Waking up in the morning and opening his eyes to a ceiling dotted with stars and moons, Wade was momentarily disoriented before realizing he was already back at school.
Today was Wednesday, and Ravenclaw only had one Herbology class in the morning, and it wasn't even the first period.
Wade got up, had breakfast, and then went to the Room of Requirement as usual.
He transformed the room into what he needed for alchemy practice, setting up the Foe-Glass and Sneakoscope he had bought from the junk shop, placing the damaged two-way mirror and other items on shelves. Then, he approached the Vanishing Cabinet again.
Before the holiday, Wade had already repaired most of the Vanishing Cabinet.
He had also consulted Newt Scamander about some parts he still didn't understand, gaining significant insight.
The lake water in Newt's suitcase connected to Loch Ness in the outside world, which was almost identical to the principle of the Vanishing Cabinet.
The difference was that Newt had set up a barrier at the connection point, allowing only objects he permitted (typically seawater and small marine creatures) to pass through.
The Vanishing Cabinets, however, had no barrier, and the act of opening and closing the doors would activate two-way teleportation.
What had long puzzled Wade was merely basic magical knowledge to Newt.
He effortlessly resolved the difficulties, even proposing improvements to make the teleportation more stable and safe.
During the last few days of the summer, Wade had completed the repair blueprints for the Vanishing Cabinet at home. Now, it was time to verify their correctness.
He stared intently at the Vanishing Cabinet, the depths of his eyes seemingly turning faintly golden.
The tip of his wand also seemed to glow with a golden arc.
"What's wrong? Didn't sleep well?"
Michael couldn't help but ask when Wade yawned for the third time.
Wade replied wearily, "A little tired."
Focusing intently while using his eyes and magic, even sitting still, was quite draining.
Thankfully, the Vanishing Cabinet was repaired.
From Wade's perspective, the runic circuits flowed smoothly and naturally, without any flaws.
All that remained were multiple tests to ensure safety before he could truly come and go as he pleased.
They stepped onto the lawn towards the greenhouses, encountering Slytherin students heading to the same place as they exited the castle.
Draco Malfoy, surrounded by his many companions, suddenly raised his voice when he saw Wade:
"The Nimbus 2001 is the best broomstick right now, much faster than the Nimbus 2000, and it has better defensive mechanisms. It just came out last month..."
As Malfoy spoke, Pansy was always the most supportive.
She asked in a surprised voice, "That must be incredibly expensive, Draco?"
"Of course it is!" Malfoy said boastfully. "My father told them—we're buying seven Nimbus 2001s, and everyone in the shop was stunned."
Seven of the latest broomsticks—this number surprised even students from well-off families.
Terry Boot from Ravenclaw, who had a decent relationship with the Slytherins, asked directly, "Malfoy, what are you buying so many brooms for?"
"Interesting question, Boot." Malfoy narrowed his eyes. "Guess why it's exactly seven?"
There was no need to guess.
Boot asked in surprise, "Did you join the team?"
Malfoy smiled mysteriously and then added, "The broomstick shop didn't even have that many Nimbus 2001s; they're working overtime to finish them! They won't be able to ship them to me until the weekend..."
Malfoy drew out his words, looking meaningfully at Wade, who was walking at the back of the group, and said:
"I heard some people are still using ancient relics from decades ago! A Comet 140, tsk tsk tsk... how pathetic. When my new broom arrives, I wouldn't mind letting him admire it."
Wade rode his broom up and down the Ravenclaw Tower every day, and many students saw him, so Malfoy naturally knew.
The Comet 140 was the broom Wade rode daily.
But Wade was still engrossed in thoughts of the Vanishing Cabinet and didn't realize Malfoy was mocking him until Michael spoke up.
"Malfoy, I heard you tore up your Book of Friends?"
Michael pretended to be surprised. "No way... Are you still communicating with your family by owl?"
At this, the Ravenclaws and some of the Slytherin students chuckled softly.
It was actually quite normal to use owls, after all, the Book of Friends couldn't magically deliver things their families prepared for them.
Every morning at breakfast, owls still busily flew across the Great Hall.
But what made this matter amusing was that whether Malfoy refused to use the Book of Friends to preserve his dignity or ate his harsh words and secretly used it...
It all seemed rather ridiculous.
Either foolish or humiliating, he would always have to choose between two bad options.
In reality, his dorm mates knew very well that Malfoy regretted tearing it up the very night he did it.
He only lasted a single day.
The next evening, he wrote to his parents, and on the third day, Mrs. Malfoy sent him several new Books of Friends.
Malfoy's face flushed with anger, and he immediately cursed, "Some people are like lapdogs, following others all day, truly disgusting... Mmph..."
Before he could finish, his tongue and palate stuck together, rendering him speechless.
"Draco!" Pansy shrieked, then glared at Wade. "What did you do to him? Undo it now!"
"If you can't speak properly, then don't speak at all."
Wade lowered his wand and said coldly, "Malfoy, you probably can't tell the difference between a friend and a sycophant. Because in your heart, you've never truly considered anyone a real friend, have you?"
The words struck home, and even Pansy couldn't help but glance back at Malfoy.
Everyone knew perfectly well what kind of attitude the young master usually had towards his cronies.
Malfoy fumed, pointing his wand at Wade, his eyes red with suppressed anger, only a few sparks appearing at the tip of his wand.
He looked around.
Goyle and Crabbe had drawn their wands, but they stood there foolishly, waiting for his command.
—Did they really not realize he couldn't speak? Or did they think Wade had a point and were feigning compliance?
Pansy stood beside him, not daring to act, and as for the other Slytherin students, there was even less to say.
This was not only because many Ravenclaw students had also drawn their wands, but also because after Wade acted, these particularly astute Slytherins immediately realized a crucial fact—
He had cast the spell nonverbally!
Nonverbal spells... that was something only taught in sixth year.
The young snakes instinctively chose silence and avoidance, while the Ravenclaws, who had initially been smiling, also became cold.
Wade had always been solitary, but Michael was not; he had good relationships with students from all houses.
Just as Malfoy was in a difficult position, someone's arrival broke the deadlock.