Although Harry Potter had been stumped by Professor Snape's out-of-syllabus question in Potions class—and even cost Gryffindor a point—something inside him seemed to flip. From that day on, he and Malfoy launched into a full-blown rivalry.
It was, in essence, a battle of show-offs—each racing to raise their hand first and answer questions in every class.
After all, Harry had the brightest witch of his year, Hermione Granger, as a classmate, and the legendary upperclassman Qin Yu as his secret weapon. He really was in an enviable position.
In short: the advantage was his!
When Harry shared this line of thinking with Qin Yu, Qin fell silent for a long while, giving Harry a look filled with complicated meaning.
Of all the people to imitate, you pick that guy's way of talking? What's next, keeping a diary?
Pfft. Who in their right mind keeps a diary?
Qin's mind was full of snarky retorts, but outwardly, he simply offered earnest encouragement:
"Not bad. Have confidence. If you have any questions, just ask me or Hermione. And don't forget to actually study those notes I gave you."
Though in his heart, he quietly added: Sorry, Harry, I'm undercover!
"As long as you don't start whining that studying is boring," Hermione shrugged, clearly willing to serve as his "study consultant."
"Yeah, thank you, Qin! Thank you, Hermione!" Harry said, his expression solemn with excitement.
"Should I... join in too?" Ron asked, a bit nervously.
Studying was always a struggle for Ron. It wasn't that he was unwilling—he just instinctively recoiled from it. After all, who actually enjoys studying?
But if his best mate Harry Potter was throwing himself into schoolwork, how could Ron not go along?
—Of course, pain was still pain.
So, "studying happily" really is an oxymoron.
"I... I want to join too..." Neville mumbled, almost apologetically.
Seeing Neville, Ron felt instantly better, grinning as he clapped him on the shoulder. "Great, let's do it together!"
The truth is, with friends by your side, even the toughest things aren't so scary—and sometimes, they're even fun.
Pain is pain, but it's easier to bear with company.
Adam, eager to fit in, declared that as long as he didn't fall asleep, he'd study with them and make progress together.
The League of Overachievers had just gained a decidedly unenthusiastic new member.
...
All things considered, Qin Yu thought things were going rather well.
Not only had Malfoy thrown himself into magical studies as if he'd been dosed with a cheering charm, but Harry, Ron, Neville, and the rest seemed to catch the competitive bug too—none of them willing to fall behind.
It did mean more work for Qin, though. He had to openly help Harry and friends with their homework, while also donning a mask at midnight to meet Malfoy in secret as the mysterious "old mentor."
Helping both sides, keeping the balance... He felt like a live-action version of a game designer from his previous life.
Fortunately, he only had to meet Malfoy once a week—midnight every Friday, masked, checking his progress, answering questions, and introducing new magical knowledge.
...
Of course, tutoring the kids was only a small part of Qin Yu's Hogwarts life—he had plenty of his own work to do.
Finishing his second-year coursework was the bare minimum, and honestly, it was no challenge at all. In Potions, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts—he was already miles ahead.
He could thank his coexistence with the Obscurus Power, his natural talent, relentless effort, and the careful guidance of Snape and Swinton for his rapid progress.
Beyond academics, there was Quidditch training—good for the body, and after all, you need to be fit to cast magic effectively.
But lately, he'd devoted even more time to alchemy. Since he suspected Swinton had left this as a kind of assignment—and since he wanted to try communicating with the professor through alchemy—he threw himself into the research.
So, life as a second-year at Hogwarts was even busier and more fulfilling than his first.
Day by day, time marched on. The little ones began a healthy competition, both in and out of class. Even Hermione, the class's original answer-queen, found her brilliance a little overshadowed by the others' efforts. She didn't mind—if anything, it meant less of the exclusion she'd faced in the Muggle world. Of course, at Hogwarts, no one dared treat her badly.
As for Qin Yu, his relentless research finally yielded some progress on the "alchemical communication method."
One day, as usual, he sat alone in an empty classroom, meditating with his alchemical longsword.
Following Professor Swinton's instructions, he focused his mind on everything he understood about alchemy—reconstructing the materials and forging process of the sword in his imagination, trying to achieve a spiritual resonance with it. Through this, he hoped to use his sword to reach out and connect with another longsword, placed a meter away.
Once, twice, three times... Qin lost count of his attempts. Sweat beaded on his forehead, but the sword across from him remained stubbornly still.
Just as he was ready to give up, mentally exhausted, the sword in his mind suddenly came into sharp focus.
Qin's heart leapt. He reached out, mentally, toward that imagined blade.
Hummm!
It was as if a metallic vibration rang out in his mind.
At that moment, the real sword in his arms trembled.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Across the room, the longsword he'd borrowed from Snape rattled against the floor.
Resonance—success!
Qin Yu opened his eyes, unable to hide the smile spreading across his face.
The resonance was faint, the distance short, but it was a start—a real first step!
He let himself collapse onto the floor, exhaustion washing over him in waves.
...
"Qin Yu, you look exhausted," Hermione remarked at dinner, her voice full of concern.
"Yeah, I overdid it a bit today. I'll be fine after a rest," Qin replied, giving her what he hoped was a reassuring smile.
Hermione just pouted, piling more food onto his plate as she muttered, "Like I don't know you. When you get busy, you forget everything else. Now eat up, and get a good rest afterward."
"Mm-hmm, whatever you say," Qin nodded obediently, opening his mouth to accept the bread she offered—then gesturing for a sausage.
Seeing how worn out he was, Hermione "reluctantly" fed him.
After eating his fill, Qin Yu felt his energy returning. He leaned back in his chair, content, listening to the others chat.
He caught Hermione's voice: "...The day after tomorrow's Halloween. You wrote in your letter that it's always such a lively time—I can't wait..."
"Yeah, it's not just lively—there's loads of good food too..." Qin began, then paused.
Right. Halloween was the day after tomorrow.
And the eve of Halloween... was a date no one could afford to ignore.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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