[Bonus for Powerstones!♥(⓿_⓿)]
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"Anne, you look like you didn't sleep well?"
In the morning, as Wade and Tom were carrying their books on their way to class, they ran into Anne in the common room.
"Hmm... maybe it was because of that Invigoration Draught yesterday. I think I drank too much, and ended up a bit sleepless last night," Anne replied a little awkwardly.
Wade and Tom exchanged a glance. Wade was trying to suppress his smile, he was well aware of the real reason for her "sleeplessness" after all.
Tom said, "Wade still has some Draught of Living Death left. If you need it, you could try a bottle. Only 3 Galleons each. But be careful with the dosage this time — if you take too much, you might not wake up."
"Huh? Weren't you not too fond of Wade's potions? Why are you helping him sell them now?" Anne asked in surprise.
Tom replied stiffly, "Because I just found out last night that this guy used my money to buy ingredients, so... yes, I get a cut of his potion sales too. This is just for maximum profit."
Wade smiled and said, "No need to be so angry, Tom. Your money just sitting in Gringotts is dead money anyway. It's better if I use it to make more."
"They're just fine sitting in Gringotts," Tom said irritably. "Besides, what really bothers me is that you used my money without telling me!"
"Ahem, ahem... I don't need the Draught of Living Death for now," Anne said, declining the offer.
She still had to sneak out tonight to check those locations — how could she possibly drink something to knock herself out?
"But... your relationship seems closer than I expected. Wade can even open your vault and use your money freely?" Anne's gaze turned a little curious.
"Ahem, I think you misunderstood. He's just keeping the money with me for safekeeping, that's all. Vaults at Gringotts aren't cheap, you know. It's much more economical to just open one," Wade explained.
"Is that so?" Anne looked at the two of them, still suspicious.
"Yes, that's exactly it. A very simple and pure friendship," Wade replied seriously.
If he didn't explain it clearly, who knew what kind of report this silly girl would send to Grindelwald?
Just as the three of them were about to head to class, suddenly, a commotion broke out in the corner of the common room.
"You filthy, stupid pig, how dare you talk back to me?"
A blond boy with a pale face spoke arrogantly.
Wade recognized him — wasn't this Abraxas Malfoy?
"I am a person, not some filthy, stupid pig!" Standing opposite Abraxas was a chubby, black-haired boy, glaring at him furiously.
Wade remembered him too. He was also a first-year student this year, named Charles Prince. (P.S. Snape's mom comes from the Prince family.)
Wade recalled that he had performed quite well in yesterday's Potions class. He was one of the few students praised by Professor Slughorn during the lesson.
"Oh, please! Even if you're not a stupid pig, as for the word 'filthy'... I don't think there's anything wrong with that. After all, your father is a filthy Muggle, isn't he?" Abraxas sneered.
"How dare you insult my father?!" Charles shouted angrily.
"So what? I'm just telling the truth! Carrying half a filthy Muggle's blood in your veins, aren't you filthy too?" Abraxas remained as arrogant as ever.
Hearing this, Wade couldn't help glancing at Tom.
It was just that Tom hadn't yet discovered that his own father was a Muggle. Otherwise…
At the same time, Tom felt a sudden surge of irritation, an inexplicable anger rising from deep within him.
By now, he had confirmed that his mother was a witch. But what about his father?
Tom was exceptionally clever; in fact, he had suspected for quite some time that his father was a Muggle.
The possibility was at least eighty percent!
After spending these past days mingling with the pure-blood families, Tom had come to understand their character very well.
From the bottom of their hearts, they looked down on Muggles.
If his mother really came from the Gaunt family, then she must have been a pure-blood…
And if there were still family members alive, yet they had allowed one of their own to die in misery at the doorstep of an orphanage, it meant she must have committed some grave mistake that crossed their bottom line!
For example… having a child with a Muggle man…
Any pure-blood family that prided itself on blood purity would surely cast out such a member from the family.
In that case, his mother's pitiful death at the door of the orphanage made perfect sense... Tom's face darkened.
At this moment, Charles was thoroughly enraged.
"I'm filthy? In my opinion, you pure-bloods are the truly filthy ones! A bunch of inbred freaks, growing up with the ones you bed in your adulthud — what right do you have to call anyone filthy? Bah! Disgusting!"
Damn.. Wade inhaled sharply at those words.
Whose brave soldier is this? Such ferocity!!
Even if it was the truth, this wasn't something you just blurt out!
Especially here in Slytherin! The majority here were pure-blood supremacists.
He really offended too many people with that remark...
Was he planning to not survive at Hogwarts?
Sure enough, as soon as Charles finished speaking, the pure-blood students who had been watching like it was a show immediately closed in on him.
"Kid! You'd better apologise for what you just said!" one of the pure-blood students said coldly.
"Apologise?" Charles sneered. "I only spoke the truth!"
"You bastard! Are you looking for death?"
"Oh? So it's fine for you lot to insult my family, but when I turn it back on you, you can't take it?" Charles scoffed.
Wade patted Tom on the shoulder and chuckled, "This guy's got some guts, I like it!"
"Unfortunately, this bold fellow probably won't survive in Slytherin from now on," Tom said coolly.
Even though he himself felt uncomfortable with what Abraxas had said, recklessly speaking like that was tantamount to declaring war on all the pure-bloods of Slytherin!
Tom thought this Charles Prince fellow might not even make it through the night…
These pure-blood families had plenty of dark magic that could make a person wish for death!
"Hm... huh? Tom, where are you going? You're not thinking of saving him, are you?" Wade looked at Tom, somewhat surprised.
"I am. We've already offended that lot of pure-bloods anyway, so what's one more offense?" Tom said with disdain.
"My goodness… Tom's actually turned into a good person!" Wade exclaimed in mock astonishment.
"I'm no good person," Tom replied flatly, "but didn't you say before? 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend. We should have as few enemies as possible, and as many friends as we can... Right now, we have too few friends in Slytherin and far too many enemies."
"Amazing. I'm genuinely touched that you not only remember what I told you but understand it so well," Wade said with an expression of deep satisfaction.
Tom kept a straight face and said, "Do you think I'm senile or something?"
"Ahem, that's not what I meant. I just want to ask—can you really handle all of them?"
"They're just a bunch of useless riffraff. It's not like I haven't fought them before," Tom sneered at the fighting prowess of these pure-bloods.
Wade said, "But there are quite a few upper-years among them. Don't forget how badly they had you cornered last time."
"Ah.. well.." Tom's steps faltered for a moment.
"..If I can't beat them, isn't there still you? Last time, when you saved me, you managed to scare them off without much trouble. I reckon even if everyone here ganged up on you, they still wouldn't win... Besides, you wouldn't just stand by and watch me get beaten to death, would you?"
"Sigh… so you do remember I once saved you… but even so, you're not willing to call me godfather!"
Tom erupted in fury, "What did you just say?! You damn scoundrel!"
Tom: I'm still debating whether or not to even be friends with you, and you're already thinking of how to become my father?!
"What's wrong? Haven't I treated you well enough? Yet you, this ungrateful child, still think about how to stab me in the back every day. It truly breaks this old father's heart," Wade said, clutching his chest in mock anguish.
"You—!"
If not for knowing he couldn't beat this scoundrel, Tom would've already thrown himself at Wade to fight to the death.
"If you two keep arguing, that guy might really get beaten to death," Anne interrupted. "Also… you said you fought them before… the hundred and eighty points that got deducted, that wasn't because of you two, was it?"
"We were merely acting in self-defense," Tom said seriously, then strode straight toward the commotion.
Anne was surprised—this was valuable intelligence about these two's combat capabilities! She was already thinking about how to report it to Mr. Grindelwald.
Wade sighed and followed after Tom.
"You're going too?"
"Of course I am. If I don't, I'm afraid this ungrateful godson of mine might get beaten to death by the crowd…"
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Here is another chapter! Tom has a wonderful godfather, if I may say so.
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