“I don’t think Will is a bad person.”
Harry felt that Ron was exaggerating.
Although Will was a Slytherin, he didn’t seem like a Dark wizard at all.
On the contrary, Professor McGonagall had even praised him for helping his classmates.
And seeing Neville and Hermione constantly by Will’s side, Harry fell silent.
There weren’t many subjects for first-year students at Hogwarts.
History of Magic was actually quite interesting, but Professor Binns’s dry, monotonous, almost lifeless voice stripped the subject of all its appeal.
His voice barely changed in tone, sometimes giving Will the strange feeling that he was listening to white noise.
The class was practically perfect for sleeping.
Professor Binns never called on students, rarely asked questions, and barely interacted with the class.
The History of Magic exam could also be passed through some last-minute memorization, so hardly anyone paid attention.
Will was no exception.
He usually sat at the back of the classroom and read his own books.
Even so, History of Magic was useful to him.
It contained countless records about famous wizards, allowing Will to learn what various wizards had excelled at and then seek out their works or accomplishments for further study.
For example, there was an essay lying in his book bag titled The Secret of Andros: A Maverick Patronus Charm.
It was a specialized academic paper about the ancient wizard Andros, whose Patronus was said to be the size of a Giant and could be cast without a wand.
Herbology was one of Will’s few inconspicuous subjects.
At the moment, the lessons mainly focused on cultivating basic magical plants.
There was nothing particularly special or dangerous about it, and many students who had read ahead could answer Professor Sprout’s questions.
Charms, however, was different.
Professor Flitwick took particularly good care of Will, but he soon discovered that Will’s spellcasting ability was far beyond the level expected of a first-year student.
“Will, I thought you would be in Ravenclaw.”
There was a hint of regret in Professor Flitwick’s voice as Will stayed behind after class to ask him some questions.
“I thought so too, but I don’t know what was wrong with the Sorting Hat.”
“All right, child. Let’s not dwell on that. What did you want to ask me?”
“Professor, I read in a book about the development of modern magic…”
[You have acquired new Charms knowledge.]
[Charms Experience +1]
[You have acquired new Charms knowledge.]
[Charms Experience +1]
[You have acquired new Charms knowledge.]
[Charms Experience +1]
…
Will had begun to enjoy his life at Hogwarts.
Gaining experience here was much faster than studying alone at home, and his Transfiguration was already approaching Level 3.
A perfectly pan-fried steak with mashed potatoes, Britain’s famous fish and chips, and a large glass of orange juice.
Sylvia was unusually absent from his side.
She seemed to be involved in some small activity with a few other Slytherin girls.
[You have acquired new Transfiguration knowledge.]
[Transfiguration Experience +1]
[You have acquired new Transfiguration knowledge.]
[Transfiguration Experience +1]
Will stuffed fries into his mouth while reading when he was suddenly surrounded by a group of young wizards.
Two or three of them didn’t appear to be first-years.
They were probably second- or even third-year students.
The student leading the group was clearly older.
Standing beside him were Ivan Selwyn and Obern Nott, who hadn’t returned to the dormitory for two days.
It seemed that two days had been enough for them to find someone willing to back them.
“Hey, Ravenclaw’s spy. Why aren’t you hiding behind a woman today?”
Obern was clearly furious.
Ever since arriving at Hogwarts, he hadn’t spent a single night sleeping in his own bed.
“Merlin, why does such a swarm of pests have to disturb my peaceful life?”
Will rubbed his forehead, looking genuinely distressed.
I just want to gain experience in peace.
“Junior, let me give you some advice.”
The older student’s tone carried a hint of arrogance.
“I know you’re smart and talented, but as a senior, I’m telling you to be more humble. You should understand that wizards with your level of talent aren’t particularly rare in the magical world.”
“If you’re willing to apologize to those two, I can arrange a reconciliation on behalf of the Yaxley family.”
He paused before adding, “Of course, if you’re willing to cooperate with the Yaxley family, we’d be happy to have you.”
This Yaxley was clearly an intelligent person.
He understood that Will’s talent was more than merely impressive.
On his first day at Hogwarts, Will had already demonstrated a level of offensive spellcasting that many second-year students couldn’t match.
The boy was clearly exceptionally gifted.
Moreover, in just two days, Will had already earned the nickname “Ravenclaw’s Spy.”
That alone showed how much the boy loved reading and studying.
An exceptionally talented student with such a strong thirst for knowledge was bound to achieve great things in the future.
Even as an ally, he would be far more valuable than the mediocre heirs of ordinary pure-blood families.
As a third-year student, Yaxley naturally knew that many pure-blood children were actually good-for-nothings.
“This ‘senior’ doesn’t know where you get your confidence from, but here’s my advice: tell these pests to stop bothering me. I just want to study in peace. If anyone has a problem with that, I don’t mind making all of them spend the night hanging from the wall lamps in the common room.”
He felt it was time to make some of these brain-dead Slytherins understand the difference between them.
“It seems you really want to become the troublemaker among the first-years.”
Yaxley’s expression darkened.
Will hadn’t given him any respect at all.
“Do you know what Yaxley represents?”
“Yaxley, Selwyn, and Nott are all members of the so-called Sacred Twenty-Eight. You don’t need to remind me. I’m perfectly aware.”
“Very good. Very good.”
Will could tell that Yaxley was beginning to lose his temper.
“All right, then. Do you want to keep standing there like an idiot, or should we have a ‘fair duel’?”
Will picked up his book bag.
“I should warn you, I’m in a hurry.”
He pushed past the students blocking his way and headed toward the Slytherin common room.
Not far away, Draco Malfoy, his platinum-blond hair standing out among the other students, had witnessed the scene.
He put down his fork and followed the group.
“Hey, Goyle, Crabbe, hurry up.”
…
Slytherin Common Room
“Will, what’s going on? I only looked away for a moment, and now you’re with these…”
Sylvia hurried toward Will, looking as though she wanted to put herself between him and Yaxley.
“All right, all right, Lestrange. This has nothing to do with you.”
Yaxley waved his hand.
“You’d better not get involved just because of this Muggle boy.”
Two Slytherins immediately stepped forward to block Sylvia.
“It’s all right, Sylvia. Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”
Will raised his wand and pointed it at the two Slytherins.
They immediately froze in place, rooted to the spot and unable to take another step.
“Behrens!”
“Don’t worry. Although I don’t know why you’re so concerned about me, trust me, I’ll be fine.”
Will looked at Sylvia.
“Besides, if I don’t make these guys understand a few things now, they’ll keep coming to bother me whenever I’m studying.”
He really felt it was time to make these young wizards stay away from him.
Otherwise, if he kept wasting time dealing with them, how was he supposed to learn magic?
[Charms LV4] wasn’t just for show.