Hogwarts long classes were generally divided into two sessions, with a break in the middle.
During the second session, Professor McGonagall gave a detailed explanation targeting the areas where the young wizards frequently made mistakes in the previous class.
This time, several more students successfully turned things into needles, while Neville successfully turned it into a needle’s butt.
“If you put the needle tip from last class and the needle tail from this class together, Mr.
Longbottom can also be considered successful,” Professor McGonagall commented on this.
After class, Neville walked up to Sheeran with his books: “Sheeran, I want to thank you again.
Really.”
“You’re welcome, Neville, we are friends.
It’s nothing.”
Neville’s hands holding the books slowly tightened, his fingernails unconsciously scratching the cover of the book.
To him, the word “friend” was too precious.
“Yes, we are friends.
If there is anything you need my help with, please be sure to tell me.
I mean, I’d be happy to be at your service.” Neville mustered up the courage and said what he had been thinking about for an entire class.
This was a challenge for him.
Back in elementary school, he had also said similar things to someone he considered a “friend.”
In return, he only got some mocking: “If I reach the point where I need your help, I’d rather die!”
Although he knew Sheeran wasn’t that kind of person, Neville was still a bit nervous.
Being bullied for years made him lose almost all confidence, and he even inwardly accepted the labels others stuck on him.
“Uh… although I might not be able to help much…” Neville added in a low voice.
“No, Neville.
You are important.
You are my important friend.” Sheeran smiled and reached out his hand toward him.
“Oh, thank you, thank you.”
Neville was overjoyed and kept saying thank you.
It took him a while to remember that he still had a History of Magic Class to attend.
“Goodbye, Sheeran.” Neville turned to go to the classroom, his face still brimming with a smile.
Sheeran called out to him and reminded him with some helplessness: “The History of Magic Class classroom is this way.”
…
After Transfiguration Class ended, they had another History of Magic Class.
The Professor was a ghost, named Professor Binns.
This Professor was the only ghost Professor at Hogwarts.
Although the teaching method was extremely dry and boring, and the monotony was enough to make the vast majority of students drowsy, one had to admit that this Professor had startlingly profound knowledge of History of Magic.
Until one day he fell asleep in front of the staff room fireplace and passed away, and the next day he got up as a ghost to go to class, as if nothing had ever happened, not even realizing that he had died.
Sheeran felt that it was precisely because of this workaholic spirit that he earned himself a lifelong secure position.
Just think about it, making Dumbledore fire a teacher who still stayed at his post after dying in the line of duty was somewhat unspeakable.
Although Professor Binns stayed at his post after dying in the line of duty, which was commendable, his class was truly too boring.
When lecturing, he was almost completely immersed in his own world, regardless of whether the students understood or not.
He simply read from the book on his own in a wheezing, drawling tone.
It felt like attending a 3D projection online class.
However, the students didn’t hate this class that much.
If a teacher didn’t call roll or ask questions, lectured as soon as class started and left as soon as it ended, and didn’t care whether you slept or daydreamed in class, even if considered a slack teacher, they wouldn’t be hated by students.
Sheeran initially tried to keep up with Professor Binns’s progress.
Later, he found that this Professor was far too self-absorbed during class, and his tone was far too bizarre, sounding like a swarm of bees buzzing endlessly in one’s ears.
This was not as comfortable as reading books by oneself.
The other students were also slumped crookedly over the desks, some catching up on sleep, others dazing off.
In the entire classroom, only one person was listening with beaming spirit.
That was Hermione.
As for Sheeran, he had already started slacking off.
As for the homework, he would just copy Hermione’s later.
Sheeran took out the money on him and counted it.
The twenty Galleons won from Theodore Nott, plus the one Galleon generously gifted by Prefect Rowle, and the remaining Hogwarts education funds, fifteen silver sickles.
Twenty-one Galleons and fifteen silver sickles could be considered a huge sum of money for Sheeran.
Although the exchange rate would fluctuate to a certain extent, under normal circumstances, one Galleon could be exchanged for about five pounds at Gringotts.
So right now, Sheeran also had about one hundred and ten pounds on him.
In Britain in 1991, one hundred and ten pounds was enough for an ordinary family to live on for several weeks.
Seeing Sheeran counting money, Theodore clenched his teeth like an incompetent husband, but dared to be angry without daring to speak.
This was my pocket money for a semester!
My money!
My money!
However, this bit of money was still not enough for Sheeran.
Putting aside that he loved money and felt cheerful seeing money even if he didn’t spend it, he also needed more money.
Although going to school, eating, and living at Hogwarts didn’t cost money, some potion ingredients or magical items were definitely not free.
If he wanted to brew potions, he couldn’t possibly go steal ingredients from Snape’s private storage room, right?
In addition, he was also prepared to let that group of people from the orphanage go to school.
Knowledge is power.
A group of orphans who had never gone to school had limited help to him, at best making small fusses to earn a pittance just to fill the gaps between their teeth.
His goal was far beyond that.
Sending them to school would allow them to serve as his base in the Muggle world in the future.
With education and knowledge, they could help him handle many things.
However, there were quite a few people in the orphanage, and the small amount of money he had on hand right now was clearly not enough.
“Tsk… This money has to be earned…”
“But how to make money?
Brew potions and take them to Hogsmeade to sell?”
“It could also be earned from classmates; these pure-blood families are rich one and all, they are all fat sheep…”
Just as Sheeran was considering how to make money, the news of Theodore apologizing to Neville had already spread throughout the school.
According to their own understanding, they described this matter as Slytherin apologizing to Gryffindor.
After being passed from mouth to mouth, this matter was condensed into the most impactful and captivating information, spreading among the student body in a near-brute-force manner.
While the young wizards were discussing this matter, Dumbledore was feeding Fawkes in the Headmaster’s Office.
It was a phoenix, which had accompanied Dumbledore for a very, very long time.
Because it wasn’t time for Nirvana yet, it looked very beautiful right now.
Its whole body was covered in golden and red feathers, and its long tail feathers shimmered in the sunlight.
“Oh, old friend.
What do you think of Sheeran?”
Fawkes lowered its head to chow down, ignoring the talking-to-himself Dumbledore.
Dumbledore stuffed a cockroach-shaped candy into his mouth, went back to his chair and sat down, his fingers tapping slowly and rhythmically on the tabletop.
By lunchtime, the news of Slytherin apologizing to Gryffindor had spread across almost the entire school.
Even Snape knew about it.
At this moment, he was standing by the window of his office, opening a small crack in the window, looking at the students outside.
Harry and Ron were walking past beneath his window.
“Oh, this fellow has really made a huge splash.
Just starting school, and he’s already become as famous as you.”
Looking down from above, Snape didn’t see those green eyes, and silently closed the window.
He was preparing to teach the first Potion Class to the newly enrolled young wizards.