A golden necklace…
Wade isn't the type to wear jewelry. Even though he can easily afford all kinds of expensive gemstones and gold accessories, he never had any interest in them.
At the same time, Michael noticed that Hermione also seemed to have something similar tucked beneath her robes.
"Alright then," Michael muttered, as he crossed his arms and rested his chin on them and slumped over the desk. "If I leave, you'll be stuck here alone. That'd be too pathetic."
Wade chuckled and reached into his bag, pulling out a book as thick as a brick and setting it on the table.
"If you're bored, you can read this."
"What's this?"
Michael sat up straight and flipped through the pages, grumbling, "An encyclopedia? Sounds just as dull as Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles!"
But the moment he opened the table of contents, his attention was immediately drawn in.
The book Wade had given him was actually a children's encyclopedia—one of his birthday gifts from a friend of his father's a couple of years ago. It started with the Big Bang, the Milky Way, nebulae, and galaxies, all illustrated with vibrant, colorful images and simple yet engaging explanations.
Later sections covered natural sciences, human history, societal changes, and technological advancements, all written in an engaging and eye-catching manner.
Michael quickly became immersed, completely losing track of time and forgetting all about wanting to leave.
Meanwhile, Wade took advantage of the quiet moment to finish all the homework from his morning classes.
Though his school bag appeared normal on the outside, it was actually a disguised version of his wardrobe space. Thanks to an Undetectable Extension Charm, its interior was as spacious as the Great Hall, allowing Wade to carry all his books with him at all times.
Calling it a school bag was an understatement—it was more like a portable personal library.
Whenever he needed to reference a book for an essay, all he had to do was reach inside, cast a silent Summoning Charm, and retrieve exactly what he was looking for.
As the dismissal bell rang, Michael reluctantly closed the encyclopedia and asked, "Can I borrow this? I've only read about ten pages so far."
"Wait a moment."
Wade tapped the book's cover with his wand, conjuring an identical copy. He handed the original to Michael and took the duplicate with him as he headed toward Professor Burbage.
Michael struggled to fit the massive volume into his already crowded bag. When he looked up, Wade was returning from the front of the classroom.
Raising an eyebrow, Michael asked, "Are you trying to convince Professor Burbage to teach from that encyclopedia instead? I heard she's been using the same textbook for nearly ten years."
"Which is exactly why it needs to change. One boring class like History of Magic is more than enough."
Wade smirked. "Besides, the old textbook is full of errors. The author clearly didn't have a deep understanding of Muggles. Like you said—it works better as a joke book."
"Did Professor Burbage agree?" Michael asked.
"I told her my thoughts, left the book, and then walked away," Wade sighed. "I have a feeling that once we're all gone, she might need to cry in secret for a bit."
"Uh…" Michael hesitated before saying, "Honestly, Millicent and the others walking out like that wasn't too surprising. No matter how you look at it, marrying a werewolf is pretty ridiculous."
"I thought you liked Remus," Wade said.
"Remus is Remus. Werewolves are werewolves," Michael replied matter-of-factly.
"I know what most werewolves are like—crude, violent, and filled with hatred toward wizards. I've even heard that in the past, they would sneak into villages at night to attack children and women."
"Remus is an exception. He doesn't represent all werewolves. And if Remus had a daughter, do you think he'd be willing to let her marry another werewolf?"
Wade didn't respond.
He thought of Will, the werewolf who had betrayed Remus's kindness, and Claire, who deeply resented her werewolf identity.
Even werewolves themselves struggled to accept what they were.
From that perspective, Professor Burbage's ideals really did seem incredibly naive.
…
After Muggle Studies, the next class was Care of Magical Creatures.
This subject has always been a popular elective. The vast majority of students took it, so classes were arranged just like core subjects—two houses paired together at a time.
Ravenclaw was grouped with Hufflepuff.
They made their way down the sloping path toward the Forbidden Forest, and arrived just in time for class, but the professor was nowhere to be seen.
"Where's Professor Hagrid?" asked Hannah Abbott from Hufflepuff. "Did he forget about class?"
The students waited for a while, and someone took the initiative to knock on the door of Hagrid's hut. There was no response.
"Did we get the wrong location?"
When he returned, he sounded uncertain.
"I hear something over there," Ryan pointed toward a spot not far away. "It sounds like something is making noise."
"Let's check it out," Anthony Goldstein decided. "Maybe Professor Hagrid is waiting for us over there!"
Anthony, always warm-hearted and considerate, was a natural leader among the Ravenclaws. Upon hearing his suggestion, the group followed him.
Wade had a vague suspicion of what was happening, but he kept quiet and walked along with the others.
The area was close to the Forbidden Forest, making many students—who normally wouldn't dare venture near this place—both excited and nervous. Unconsciously, they huddled closer together.
Then, they all heard the noises Ryan had mentioned.
A moment later, someone gasped in shock.
Twelve strange creatures stood inside an enclosure. They had the bodies of horses, but their heads, wings, and front claws belonged to eagles. Their fur and feathers were dazzlingly colorful—some were eating meat, some were resting on the ground, and two seemed to be playfully sparring.
The arrival of the students startled the creatures. The ones lying down immediately stood up, eyeing the newcomers warily but keeping their distance.
"Hippogriffs!" Theo exclaimed. "Is this what Professor Hagrid planned for today's lesson?"
"This is amazing!" Michael cheered. "I had no idea there were creatures like this in the Forbidden Forest!"
"But… where's the professor?"
Padma looked nervous. She clutched Michael's sleeve tightly and tried to step back. "Maybe we should leave… We should find Professor Hagrid first."
"Don't be scared, Padma," Michael reassured her. "Maybe the professor just went to get food for them! We're probably going to learn how to feed Hippogriffs!"
Padma turned pale and shrieked, "We have to get close to them?!"
Before anyone could respond, a stern voice called out from behind them.
"What are you all doing here?!"
The students turned to see Professor McGonagall striding toward them, and her expression was filled with worry and urgency. When she saw that the students were standing at least twenty meters away from the Hippogriffs, she finally relaxed.
"We were waiting for class to start, Professor," Anthony Goldstein explained. "But for some reason, Professor Hagrid hasn't arrived yet."
Professor McGonagall frowned. "No one informed you? This class has been temporarily canceled!"
"Canceled? Why?" Anthony asked in confusion.
"Something happened…" McGonagall said vaguely. "For now, for your own safety, stay away from this area and return to the castle. Quickly!"
The students hesitated, but under McGonagall's sharp gaze, they reluctantly began making their way back toward the castle.
"Why would the lesson be canceled?" Michael muttered. "This was supposed to be our very first Care of Magical Creatures class."
"Look over there," Wade said, nodding toward something in the distance.
Michael turned and spotted fresh blood stains—some on the grass, others on the wooden fence of the enclosure.
His face paled. "Someone got hurt?"
"My guess is yes," Wade said. "An eagle's beak and talons can do serious damage."
"Good thing we didn't get any closer," Padma said, patting her chest in relief. "I just hope it wasn't Hermione or the others who got hurt."
Michael, however, looked troubled—disbelieving even. "Did Professor Hagrid not set up proper safety measures? How could he screw up on the very first lesson?"
"Who knows? Maybe someone else made a mistake," Wade replied. "Either way, we'll find out if we go to the hospital wing."
"But…"
Michael turned back for one last look—and locked eyes with a Hippogriff.
"Maybe the next time we have class, they won't be here anymore… Maybe we'll never see them again."
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⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- +235 Chapters
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