With a proper name, the small group, which had initially come together by chance, suddenly became official. They then discussed some further details—for example, that any new members would need everyone's unanimous consent, that no one should damage others' belongings, and that SSC members should support each other when dealing with professors or other students.
Wade had initially thought it was a bit of a game—a group of only a few people, where they'd stick together if they got along and disband if they didn't, so why set up rules? But everyone else was participating very seriously, which gave Wade a strange feeling.
It was as if he had truly joined some mysterious organization.
...
"Rue was used as an antidote in ancient Greece, and its medicinal properties were discovered in the 16th century—to date, its medicinal value has been identified as follows: extracts from its stems and leaves can expel toxins—its pollen offers resistance to the poisonous gas spewed by basilisks—rue is widely cultivated, and its propagation method is—during cultivation, one needs to pay attention to—"
Wade wrote the last letter on the parchment, finishing yesterday's Herbology homework. As for the assignments for other subjects, he had completed them all on the same day he attended the classes. Wade checked the grammar again, then rolled up the parchment once the ink had dried.
"Wade, did you finish your homework?" Hermione leaned over and asked.
"Yes."
"There's something I want to tell you," Hermione whispered.
The two moved to the other side of the classroom, and Wade waved his wand: "Muffliato."
This way, no matter how loud they spoke, it would only be a faint buzzing sound to others.
Wade looked at Hermione's worried expression and asked, "What happened?"
"Well, the day before yesterday afternoon, Malfoy challenged Harry to a midnight duel in the Trophy Room, and I knew right away that he had no good intentions, because he doesn't have the guts for it!" Hermione said indignantly, "But Harry and Ron completely ignored my advice, all for some—'boy's pride'—it's really selfish! They didn't even think about how many points would be deducted if they got caught! They didn't care about the honor of the house at all!"
Hermione took a few deep breaths, suppressing her anger before continuing, "Of course, that's not the main point—because we were lucky not to get caught, though it was a close call—"
"—'We'?" Wade caught the keyword.
"Yes. While I was trying to stop them from doing something foolish, I accidentally got locked out of the common room and had to go with them." Hermione frowned, saying with disgust, "It turned out Malfoy didn't go to the Trophy Room after all; he even tipped off Filch—that despicable guy! Then, when we were escaping, we stumbled into a locked room—"
Hermione suddenly lowered her voice and asked, "Wade, do you remember what Professor Dumbledore said when school first started?"
Wade thought for a moment. Dumbledore's speeches weren't usually very long, and what he remembered most clearly was, of course—
"Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"
"Oh, no, not that!" Hermione rolled her eyes, reminding him, "It was—'All those who do not wish to suffer a most painful death'—"
"—'Should avoid the third-floor corridor'?" Wade remembered. "You went to the third floor? What did you see?"
"Yes. We accidentally ran to the third floor, and then we saw a—" Hermione swallowed, a lingering look of trepidation on her face: "A Three-headed Dog as tall as a house!"
"—How did you survive?" Wade was speechless. He had long forgotten such details, and he hadn't expected Hermione and the others to start having such adventures so early. He said, "I remember reading about this kind of monster in a book. Although today's Cerberus isn't the legendary Cerberus, its teeth can easily crush a skull, and its teeth also have corrosive venom, making wounds very difficult to heal if bitten by that thing."
"It might not have reacted at first, but then it roared and lunged at us; we almost got eaten!" Hermione clenched her fists, her body trembling slightly. "The school—the school actually keeps such a dangerous monster in the castle! It's unbelievable! Even if they want to use it to guard something, what if another reckless student breaks in?! Does the school not consider the safety of ordinary students at all?"
Wade casually made a joke: "Maybe magical schools have something like a Death Quota? A few student deaths each year are completely insignificant, and it just serves as a warning to others! To let them know not to take the professors' words lightly!"
"—There's such a thing!" Hermione clutched her face in horror, babbling incoherently, "But I didn't see anything like that in Hogwarts: A History—oh, right, of course, something like that wouldn't be written in a book—it's too terrifying! How can the Ministry of Magic allow—"
Wade hadn't expected her to not doubt his words at all, and he quickly raised his hand in apology: "I'm sorry! Hermione, I was just making it up. Don't take it seriously—"
Hermione stared at him blankly, her brown eyes even welling up with tears.
At this, Wade genuinely felt a pang of guilt. He sincerely apologized again: "I'm sorry, I just saw you looked scared, so I was trying to make a joke. But it seems to have turned into a dark joke—I'm such an idiot! Please don't be mad—"
Hermione kept a straight face and said nothing, too angry to acknowledge Wade for a long time.
It wasn't until practice ended and everyone else had left that Wade stopped Hermione and apologized repeatedly, finally getting the girl to relent.
Hermione hung her head, saying sullenly, "I actually know—everyone dislikes me—but I considered you a friend, please don't tease me like everyone else—"
Wade's heart melted completely, and guilt almost drowned him, to the point where he'd want to slap himself if he remembered it in the middle of the night—because he knew Hermione hadn't had an easy time in Gryffindor recently, which made her sensitive and vulnerable. He raised two fingers as if taking an oath and said seriously, "I'm sorry, I promise it won't happen again."
Hermione looked into his eyes for a long moment, then whispered, "A joke is only a joke when both people find it funny."
"I've got it," Wade said, ashamed. Such a simple truth, and he had to be told it by an actual eleven-year-old girl. Had he really become a thoughtless little boy after being reborn?
Seeing the cowlick on his head, Hermione smiled slightly.
"Alright, I'm not mad anymore." The girl cleared her throat, "Back to the Three-headed Dog—I actually wanted to discuss with you whether I should go talk to Professor McGonagall."
"You want to talk to Professor McGonagall about the Three-headed Dog's safety?" Wade immediately understood what she meant.
"Yeah," Hermione said, frustratedly running her hands through her already messy hair. "Even though they locked that room, a simple unlocking charm is all it takes. What if a curious student runs in—ugh, I want to suggest to Professor McGonagall that they use powerful magic to hide that room, but then it would expose that we violated school rules—"
"Why don't you look at it from a different perspective, Hermione?" Wade said after a moment of thought. "Perhaps the door was sealed so simply specifically so that someone would open it."
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