Vade turned over the first card. It depicted the Goddess of Justice in meditation, dressed in red robes and wearing a golden crown as she sat upon a stone throne.
"Justice, upright. Truth, fairness, and trust."
Daphne looked thoughtful and turned over the next card herself. It depicted an armoured warrior wearing a helmet marked with an eight-pointed star, riding a chariot drawn by two sphinxes.
"The Chariot, upright. Seizing the initiative and facing matters with a positive attitude." Vade looked puzzled. "These two cards are both encouraging, but something feels wrong."
"You are the diviner. You should not be asking me what is wrong."
Vade suppressed his doubts and turned over the third card. It depicted the Garden of Eden, with Adam and Eve standing on either side as they basked in the angel’s blessing, surrounded by warmth and romance.
"The Lovers... upright."
"What were you thinking about just now? It definitely had nothing to do with the curse."
"That is none of your concern." A faint blush appeared on Daphne’s oval face. She hurriedly took ten Galleons from her pocket and handed them over. "I only wanted to test your skill at Divination.
Judging from the result, you are fairly good. At the very least, it proves that you were not brushing me off."
"Do another reading. This time, I want to ask about the blood curse."
Vade rolled his eyes.
"Do you have that much money?"
"My father only gives me thirty Galleons a month in pocket money, but first years hardly need to spend anything at Hogwarts."
"Fine. You have money, and I need money." Vade gathered the tarot cards and smoothly pushed the deck back toward Daphne. "Do the same thing as before. Go ahead."
Before long, three tarot cards lay on the table.
The Fool, upright. The Chariot, upright. The Star, upright.
Vade’s gaze lingered on the Fool card for two seconds.
The Fool was a normal tarot card. It should not make anyone think of anything unusual.
Besides, it was already too late to stop using tarot cards. Many people knew he had a talent for Divination. Hiding them away now would only make him appear guilty.
After several seconds of silence, he considered the cards and said, "Take a new step and persevere. You will find a way to resolve the Greengrass family curse."
"Thank you. You do not mind if I pay you later, do you?"
"Not at all. I trust the reputation of the Greengrass family," Vade said easily.
Thirty Galleons a month in pocket money made her an excellent client. A basic level of trust was only reasonable.
Besides, she could hardly leave Hogwarts over a mere ten Galleons.
Daphne seemed to have grown more interested in Vade and asked what he planned to do in the future. After all, anyone sorted into Slytherin was expected to have ambitions of their own.
Quietly growing stronger until he stood at the summit of the world, then enjoying a long and wonderful life as a god.
He obviously could not reveal such a grand ambition.
Vade hesitantly rubbed his brow.
"To live. To live happily and comfortably."
Seeing Daphne’s blank expression, Vade could not help smiling and gave her a simpler explanation.
"I want to become a Potions master and earn more money than I could ever spend."
"Like Professor Snape?"
"Of course, though I also want to study alchemy."
Every step in Vade’s future plans required money.
His current funds would only be enough to support him until Sequence 7, and Potions and alchemy were the fastest ways to earn more.
He had no way to study alchemy for the time being, but the Head of Slytherin happened to be a Potions master. With such an opportunity right in front of him, failing to make use of the teacher-student relationship would be a shameful waste.
"Then you will have to work hard."
"I certainly will."
At that moment, another student emerged from the dormitories and entered the common room.
Theodore Nott, another descendant of one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight.
"Good morning," Vade greeted him.
Theodore merely nodded before walking toward the entrance.
"Nott is rather withdrawn," Daphne said. "Come on. It is time for breakfast. We can also collect the first-year Slytherin timetable."
The two followed him to the Great Hall and ordered a simple breakfast.
The food at Hogwarts was quite good, fresh and well balanced.
As Vade ate, he examined the first-year timetable. Herbology, Potions, Astronomy, Charms, History of Magic, Transfiguration, Defence Against the Dark Arts, and Flying.
There were many subjects, but first years did not have many lessons each week. Overall, the schedule was fairly relaxed and left them with plenty of free time.
"We have Transfiguration at nine this morning with Gryffindor."
"Professor McGonagall is Head of Gryffindor. We should find the classroom early. We cannot be late."
Vade nodded. McGonagall had introduced him to the wizarding world, and he respected her greatly.
She had once invited him to join Gryffindor, but he had ended up in Slytherin, Gryffindor’s greatest rival. She was probably not pleased about that.
He could only work harder in Transfiguration and leave her with a better impression.
"See him? That is Harry Potter."
"The one beside the red-haired Weasley. Look at the scar on his forehead."
"His hair is covering it. I can barely see anything."
Harry and Ron approached the Gryffindor table amid quiet whispers and, unsurprisingly, attracted many stares.
"So that is the Boy Who Lived. He does not look particularly remarkable." Daphne watched Harry’s uneasy manner, uncertain how to describe him.
"Appearances can be deceiving." Vade immediately defended his convenient shield. "I shared a compartment with him yesterday. I dare say I know him better than you do."
"Is that so?"
"The Sorting Hat also said that he is very talented and possesses qualities suited to all four Houses. He simply... needs time for them to show."
"We shall see."
Hogwarts had more than a hundred staircases. They varied in width and frequently changed position.
It took the two of them considerable effort, along with directions from several ghosts and portraits, before they finally found the Transfiguration classroom.
Only a few students had arrived. Neville, Theodore, and Hermione were already there. A tabby cat also sat quietly on the teacher’s desk.
Vade’s heart skipped a beat, but he pretended not to notice anything unusual.
He had intended to sit in the back row, where he felt most at home.
However, Hermione waved to him and indicated that there were still seats near the front. He could hardly pretend not to see her.
"Good morning, Vade.
How are you finding Slytherin? I heard they are rather hostile toward half-blood and Muggle-born students."
Without revealing anything, Vade glanced at Daphne, who stood beside him with a silent smile.
Did Hermione have to say something so blunt in front of a pure-blood Slytherin? Had no one ever taught her tact?
Perhaps she truly had not learned it. Otherwise, she would not always carry herself with such pride.
"Why do I get the feeling that you are worried I might be bullied?" Vade asked half-jokingly. "I have already been sorted into Slytherin, so there is no point complaining about it. I will simply have to adjust."
"Still, you should prepare yourself. I stayed at the Leaky Cauldron for more than a month, and many of the customers there described Gryffindors as trouble. You never know what sort of mess they might cause."
(To be continued.)