Credits

Cho Chang was about to emphasize just how terrifying Grindelwald was to Li Wei when she saw his little face already furrowed in a frown.

She thought Li Wei was scared and quickly changed her tone, intending to comfort him.

But Li Wei's brows had already relaxed, and a smile appeared on his face as he bent down and scooped up an adorable purple-furred kitten.

"Nami, where did you run off to all morning?"

"I was worried sick about you. Hurry up and eat something!"

Li Wei took out some Moomoo Milk, along with half a steak from his plate that had been cut into pieces, and fed Nami, the little thief cat Purrloin who had been missing all morning.

"Pshoo~ pshoo~"

Nami stood upright with her little paws on her hips and let out a spirited cry, looking utterly pleased with herself.

Li Wei could understand her. The little thing had actually gone on a "great" adventure through Hogwarts Castle and had become the boss of all the pets in the castle!

She even proudly told Li Wei that if anything happened in the future, she would have his back.

"Eat your lunch already!"

Li Wei stroked Nami's little head and swallowed the words "what a braggart."

With how magical Pokémon were, perhaps Purrloin had not told a single lie.

Watching the heartwarming scene between the boy and the cat, Cho Chang swallowed the words she had wanted to say.

So he had been worried about his pet. No wonder he had been frowning.

Forget it. With Headmaster Dumbledore protecting him, she should not scare Li Wei.

What if Grindelwald's terrifying deeds made Li Wei cry? With Penelope not around, she would not know how to comfort him.

Li Wei, who was feeding the cat, had no idea what the older student beside him was thinking. The reason he had frowned was because Grindelwald escaping from prison had never happened in the original story.

Although Grindelwald, the ultimate villain of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, had appeared from the very beginning of the Harry Potter story on Dumbledore's Chocolate Frog card,

he did not appear again until 1998, after Dumbledore fell to his death from the tower, when Voldemort tortured him for the whereabouts of the Elder Wand. And when he did appear, it ended in death.

Throughout the Harry Potter story, Grindelwald had basically remained atop the tower of Nurmengard, in a state of self-imprisonment.

What had made him choose to escape from prison?

Could this really be some transmigrator's butterfly effect? Did my arrival cause Grindelwald's escape?

Li Wei felt that idea was utterly absurd!

Other than being Headmaster Dumbledore's student, he had no possible connection to Grindelwald. Even magic had to follow some logic, right?

Forget it. If he could not figure it out, he would stop thinking about it.

Grindelwald was not a lunatic like Voldemort. Even if he broke into Hogwarts, he would probably only be coming to catch up with old Dumbledore.

Even if he wanted to lead the wizarding world into war with the Muggle world, that would be a matter for the future.

Besides, even if Li Wei knew why Grindelwald had escaped, he had no ability to stop him.

Rather than spend time thinking about that, he might as well read for a while and play with the cat!

Li Wei watched with a smile as Nami finished her lunch. Then he waved his wand, summoned a glowing ball of light, played with Purrloin for a while, and prepared to head to Greenhouse One at Hogwarts for Herbology.

"Wait, Li Wei—and everyone from Ravenclaw."

Prefect Robert called out to Li Wei and the Ravenclaws chatting around the dining table, informing them,

"Due to unexpected circumstances, Deputy Headmistress Professor McGonagall has called an emergency staff meeting. All afternoon classes have been postponed by an hour. After finishing lunch in the Great Hall, everyone is to study at their tables."

After delivering the notice, Robert hurried out of the Great Hall.

The situation had arisen suddenly. He still had to work with Penelope to find the Ravenclaws who had not gone to the Great Hall for various reasons and ensure their safety.

Fortunately, Hogwarts was a magical castle. Ghosts and the moving portraits on the walls could both serve as sources of information.

Otherwise, even if the two prefects worked themselves to death, they would never be able to find someone in such a massive castle in such a short time.

Penelope had already gone ahead to the unmonitored girls' bathroom. Robert grabbed a piece of bread, took several huge bites, and vanished through the doors of the Great Hall as well.

Being a prefect really was not easy.

Anyway, once I reach fifth year, I'm definitely not becoming a prefect.

Li Wei watched Robert leave, staring at his hurried figure as the thought arose in his heart.

There was not even enough time to study, and he wanted to become a prefect and take part in school administration? Unless Li Wei could make clones of himself, he would never dare dream of something so wonderful.

But Professor McGonagall had called a staff meeting?

Does that mean Headmaster Dumbledore might not be at school?

Li Wei's thoughts began to wander.

Come to think of it, Grindelwald had escaped from prison. How could Headmaster Dumbledore possibly sit still? He had probably Apparated to Nurmengard long ago to look for his old lover and old rival.

But with the headmaster gone, who was keeping an eye on Voldemort, attached to the back of Professor Quirrell's head?

Professor McGonagall? Professor Snape?

Whoever it was, Quirrell would not let such a good opportunity slip by. He would definitely try to enter the secret chamber where the Philosopher's Stone was hidden.

And then... then he would get bitten by a dog!

Li Wei thought gleefully. It was only the first day of school. Aside from Dumbledore and Hagrid, no one knew how to deal with Fluffy, the three-headed hellhound guarding the trapdoor.

With that thought, he relaxed and returned to his seat at the dining table.

The remains of lunch had already been silently cleared away by the house-elves.

Li Wei took an old textbook from his bag, a gift from Mr. Grave Sanchez, and began reading Encyclopedia of Carnivorous Plants.

It was an advanced textbook required for Herbology. Chinese Chomping Cabbages, Devil's Snare, Venomous Tentacula, and other magical carnivorous herbs were all described in the book.

He planned to memorize the book as soon as possible, grow some potted plants for fun, and see whether he could trigger a new MOD.

In a sense, the Sorting Hat had not been wrong at all to want to sort Li Wei into Gryffindor. He actually dared to keep such dangerous magical carnivorous plants as potted plants!

Using the pretense of reading, Li Wei opened his Learning MOD and Exploration MOD.

He had received an Outstanding evaluation in Potions and earned one hundred credits.

That morning, through exchanging knowledge with Hermione, his learning efficiency had increased, allowing him to memorize and master ten magic books.

The ten magic books had varying system ratings, ranging from thirty to sixty points. Altogether, they had earned him more than four hundred credits.

The Exploration MOD had gained 5% progress. That morning, he had visited the Ravenclaw common room, the Great Hall, the Potions classroom, and the library. Earning five hundred credits had been practically free.

However, credits from the Exploration MOD were a one-time deal. It was easy to earn credits through exploration in the early stages, but the farther he progressed, the harder it became.

Hogwarts Castle hid far too many secrets. Li Wei did not dare place much hope in reaching one hundred percent exploration and unlocking the Map.

All things considered, he had earned more than a thousand credits that morning.

Now that I have "money," should I spend it?

Li Wei opened the various shops and looked at the dazzling list of items, hesitating inwardly.