26-30

Chapter 26: The French Tabloid

"That's right. To determine a person's character, you must start by examining their conduct, not their background," Luke said, sitting upright and speaking softly as he continued explaining to Draco. "That's why I say everyone is equal in terms of character. Among pureblood wizards, there are both wicked and righteous ones, and the same applies to Muggle-born wizards. At the same time, we must also acknowledge that people will never be equal in terms of status."

"But that's just the simplest perspective, one from the viewpoint of an ordinary person."

Luke paused before continuing, "What I want to teach you is a perspective more fitting for someone of your status and position. Honestly, I have no idea what your father has been teaching you all this time..."

"My father is very strict with me. He only speaks about the glory of purebloods but has never told me so much in detail," Draco said, his tone carrying a hint of grievance.

"As a member of a pureblood family, if you pride yourself on your nobility, then you must not act recklessly," Luke said with a smile. "We need to see beyond appearances and grasp the essence of things. Tell me, what do you think is the most important thing for the Malfoy family?"

"Is it... honor?" Draco asked hesitantly.

"No, it's interests," Luke explained patiently when he saw Draco's confusion. "Let me put it in simpler terms: the candies your mother sends you regularly are obtained through the various interests and benefits your family gathers from different channels."

"Whether we are judging people or things, we cannot let fleeting likes or dislikes dictate our attitudes toward them. Think about it—if Miss Granger could bring your family a thousand Galleons of income annually, what would you think of her?"

Draco thought for a moment and replied, "I would try to accept her."

"And what if Miss Granger could bring in ten thousand Galleons a year?"

"She would be my good friend."

"Now, what if Miss Granger could generate a hundred thousand Galleons annually for your family?"

After careful consideration, Draco answered, "I think even my father would let go of his prejudice against her."

"And what if it were a million Galleons?"

This time, Draco didn’t hesitate and said directly, "The brilliant and charming Miss Granger would forever be a distinguished guest of the Malfoy family."

"So, you see, giving up a golden goose for the sake of your insignificant 'bloodline' beliefs... Imagine how your rivals would view your family if they found out about such foolishness."

"Understanding who is your ally and who is your enemy is the real question we must ponder carefully."

"Everyone has their value, Draco," Luke said, delivering one final worldview-shaking statement. "If your aunt Bellatrix could become my loyal pawn, I would exhaust all my connections to whitewash her into a sweet and innocent good witch."

"For people like us, simplistic notions of good and evil are meaningless. What truly matters is the value they can bring us. That is the standard you should use to judge whether someone is worth associating with."

"Think it over carefully, Draco. If you continue to act arrogantly and conceitedly, I might have to reconsider whether you're truly worth being my friend."

Luke finished speaking, stood up, and left Draco, who was deep in thought, before heading back leisurely to the Slytherin common room.

What Luke didn’t know was that Draco sat in the Great Hall the entire afternoon, eventually writing a long letter to his parents and sending it off with an owl.

But that was not what Luke was concerned about. Later that evening, after dinner, the latest policies for the Slytherin house were posted in the common room.

Snape was indeed efficient, especially when it came to matters concerning the House Cup.

Additionally, Samir and Marcus had promptly delivered the list of student leaders chosen from each year group to Luke.

"Let’s just call them prefects," Luke said as he reviewed the list of candidates across the seven years. Seeing Samir hesitate, Luke frowned and said, "If you have something to say, just say it."

"Yes," Samir nodded, hesitating slightly before continuing, "Um... about the third-year student, Catherine Wray. She—"

"I understand what you mean," Luke interrupted. "You don’t need to worry about her."

"Understood," Samir replied before adding, "There’s also Patrick from the sixth year... He’s quite a difficult one to manage."

"Then what kind of leader are you?" Luke asked, exasperated.

"He’s from the Black family. He spent some time as an exchange student at Durmstrang and just returned to Hogwarts yesterday," Samir explained further. "He’s arrogant and just as strong as Miss Wray. In short... he’s hard to handle."

"I see," Luke said, popping a lemon sherbet into his mouth. "Just follow the regulations and implement them. Starting today, divide the Slytherin common room into sections by year group—it’s spacious enough for that."

"Yes, Your Highness," Samir responded.

Luke had already discussed this with Catherine yesterday, and she didn’t object to studying in the common room for two hours each day.

Of course, this agreement required Luke to approach her personally. If it had been anyone else, they might have received a Stunning Spell—or worse, a Fiendfyre Curse.

As a leader of the house, Luke enjoyed certain freedoms. Studying alongside his peers was meant to set an example. Sitting next to Catherine, he found the faint fragrance she carried—like orchids and musk—added a pleasant touch to his reading. It almost felt like something out of a romantic tale.

However, the noise at the entrance of the common room interrupted his concentration. Frowning, he glanced toward the commotion. Catherine, equally annoyed at the disturbance, exchanged a glance with him. The two stood and walked over.

"It’s Patrick Black and his friend Caesar," Catherine said, her refined eyebrows furrowing in displeasure.

"You know them?" Luke asked, intrigued.

"Sort of..." Catherine replied, her tone laced with strong dislike. "He’s too arrogant. I don’t like him—but he’s very powerful."

"Oh? How do you compare to him?"

"If I don’t use my leaves, I might not be his match," Catherine admitted honestly. "I’ve heard he has an extraordinary talent for dark magic. He must’ve systematically studied it at Durmstrang... though I’m not entirely sure."

---

*Chapter 27: What's Your Name*

"It looks like this guy is going to be a handful," Luke chuckled. "Is this the last troublemaker Slytherin's been hiding?"

"Yeah," Catherine replied, gripping his arm. "Try not to get into a conflict with him. You're no match for him."

"So, should I just watch this troublemaker stir up trouble and ruin the plans of the Headmaster and Head of House?" Luke raised an eyebrow in response.

Catherine opened her mouth to say something, but Luke patted her gently, signaling to wait and see what would happen first.

Two rows of people stood on either side of the corridor outside the common room, their faces looking grim. They murmured quietly about the new house rules recently implemented in Slytherin.

"Patrick, Cesar, we're all from pure-blood families. Let's not embarrass ourselves!" A senior who looked like a seventh-year was stirring the pot.

"Yeah, show some spirit! Hold your heads high!" A girl standing next to him cheered on Patrick and Cesar.

Patrick nodded, his expression arrogant. He shook out his black robe with force and strode into the Slytherin common room with an air of defiance.

"Nice... Let's see how they'll handle this!" The seniors began to whisper excitedly, craning their necks to peek inside the common room.

Patrick walked to the sixth-year study table and locked eyes with a skinny boy. Luke recognized him—it was Caius Brown, the sixth-year class representative chosen by Samir and Marcus.

"Caius! Bloody hell!" Patrick began with a classic British curse. "You're a bloody half-blood and a stripped-down prefect. What gives you the right to boss people around here?"

Cesar's eyes widened in disbelief as he glanced at his companion.

You're a half-blood too. Did getting adopted into the Black family make you forget that?

"Hah! Aren't you going to enforce some ridiculous new rule? Go ahead, I'm standing right here. Let's see you try!" Patrick smirked arrogantly, standing there like a delinquent Luke remembered from his past life.

Except this guy was the pro max version of a delinquent.

"There are regulations in the house," Caius said calmly, his voice steady. "The new rules weren't created by me. Professor Snape drafted them earlier today."

"Stop using Professor Snape to try and suppress me," Patrick sneered. "I'm not attending any stupid study sessions. What can you do about it? With your amateur spellcasting skills?"

"Who in Slytherin could possibly stop me?" Patrick's smugness was palpable.

To be fair, he did have the ability to back it up. Luke's Eye of Identification lit up at the perfect moment.

*Patrick Black (Golden Dragon Emblem)*

*Level: ??? Wizard*

*Talents:*

- Charms (10)

- Potions (7)

- Transfiguration (8)

- Dark Arts (10)

- Defense Against the Dark Arts (9)

- Flying (8)

- Herbology (4)

- Divination (9)

*Spells Learned:*

- Protego (Level 8)

- Expelliarmus (Level 6)

- ???

- ???

- ???

"This has nothing to do with me," Caius said politely, still smiling. "I'm just following the rules. Why make things difficult for me, Mr. Black?"

"I can't stand you teacher's pets," Patrick snorted, pulling out his wand. "Reducto!"

Caius's face turned pale. He never expected Patrick to actually attack in the common room. Dodging the spell just in time, Caius quickly drew his wand and braced himself for Patrick's onslaught.

The spell blasted Caius's desk into splinters, showcasing its power.

Patrick began casting spells recklessly, forcing Caius to run for cover. The shattered furniture even injured a few younger students.

It was intentional—Patrick clearly wasn't aiming for Caius.

"Enough!" Caius finally stood his ground. "If you have the guts, come at me directly. Bullying younger students is pathetic!"

"Oh?" Patrick purposely aimed another spell astray, sending a second-year flying across the room. The poor kid fainted before he could even scream.

Another spell hurtled toward the student next to Luke. As fear flashed in the boy’s eyes, Luke calmly flicked his wand.

"Protego!"

"Oh, look! A little hero stepping up?" Patrick's laugh was sharp and mocking. "Protego? And from a first-year mudblood? Looks like Slytherin has a new talent this year."

"Luke..." Draco whispered nervously, trying to warn him not to get involved. The Black family's lunatic reputation wasn't limited to Bellatrix.

Luke smiled elegantly and said, "If you stop now, I'll pretend none of this ever happened."

"And who gave you the courage to talk to me like that?" Patrick sneered, sizing Luke up. Then he noticed Catherine.

"Ah, now I see... Clinging to the Vory girl, huh?" Patrick's eyes roved over Catherine lewdly. "I remember when I visited Durmstrang, she was just a scrawny little thing. Finally grown up now, huh?"

Luke raised a hand to stop Catherine from responding. Narrowing his eyes, he spoke softly, "Let me warn you: if you don’t apologize to Catherine, things will get very unpleasant between us."

"Oh?" Patrick turned to Cesar, who was snickering quietly, then back to Luke. His expression suggested he was humoring a child challenging a tiger. "And what exactly would this ‘unpleasantness’ look like?"

"I suggest you avoid crossing paths with me in the future," Luke replied coolly. "Otherwise, Madam Pomfrey might find it hard to keep up with all the times you break your legs."

"Well, this is the first time anyone's ever dared to threaten me," Patrick laughed coldly. "Draw your wand, you little—"

"AARGH!"

Patrick's scream cut through the room, stunning everyone.

No one saw what happened, except Catherine, who stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

She couldn't believe it. The spell Luke had just cast—Sectumsempra. Silent, wandless, and perfectly executed.

Last night, she had only given him the Half-Blood Prince's notes. How had he not only mastered it overnight but gone beyond?

For the first time in fifteen years, Catherine questioned her own talent.

Patrick collapsed, his tendons severed. Blood poured from his injuries as he lay on the ground, powerless to stand.

Writhing in pain, he screamed, "You damn little monster! What did you do to me?"

---

(End of Chapter)

*Chapter 28: Tom and Jerry*

As a noble of the British aristocracy, Luke naturally possessed a flexible moral compass. When faced with overwhelming odds, ambush became the most practical strategy.

Luke cast another spell to knock out Caesar, then approached Patrick, who was lying on the ground, with a look of pity.

"Draco," he called out.

"Yes?" Draco answered, brushing the dust off himself.

"I noticed earlier that there was a table leg near you. Yes, that one—could you bring it over?" Luke spoke gently.

Draco glanced around, spotted the table leg, and quickly brought it to Luke. As Draco handed it over, Luke patted his shoulder. "Take it easy. No need to rush… Now, step aside for a moment."

"Oh, alright," Draco replied, still bewildered.

Luke weighed the table leg in his hand, his expression calm and refined as he looked down at Patrick. "Senior, it seems it’s time to honor the agreement we made."

"What… what are you going to do?" Patrick asked in terror. "Don’t come any closer!"

Luke smiled warmly, raising the table leg and smashing it down on Patrick’s left shin with a loud crack. Patrick let out an anguished scream.

The surrounding Slytherin students shuddered collectively.

Ruthless. Absolutely ruthless… They’d seen and heard of plenty of attackers before, but none who acted as composed and polite as Luke while delivering such brutal blows.

"Aaaahhhh—I'll kill you! I’ll kill you!"

Luke maintained his serene smile, striking again, this time at Patrick’s thigh.

By the time Patrick's right leg was broken, he was no longer the arrogant figure he once was. Weak from blood loss and pain, he begged Luke incoherently to let him go.

Luke, ever meticulous, ensured none of the blood splattered on him. He admired his handiwork with satisfaction, then cast a *Tongue-Tying Curse* and pressed his foot against Patrick’s right arm.

He held his foot there for a moment, waiting until the Confounding Charm he’d secretly cast had fully taken effect before stepping back.

By now, Patrick lacked the strength to even cry out. That could have been due to the Tongue-Tying Curse or his sheer exhaustion.

Satisfied, Luke pulled out his wand and used a counter-curse to restore the tendons in Patrick's limbs.

"I hope you’ll remember my words today and make an effort to steer clear of me in the future," Luke said, his gaze dark and piercing.

"Alright… Caius?" Luke turned his attention to another student.

Caius involuntarily shivered, stepping forward nervously. "Y-Your Highness?"

"Why are you trembling? I’m not a monster… Hmm, take Senior Patrick to the infirmary, will you? Poor guy… he’s going to have a rough night with Skele-Gro." Luke’s face softened into a look of pity.

Caius shuddered again, hurriedly gathering people to carry Patrick and Caesar away.

Sigh, Luke shook his head, his expression regretful. "I guess I’m just too kindhearted—I can’t stand scenes like this… Marcus," he turned, "clean up the common room properly. Look at this mess—it’s unacceptable."

"Yes, of course." Marcus quickly gathered a group of students to begin repairing the broken furniture.

He felt relieved that he hadn’t offended Luke too deeply in the past. Judging by what he’d seen today, losing two teeth had been a small price to pay.

"Well, just think of it as cosmetic work," Marcus mused as he worked, his hands moving faster and faster.

Sometimes, a change in perspective really could lighten one’s worries.

It was clear that self-study was out of the question for the day. With a large and small pet egg in hand, Luke decided to head to the Room of Requirement to hatch them.

Catherine, who accompanied him, was unusually silent, walking ahead on her own. It wasn’t until they entered the Room of Requirement that she finally spoke in a somber tone.

"Have you studied Sectumsempra before?"

"The notes said it was created by the 'Half-Blood Prince,' didn’t they?" Luke shrugged. "Maybe it’s talent—I felt like this spell was meant for me."

Catherine hesitated, then asked cautiously, "This 'Half-Blood Prince'… could he be your father?"

"My father is a real prince, not a half-blood." Luke rolled his eyes. Severus Snape? That greasy-haired old bat? No way. Sure, they both had black hair, but Luke’s wasn’t oily!

"Then that’s strange..." Catherine finally accepted the explanation. "The only other possibility is that you’re an exceptional prodigy with an innate gift for Dark Magic."

Clever girl, Luke thought. But I’m not the genius—my uncle is.

The same uncle responsible for introducing baldness to the British royal family.

"Don’t change the subject, Catherine." His gaze turned sharp. "I recall someone saying that once I mastered wandless magic, they’d practice spells with me?"

"Don’t worry, I’ll keep my word," Catherine nodded. "If you’re ready, we can start now."

"No rush." To her surprise, Luke pulled out the two pet eggs.

For some reason, Luke felt like he could hear a familiar background tune.

"Do you…" He looked at Catherine, and they spoke in unison: "…hear strange music?"

"You heard it too?" Luke thought it might just be his imagination.

"Yes." Catherine nodded.

There are three great illusions in life: we can win this team fight, she likes me, and I can turn the tables… But back to the point—Luke finally recognized the tune.

It was the theme from Tom and Jerry.

As soon as he realized it, the two pet eggs cracked open, revealing two very familiar figures.

Tom and Jerry.

Their appearance was unmistakable—not just because of their resemblance to the cartoon but because of their classic designs. Tom was the iconic second-edition version: blue-gray fur, a lighter-colored belly, white paws, and a tuft of white fur at the tip of his tail. Jerry had his signature brown body and lighter brown tummy.

Standing on their hind legs, the duo stared at Luke with their wide eyes. It was slightly eerie but still acceptable.

Luke wondered if MGM would demand royalties. Then again, Britain’s royal family had a reputation for bending the rules, so they’d probably try to charge MGM instead.

Tom extended his right paw—if you could call it a paw or a hand—wearing his trademark smile. Luke shook it, noting how soft it felt. When their hands met, the classic handshake sound effect played.

Jerry climbed up Tom’s sleek fur to reach Luke’s hand, extending his tiny paw in a humanlike gesture for a handshake.

No matter how hard Luke thought about it, he couldn’t figure out where the music and sound effects were coming from.

(To be continued...)

*Chapter 29: Senior Who Wants to Eat Luke*

However, this background music didn't feel out of place for the two of them—perhaps it was a small compensation for their inability to speak.

There's a saying: when God closes a door for you, He opens a window.

Wait, no—that’s not right. He opens a window.

But seriously, Jerry is much easier on the eyes than that clumsy six-foot-nine rat who loves to cause trouble, isn’t he?

“What… are they?” Catherine asked, her voice tinged with surprise. It was her first time seeing Tom and Jerry.

Mainly because Catherine’s family didn’t have a television.

“They’re… magical creatures,” Luke said, this time without lying. They really were magical.

In fact, they were magical to the extreme.

After all, don’t they turn into a cat pancake and a mouse chip on the regular and still bounce back, full of life?

The protagonists of slapstick cartoons are practically invincible.

While Luke was talking with Catherine, Jerry took advantage of their distraction. Sneaking behind Tom, he pulled out a firecracker and stuffed it into Tom’s arms.

Tom didn’t notice at first, as he was too focused on staring at his new owner. When Jerry saw this, his anger flared, and he gave Tom a swift kick to the rear.

“Yowww… Owwwwww!” Tom leaped three feet into the air, howling in pain. Turning to glare angrily at Jerry, just as he was about to pounce, Jerry pointed at Tom’s arms.

Along with Jerry’s gestures came the familiar “ding ding ding” sound effects.

Following Jerry’s finger, Tom looked down at his arms. What he saw scared him so much that his fur bristled, and he jumped into the air, his eyes comically bulging out.

“Quick… throw it away!”

Luke shouted, urging Tom to get rid of the terrifying firecracker. Hearing Luke’s yell, Tom finally snapped out of it. He raised his arm to toss it, but the fuse had already burned to the base.

With a sharp “pop,” the large firecracker split in half, revealing a smaller one burning inside.

Under the astonished gazes of Luke and Catherine, the firecracker continued to unfold like a Russian nesting doll, revealing increasingly smaller versions of itself. Finally, it burned down to a tiny firecracker, no bigger than a fingernail.

Tom picked up the miniature firecracker and, with a classic smug grin, pressed it against his nose.

Luke, sensing disaster, quickly wrapped an arm around Catherine’s waist and pulled her back, raising his wand. “Protego!”

The protective shield spell had barely materialized before a deafening explosion echoed through the room. When the smoke cleared, Tom’s face was covered in soot, pitch black from the blast.

The force of the explosion nearly knocked Luke off his feet. He couldn’t fathom how Tom had survived such a violent blast.

Maybe this was the power of a cartoon protagonist.

“Jerry, Accio!”

Jerry, who had been trying to sneak away, was suddenly yanked back by an invisible force into Luke’s hand. Realizing he was caught, Jerry gave a sheepish grin, flashing his shiny white teeth.

“You two…” Luke sighed, at a loss for words. “A little mischief is fine, but don’t cause so much destruction. This school can’t handle your chaos.”

“Got it?” Luke asked, fixing the duo with a stern look.

Tom’s soot-covered face was already back to normal. Though he wanted to go after Jerry, he feared angering Luke, so he reluctantly nodded. Jerry, too, nodded vigorously, complete with sound effects for emphasis.

“You’re sticking with me from now on,” Luke said, patting Tom’s head and rubbing Jerry’s forehead with his thumb. “From today forward… we’re family.”

The two troublemakers nodded enthusiastically. Tom, in particular, was overjoyed. His greatest fear was being kicked out by his owner and becoming a stray cat. Now that Luke was willing to take him in, he couldn’t be happier.

As for Jerry, he didn’t care as much. He mainly liked Luke and also couldn’t bear to part with Tom. Sure, he knew teasing Tom constantly wasn’t great, but he just couldn’t help himself.

Having acknowledged their new home, Jerry quickly got comfortable. Tugging on Luke’s sleeve, he pointed to his open mouth, licked his lips, patted his stomach, and looked at Luke expectantly.

He was hungry.

Luke chuckled, patting Jerry on the head. “Catherine, shall we head to the kitchen for some food?”

Catherine nodded. She found Jerry adorable, though Jerry seemed scared of her and wouldn’t let her touch him.

“Why is he so scared of me?” Catherine asked, puzzled.

“It’s instinct, probably. From what I’ve learned on Muggle TV, mice are part of a snake’s diet,” Luke said with a shrug.

Catherine, who had already taken a few steps forward, froze. Turning back, she gave Luke a dangerous look, licking her lips with her crimson tongue. “Compared to mice, I’d rather eat you.”

Eat me? How? Where?

Seeing her subtle movements, Luke suddenly realized one thing—he had to marry this woman.

“No inappropriate behavior!” Luke declared righteously.

This time, the path to the kitchen was smooth. No Dumbledore blocking their way, no Filch patrolling. They arrived without incident at the Hogwarts kitchen.

Mostly because it wasn’t curfew yet.

The Weasley twins, however, had just been sneaking out of the kitchen with a paper bag when they ran into Luke. After a quick greeting, they spotted Catherine and bolted.

They would never forget the pain of being strung up by Catherine for an hour.

It was excruciating.

When the house-elves saw Luke, they were thrilled, especially Aslo, who kept wiping away tears. Luke had no idea why the house-elves treated him so well—it almost felt excessive.

If mere kindness earned such strong goodwill, it seemed far-fetched. He couldn’t bring himself to fully believe it.

But Luke chose not to dig too deeply. Some things were better left unexplored; who knew what might surface if he pried too much?

As expected, Tom and Jerry knew how to write their food orders. Tom asked for a pile of meat, while Jerry went straight for cheese—specifically the holey kind. The house-elves delivered everything at lightning speed, but even so, they struggled to keep up with the duo’s ravenous pace.

When the cheese first arrived, Jerry ate so quickly that he swallowed an entire wedge in one bite, leaving his body shaped like a triangular block of cheese.

If there’s anything truly illogical, it’s Tom and Jerry. Compared to them, magic and transfiguration seemed like child’s play.

(End of Chapter)  

*Chapter 30: Senior's Waist*

Eating at night was such a guilty pleasure. Watching the two little troublemakers eat heartily, Luke couldn’t help but feel a little happy and even ate two extra oranges.

Luke also took a quick glance at their panels.

Tom  

Level 1 Cat

Combat abilities locked, skill tree locked.

Jerry  

Level 1 Mouse

Combat abilities locked, skill tree locked.

"Well, well," Luke muttered to himself.

"System, do you eat oil cakes too? What’s with the ‘combat abilities locked’ nonsense?"

But then again, Luke didn’t really care about Tom and Jerry’s combat abilities. The fact that they could spice up his daily life was enough to make him happy.

One shouldn’t keep tension all the time; it’s also necessary to relax sometimes.

Maybe it was due to being influenced by the two little troublemakers, but Luke, who had just relaxed, suddenly realized that he might have just held his senior's soft little waist earlier.

But it seemed like she had forgotten about it, so Luke couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. It was good she wasn’t mad.

Catherine, of course, hadn’t forgotten. She was sitting there absentmindedly, watching Jerry eat greedily, while her mind was already in a whirl.

Luke, thinking that his senior’s slightly flushed face was just from the heat, didn’t pay much attention to it.

...

In Slytherin, it was no secret that every night, Miss Worrett and the new leader of Slytherin, Luke, went out "partying" until dawn. Today, however, the two of them actually returned to the common room before 9 o’clock, which surprised the other students.

Especially Draco, who hadn’t seen Luke around during the first half of the night this week.

The dormitory was spacious enough. Luke quickly built a small nest for Tom and made a little bed for Jerry using an empty sardine can that he had gotten from the house-elves. He had just planned to lie down for a while when he noticed Draco looking at him, seemingly with something on his mind.

"What's up, Draco?" Luke asked.

Draco pressed his lips together and, after a moment of hesitation, picked up a letter from the desk and handed it to Luke. "Luke, this is a letter from my dad."

Luke nodded, accepting the letter and opening it.

It wasn’t as high-handed as he expected, but rather, it had a very humble tone. The general gist was that Draco’s parents were grateful for Luke’s care and guidance toward Draco, and that his father had been neglectful of his upbringing. At the end, the letter also invited Luke to visit the Malfoy Manor when he had the time.

"It seems like… your parents aren’t opposed to me being friends with you?" Luke put the letter away, carefully storing it in the drawer's small safe compartment, which was where he had planned to keep it.

Unfortunately, his satellite phone didn’t work in Hogwarts. It was said that no Muggle electronic devices were allowed to be used in the school.

After Emory had delivered the letter, she stayed at their home. Grandfather and Diana hadn’t returned to the country yet; otherwise, they would have replied to the letter by now.

Another possibility was that these two didn’t miss him at all. Otherwise, after the satellite phone failed to connect, they should have come home to check on him.

In the end, he had misjudged things.

Draco nodded and said, "This morning, I mentioned what you said to me to my dad. He thinks I should learn more from you."

"Mm." Luke chuckled lightly. "Your father’s intentions are indeed good, but you should remember, Draco, you don’t need to copy me. You should be yourself."

With that, Luke patted Draco on the shoulder and said earnestly, "In Slytherin, you’re the one I value the most, you know? I’ve always believed that you can become an outstanding person."

"I…" Draco’s eyes reddened as he heard this, feeling deeply moved. Growing up, aside from his mother, no one had ever said such things to him, not even his father. In the end, all the emotion melted into a heavy "Mm."

"Alright, get some rest. It’s getting late."

"Mm, good night."

...

Saturday at Hogwarts was very relaxed and cheerful. After the meal in the Great Hall, students gathered in groups, chatting or playing. Harry and Ron were sitting in a corner, playing wizard’s chess.

Tom was a heavy sleeper and wouldn’t wake up no matter how much Luke called. With no choice, Luke had to ask Draco to get some milk to wake him up.

As for those online "cat lovers" from his past life who claimed that cats couldn’t drink milk because of their lactose intolerance, Luke could only chuckle. His four tabby cats from his previous life had no problem drinking milk…

It’s true that some cats are lactose intolerant, but not all of them have this issue. Fun fact: some people also have lactose intolerance, yet no one stops kids on the street from drinking milk, claiming it will kill them, right? It’s just people venting excessive compassion online.

Anyway, Luke, with Jerry on his shoulder, walked over and sat next to Harry, watching them play wizard’s chess. In fact, the wizard’s chess he was seeing with his own eyes was much more lively than how it looked in the movies of his past life. But it was only "lively" in the sense of movement—there were no special effects.

Luke was also pondering, wouldn’t it be great if he could bring over those old card games? To be honest, he was kind of craving playing Hearthstone again.

But given the current state of computer technology, Luke was doubtful whether they could even handle a simple game like Happy Landlords.

"Good morning, Luke," Ron said, looking up briefly before returning to his focus on the game.

"Morning, Luke…" Harry greeted, looking up at the same time and noticing Jerry on Luke’s shoulder. "Hey? Why does it look so familiar?" he pointed at Jerry and asked.

"Oh… this is Jerry. Jerry, say hi to Harry."

At the sound of his name, Jerry bowed politely to Harry from Luke’s shoulder.

"Ah! I remember now!" Hermione’s voice came just in time. "It… it’s Jerry! From that cartoon!"

As a Muggle-born, Hermione obviously recognized this iconic cartoon character. She had loved watching that show since she was young, even asking her dad to buy the VHS tapes so she could watch it repeatedly.

"It’s him, not it," Luke corrected her. "Our Jerry is a gentleman."

"Oh, sorry." The curly-haired girl flicked her hair and sat next to Luke, giving him an aunt-like smile. "He’s so cute, isn’t he?"

Luke handed Jerry a piece of cheese, watching as Jerry turned into a triangle-shaped form and nodded with a chuckle.

"But… how can a character from a cartoon appear in real life?" Hermione asked, frowning as she hit the key question. "I don’t understand, oh my god..."

The girl seemed on the verge of a breakdown.

"Well, if magic can exist in your life, what’s impossible?" Luke snapped his fingers, and the cheese flew out of Jerry’s mouth, arcing beautifully in the air before "plopping" right onto Hermione’s head.

(End of Chapter)