Wade didn't ask anything further; he first looked down at the shopping list.
Hogsmeade, as a small village, naturally couldn't compare to Diagon Alley, which was the commercial hub of the British Wizarding World. The number of shops wasn't vast, but though small, it had everything one could need. Almost every type of shop could be found, like clothing stores, quill shops, magical equipment stores, post offices, pubs, and tea houses. Of course, the most popular among students were definitely the candy shops; the list of candies on the shopping list was incredibly long, totaling more than all other categories combined.
Wade glanced at the items others wanted to buy and couldn't help but ask, "With so many things, can he carry them all?"
"In the Hufflepuff common room, Cedric specifically said—" Theo chuckled, "He said, 'Don't worry if my arms can carry it all; there's also the Levitation Charm!' Other third-year students said they could help too, so Cedric wouldn't be doing all the heavy lifting alone."
Michael lay on the table, sighing weakly, "Ugh—why don't we Ravenclaws have such enthusiastic seniors? They only look at you sideways and say something like, 'Don't worry, you'll be able to go in two years!' Or they'll say, 'This is for your safety!' Not a single one offered to bring us some candy! Ugh, another day wishing I was in Hufflepuff!"
Theo and Ryan exchanged a look and smiled with pride.
Meanwhile, Hermione and Neville simultaneously thought of Percy Weasley, the Gryffindor prefect—"I'm a prefect, you have to listen to me!" "Do you want to lose points for the house?" "First-years, don't even think about sneaking out; Filch will check everyone one by one, and no one who shouldn't be there will slip away! Of course, I'll also help keep an eye on you troublemakers."
Or the two Weasleys from third year—"Of course, no problem, Dungbomb or Belch Powder? —Great idea! You'll give Filch a surprise! That'll be fifteen Silver Sickles! —I swear, it's only five Knuts more than Hogsmeade!"
However, their resale business was discovered by Percy before they even got the money. Most importantly, the twins were reselling prank products that would make Filch shriek, so the brothers ended up being chased all over the common room by their older brother.
Though Hermione and Neville were worlds apart in academic performance, they were both "outsiders" in Gryffindor to some extent. They swallowed their complaints about the Weasleys but secretly envied Hufflepuff's atmosphere.
Then Wade chuckled, "Michael, never mind envying Hufflepuff for having a senior willing to look after the younger students—when we reach third year, will you be willing to help the younger Ravenclaws buy all sorts of candies?"
"Are you kidding?" Michael said without hesitation, "That's so much trouble! I don't want to spend my rare weekend completing a task list!"
"Exactly—we are the self-centered Ravenclaws," Wade said calmly, choosing some items that others hadn't picked much of, so they could exchange them later.
He just wondered if Cedric would be startled by Theo's and the others' long list.
...
"Actually, Wade, I think you're just like Cedric."
After studies concluded for the day, Theo specifically stayed behind and told Wade this.
"Huh?" Wade was still immersed in Petrificus Totalus at the moment, completely forgetting what everyone had discussed earlier.
Theo looked him in the eye and said earnestly, "Though it's never been said, the reason our SSC group came together at all is entirely because of you, Wade—you always selflessly guide us in practicing spells and are willing to share the notes you painstakingly organized. I've never seen another Ravenclaw do that."
Wade was a little surprised. He looked at Theo, unsure what to say.
"Michael and Hermione are so smart; they hang out with us because of you. Ryan, Neville, and I, the three of us, our grades weren't outstanding to begin with; in some subjects, we were even at the bottom. But thanks to your help, we've recently started to earn some points for the house. Professor Flitwick has praised us several times, and Neville even dared to raise his hand and speak in Herbology class last time. Professor Sprout even gave him a point."
Theo concluded, "Wade, you're a Ravenclaw, but you are definitely not self-centered or aloof. You've given us so much help—I just wanted to tell you that."
For a long time after Theo left, Wade felt an inexplicable emotion filling his heart.
He packed his things and walked out of the Umbrella Room, only to see Claudia in a portrait strolling in the grass. A hint of sorrow shadowed the girl's brows, and her expression was strikingly similar to Lin Daiyu in his memory.
Watching the Umbrella Room door close, Wade muttered to himself, "How could it all be because of me that we gathered? That Theo, he must have forgotten—this classroom was his idea, he applied for it with Professor Sprout!"
Miss Claudia remained silent as always. She never spoke to students, nor did she occasionally visit other portraits; she always stayed on this empty lawn. If she didn't occasionally walk around, she would be indistinguishable from a Muggle portrait.
...
Cedric, true to his word, helped them buy everything on Wade's list, and didn't charge them an extra Knut.
"Oh my goodness, I'm flying!" Hermione exclaimed. The brown-haired girl had just drunk a beverage and slowly floated up from the ground. Wade quickly reached out and pulled her down to prevent her from flying too high and getting hurt.
After a long while, the drink's magic wore off, and Hermione slowly descended to the ground. She said a little indignantly, "They should write the consumption warnings on the packaging!"
"How fun is that, Hermione!" Michael said.
Hermione glared at him, blushing, "But I'm wearing a skirt!"
Michael was speechless, lowering his head and saying, "I'm sorry—you're absolutely right."
"Watch this, everyone!" Theo shouted, "I'm going to eat this Black Pepper Imp!"
Everyone watched him expectantly.
Theo popped the candy into his mouth, chewed a few times, and his expression suddenly changed. The next second, flames shot out of his nose!
Everyone burst into laughter.
Michael grabbed a handful of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and distributed them to everyone, saying excitedly, "Here, try these Every Flavor Beans! Let's bet on who's the unluckiest!"
He was the first to pop one into his mouth. "Not bad, carrot flavored."
Ryan ate one, grimacing. "Unlucky—earwax flavored."
Wade was curious, "How do you know what earwax tastes like?"
Ryan paused, looked at the sky and then the ground, then casually turned to Theo: "Hurry up, your turn."
Theo ate his with a grin. "Mmm—melon flavor! How lucky!"
Hermione also ate one. "Beef flavor, not good, not bad."
Neville, on the other hand, looked at the yellow Every Flavor Bean in his hand with dread, muttering, "It's not always me who gets the bad ones, is it?" He swallowed it with his eyes closed, then his tongue stuck out, and he cried incoherently, "Water, water, water!"
"Did you get sand flavor?" Michael handed him water, asking curiously.
Neville, with tears in his eyes after chugging a large cup of water, said, "It was super spicy chili flavor."
Everyone looked at Wade.
Wade looked at the Every Flavor Beans with distaste. He had never eaten this Wizarding World specialty because he'd heard Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans even had vomit flavor—what kind of prankster mindset did the manufacturer have?
But everyone was waiting for him. After some mental preparation, Wade finally tossed the bean into his mouth.
"What flavor is it?" his companions asked curiously.
Wade breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled, "It tastes like snow."
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