The next day, almost everyone noticed that something was wrong with the little snakes. They seemed preoccupied, their brows perpetually furrowed, as though they had encountered something they simply could not understand.
Zhang Xiao had still underestimated his influence on the pure-bloods, these little snakes whose parents had filled their heads with family and glory.
History, status, and wealth were practically their yardsticks for everything. They were like rich kids in a small town, entertaining themselves within their own little turf, only for a foreign prince to suddenly drop into their midst.
These privileged kids had absolutely no idea how to interact with a prince, so, just like Malfoy, they desperately hoped to get some guidance from their parents.
Naturally, the students from the other three Houses knew nothing of what had happened, and they found it utterly astonishing. The Weasley twins swore they had inside information: Slytherin House would be abolished next term and replaced by Warren House, whose crest would feature a Niffler.
Rumor had it that a powerful Ancient Runes expert was going to drive Snape out and become the head of Warren House himself.
The other students all agreed that, while the Weasley twins certainly were well informed, this particular piece of news had to be nonsense.
That was because a certain unnamed Potions professor, the head of House rumored to be losing his job next term, had deducted fifty points from each Weasley twin in one go, his face dark.
He had also informed them menacingly that, if they did not learn to watch their mouths, they could donate their tongues to his potion brewing. He happened to need two fresh ones.
Harry and Ron finally could not stand it any longer. They sneaked over, pretended to walk past the Slytherin table, and discreetly poked Zhang Xiao.
The three little ones went out to the corridor outside the Great Hall. Harry and Ron first grabbed him and inspected him carefully from head to toe before asking anxiously:
"Are you doing all right in Slytherin? Have they been bullying you? I heard Slytherins really like picking on first-years who aren't 'one of their own.'"
Ron even pulled out his battered wand and said eagerly:
"Zhang, if anyone bullies you, just tell us. I've just learned a few jinxes, and they work brilliantly!
"Especially Densaugeo, the tap-dancing jinx, and the hair-loss jinx. They're really useful!"
He gave his wand a flourish as he finished, a dreamy look spreading over his face, as though he were imagining those three little jinxes hitting Malfoy.
Just imagine Draco with a shiny bald head, front teeth so long his lower lip could not cover them, all while tap-dancing.
All three of them burst out laughing.
Zhang smiled and patted his two friends on the shoulders, then shrugged and said:
"It's actually been all right. Apart from Goyle and Crabbe snoring too loudly, nothing's bothered me so far. And that problem should be solved soon too. I've realized a Nonverbal Spell might be a good idea."
Only then did Harry and Ron relax, before asking the question they were dying to have answered:
"Zhang, do you know what happened in Slytherin? Why... why do they all look..." Harry pulled a miserable face. "Why do they look like this?"
So Zhang Xiao briefly recounted what had happened in the common room the previous night, skipping the part where he had bragged about his family. Honestly, there was not much to tell.
When they heard that Zhang Xiao had rescued the first-year being bullied, Harry and Ron clenched their fists in excitement. They wished they could have been there themselves to battle those bullying pure-blood Slytherins.
"I was right! Zhang, you should have chosen Gryffindor when you were being Sorted. Then we could fight Slytherin together!"
Ron shouted, while Harry nodded along beside him, clearly in wholehearted agreement.
The three friends chatted a little longer before reluctantly returning to their tables.
Harry and Ron quickly relayed the news to the Weasley twins, who were still discussing the matter, and everyone listening. George said:
"I bet your friend comes from a pure-blood family, and a very powerful one at that!"
Hermione Granger sat quietly to one side, eating her beef pie in silence, though her little ears twitched. Seamus and Dean leaned over too and asked curiously, "How do you figure?"
Fred took over, declaring with exaggerated emphasis, "Come on, mate. We know those arrogant Slytherins all too well. They're no angels.
"Unless you outrank them in status, getting them to stop bullying first-years is nothing but a pipe dream!"
"Anyway," Percy said with a nod, "your Slytherin friend seems decent enough. At least he's one of the rare Slytherins who doesn't discriminate against Muggles."
Harry and Ron exchanged a glance and said in unison:
"Of course he is!"
In an abandoned village in Croftshire, a stone house near one corner had suddenly become busy of late. Some oddly dressed people had taken over the place.
Jason sat at a wooden table, holding a glass of liquor and drinking in small sips. On one side of the room, piles of willow crates had been stacked neatly, and Wilbur was running back and forth with a thick list in his hands, checking the quantities.
Beside him, a group of dark wizards were carefully moving the crates elsewhere with Levitation Charms.
Thanks to Wilbur's decisive retreat, Jason had managed to escape with his life. Yet even with the help of potions and magic, he had spent half a month in bed before recovering. At his insistence, Wilbur had secretly slipped back to that Muggle neighborhood.
However, the female ghost hiding there had vanished. There were traces of spellcasting at the scene, but no matter what methods Wilbur tried, he could not identify the spell that had left them.
Jason was surprisingly philosophical about it. A hard lesson made a man wiser, and the first thing he did after recovering was investigate what had injured him.
That investigation was like opening the door to a whole new world.
Only then did Jason discover that the Muggles, those inferior creatures he had never deigned to learn about, had actually created so many things!
In particular, there was something called a gun. Jason conducted repeated tests, and even Protego Maxima proved as fragile as an eggshell before the muzzle of a Browning M1919.
After trying various firearms, Jason had to admit that these things were far more useful than wands!
And these were only a tiny fraction of the weapons Muggles had created to kill people. The more Jason learned, the more alarmed he became, until he was trembling all over.
These inferior, lowly Muggles were actually this terrifying. They had even created something called nuclear weapons. After watching footage of them, Jason was willing to bet on one thing.
If someone dropped a nuclear weapon on the Ministry of Magic, not a single one of those useless idiots would escape. Every last one of them would be finished!
He even decided that, once they welcomed back the great Dark Lord, he would definitely suggest using Muggle weapons to rule the entire Wizarding World! If anyone refused to obey, they would drop a nuclear bomb on that country's Ministry of Magic!
"Jason! Everything's checked. No problems!" Wilbur wiped the sweat from his face and jogged over, asking quietly:
"Are we really going to use these things to attack Azkaban prison? That place is guarded by Dementors!"
Wilbur shuddered. Why had the remnants of the Death Eaters never considered attacking Azkaban? Wasn't it precisely because the place was crawling with Dementors? As dark wizards, they were almost incapable of casting the Patronus Charm. Without it, how could they fight Dementors?
Looking at the man who had saved his life, Jason, in a rare departure from his usual behavior, did not scold him. Instead, he gave a low chuckle, glanced around at the dark wizards gathering close, and said smugly:
"Wilbur, my dear brother, bombarding Azkaban with rockets is only a diversion. My goal is to draw the Ministry of Magic's attention over there, and then..."
He patted the open willow crate beside him.
"We'll use these things the Muggles call bombs to blow up the entire Ministry of Magic! Let them know we're here!"
Boom! The house's heavy wooden doors were blasted open, and two figures walked through the rising dust into the room.
Zhang Chengdao put the Compass into his Heaven and Earth Bag and flexed his wrists. His gaze swept over the seven or eight people in the room. Though he wore a smile, his voice was icy:
"Found you at last!"
Before you continue