"…A midnight duel? Oh my gosh, how could they do this? If they're caught, how many points will Gryffindor lose? Hey! You can't do this! Allen, you should talk some sense into them, this is against the rules!"
When Hermione heard about the duel, she immediately tried to stop it, not only for herself but also pulling Allen along to intervene.
"Hey, Hermione, you shouldn't interfere with true love, even if this love might not have a happy ending."
Allen continued with his idle chatter.
"Allen, they're dueling!" Hermione said sternly.
"There's no duel. Malfoy proposed it for love, I think it's a unique date idea, so there's no danger."
"You shouldn't stop them, the opportunity is too rare."
"It's late, Hermione. You should rest."
Allen said a few words, then began yawning, growing sleepy.
That night, many people stayed awake. Some who were asleep pretended to be, deliberately snoring to appear asleep.
Dean and Seamus's snores were louder than usual, and anyone passing by could hear them.
Meanwhile, Allen, when Hermione came over to him, tried to convince him to stop Harry's actions, which were violating school rules.
Seeing that Allen wasn't going to intervene, Hermione stormed off in frustration.
The others who had been pretending to sleep immediately got up, running towards Allen and surrounding him.
"Allen, is it true that Malfoy and Harry are dating?"
"I think we should go check it out."
"I believe we should help Harry defeat the evil Malfoy and stop him from having any delusions about Harry."
"No! We should listen to Allen. You guys should know, he knows more than we do."
"I think we should stop Harry. If he gets caught, Gryffindor will lose points again, and he's already caused a lot of points to be lost recently."
The group was so animated, their chatter was loud enough to make Allen's ears ring.
"Guys, I don't think you should worry. Someone has already gone to handle it. I think by tomorrow, we'll know the result."
"And about their love affair, I heard it from Crabbe and Goyle. It may not be entirely accurate, but you can ask them for details. If they're not talking, just offer them some snacks, they'll gladly share."
"Alright, that's enough. Let's not discuss it anymore. I'm going to sleep."
To avoid trouble, Allen placed the blame on Malfoy's lackeys and then ignored the situation, diving into the virtual world of his mind, where he browsed through some magical geography books, eventually falling asleep.
The next morning, when he woke up, everything was quiet. Everyone else was still sleeping.
Allen knew they had likely stayed up to wait for the outcome.
He didn't disturb them, quietly getting up, washing up, and heading to breakfast.
Last night, the annoying Malfoy didn't show up. Harry and Ron had gone on a little escape adventure and discovered some secrets, which was thrilling for them, and they had stayed up excited for a long time.
When they woke up in the morning, they were exhausted and yawning at breakfast.
Although tired, they were in good spirits. However, while walking, they noticed that people were pointing and whispering about them, as if discussing something.
"Ron, what are they saying?"
Harry asked Ron. At the start of the term, everyone had pointed at him. Now, some time had passed, and almost no one did it anymore. The fact that it was happening again today caught his attention.
"Do you think they've found out about last night?"
Ron was worried. They had already caused Gryffindor to lose many points. If their secret got out, they might be punished.
At that moment, they saw Malfoy, who was staring at them in disbelief.
They acted as if they didn't see him and ignored him, their minds still on the three-headed dog they had seen last night and wondering what was hidden behind the door.
While Allen was eating breakfast, Hermione sat next to him.
"Allen, you were right. Malfoy didn't go. It was all his scheme."
"Last night was so dangerous, we almost got caught by Filch. And we encountered a three-headed dog. By the way, there was also a Norwegian..."
"It's all Harry and Ron's fault. They've caused Gryffindor to lose so many points."
Hermione, comparing them to Allen, felt disappointed. She no longer had the fondness she once had for them. Every time she saw them, she was filled with concern about whether they had caused Gryffindor to lose more points.
"Hermione, you can't blame them. They were provoked, and they retaliated. It's normal. The only reason they lost points was because they were too reckless."
Allen understood them better. At their age, except for someone like him, everyone else behaved similarly. You couldn't expect too much from kids like them.
Allen smiled at her and then offered her a plate of sliced melon, enjoying his own post-meal snack.
"Where did you get this fruit? Why does your fruit always taste better than everyone else's?"
The fruit was sweet and fragrant, something that Hogwarts didn't have. She only found this kind of fruit with Allen.
"Secret."
"Hmph! Acting mysterious!"
The fruit was so delicious that it filled her up.
Suddenly, a flurry of owls flew in.
The most eye-catching were six owls carrying packages.
One owl flew toward Allen. It was Maria's little owl, and it immediately flew over to him affectionately, asking for food and divine water from his homeland.
Allen gave the little one the food and water he had prepared. The little owl happily ate, drank the water, and then flew off contentedly.
"I've got to go. You take your time here."
Allen waved to Hermione and left before she could say anything.
The letter contained news from Monica, telling him that everything was fine at home and that the tasks he had arranged were progressing. The bounty guild had already been set up, and now they just needed people to maintain it.
There was also a letter from Hodar, mentioning that the Su Empire was in chaos, with turmoil among high-ranking officials, which was starting to spread to the common people.
They had found the person they were looking for in cold Siberia and were preparing to make contact with the target. The letter contained their basic plans.
Allen saved Maria's letter for last. The handwriting was childish, and the content simple, expressing longing in small snippets.
Allen read the letter over and over again, remaining silent for a long time.
After much contemplation, he took out pen and paper to reply. His deep longing was poured into the thin sheet of paper.
Finally, he didn't forget to write back to Monica and Hodar.
During class, Hermione came over again, informing him that Harry had received a Nimbus 2000 broomstick.
Through closer contact, Allen had long since lost his curiosity about Harry Potter, the so-called savior of the magical world.
In his eyes, Harry was just an impulsive youth. His aura of fame was merely the protection of his parents' love and the hype from others.
Apart from the scar on his forehead, he was just an ordinary wizard, an unlucky child caught up in the conflict.
Allen felt out of place in this world, so he wouldn't intentionally get involved in the fights. As long as others didn't trouble him, he wouldn't go looking for trouble himself. He only cared about protecting his friends around him.
Classes, homework, for Allen, even without the help of the mind assist, he could finish them quickly. As for mind assist, completing tasks became incredibly easy.
For others, the most convenient task was copying assignments. For him, the most time-consuming task was exactly that—copying assignments, and he hated it.
His time was relatively abundant. When he wasn't resting, he spent it at the library reading.
Now, Madam Pince had stopped keeping an eye on Allen.
He left his geography book behind and dove into research on magical tools, reading books related to them.
Based on his ideas, he began constructing new products, like using his knowledge to create magical items.
On the weekend, he went with Fred to explore the school kitchen and listened to them talk about getting food there.
The house-elves in the kitchen were very welcoming and served him food. Knowing where the kitchen was, Allen never had to worry about going hungry.
He was pleased to add a new location to his map.
As time passed, Allen continued his studies happily, using his abilities to answer questions and keep his presence known. He would also chat with beautiful girls and make new friends.
He earned Gryffindor quite a few points. Apart from Hermione, he became a top student and a figure of great influence. Many students took the initiative to get to know him.
Among them, Cho Chang and Penelope Clearwater, the Ravenclaw Prefect, also became his friends. They all had pleasant conversations.
Then came Halloween.
Pumpkins were everywhere, and the number of pumpkin pies on the tables noticeably increased. The whole of Hogwarts was filled with the scent of pumpkins.
Courses also entered a crucial phase, and Professor Flitwick finally began teaching levitation charms.
Levitation Charm: Wingardium Leviosa!
A Norwegian toad had the honor of experiencing the magic, flying around the room.
This made everyone envious, and they eagerly threw themselves into learning. When practicing in pairs, Allen and Hermione worked together.
They successfully cast the charm, making the feather in front of them levitate. Allen had learned it at home and demonstrated it on the train, so now he just needed to confirm it and practice with Hermione.
"Oh, well done! Everyone look, Miss Grant and Mr. Allen! They succeeded!"
"Nice work! Ten points for Gryffindor!"
Professor Flitwick clapped enthusiastically, and for a moment, the two became the focus of attention.
They were in high spirits, but not everyone felt the same. For instance, Ron, who was paired with the Norwegian toad, swung his
wand about with all his might, still struggling.
"Honestly, what's wrong with you, Ron?"
Allen threw him a puzzled glance.
"You should stop before you blow up the toad. If not, the next time I pair with you, I'll make sure you fly first."
He didn't want to ruin the class atmosphere with a pointless rivalry. But, of course, Allen was someone who rarely took the initiative to provoke others.
For this reason, many students thought that Allen, who had no enemies, was too smart, too extraordinary.
They were impressed by his talents and more intrigued by his secret.
Would they ever find out the truth about him?
That's something only Allen knew.