The Happy Little Wizard

The Wizards carried their schoolbags and walked out, Avery shaking the water off his sleeves.

Alex repaired the shattered glass. Hermes had already reached the door, with Lina and Samuel following behind.

Flitwick was organizing his lesson plan on the podium, <Standard Spells - Beginner>, when he waved to the students who were leaving.

Regulus stood up, placed the neatly frozen glass of ice on the windowsill, and stepped out of the classroom.

The Great Hall was bustling with activity at noon, like a pot had been boiled over.

The long table was piled high with food.

Thick slices of roast beef are arranged on Porcelain Plates, Yorkshire Pudding is drizzled with gravy, mashed potatoes are piled high, steaming vegetables are rising, and a whole roasted salmon lies on a silver plate, its surface baked to a golden brown.

Pumpkin Juice and sparkling water were laid out in the middle of the long table, ready for you to take as you please. Garlic bread in the bread basket was fresh out of the oven, and Butter was slowly melting in a dish. The ceiling reflected the sky outside, a bright, clear blue, with a few wisps of clouds hanging in the sky. Sunlight streamed down, illuminating the Hufflepuff at the long table on the east side.

The young Wizards chattered away.

A few fifth-graders in Gryffindor are arguing about the Quidditch lineup for next month. One says the Chaser should be replaced, while another slams his fist on the table and says the current lineup has been in sync for a whole year, so why change it?

Over at Ravenclaw, someone had spread their notes next to their plate, poking at a potato with their fork, staring at the parchment, and muttering to themselves—probably preparing for their final exam.

The Hufflepuff were in a circle, with an older student gesturing in the middle. Judging from the laughter, it was probably another unfunny joke told by a professor in class.

Two fifth-graders were leaning against the wall in a corner, their heads very close together. The girl's blonde hair fell down, obscuring their faces. The boy next to them tactfully moved aside to give them more space.

Homework, Quidditch, dating—these are the few troubles a little wizard has.

Exam week is still far off, the paper deadline hasn't arrived yet, it's Friday, everyone's waiting for the weekend, and a lazy restlessness permeates the entire Castle. Regulus cuts the roast beef on his plate, his ears filled with the surrounding noise.

He put a piece of beef in his mouth and chewed, his gaze sweeping from the Slytherin table to Gryffindor, and then from Gryffindor to Hufflepuff. These faces—smiling faces, frowning faces, faces whispering together, faces staring blankly at a plate of mashed potatoes—were all enveloped by this Castle.

Dumbledore stood at the door, McGonagall patrolled the Corridor, and the professors kept the wind and rain outside out of the stone walls.

So here you can laugh, you can argue, you can bang on the table for Quidditch lineups, you can spread your notes out next to your plate while eating and memorizing, and you can do whatever you want in a corner without a care in the world.

That's not entirely true outside.

Most of the time, the outside world is peaceful; at least before the war officially begins, leaving the school gates won't lead to anything fatal.

But there are always exceptions.

Edgar Tom, who sat in this very Great Hall last year, had a seat at the Hufflepuff table, surrounded by friends; some of the upperclassmen might still recognize him now.

This year, I was living in an abandoned mining village in Yorkshire when I was bitten by a lone Werewolf. My life took a turn for the worse, and my life has been completely different ever since.

It wasn't during wartime, nor was it on a battlefield. It was just an ordinary day when I went to the swamp to collect herbs and stumbled upon this.

There's no logic to these things; you just run into them. It's bad luck, but more often it's a matter of not being capable enough.

Most of the people here fall into this category: not particularly capable, but carefree, as if their fate is determined solely by how unlucky they are. Regulus looked away, put the last piece of beef in his mouth, and put down his knife and fork.

He glanced at the guys at the table, then stood up and walked out.

Avery hesitated for a moment, then jumped up first to chase after them, followed by Alex and Hermes, with Lina and Samuel bringing up the rear. As they passed the Gryffindor table, Regulus glanced at it.

Sirius was sitting next to James, stuffing a roasted potato into his mouth.

Cheeks puffed out, chewing, chewing, chewing.

Perhaps sensing something—maybe a gaze, maybe something else—he looked up and met Regulus's eyes.

He paused for a moment, still chewing.

Then he bared his teeth at Regulus, and bits of roasted potato almost fell from the corner of his mouth.

He raised an eyebrow, his eyes shining with a somewhat deliberate intensity, exuding an aura that said, "Look at me, I'm exactly the same as always."

A little silly, a little dazed, a little indifferent, a little carefree.

Regulus looked away, no longer glancing at him.

Sirius wasn't like this before.

Previously, in public places— Corridor, Great Hall, anywhere else—when he encountered Regulus, he would simply nod, perhaps offering Pumpkin Juice, showing familiarity while maintaining a distance.

Only when they were alone, walking backwards on the cobblestone streets of Hogsmeade, or comparing heights in the Corridor of Grimmauld Place, would he grin, raise an eyebrow, and utter those nonsensical words.

Now, in the Great Hall, amidst the crowd, under the gaze of dozens of Gryffindor and Slytherin, he bared his teeth at Regulus. He was trying to act as usual, as he always had, as he had when it was just the two of them.

This kind of effort is abnormal in itself; feigned indifference is easier to see through than silence.

It's probably related to the fight yesterday. I either hit someone of his or was hit by someone of his. I saw him again today and didn't know how to face him, so I just tried to brush it off in the most outward way possible.

It could also be related to the funeral the night before last, to Lucius, and to everything he hasn't accepted yet.

Regulus continued toward the cellar.

In the Slytherin common room, the fire in the fireplace was burning brightly.

Regulus sat down on the sofa by the fireplace, Avery plopped down next to him, Alex sat down on the sofa opposite, Hermes leaned against the armrest next to Alex, staring blankly at the fireplace.

Lina and Samuel stood to the side of the sofa, not intending to sit down.

Regulus looked at them and gestured with his chin towards the ground. "Sit."

The two looked at each other, then sat down next to Alex, their shoulders hunched and their legs pressed together.

Regulus fell silent and looked at each of them in turn.

Alex was looking down at his shoelaces, Hermes was staring at the fireplace, Lina shrank closer to Alex, and Samuel kept his head down. Finally, he looked away, but not at Avery.

Avery shifted slightly, his knee bumping against the sofa armrest. He opened his mouth, then closed it again, then opened it again, but Regulus still didn't look at him. Avery turned around completely, leaning forward, almost raising his hands.

Regulus's gaze steadily passed over him and landed on the fireplace.

Alex sighed. "I fought with Gryffindor last night."

Regulus turned to him.

"Herbology Class is over, we're walking back from Greenhouse No. 3," Alex rubbed his fingers together, trying to sound as objective as possible, "James Potter came with his gang, Black"

I mean, Sirius, Sirius, what did you say? Not only did you chat and laugh with Death Eaters at the funeral, but you also raised a bunch of Pure-bloods lackeys, saying that we are all your lackeys.

Avery replied that they were four good-for-nothings who only knew how to bully Half-bloods and younger students, and that the other side had attacked first.

Sirius pointed his wand at Avery, Potter chimed in, and Lupin tried to stop him but couldn't.

Avery couldn't hold back any longer; he practically leaned against Regulus, his eyes gleaming with smugness, and slapped the armrest of the sofa.

"James Potter's stone-breaking spell went completely awry; the spell flew to the left, and he attacked to the right, only to be tripped up by my Slowing Charm, his nose hitting the ground, and blood spurting out like this."

He held up his finger to indicate the length in front of his nose, about two inches, then, feeling it wasn't enough, stretched it out further. "This long!" He later got up and hurled curses at me, hitting my leg and leaving a bruise.

He slapped his thigh, wincing in pain, but stubbornly insisted, "That little bruise is nothing."

"That curse on your leg was from him," Alex glanced at him and added, "And Madam Pomfrey did your nose job too." "Madam Pomfrey's potions are effective; I was fine after drinking them," Avery said nonchalantly, a grin spreading across his face. "That punch in the face was my way of paying him back; my nose was bleeding profusely."

If you hadn't pulled me back, I could have slapped him again.

Alex turned to Regulus: "Lina and Samuel are fighting Peter Pettigrew. Pettigrew is small and slow, to be honest—" He shrugged, his tone relaxed, and continued, "Not very good, but he's a third-year student after all."

Then he turned to look at the two people beside him. "Lina first used Softening Charm to soften the stone slab under his feet, and he slipped. Samuel followed up with a Disarming Charm, knocking his wand away."

Then Lina cast a Petrifying Spell, freezing him in place, his hand still gripping his wand. The two of them took him down in a few moves."Lina looked up, her eyes brightening for a moment, a slight smile playing on her lips, before quickly suppressing it and lowering her head, her fingers rubbing back and forth on her knees. Samuel hummed softly beside her, glancing down at Lina before looking away.

Alex then looked at Hermes: "Hermes to Sirius."

Hermes kept staring at the fireplace, even more intently than before.

His posture remained unchanged, his buttocks resting on the sofa armrest, his legs stretched out, his ankles crossed on the ground, as if the flames in the fireplace were the most wonderful thing in the world.

But he knew everyone was watching him.

Alex waited a moment, and seeing that he showed no intention of speaking, he continued the conversation for him.

"No Dark Arts was used, and the fight was evenly matched. Sirius immediately used Avis and Disarming Charm. The spell was very fast, Hermes blocked it."

Later, Sirius switched to the Explosion Charm. Hermes blocked one with Slowing Charm, but the second one went astray, grazing his arm and burning a hole in his robe.

Hermes returned the Reducto, striking Sirius near his feet instead of hitting him, Sirius dodged it.

They fought for about six or seven minutes, and both of them were injured. Sirius had a scrape on his face, and Hermes had a burn on his arm. Later, Madam Pomfrey applied medicine to it.

Finally, Professor McGonagall arrived and separated the two sides.

"Five to four," Alex concluded, "That's a tie."

"We won!" Avery turned and glared at him, dissatisfied with Alex's statement. "Lina and Samuel took down Pettigrew, so it was five against three—you're siding with outsiders, aren't you?"

Alex emphasized, "Potter and Lupin didn't fall either."

Avery corrected, "Who slapped Lupin with that curse mark on his face? I did! He didn't even recognize himself when he looked in the mirror afterward."

Alex added, "And then you got hit by Potter from the side."

The two stared at each other for a moment; Alex's expression was calm, while Avery's nostrils flared.

Then Avery snorted, slumped back on the sofa, and crossed his arms. "We won anyway."

After listening, Regulus thought these guys had performed alright.

Five against four, second graders against third graders, it's a tie.

On Sirius's side, James and Sirius are known for their fighting prowess in Gryffindor, considered the top tier of third-year students, especially Sirius, who could almost be ranked number one.

Lupin wasn't bad either, and while Peter was timid, his skill level was really not high.

On their side, Hermes was able to hold his own against Sirius without using Dark Arts, Avery and Alex weren't overwhelmed, and Lina and Samuel worked together to take down Peter.

These guys have been practicing for so long, they've actually gotten quite good at it.

As for Potter and his friends, the three third-year students plus Peter were evenly matched against the five second-year students.

He waited until the third grade, then beating up the second graders wouldn't be so difficult; there wouldn't be enough second graders for him to beat.

Hermes was still staring at the fireplace.

This guy was the most guilty. While the others were a mix of excitement and nervousness, he didn't glance at Regulus once from beginning to end.

Alex might not have said everything; he probably played quite hard against Sirius yesterday.

But this is good, Sirius needs encouragement.

Lily hadn't even made a move when she got beaten up by a second-grader. Whether she wins or draws, if she can't take him down in one move, that's just bad.

Lina and Samuel were genuinely nervous; they were both staring at him, their shoulders hunched, as if they had done something wrong and were awaiting criticism.

Regulus nodded to them first. "Not bad."

Lina was stunned for a moment, and although she was prepared to be scolded, she was caught by the professor, who was Black's older brother. In the end, Black said it was good.

Her face instantly broke into a smile, her eyes lit up, and she straightened up immediately.

Samuel lowered his head, let out a soft breath, and relaxed his shoulders.

Regulus turned to Alex: "Give them some guidance when you have time."

Alex nodded immediately. "No problem."

"Thank you, Black!"

Lina's voice was clear and crisp, while Samuel's was lower. The two spoke almost simultaneously, their voices overlapping.

Regulus looked at Avery again.

Avery was grinning, his chin slightly raised, his eyes full of smug anticipation for praise.

Regulus asked, "That's it?"

Avery's smile froze for a moment, his gaze drifting to Alex, Alex was looking at the fireplace.

It then drifted toward Hermes, Hermes was also looking at the fireplace.

He cleared his throat, his voice lower than before. "Professor McGonagall caught us."

Regulus remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

"Points have been deducted. Slytherin lost twenty points, Gryffindor also lost twenty points."

Avery spoke casually, trying to downplay the matter. "Professor Slughorn said that since it's a first offense, solitary confinement will suffice." Regulus asked, "What solitary confinement?"

"Tonight, we're going to the Forbidden Forest to gather some things for the professor: Moonlight Moss and Glowcap Mushroom, which he says are for making Calming Draught. Hagrid will take us there."

Avery curled his lip. "With Potter and the others."

After listening, Regulus said, "That's good."

Avery opened his mouth again, Alex looked up, and Hermes turned his eyes toward the fireplace.

Regulus said, "I'll go too."