12, Odd Friends

Early the next morning, while it was still dim outside, Hoffa woke up. Ironically, he had not been much of a student in his previous life, with mediocre grades at school. He was the kind of person who would never put in six points of effort if five would do, and who would be too lazy to score ninety if eighty was enough.

But after coming to Hogwarts, he unexpectedly found himself motivated to study.

Was it because he was curious about magic?

Not really. It was because World War II was coming. Unless he could hide in the United States or Australia before the war broke out, nowhere on this planet would be safe.

Europe in particular was dangerously close to hell.

Running away was not Hoffa's preferred solution, so his only choice was to study magic properly before the war began and make sure he had some means to protect himself amid the future storm of bullets and fire. As for how much strength he would need, Hoffa figured he at least had to fully explore Hogwarts, obtain a second piece of divine knowledge, and gather all the spell fragments. Everything else was just a bonus.

There was an extra timetable on the bedside table. Hoffa picked it up and looked at it.

There were only two classes on Monday.

Charms and Transfiguration.

The first class was Charms, where the first-years of each House would meet their own Head of House. No students from the other Houses attended.

The second class, Transfiguration, was held together with the first-years from the other three Houses.

Hoffa remembered that Harry and Ron were often late. With Hogwarts' ever-changing environment, he did not want to be late. So while his other roommates were still lounging in bed, he got up.

Ravenclaw's communal washroom was east of the dormitories. Shared by boys and girls, it was an exceptionally tidy place. It had three floors: the top floor was reserved for prefects, while the lower floors were for ordinary students. Blue and turquoise tiles covered the place, and rows of faucets carved with eagle heads lined the walls.

Hoffa had bought a toothbrush, but he had forgotten to bring a cup. Back in London, he had thought a cup took up too much space, and since he only had one bag, he had not bought one.

Following some of the habits from his previous life, he figured it was the same whether he used a cup or scooped up water with his hands.

So he brushed his teeth lazily, then bent down and stuck his head beneath the tap.

When he raised his head with puffed cheeks and a mouth full of foam, he saw the person he least wanted to see in the mirror.

Argeleia.

That was right. She was up early too, standing behind Hoffa like a female ghost in a blue, star-speckled nightgown, holding a cup and all sorts of little toiletries.

Seeing that Hoffa had brought only a toothbrush and was catching water with his hands, her face twisted with disgust. As though she had woken up constipated.

Murphy's Law. The more you don't want to see someone, the more likely you are to run into them. Now there were only the two of them in the washroom, making things unbearably awkward.

Argeleia muttered in disgust, "Barbarian."

Hoffa suppressed the urge to pull out his wand and turn her into a crow. Expressionless, he spat out the rinse water, washed his face, and strode out of the washroom.

At that moment, he swore that no matter how she provoked him, he would not say a single word to this girl.

After washing up, Hoffa waited in the common room for a while.

One after another, his classmates got up and left the common room laughing and chatting with their friends.

But Hoffa did not see Miranda come downstairs. He thought she might have gotten up even earlier than him. So he went to the Great Hall by himself. Yet even at the Ravenclaw table, he still did not see Miranda.

Maybe she had already gone to class, Hoffa thought as he drank his oatmeal porridge. She sure gets up early.

Hogwarts breakfasts felt rather like a hotel buffet: plentiful, filling, and not bad at all.

The only problem was that humans were not the only ones eating.

Halfway through breakfast, a huge flock of owls suddenly swooped down through the castle skylights for no apparent reason. Carrying letters and packages, they each went in search of their owners.

Some young wizards were quite capable and kept their owls obediently under control. Others, especially girls, spoiled their owls too much, allowing them to wander back and forth among the communal serving dishes.

When Hoffa fished a feather out of his milk oatmeal, he lost his appetite. He quickly cleaned up and left. He feared that if he stayed any longer, he might witness the legendary spectacle of bird droppings raining from above.

When Hoffa had attended primary school, middle school, and high school in his previous life, teachers had come to the classrooms to teach. But here, young wizards had to learn from an early age to go to different classrooms for their lessons.

After breakfast, Hoffa followed some older students and crossed several corridors before finding the Charms classroom.

When he arrived, there was no one in the room. In front of a wall covered in ancient spells hung a massive clock, ticking away without pause.

Hoffa scratched his head. Seeing that he still had plenty of time, he left the classroom, intending to use the opportunity to explore other parts of the school.

He opened his system panel.

Current Secret Realm

[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]

Current Exploration Progress: 0.1%.

One thousandth. Hoffa was stunned. Yesterday, he had covered the Black Lake, the Great Hall, Ravenclaw Tower, and now today's classroom.

Yet the exploration progress was still only one thousandth! Just how huge was this school?

Compared with King's Cross Station, where he could earn rewards after taking just a few steps, Hoffa thought he probably would not obtain a second piece of divine knowledge even this year.

After checking several classrooms, the exploration progress had not changed at all. Such a tiny area was far too insignificant to Hogwarts. And when he reached a room filled with the bones and specimens of many unknown animals, an old man in robes shoved and chased Hoffa away.

"You're not old enough for Care of Magical Creatures yet. Go, go, go! Get out of here!"

Driven off, Hoffa returned to the Charms classroom without much enthusiasm, thinking that he needed to put finding the Disillusionment Charm on the agenda.

Trying to explore a school of magic without being able to turn invisible was simply a fool's dream. Many places here were forbidden to first-years.

Headmaster Amando was so strict, and Hoffa did not have a savior's halo to protect him. If he was caught wandering around wherever he pleased, he would be put on probation.

After a while, the classroom gradually filled up.

A group of children gathered together, chattering excitedly. They compared their wands, probing each other for the secrets of their wand cores.

Hoffa laid his wand flat across his knees. Whenever someone asked, he politely said that his wand core was made from unicorn hair. They could not exactly take it apart to check.

The noise continued for five minutes. Hoffa kept watching the large clock in the center of the classroom.

Tick, tick, tick.

The second hand made a full turn to twelve.

The hour hand moved to nine.

The instant the hour hand reached nine.

Click!

The door was pushed open.

An old man in bronze-colored robes opened the classroom door with perfect precision. It was Vice Headmaster Adbe Gorshak.

Upon entering, he flicked his wand, and the door slammed shut. The room instantly fell silent, and no one dared even breathe loudly.

Looking at the old professor's face, stern to the point of harshness, Hoffa suddenly thought of the Head of House fifty years later, the small Professor Flitwick. He too was Ravenclaw's Head of House, but he was much more lovable.

Gorshak stood in the middle of the classroom with his hands behind his back. He took a deep breath, his gray eyes sweeping over the first-years.

"One person is missing. Who isn't here?"

The Ravenclaw students looked at one another. Hoffa sensed something was wrong.

He looked around.

Miranda was not in the classroom.

She was actually late? Was that really a good idea...

Seeing that no one spoke, Professor Gorshak pulled out a sheet of parchment and began taking attendance.

"Argeleia Drases!"

"Here," the blue-eyed girl answered coolly.

"Ace Mira!"

"Here!"

"Antonio Coren!"

"Here!"

"Hoffa Bach."

Hoffa hurriedly answered, "Here!"

After calling more than a dozen names, the old man swept the room with his gray eyes. "Miranda Gorshak."

No one answered.

Everyone in the classroom lowered their heads. Hoffa felt awkward at that moment.

He had no idea how many people knew Miranda was his granddaughter, but she really was not giving her grandfather any face.

Vice Headmaster Gorshak, however, had clearly seen plenty in his time. He put down the parchment and said slowly, "Late on the first day. Ravenclaw loses fifty points."

Hiss! The entire House gasped.

Fifty points? Fifty points deducted on the first day of class? Was this guy really Ravenclaw's Head of House!?

And that was not all. Professor Gorshak asked again, "Who was closest to her in the dormitory?"

Among the students with lowered heads, the silver-haired Argeleia slowly raised her hand.

Professor Gorshak said, "You knew there was class but did not wake your classmate. Ravenclaw loses another twenty points!"

The surrounding students all gaped.

Hoffa was stunned. This old man was even harsher than Snape. At least Snape deducted Gryffindor's points. This guy deducted points from his own students and even punished them by association.

Argeleia's eyes widened furiously. "I didn't wake her? I did! She just didn't want to attend your class! What does that have to do with me? Was I supposed to drag her out of bed...?"

But the old man did not give Argeleia a chance to explain.

After deducting the points, he waved his wand, and everyone's books automatically flipped open.

"Charms are a discipline of precision. Unlike potions and Transfiguration, they are an ancient wizarding art passed down orally, and cannot be mastered by those without rigorous intellect. Feel magic with your hearts. Control spells with your minds, not your tongues..."

Hoffa glanced at Argeleia. She stood there with her arms folded, cheeks puffed in anger, looking utterly miserable. Though Ravenclaw had somehow lost seventy points, seeing her get put in her place gave Hoffa a secret thrill.

The old man lectured at length. Like everyone else, Hoffa pulled out a quill and took notes rapidly. If an adult soul had any advantage, it was that he knew how to be humble.

In the field of magic, he was a complete novice.

By the middle of class, Miranda still had not appeared. Only then did Hoffa realize that he truly knew nothing about this new friend. Perhaps beneath her gentle exterior lurked a rebellious heart.

The first class gave Hoffa no opportunity to test his wand, because it was a theory lesson focused mainly on syllables and movements.

Besides, Gorshak was so strict that everyone could only watch eagerly as he demonstrated various spells. No one dared experiment on their own.

After Charms came Transfiguration. It was a large joint class with all four Houses, and Hoffa was full of anticipation.

Dumbledore was teaching personally. Only in this era could one have such an opportunity; after a few years, when that great wizard became Headmaster, only Harry Potter would receive such an honor.

Thinking of it, Hoffa hurried along.

Suddenly, a lazy voice sounded beside him.

"Dumbledore's class. I'm really looking forward to it!"

Hoffa turned his head. Well, well. It was Miranda.

Carrying a stack of books, she suddenly appeared beside Hoffa as though she had Apparated there.

Her neatly cut black hair, smooth and obedient yesterday, was now messy like a bird's nest. There were dark bags beneath her eyes, and she looked as though she had not slept enough.

Had this girl spent the entire morning asleep?

The surrounding Ravenclaw students glared furiously at Miranda, fire practically shooting from their eyes.

Argeleia had already drawn her wand, her face dark.

She stepped forward, the killing intent in her eyes nearly piercing Miranda through.

Seeing that a vicious fight was about to break out, Hoffa quickly pushed Miranda into a side corridor and whispered, "Are you crazy? Yesterday, you told me not to go against your grandfather in class! And now Ravenclaw lost seventy points in its first lesson. Fifty because of you, and twenty because of Argeleia!"

Miranda's eyes widened. "Argeleia lost points too?"

"Because she didn't drag you out of bed!" Hoffa whispered. "Hey, next time you want to sleep in, at least come sleep in the classroom!"

Miranda spread her hands.

"Tch, these people are way too tense. Whatever points get deducted can be earned back. What's the big deal? Besides, you can't eat the House Cup. Why fight so hard over it?"

With that, she casually pushed open the corridor door.

But the corridor before them had somehow turned into the entrance to a washroom.

The passage from before had vanished. During the brief moment Hoffa and Miranda had been talking, the entire layout had changed.

Hoffa stared in disbelief. He did not know what was going on, but he certainly did not want to be late for Dumbledore's first class and leave a bad impression on him.

Miranda's expression turned slightly serious as well. She asked Hoffa, "What day is it today?"

Hoffa's face darkened. "Monday. Did you sleep yourself stupid?"

"Damn it, Monday. These bloody magical corridors. Quick, follow me!" As soon as she finished speaking, Miranda grabbed Hoffa and ran into the washroom ahead.

She counted to the left and right in the washroom, then shoved open the third toilet stall in the row, revealing a deep passageway below.

A secret passage!

Miranda waved Hoffa over. "Get in!"

Hoffa had no idea why Miranda knew about such a hidden passage, but he had no other choice. He could only follow her and jump inside.

The moment he entered, he began sliding. The secret passage was as smooth as a kindergarten slide. One after the other, they slid faster and faster.

After a wild ride downward, Hoffa crashed headfirst into the bottom of Miranda's robes, and the two of them rolled into a tangled heap.

Fortunately, it was pitch-black, and Hoffa had no idea what he had hit. In any case, he quickly untangled himself, his face a little red.

Miranda said, "Lumos."

As she spoke softly, light flared from her wand. They were standing in a tunnel lined with stone slabs.

"Follow me."

Calmly, Miranda led Hoffa swiftly through the secret passage.

They went up and down, and after ten minutes, they finally crawled out of it.

They were now inside the castle. Rows of paintings conversed in the stairwell. Amid their chatter, the staircases shifted beneath them like restless gears.

Right under Hoffa's feet, the staircase swayed toward a solid wall. It seemed determined to smash itself to death against it.

Without hesitation, Miranda grabbed hold of the staircase railing and leaped.

Hoffa had no time to stop her. In shock, he watched her jump down from the high platform. It was at least seven stories to the floor below.

Was this girl trying to kill herself?