Wade turned over the first tarot card.
It depicted the Goddess of Justice in quiet meditation, dressed in crimson robes, wearing a golden crown, and seated upon a stone throne.
“Justice, upright.” “Truth.
Fairness.
Trust.” Daphne studied the card thoughtfully before flipping over the second one herself.
A warrior wearing armor and an eight-pointed star helm stood upon a chariot drawn by two sphinxes.
“The Chariot, upright.” “Taking the initiative.
Facing challenges with confidence.” Wade frowned slightly.
“Those are both very positive cards…” “But something feels…
off.” “You’re the diviner.” “If something’s wrong, shouldn’t you be the one explaining it?” Suppressing his doubts, Wade revealed the third card.
The illustration showed the Garden of Eden.
Adam and Eve stood on either side, bathed in an angel’s blessing amid an atmosphere of warmth and affection.
“…The Lovers, upright.” He slowly raised his head.
“What exactly were you thinking about just now?” “It definitely wasn’t your family curse.” “…That’s none of your business.” A faint blush spread across Daphne’s face.
2 She quickly reached into her pocket and placed ten Galleons on the table.
“I only wanted to test how good your divination really is.” “Judging by the results…” “You passed.” “At least you’ve proven you weren’t simply making things up.” “Let’s do another reading.” “This time, let’s ask about the bloodline curse.” Wade rolled his eyes.
“Do you have that much money?” “My father gives me thirty Galleons a month for pocket money.” “But first-years don’t really have many expenses at Hogwarts.” “…Fine.” “Who am I to argue?” “You have money.” “I happen to need it.” He gathered the cards and smoothly slid the deck back toward her.
“Same process as before.” “Let’s begin.” Soon, three cards lay neatly on the table.
The Fool, upright.
The Chariot, upright.
The Star, upright.
Wade’s eyes lingered on The Fool for a brief moment.
Surely no one would connect a tarot card called “The Fool” with anything else…
right?
Unfortunately, abandoning tarot cards now wasn’t an option.
Too many people already knew he possessed talent for Divination.
If he suddenly refused to use tarot cards, it would only make him seem suspicious.
After several moments of thought, he finally spoke.
“Take the first step.” “Keep moving forward.” “If you persevere…” “…you’ll eventually find a way to break the Greengrass family curse.” “Thank you.” Daphne smiled faintly.
“You don’t mind if I pay you later?” “Not at all.” “I trust the Greengrass family’s reputation.” Wade answered with complete ease.
Thirty Galleons in monthly allowance.
She was an exceptionally high-quality client.
Basic trust was the least he could offer.
Besides…
She wasn’t going to leave Hogwarts over ten Galleons.
Daphne seemed noticeably more interested in him now.
“So…” “What do you want to do in the future?” “Anyone sorted into Slytherin must have some sort of ambition.” Quietly grow stronger.
Stand at the very top of the world.
Then enjoy an endless, peaceful life…
Naturally…
Those ambitions couldn’t be spoken aloud.
Wade rubbed his forehead as though thinking seriously.
“I want…” “…to stay alive.” “And live comfortably.” Daphne stared blankly.
Seeing her confusion, Wade laughed and rephrased his answer.
“I want to become a Potions Master.” “And earn more money than I could ever spend.” “Like Professor Snape?” “Exactly.” “But I also want to study alchemy.” Every step of Wade’s future plans required money.
His current savings would only support his advancement up to Sequence 7.
Potions and alchemy were the fastest paths to wealth.
He had no clear way into alchemy just yet.
Fortunately…
The Head of Slytherin House happened to be one of the greatest Potions Masters alive.
There was no reason to waste such an opportunity.
“You’ll have to work hard.” “I fully intend to.” At that moment, someone else emerged from the dormitories and entered the common room.
Theodore Nott.
Another member of one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight pure-blood families.
“Morning.” Wade greeted him.
Theodore merely nodded before walking toward the exit.
“Nott’s rather solitary,” Daphne commented.
“Come on.” “It’s time for breakfast.” “We should also pick up the first-year Slytherin timetable.” The two headed to the Great Hall and helped themselves to a simple breakfast.
The food at Hogwarts was excellent.
Fresh.
Natural.
And well balanced.
As Wade ate, he looked over the first-year schedule.
Herbology.
Potions.
Astronomy.
Charms.
History of Magic.
Transfiguration.
Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Flying lessons.
There were quite a few different subjects.
Still, first-years didn’t have many classes each week.
Overall, the workload was fairly relaxed, leaving plenty of free time.
“Our first class is Transfiguration at nine.” “It’s shared with Gryffindor.” Daphne folded the timetable.
“Professor McGonagall is Head of Gryffindor.” “We should find the classroom early.” “Being late on the first day wouldn’t leave a good impression.” Wade nodded.
Professor McGonagall had been the first person to welcome him into Hogwarts.
He genuinely respected her.
She had even hoped he would join Gryffindor.
Instead…
He had ended up in Slytherin, Gryffindor’s greatest rival.
She was probably less than thrilled about that.
The least he could do was work hard in Transfiguration and leave her with a favorable impression.
“See him?” “That’s Harry Potter.” “The one sitting beside the red-haired Weasley.” “You can just about make out the scar on his forehead.” “It’s mostly covered by his hair.” “I can’t really see it.” Accompanied by countless whispers, Harry and Ron walked over to the Gryffindor table.
As expected, they immediately became the center of attention.
“So that’s the Boy Who Lived.” Daphne observed Harry’s slightly awkward demeanor.
“He doesn’t seem all that extraordinary.” “You can’t judge a person by appearances.” Wade instinctively defended his convenient shield.
“I shared a compartment with him yesterday.” “I know him better than you do.” “Really?” “The Sorting Hat itself said he possesses the qualities of all four Houses.” “He’s exceptionally talented.” “He simply…” “…needs time for that talent to show.” “We’ll see.” Hogwarts had well over a hundred staircases.
They varied in size and, more importantly, loved to change direction.
After asking several ghosts and even a few talking portraits for directions, the pair finally found the Transfiguration classroom.
Only a handful of students had arrived.
Neville.
Theodore.
Hermione.
Perched quietly on the teacher’s desk…
…was a tabby cat.
Wade’s heart skipped a beat.
He calmly pretended not to notice anything unusual.
Originally, he’d intended to sit in the very last row.
The back row is where true legends belong.
Unfortunately…
Hermione waved enthusiastically.
“There are seats up here!” Ignoring her would have been far too obvious.
“Morning, Wade.” “How’s Slytherin treating you?” “I’ve heard they don’t exactly welcome half-bloods and Muggle-borns.” Without changing expression, Wade glanced sideways at Daphne, who simply smiled without saying a word.
Could you maybe avoid saying something like that in front of an actual Slytherin pure-blood?
Have you never heard of tact?
Then again…
Perhaps she truly hadn’t.
That unwavering confidence of hers suggested as much.
“I get the feeling you’re worried I’ll be bullied.” Wade replied with a teasing smile.
“Since I’ve already been sorted into Slytherin, there’s nothing else to say.” “I’ll adapt.” “But you should prepare yourself.” “I stayed at the Leaky Cauldron for over a month.” “A lot of the regulars there had one thing in common whenever they talked about Gryffindor.” “They all described it with the same word…” “Trouble.” “You never know what kind of chaos Gryffindors are going to cause next.” If you’re enjoying the story, please consider supporting it!