The Most Correct Decision

When Wade returned to the dormitory, he found an unexpected visitor there—a House-elf dressed in a tea towel stood in the middle of the room, staring at him unblinkingly with her gray-green eyes. She gave him quite a fright.

Wade nearly flung out a spell. Only after seeing who it was did he relax. "Zoe? Why are you here?"

House-elves generally took pride in never appearing before their masters, so apart from the kitchen, Wade had never seen one of Hogwarts' House-elves anywhere else.

Zoe twisted her long, slender fingers, clearly feeling awkward too. In a soft, squeaky voice, she said, "Wade Grey did not eat dinner, and Zoe was a little worried. Zoe knows she should not have appeared, but Zoe came anyway. Zoe wanted to know if Wade Grey was feeling unwell."

"I'm fine." Wade crouched halfway down and said, "The troll was just too smelly. I don't have much of an appetite right now."

Zoe said earnestly, "But not eating is bad for the body. Wade Grey gave Zoe a gift, and Zoe likes it very much. Zoe is also concerned about Wade Grey's health and does not want him to go hungry."

House-elves had an interesting way of speaking. Whether referring to themselves or others, even face-to-face, they used the third person.

Wade looked at Zoe. The tiny Pumpkin Carriage still hung from her waist, the light in its lantern flickering on and off.

"All right." He sighed. "Could you bring me some fruit? Don't turn it into jam or pudding—just fresh fruit. I'll eat some after my bath, then go to sleep."

"Yes, sir!" Zoe nodded happily and vanished from the room with a pop.

When Wade emerged from the bathroom, still covered in misty moisture, he found a basket of fruit on the table—apples, pears, bananas, several strawberries, and a bunch of gleaming green grapes. Everything had been washed clean, with droplets of water still clinging to them.

Wade picked up an apple and took a bite. It was plump and juicy, and he felt deeply moved.

In his previous life, his mother had been devoted to healthy living. She believed that a person should eat twelve kinds of food every day to provide sufficient nutrition, with vegetables and fruit being especially important. Sometimes, she could go an entire month without repeating the same foods.

After being reborn, Hogwarts' food was far more abundant than what he had eaten at home, but most of it was Roast Meat and desserts. There were few kinds of vegetables, the cooking methods were monotonous, and fresh fruit had never appeared on the long tables.

At that moment, Wade made up his mind: after graduation, he wanted to visit the East—magic was the wings of miracles, but the future lay in the East.

Besides, this world had mysterious powers there as well. Perhaps he would get to see even more wondrous sights.

Padma's admission into SSC went very smoothly. No one raised any objections. After all, not only was the girl intelligent and generous, she was also very beautiful. Her deep-set eyes and brows seemed naturally affectionate, making Theo and the others blush without realizing it.

Hermione, meanwhile, spent more and more of her time studying, because Wade put her under tremendous pressure. In the most recent Transfiguration Class, Wade had successfully turned a mouse into a beautiful little teapot, its lines so delicate that it looked like a piece of craftsmanship freshly placed on a shelf. Professor McGonagall loudly praised Wade's Transfiguration and said that his current level was enough to earn an "O" in the final exam.

At the same time, Hermione knew that Wade's owl had brought him the complete sets of the Standard Book of Spells and Intermediate Transfiguration from Diagon Alley. So although Hermione was already one of the best first-year Gryffindor students, she still felt that she was falling behind. She studied so hard every day that she became irritable, snapping at Ron several times. Ever since Hermione had knocked out the troll, Ron had stopped finding fault with everything, and he no longer whispered behind people's backs.

Now, Ron actually hoped Hermione would give him some guidance, because he had realized that everything Hermione said was right. But Hermione had finally corrected one of her habits of always wanting to teach others. She tried to turn a blind eye to the Gryffindors' various violations of school rules, which improved her popularity in the house a little. Especially with Harry—they could almost be considered friends.

Wade heard Hermione complain almost every day: "They have a whole weekend to do their homework, but they only write a title! Then, when it's time to hand it in, they panic and say—Hermione, please let me copy your homework!"

"And did you let him copy it?" Wade asked as he wrote.

"Of course not!" Hermione wrinkled her nose and said disdainfully, "What good does copying homework do? But I promised I'd check it for him after he finishes!"

"But, Hermione—" Padma asked in confusion, "wouldn't that just make more work for you?"

Hermione looked at her as if she were unbelievable. "That's how he'll learn something!"

The two girls looked at each other. After a moment, they tacitly skipped over the subject.

By the time Padma had finished her homework, only Neville was still biting the end of his quill and struggling onward. She stuffed her parchment into her schoolbag and lightly stepped around the partition wall. To prevent students practicing spells from disturbing those doing homework, Wade had recently added a sky-blue partition wall to the Umbrella Room, dividing it into two sections at a one-to-three ratio, with a Silencing Charm placed between them.

On the other side, two rows of Targets stood in the room. Most were old and battered, damaged beyond even a Repairing Charm, but they could still be used. The entire wall at the far end was fitted with mirrors. Wade said they would make it easier for everyone to correct their movements at any time.

Michael repeatedly used Incendio to set a Target alight, then Aguamenti to put it out. Theo took turns tormenting his Target with Diffindo and Reparo. Hermione was using the Dancing Spell on a Spider, whose long, thin legs flailed wildly through the air.

Ryan pointed his Wand at a gray rat that was peeking about in front of him and chanted, "Petrificus Totalus!"

The rat's body suddenly stiffened, with only its tail swaying faintly. A moment later, it shot forward and, with a bang, transformed midair into a short piece of branch.

"Petrificus Totalus. When you make the circle for this spell, use your wrist as the center. When you change direction, make it sharp and fast."

Wade flicked his Wand, and the branch floated in the air. He tapped it with the tip of his Wand, and it turned back into a rat.

"Petrificus Totalus!"

Wade demonstrated once. In an instant, the rat's Claws and tail pressed tightly against its body, stiff as a board. Even its pitch-black eyes seemed to reveal terror.

It fell to the floor with a bang, completely like a stone.

Wade lifted the spell and had Ryan continue practicing. Then he walked over to Padma and asked, "Do you want to learn Slippery Slope first, or practice other spells?"

"Well..." Padma stuck out her tongue and said embarrassedly, "Actually... even my Repairing Charm only works sometimes..."

She waited for Wade to show an expression that said, This is a huge problem, but he merely tapped the Target beside him with his Wand. The wooden Target immediately split down the middle.

Wade said, "Then we'll start with the Repairing Charm. Let me see your level first."

When Padma raised her Wand, her arm was trembling slightly.

—She suddenly realized that she might have made the most correct decision since entering school.

She would definitely learn a great deal here!

"—Reparo!"