Usually, my bonus for new fics is bonus Chapters after every 200 PS and after every 10 reviews.
But for this week, I am making it bonus Chapters for every 100 PS and 5 reviews (currently at 2/5). Good luck and thank you for your support so far.
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"Good thing I am a professional diviner," Vade murmured silently.
He had forgotten who possessed the Marauder’s Map, but that was only a minor problem for a diviner.
It was not some high-level mystical item, nor did it possess any anti-divination properties.
Vade patiently explored Hogwarts Castle on foot. From the first floor to the eighth, he memorised the locations of the classrooms, professors’ offices, library, bathrooms, hospital wing, and other areas, though he did not enter any of them.
Afterward, he ate lunch in the Great Hall before returning to the common room.
Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle happened to be absent from the dormitory, so Vade immediately prepared to perform a Dream Divination.
A pendulum would have been more suitable for locating an object, but it would attract too much attention and take too long.
On a sheet of parchment, he wrote the divination statement, "Who possesses the Marauder’s Map?"
He then held the parchment, lay down on his bed, and quickly fell asleep.
Within a hazy world, Vade regained awareness and saw a room on the ground floor of the castle, directly beside the Entrance Hall.
The room was cramped, dim, and filthy. It had no windows, and the only light came from a hanging oil lamp.
Two people sneaked into the room and found an old sheet of parchment inside a drawer labelled "Confiscated Items, Highly Dangerous"...
Withdrawing from the dream, Vade tiredly rubbed his temples, a bitter smile appearing on his face.
The room beside the Entrance Hall was the office of the caretaker, Argus Filch. The two people who stole the Marauder’s Map were Ron Weasley’s twin brothers, Fred and George.
"This is going to be difficult. I barely know either of them.
Besides, it will not be easy for a Slytherin to obtain the Marauder’s Map from two Gryffindors who enjoy sneaking around at night and playing pranks."
"What should I do? I cannot simply steal it."
The thought suddenly flashed through Vade’s mind, but he immediately dismissed it.
Stealing it would be the worst possible option. If the Weasley twins discovered what he had done, they would cause him endless trouble.
He could only use conventional means and persuade them to hand over the map willingly.
That would be difficult.
Vade sighed inwardly. He would have to take his time with the Marauder’s Map.
For now, his main priority was finding somewhere private where he could practise magic without being discovered.
The Forbidden Forest was out of the question. It was too dangerous.
An empty classroom or storeroom would not work either. Someone might still find him.
Should he perform another divination?
At that moment, the dormitory door suddenly opened. Draco entered with Crabbe and Goyle, both of whom were carrying piles of snacks.
Vade silently slipped the parchment into his sleeve and greeted them.
"You are back rather late. You went to the library to study in secret, did you not? As expected of the heir to a pure-blood family. You work much harder than ordinary people."
A trace of embarrassment flashed through Draco’s eyes.
"I was planning to visit the library, but Crabbe and Goyle have rather large appetites, so we stayed in the Great Hall for a little longer."
Vade glanced at the two boys, who had already sat on their beds and begun eating small cakes.
They were exactly the sort of people who dragged down Slytherin’s overall reputation.
"What is your relationship with Greengrass?" Draco asked with interest. "Theodore told me he saw the two of you talking and laughing in the common room this morning."
"Do not misunderstand. I was only performing a divination for her. We are simply classmates."
"You can do that?" Draco asked in surprise.
"It is one of the few talents I possess. Why else do you think a half-blood wizard like me was sorted into Slytherin?"
"So your divinations are accurate?"
"No, no, no." Vade raised a finger and shook it. "Divination is not infallible. I can only offer the most likely interpretation. I cannot guarantee complete accuracy."
"Would you care for a reading?" Vade took out his tarot cards and skilfully shuffled and cut the deck. "Only ten Galleons per reading."
Crabbe suddenly began coughing.
Goyle had to slap him on the back several times before he finally recovered.
"Are you mad?" Crabbe stared at him in disbelief.
"Who would pay ten Galleons for a divination?" Goyle added. "We only receive twenty Galleons in pocket money each term."
"I receive slightly more than they do. Fifty Galleons," Draco said proudly.
Were there really this many wealthy clients in Slytherin?
Vade realised that he had been far too shortsighted.
He needed to establish a proper source of income. Making money through divination might not be reliable, but each successful transaction could still earn him a considerable amount.
First, however, he needed an opportunity to build his reputation.
"Daphne paid me for two readings this morning. Twenty Galleons in total."
"Were they really just divinations?"
"What else would they be?"
Vade frowned unconsciously. Draco should not have been this interested in idle gossip.
He quietly activated his Spirit Vision and observed Draco’s emotional colours. Pale red was mixed with traces of orange.
So he was simply eager to hear some gossip firsthand.
"Why are you asking?"
"Nothing. Since we share a dormitory, I merely wanted to offer you a friendly warning. Do not get any ideas about her."
Me, interested in an eleven-year-old girl?
Was that not absurd?
Even for a childhood romance, this was far too early.
He felt nothing toward Daphne. Even his relationship with Hermione was no more than an ordinary, platonic friendship.
Romance would only slow his path to godhood. Besides, they were not even grown women yet.
"Thank you for the warning." Vade rolled his eyes at Draco. "But that joke was not funny."
"Still, I would like to know why you warned me. Surely it is not simply because I am a half-blood and you think I am beneath her?"
"That is part of the reason, though it is not especially important."
So that really was one of the reasons?
Vade suddenly felt rather looked down upon, though he did not take it to heart.
Magnanimity was a virtue befitting a god.
"What is the other reason?"
"Daphne is the eldest daughter of the Greengrass family, and her generation consists only of her and her younger sister.
As the family heir, the only way for the Greengrass line to continue is for her future husband to marry into the family."
"Marry into her family?"
"Countless people would compete for that opportunity.
My father told me that Daphne’s father had to overcome a great many rivals before he was chosen."
Vade gave a dry laugh.
"I know my limits."
"That is for the best. Otherwise, many people in Slytherin would probably become hostile toward you."
Vade nearly laughed.
Fortunately, he was at least a half-blood. Had he been Muggle-born, life in Slytherin would probably have been even more difficult.
Coincidentally, Daphne encountered a similar situation. Several girls in her dormitory advised her to keep her distance from Vade.
However, as the heir to the Greengrass family, one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, she had enough confidence to ignore them completely and did not even bother explaining herself.
(To be continued.)