On September 2nd, the new school term officially began.
Vade woke at half past six. After glancing at Draco and the other two, who were still asleep, he quietly left the dormitory.
It had been so late the previous night that he had not had time to properly explore the common room.
He had to admit that the underwater setting was remarkably beautiful. Its only drawback was the lack of light. Living there for too long might become somewhat oppressive.
"Lumos..." Vade instinctively began to cast the Wand-Lighting Charm, but the speck of white light that had appeared at his fingertip was immediately suppressed.
He could not use wandless magic. In a sense, that would be proof of exceptional talent.
He slowly exhaled and drew his silver-grey wand, but after a moment of thought, he put it away again.
He was supposed to be playing the part of an ordinary student.
There were undoubtedly first years who already knew the Wand-Lighting Charm, but a half-blood wizard who had never received a formal magical education and only wanted an easy life should not know it. At the very least, he should not use it on his first day.
Feeling somewhat frustrated, Vade looked up at the domed ceiling.
Pale green ripples of light washed over him. A school of fish swam over from the distance before disappearing into a bed of aquatic plants.
At that moment, Vade heard footsteps. He turned and saw a sweet-looking girl with smooth blonde hair, narrow eyes, and an elegant bearing.
Daphne Greengrass.
The name flashed through Vade’s mind. She was also a first year and, like Draco, came from one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. She was the young heiress of an old pure-blood family.
"I thought I would be the only one awake this early," Vade said half-jokingly.
"So did I." Daphne looked at the handsome boy across from her. "I remember your name is... Vade Moria. Are you a half-blood or Muggle-born?"
"I am a half-blood, Miss Daphne Greengrass.
You seem to care about blood status just as much as Malfoy does."
"Pure-blood wizards come from noble families and are generally more talented," Daphne said as though it were only natural.
"There have also been plenty of half-blood and Muggle-born witches and wizards who achieved extraordinary things," Vade replied calmly.
Since he was a half-blood, accepting pure-blood supremacy would mean placing himself beneath the others in Slytherin.
He wanted to keep a low profile, but that did not mean bowing his head.
"That is true, but they are still a minority." Daphne nodded and moved on from the subject. "Why are you awake so early?"
"Habit, I suppose. What about you?"
"It is my first day at school, and I was a little excited. I did not sleep very well."
Vade quietly activated his Spirit Vision, and Daphne’s aura became clearly visible.
The colours around each part of her body appeared normal, but a trace of blood-red was mixed into the white aura surrounding her.
That unnatural crimson stain clung to her body and soul like poison buried deep in the bone, slowly eroding her life force.
Vade drew in a sharp breath and deactivated his Spirit Vision. When he looked at her again, there was an indescribable trace of sympathy in his eyes.
Some people really were born beautiful and cursed with misfortune.
"Daphne, you should visit the hospital wing when you have time."
Daphne’s expression changed.
"What do you mean?"
"Do not misunderstand. I am simply suggesting that you take better care of your health.
It would also be wise to put more effort into Potions. I am sure Professor Snape would be happy to teach one of his own students how to brew the Elixir of Life.
Of course, forget I said anything if your family has no shortage of money."
After hearing this, Daphne no longer had any doubts.
"What exactly do you know?"
Vade looked completely confused.
"I do not know anything."
"You are lying. I know very well that there is something wrong with my body."
"Wait, you already know?" Vade blurted out.
He suddenly felt as though he had been worrying over something that was none of his business.
She was the young heiress of a pure-blood family. Naturally, she would have been carefully looked after. Any problem with her health would have been discovered long ago, and her family might already have prepared several possible treatments.
"The Greengrass family’s blood curse," Daphne said dejectedly. "The curse drains the life force of whoever inherits it, though its severity varies from person to person.
Even so, the average lifespan of the Greengrass family is still shorter than normal."
Vade silently swallowed the rest of what he had been about to say.
The problem had indeed been identified, but there might not be a solution.
Had there been one, that strange trace of crimson should not still have been present in her aura.
"But how did you know?"
"To be honest, I truly did not know anything about the curse. I only noticed that something seemed wrong from your complexion."
"Just from my complexion?" Daphne asked in astonishment.
"I know a little about Divination."
Understanding immediately dawned on Daphne. The Sorting Hat had also said that Vade possessed a talent for Divination.
"Can you perform a reading for me?"
"Well... I charge for my services. Ten Galleons per reading."
"Ten Galleons?" Daphne’s voice rose involuntarily. "Do you not think that is far too expensive?"
"I would also prefer to charge less, but I have no choice.
My parents died when I was young, and I grew up with nothing. If I did not find ways to earn more money, I would have needed to apply for financial assistance just to attend Hogwarts," Vade said with complete seriousness.
It was entirely true. Now that he had finally found a wealthy customer, it would be a waste not to earn his first bit of money at Hogwarts.
Daphne had not expected Vade’s family circumstances to be so poor, so she stopped arguing about the price.
"Are your readings accurate?"
"Not necessarily. Divination is not infallible," Vade answered sincerely.
"And you still have the nerve to charge so much?"
"Is ten Galleons truly too much for even the possibility of finding hope?"
Daphne had no answer.
She knew there was a strong chance that he was simply trying to trick her. However, after considering that he had somehow discovered the Greengrass family’s blood curse, she decided to give it a try.
Even if not for herself, she had to consider her younger sister, whose curse was far more severe than her own.
It was only ten Galleons. She could simply spend less of her allowance that month.
"Fine. Ten Galleons it is."
"Excellent." Delighted, Vade headed toward the dormitory. "Wait here. I will go and get my divination tools."
A few minutes later, he returned with a deck of tarot cards.
The two sat opposite each other at a table beside the fireplace.
Vade handed the deck to her.
"Shuffle the cards, then cut the deck."
Daphne followed his instructions. After finishing, she arranged the cards neatly on the table.
"What next?"
"Repeat the question you want answered in your mind, then draw three cards at random."
"I feel as though you are not taking this seriously."
"Your feeling is wrong. I am a diviner with professional integrity.
Besides, the diviner always has the final say in interpreting a reading. Just do as I tell you."
Daphne gave him a long look, and a trace of slyness flashed through her eyes.
She repeatedly recited several sentences in her mind while reaching out and drawing three tarot cards from the deck.
(To be continued.)