhao Lun became the center of attention. Students started to recognize him, and one could often see them pointing and whispering about him in the hallways.
From their conversations, Zhao Lun could tell that their reactions were mixed—admiration, jealousy, envy, and various other emotions.
What seemed to attract the most envy were the numerous girls who hurried past Zhao Lun, catching the eyes of many, such as Fred and George's younger brother, Ron Weasley, who watched with envy and muttered sour remarks.
"What's all this about? Just answering a question correctly! Hermione answered plenty, too!" Ron exclaimed.
Zhao Lun merely smiled and continued with his day.
On Friday morning, hundreds of owls flew overhead, causing a commotion in the dining hall.
Zhao Lun received two letters. One was a reply from Maria, informing him that she and the others greatly appreciated the snacks he sent. She also mentioned that she would continue with the private tutoring at home, and expressed how much everyone missed him, asking him not to forget to write. The letter came with a few recent photos—of Maria, Nicole, Angela, Monica, several pets, and the surrounding scenery. Zhao Lun spent quite some time looking at them.
Upon seeing these photos, he found himself missing Maria and the others.
The second letter was from Hagrid, inviting him to visit in the afternoon.
If his memory served him correctly, Hagrid had something interesting for him, so he responded, agreeing to meet up.
He was eagerly anticipating the Potions class that afternoon.
In the Potions class, when roll call was taken, Professor Severus Snape gave Zhao Lun a cold stare before moving on to trouble the "chosen one."
"It seems he remembers me," Zhao Lun thought, recalling Snape's glare during the sorting ceremony. He sat down, shrugging at Norway's worried look, indicating he wasn't concerned.
"You are here to learn the delicate art of potion-making," Snape announced.
"Since we don't have foolish students waving wands around, many of you may not believe this is real magic."
"I do not expect any of you to truly appreciate the beauty of potion-making."
"Think about it. When the potion simmers in the cauldron, slowly bubbling, white smoke curling upwards... And the liquid flowing through the veins of the human body, that liquid of incomprehensible power... It can be so captivating that it intoxicates the mind, enchants all your senses..."
"I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even... stave off death... As long as you are not as foolish as those other imbeciles I used to teach."
His classic words, venomous like a snake, left the students in shock.
Zhao Lun felt like he was watching a movie, eagerly recording it with his optical brain. He planned to run simulations and create a thrilling film as his personal treasure.
"Then I can show off to Maria. She'll definitely be pleased and kiss me, and Monica and the others will be impressed by their boss…" Zhao Lun couldn't contain the smile on his face.
"Do you find my words amusing, Allen Zhao?!" Snape's icy voice cut through the air, chilling the room.
The Gryffindor students dared not breathe, shooting him reproachful looks.
Meanwhile, Slytherin's Draco Malfoy and his cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, exaggerated their reactions, almost bursting into laughter.
They had long been displeased with Zhao Lun's class genius performance, and now that they saw their head of house causing trouble for him, they took great pleasure in it.
"Answer me!" Snape demanded when Zhao Lun remained silent.
"No! Professor, your words are so true! I finally understand; this is the truth, and I'm so pleased!" Zhao Lun replied earnestly, completely ignoring Snape's fiery temper.
His tone was so sincere that everyone could tell he genuinely meant it.
"..."
Both Gryffindor and Slytherin students stared at him, puzzled by his strange words.
Snape's gaze was fixed on Zhao Lun as though trying to read his very soul. Zhao Lun met his eyes calmly, unwavering.
"Hmph," Snape grunted, nodding before abruptly changing the subject.
"Potter! If you add powdered daffodil bulbs to mugwort juice, what would happen?"
The whole basement fell silent. Many students wondered if Harry Potter had fallen victim to Zhao Lun's innocent misfortune.
The "chosen one" paused, surprised that Snape, who had always targeted him, suddenly addressed him.
Though Harry briefly wondered if he was being dragged into something, upon meeting Snape's hateful gaze, he realized that Snape was simply looking for trouble.
"I don't know, Professor," Harry answered quietly.
Snape sneered, curling his lip.
For the Gryffindor students, the atmosphere of the class was pure torment. Everyone but Zhao Lun felt the pressure.
Especially after Harry lost a point for responding back to the professor, the tension increased, and several students made mistakes while practicing, earning reprimands.
Zhao Lun, however, remained focused on recording with his optical brain. In fact, Professor Snape's knowledge far exceeded what was written in the textbooks, but only Zhao Lun, who had received extra lessons from Malfoy, knew this.
Norway, being quite destructive, was a potential source of trouble, so Zhao Lun decided to help him. However, despite Zhao Lun's best efforts to keep an eye on him, the assistance proved ineffective, ultimately drawing Snape's attention.
"Allen Zhao! Focus on your own work."
Since Snape had instructed him so, Zhao Lun had no choice but to nod in agreement, distancing himself from Norway.
Zhao Lun's decision proved wise, as shortly afterward, problems arose with Norway.
First, he somehow managed to turn a simple burn ointment into a highly corrosive acid, which he used to melt through Seamus's cauldron, spilling the potion and causing several unfortunate students to have their shoes burned.
Everyone jumped onto the tables in panic. Norway seemed stunned and failed to react, getting splashed with the caustic liquid, leaving his arms and legs swollen and covered in painful blisters. Neville couldn't help but cry out in distress.
The classroom descended into chaos.
"Idiot!" Snape yelled in fury, drawing his wand and instantly cleaning up the mess.
He instructed Seamus to take Norway to the infirmary and, using the excuse of not reminding him, deducted a point from Harry.
Once again, the "chosen one" was dealt a blow, his spirits plummeting.
Aside from his initial assistance to Norway, Zhao Lun kept a low profile, silently observing the chaos.
"The trajectory remains unchanged; nothing has shifted."
Even with his arrival, the events continued as expected.
Zhao Lun wasn't trying to change anything. He needed to learn more about potion-making, and he didn't want to upset Professor Snape, the master of Potions.
Emotional matters were complex, and Zhao Lun had no intention of interfering.
After lunch, Zhao Lun retrieved some fruits from the "Divine Kingdom" as a gift and headed to Hagrid's invitation.
Hagrid lived in a small wooden house on the edge of the forest. Outside his house, there was always a stone crossbow and a pair of rubber boots.
Zhao Lun knocked on the door, and was greeted by a chorus of barking from a dog, followed by Hagrid's voice. When Hagrid saw Zhao Lun, he welcomed him inside.
"Allen, ah, come in, take a seat."
Hagrid was overjoyed to see Zhao Lun, offering some snacks and tea to entertain him.
Rockskin biscuits! Damn! Not again!
"Here, Hagrid, this is your gift."
Upon seeing the biscuits, Zhao Lun quickly handed over the fruit.
"You're too kind," Hagrid said, accepting the gift.
"No, it's just a gesture. It's a custom in China—you shouldn't visit without bringing something."
"Is this the Yaya you were talking about? Oh! How enthusiastic! Hagrid, you need to get it away! Damn! It's licking my face!"
Zhao Lun said, dodging the dog's enthusiastic tongue.
This was a Great Dane, much larger than the average dog.
It was so affectionate that it immediately started licking Zhao Lun's face in greeting.
Zhao Lun, frustrated, thought, "Are we that familiar? No need to be this eager!"
"Allen, don't blame it, it just likes you so much."
What made Zhao Lun even more speechless was that Hagrid, instead of helping, stood by laughing at the scene.
Zhao Lun quickly reacted, throwing some dog food with Divine Kingdom spring water to distract the dog. It immediately started eating.
"Oh? What's this?" Hagrid asked, puzzled.
"This is a gift for Yaya. How do you like it?"
Zhao Lun replied with a half-hearted smile.
"Yaya really likes it. Look, it's so happy eating!"
Hagrid was even more pleased. Anyone who could get an animal to like them was clearly a good person. Especially when Zhao Lun had brought a gift for the dog.
"Come have some tea." Hagrid poured tea from a large pot and finally brought out the hard rockskin biscuits.
"…Hagrid, try some of these fruits. I grew them myself. They must taste amazing."
Zhao Lun, eyeing the rockskin biscuits, felt a twinge of discomfort in his teeth, and decisively shifted the topic.
The rockskin biscuits were just too hard to digest, and he couldn't bear them.
But Hagrid, smiling from ear to ear, finally picked up one of the hard biscuits.
"Not bad, very chewy!" he exclaimed, so satisfied that Zhao Lun almost lost his appetite.
"Zhao Lun, stay for dinner. You're welcome anytime!"
"…Thank you. Next time, I'll definitely join."