Isolde was momentarily at a loss for words, and just as she wanted to speak again, the girl beside her also hugged her spell book and interrupted with a serious expression.
“I’ve been so focused on previewing the first-year basic spells, like Lumos and the Levitation Charm, although the spells aren’t difficult.”
“But magical power control is especially crucial. I’ve tried several times, and the wand couldn’t successfully emit light. Have you guys found any tips?”
She looked deeply distressed, her tone full of struggle over learning magic, and she didn’t care at all about the other houses Isolde mentioned.
The person next to her also pushed up the round-framed glasses on the bridge of her nose, following Leah’s topic and starting to chat.
“Regarding the exertion techniques for some basic spells, the magical power must slowly gather along the arm to the tip of the wand without being impatient. The steadier it is, the smoother the spellcasting will be. We can practice together tomorrow.”
She took out a piece of parchment filled with notes from her schoolbag, densely recording the precautions for spells and the methods of magical power circulation.
It was well-organized, and at a glance, one could tell she had done thorough preview homework.
In the following time, the three girls completely immersed themselves in the topic of magic learning, talking back and forth with great enthusiasm.
The round-framed glasses girl, who had been focusing on studying, suddenly remembered what Isolde had mentioned just now, gently pushed her glasses, and took the lead in breaking the brief silence.
With a hint of curiosity in her tone, she brought up the other houses.
“By the way, Isolde, you mentioned Slytherin just now. Actually, before coming to Hogwarts, I heard quite a few wizards I met mention this house, and everyone’s impression of it seems very complicated.”
“Of course, I’ve also learned about the other houses, like… I heard that the Little Badgers of Hufflepuff are very knowledgeable about fine food…”
Hearing Lucy’s words, Isolde wasn’t surprised.
“Pure-blood wizard families are very strict with their juniors; most of them place great importance on bloodline. Students in Slytherin are at least of half-blood origin…”
“After school starts, there are classes where two houses study together. It seems we are with Slytherin.”
“Is Slytherin really like that? But aren’t the houses sorted by personality? Why are they all of half-blood or Pure-blood origin, with no Muggle-borns?”
Isolde shook her head; she still knew about these basic settings of the Wizarding World.
“Many people have blood prejudice; the gentlemen and The Handmaidens of the Sacred Twenty-Eight Pure-blood families care even more about bloodline and strength.”
Lucy lowered her eyes slightly, her fingers gently pinching the corner of her clothes, her tone carrying a bit of helplessness and also some frankness:
“We’ll understand after formal classes start. I heard that Gryffindor and Slytherin frequently tend to have conflicts.”
“That’s true.”
At this, Lucy’s tone dropped a bit, and she looked up at Isolde, her eyes full of envy yet carrying a trace of inferiority:
“My dear, I immensely envy those children whose parents are both wizards, just like… just like you! Having lived in the Wizarding World since childhood and being familiar with all the rules.”
“Being able to learn so much knowledge in advance, while I need to slowly catch up, and at the same time slowly adapt to currency and so on. It’s quite difficult for me.”
The other two roommates nodded tacitly.
Looking at the desolation in Lucy’s eyes, Isolde’s heart softened slightly.
She reached out and gently patted her shoulder, her tone gentle yet firm:
“Don’t think like that; these are all things you can slowly understand.”
“By the way, I’m very interested in that Bellatrix Black. Did you guys see her? She’s the one the Sorting Hat determined in just a few seconds when she was sorted into Slytherin!”
The blonde girl chimed in.
This hit the point Isolde cared about, and she echoed: “Me too. She’s very beautiful. She is The Handmaiden of the Black Family among the Sacred Twenty-Eight Pure-blood families.”
“Their whole family is in Slytherin.”
Lucy: “Goodness! That must be a very powerful family.”
Blonde girl: “Let’s focus on tomorrow’s classes first, girls. It’s getting late.”
“Time for bed, time for bed…”
Two weeks into the term, Hogwarts’ castle was still immersed in the slightly cool mist of early autumn.
In the past few days at Hogwarts, Isolde frequently encountered her target of conquest.
While eating in the Great Hall, she would unintentionally glance at Slytherin’s table a few times, and when going to the Library, she would occasionally encounter those grey eyes.
Bellatrix Black was simply too eye-catching.
Her long, Black curly hair was groomed to be very sleek, and her brows and eyes carried an arrogance carved into her bones.
Even if she just walked silently among the crowd of Slytherin, her entire body seemed separated by an invisible barrier, keeping strangers at bay.
She always walked in the front, with a straight spine and a slightly raised chin.
Isolde had tried striking up a conversation a few times, for instance, at breakfast time.
Holding her pumpkin juice, she casually wandered over to the Slytherin long table, her gaze falling on Bellatrix, trying hard to make her tone sound natural.
“Black The Handmaiden, Slytherin and Ravenclaw have shared classes together today. I’ve always felt that your grades are very good. Can I ask you some questions?”
Bellatrix didn’t even lift her eyelids, her brow slightly furrowing.
“Winnier The Handmaiden? No.”
An expected result.
Isolde’s cheeks burned slightly, and as several teasing glances swept over from around her, she pretended not to see them.
Clutching her cup tightly, she apologized in a low voice: “Sorry to bother you, thank you Black.”
She returned to her own seat at the Ravenclaw long table.
Lucy worriedly tugged at her sleeve: “Isolde, why do I feel like you’re always so interested in people from Slytherin?”
Isolde nodded silently.
“Yes, I’m very interested in some capable people, I admire them, and I want to get to know them.”
She didn’t explicitly say it was Bellatrix Black.
With Isolde’s current identity, although she was a Pure-blood, in front of ancient Pure-blood families like Black, it was practically negligible.
If spoken out loud, might she be regarded as a little follower wanting to curry favor with the Black Family?
Over the next few days, Isolde tried time and time again, hitting a wall every single time.
Before Charms class, she leaned in to test the waters, striking up a conversation from the angle of the wand:
“Walnut and dragon heartstring are very suitable for aggressive spells, right? Black The Handmaiden.”
Bellatrix lifted her eyes to look, seeing it was this Ravenclaw who frequently came looking for her, and retracted her gaze with irritation.
“Oh—Winnier The Handmaiden.”
She gently drew out her tone, paused, and then spoke in that condescending tone carrying a hint of patronizing mockery.
“Turns out you’re so leisurely that you specifically ran over to the Slytherin side to talk to me? Does no one pay attention to you in Ravenclaw…”
She paused again, her fingertips gently tapping her wand, her eyes overflowing with undisguised contempt.
“Instead of wasting your breath here, you might as well go back and properly hone that pitiful magical power of yours, lest one day even the most basic spell ends up being cast right onto your own feet.”
With that last sentence, she lowered her voice, carrying a bit of mockery like a viper sticking out its tongue:
“After all, not everyone has the time to chat idly with someone who can’t even take care of themselves.”
“Well, my appreciation for you is limited to the train, being able to make Lestrange deflate.”