Over the next few days, Warren's life at Hogwarts settled into a comfortable routine.
He attended classes daily, answered the professors' questions, and absorbed their feedback, eagerly satisfying his thirst for knowledge.
On the very first day of school, during Charms, his masterful execution of the Levitation Charm earned him high praise from Professor Flitwick, an expert in the field who was rumored to have goblin ancestry. Flitwick even took the time to examine Warren's notes personally.
However, he stopped short of inviting Warren to join the Charms Club.
"Your magical core is still developing, Mr. Warren Weasley. Students your age need to master the basics before they delve into advanced topics," Professor Flitwick told him in his high-pitched voice. "But I promise you, once you reach your third year, I will extend an invitation—assuming you have the time. I imagine the Transfiguration Club will likely claim a significant portion of your energy by then."
To show his appreciation for Warren's talent, he awarded Slytherin twenty points that day.
This pleased Warren immensely.
He wasn't about to pass up any opportunity to earn points, not with the new quest the system had activated after the previous storyline!
**[Main Quest ②: Help Slytherin win the House Cup at the end of this school year]**
**[Reward: 1 Talent Point, 50 Scales of Magic]**
It seemed simple enough on the surface, but anyone familiar with the future knew it would be a nightmare.
The greatest wizard of the age was currently grooming his "savior" and was perfectly willing to shamelessly rig the point system in the boy's favor. Although this would be the only instance in the coming years, it still directly conflicted with the system's quest.
Warren hadn't devised a solution yet, but he wasn't one to give up easily. He would simply have to give it his all.
Two days passed. He endured the mind-numbing History of Magic class. Professor Binns' hypnotic drone was truly a marvel. Warren only managed to stay awake for half the lesson before nodding off, yet he still received five points from the ghost.
Though the professor did call him by the wrong name, he also sat through a mediocre Astronomy class. Astronomy was compulsory because it served as the foundation for Divination. Out of respect for his abysmal "2" rating in Divination talent, Warren shamelessly recited astronomical knowledge from his past life, much to Professor Sinistra's confusion. She was simply puzzled as to why Warren was so fixated on whether the solar system had eight or nine planets.
Professor Sprout's Herbology class proved far more interesting. Naturally, she did not allow the first-years to do any hands-on work during the first session. She simply led them to the Hogwarts greenhouses and provided a brief introduction to the various magical plants cultivated there. However, the students were less interested in the plants than in the greenhouses themselves. The greenhouses were enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm and divided into distinct climate zones such as forests, wetlands, plateaus, and deserts to accommodate the different habitats. It felt like stepping into a dream world.
In that class, relying on rote memorization of the textbook, Warren matched Hermione with twenty points each. Neville Longbottom, surprisingly, turned out to be a natural. He even earned ten points for Gryffindor. Fortunately, that very evening, Gryffindor lost twenty points because Fred and George pulled a prank in the corridor. Thank goodness.
Even more thanks were due to the subsequent Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Professor Quirrell, with his turban and overpowering garlic breath, was disliked by everyone. His teaching style was also problematic. He merely read straight from the textbook. When Seamus Finnigan pressed him for details on how to handle a reanimated zombie, the professor began to stammer incoherently.
Warren stepped in to smooth things over, for which Professor Quirrell was grateful, awarding Slytherin ten points. Then, a little while later, as if suffering a sudden bout of amnesia, he awarded Slytherin another ten. (Note: This book utilizes a combination of film and novel canon regarding class scheduling.)
Ron and Harry whispered to one another, "He must have had his brains drained by a vampire!"
But Warren knew the truth.
That second batch of points was likely granted by the Dark Lord; Voldemort held a deep, twisted affection for Hogwarts and Slytherin.
At the height of his power, his greatest wish was to become a professor at Hogwarts. When he was refused the position, he placed a jinx on the Defense Against the Dark Arts post.
*What I cannot have, no one else shall!*
True love, indeed.
Time flew by, and soon it was Friday. Today marked the final class of the first week: Potions!
Early that morning, Harry and Ron were already sighing in dread.
"I think Professor Snape doesn't like me. I mean, the way he looked at me at the opening feast... it was terrifying!"
"Don't be silly, Harry. I think he looks at everyone like they owe him five hundred Galleons. I heard he especially favors Slytherins. Hmph, Warren must be ecstatic!"
Ron couldn't help but glance toward the Ravenclaw table, his expression sour.
Sure enough, Warren was sitting on the Ravenclaw side today.
Barely a week into the term, the first years had already singled out their greatest eccentric: Warren Weasley.
On the first day, when he took a seat at the Gryffindor table, everyone naturally assumed he belonged there. He was a Weasley, after all.
But by the second day, they realized just how mistaken that assumption was.
He actually went to sit with the Hufflepuffs, getting along famously with those amiable badgers. Rumor had it he had even wandered through the Hufflepuff common room that night.
That rumor had originated with Ron, who had told Warren that the Hogwarts kitchens were located right next to the Hufflepuff common room.
And just like that, before the week was out, Warren Weasley, that peculiar boy, had already visited every single House table.
Now, every morning when students entered the Great Hall for breakfast, their first instinct was to check their own House table to see if the redhead was there.
This strange new habit quickly spread across all the year groups, becoming something of a daily ritual.
Most baffling of all, no matter which House Warren visited, there was always at least one person he could chat with animatedly.
Slytherin had Malfoy, though he didn't seem particularly enthusiastic about it; Hufflepuff had Cedric, and Gryffindor had plenty of willing partners.
Hearing Penelope Clearwater's silvery laughter from across the Ravenclaw table, Ron scoffed.
"Hmph, he's always loved flirting with girls. He hasn't changed a bit."
Just then, he saw Hermione snap suddenly, slamming her book shut. "Then why don't you, as his brother, try to talk him out of it? All you do is talk rubbish!"
Ron was baffled. "Are you mental? What does this have to do with me?"
Hermione, however, seemed to take personal offense, abruptly changing the subject. She rattled off a string of criticisms with her thin lips pressed tight. "What else can you two do besides gossip and complain? If you're worried about Professor Snape's favoritism, why don't you do your homework? Classes have been going on for a week already..."
After her tirade, she stood up and left, clutching her book.
Ron, bewildered and annoyed by the scolding, called out to her retreating back. "She's insane! Warren flirting with girls isn't my fault! Why yell at me? Just wait, she'll be all smiles and laughter with Warren again in class. That stupid little girl!"
Sure enough, he was right. In Potions class, Warren, now sitting next to Hermione again, easily charmed her with a few words.
Even though Ron and Harry had predicted correctly, they couldn't bring themselves to feel happy.
Their other suspicion had come true as well.
"Ah, Harry Potter."
In the dark dungeon, Professor Snape, half-hidden in the shadows, fixed his cold, dark eyes intently on Harry.
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