I Like Water Margin Gaiden

The next day, Sunday morning, the giant chessboard and Megatron were set up on the grass, with Professor McGonagall and Ross maintaining order, and the festivities continued as usual.

Tom didn't join in the fun. He took the permit Ross had given him and planned to go to the Restricted Section to look for books he didn't own.

Mrs. Greengrass practically ransacked the entire collection of books belonging to the Pure-blood families Britain family, including some books that weren't even in the Restricted Section.

But the Restricted Section also contains treasures that Pure-blood don't have, and he's here to fill in the gaps in his knowledge.

"Riddle?"

As soon as Tom entered the library, he heard someone calling him softly.

Turning my head, I saw Qiu Zhang sitting alone at the table by the window, holding a book in her hands, quiet and exuding the air of a literary and artistic young woman.

Tom felt a little embarrassed thinking about the embarrassing scene yesterday when he was caught red-handed altering Journey to the West.

But it also felt quite coincidental that the two of them bumped into each other on two consecutive days.

Since they had already greeted him, he couldn't pretend he hadn't seen them, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and walk over.

"Zhang, what a coincidence!"

"Just call me Qiu."

Qiu Zhang smiled gently and serenely, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "It's quite a coincidence. I rarely come to the library this early, and I didn't expect to run into you so soon."

Tom pulled out a chair and sat down, shrugging helplessly.

"I'm also a frequent visitor to the library, mainly because Madam Pince doesn't like me."

"If I flip through the books a little faster, she's afraid I'll tear up the ancient books in the collection, and she's always watching me and finding fault with me."

Qiu couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing this, "The whole school has heard about it. You even have your own nickname now. Everyone calls you the Library Book-Turning Maniac."

Tom looked completely bewildered. "Who's got so much free time on their hands? Giving me random nicknames for no reason, is this pure slander and defamation?"

"I heard it from Marietta Edgecombe."

Qiu glanced subconsciously at the library entrance and saw Madam Pince staring intently at the area, so she immediately lowered her voice.

To make sure Tom could hear her, she leaned forward slightly, and a light, pleasant scent of shower gel wafted over.

It's completely different from the sweet, cloying scents of other little witches.

Marietta Edgecombe, right?

Tom silently wrote the name down in his notebook, then turned around and gave it a polite "greeting".

"No need to be so careful," Tom casually reminded her. "I already activated Silencing Charm."

"Forget about eavesdropping, even if we were to have a quiet argument here, Madam Pince wouldn't hear a word."

Qiu was taken aback, then sat up straight, a little embarrassed, and glared at him reproachfully. "Why didn't you say so sooner! I was so nervous for nothing!"

Tom looked completely innocent. "You didn't ask me, so I can't just report it to you voluntarily, can I?"

"Riddle, the way you talk is really going to get you punched." Qiu shook his head helplessly.

Tom raised an eyebrow, full of confidence. "It's alright, there's practically no one in the entire school who can beat me."

This is no exaggeration. Looking at Hogwarts right now, apart from Albus Dumbledore personally taking action, no one can control him.

Even Snape now speaks to him in a soft voice, his attitude unusually docile.

There's a high chance they're still eyeing the Phoenix Feather he has and want to get something out of it.

"That's impressive, daring to confront even a professor in office head-on," Qiu joked.

"What you did last time was unprecedented in a thousand years. The school rules couldn't punish you. You definitely made history at Hogwarts."

Tom coughed awkwardly for a moment. "Don't mention it, it's nothing. Compared to that, my heavily modified Journey to the West is much more talked about, isn't it?"

Qiu saw through his attempt to change the subject at a glance and laughed as she exposed him.

"I noticed it yesterday; you deliberately stopped Daphne from talking. Next time they're chatting, don't you dare interfere."

Tom completely gave up, saying nonchalantly, "Fine, I'll avoid suspicion. As long as I'm not there, you can hear as many modified versions as you want."

"I really didn't expect that anyone at Hogwarts would have read the original Journey to the West." Qiu's eyes held a hint of curiosity.

Rumors about Tom have always been extreme, with some admiring his courage to defy authority.

Some people feared his domineering and powerful nature, saying he was violent and reckless.

But after getting to know him closely these past two days, Qiu felt that the rumors were largely exaggerated. This person was clearly easygoing and approachable, not at all as scary as the legends suggested.

Tom said casually, "Not just Journey to the West, I've read all four of China's classic novels."

Qiu's eyes lit up, and she asked curiously, "Which one do you like the most?"

Most Ravenclaw students are intellectually inclined, and Autumn was no exception.

She enjoys reading, simply to savor the quiet atmosphere and pass the time.

Unlike Hermione, who tries to memorize every single point of knowledge and engrave it into her brain.

Tom blinked, then surprised everyone with his statement. "My favorite is Water Margin, or more accurately, its spin-offs."

Are there side stories to Water Margin?

Qiu's eyes were full of doubt, but she never pretended to know what she didn't, and she herself wasn't very interested in male-oriented stories like those about chivalry and martial arts.

I only skimmed through the original texts and naturally didn't delve into them, so I simply skipped the topic altogether.

The two chatted for a few more minutes, then Tom got up and went to the Restricted Section to search for books.

Wilkinson granted him a full month's grace period, which was more than enough time.

He didn't need to stockpile all the books at once; he picked out ten rare classics and stopped.

He carried an old, high-level book of Transfiguration and sat down opposite Qiu.

The two tacitly stopped talking and each lowered their heads to quietly read their books.

Warm sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a shimmering golden glow on autumn's hair.

Cheers and laughter could be heard from the grass outside the window from time to time, all from students experiencing the giant chessboard and Megatron, creating a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.

The only things Tom complained about were, firstly, that the library didn't allow drinks, so it was a real shame he couldn't have a cup of coffee to perk him up; and secondly, that Madam Pince was the ultimate tyrant.

He strongly suspected that the administrator had paranoid personality disorder.

It's good to cherish the classics, but she's too controlling and rigid. She glares at students even when they're just having normal conversations or discussions, making the whole library deathly silent.

As a wizard, is it really that difficult to simply draw a soundproof partition or control the overall volume? Why insist on a one-size-fits-all approach to achieve extreme quiet?

Tom secretly vowed that he would one day become the invisible headmaster of Hogwarts.

The first thing to do is to reform the library and completely overturn this absurd set of rules.

The relaxing weekend passed in the blink of an eye, and a new week arrived as scheduled.

McGonagall and Ross would never allow students to indulge in play and neglect their studies.

The giant chessboard and Megatron experience will only be available on weekends.

However, the newly appointed Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, Ross, has completely won over the students.

Compared to Lockhart's previous outrageous behavior, Ross, with his genuine talent and humor, is like a godsend.