No matter the reason, spending more time together subtly changes relationships. Some grow closer—like Weide and his SSC companions—while others become more antagonistic—like Potter and Malfoy, whose constant squabbling has become a Hogwarts fixture.
In the evening, Weide and Michael once again made it back to the Ravenclaw common room just before curfew. As soon as they entered, Michael was called away by two girls. It was Halloween tomorrow, and the students were all excited. There was a small party happening in the common room, and Michael was one of the few first-years invited. Older students had bought a lot of butterbeer, rum, and whiskey during the Hogsmeade weekend, and the common room was now filled with a heady aroma.
Michael tried to pull Weide along, but he waved him off. Weide always avoided such gatherings. He had once seen two people who barely knew each other get drunk and start passionately kissing on the sofa, with a crowd cheering and splashing beer around, creating an atmosphere of wild abandon and indulgence.
Despite living in the West for eleven years, Weide's thoughts remained introverted and reserved. When it came to relationships and physical touch, he was far more cautious than his classmates.
Returning to the dormitory up the spiral staircase, the room was as clean and tidy as ever. The clothes he had taken off yesterday had been washed, ironed, and neatly folded back into the wardrobe.
On the desk, there was also a pot of boiled water, with tendrils of steam rising from it. Weide poured himself a cup; the temperature was just right.
At Hogwarts, the Great Hall usually only offered various fruit juices, vegetable juices, or hot chocolate, and students typically drank unboiled water. Weide wasn't used to this. Some time ago, he tentatively left a note on his dirty clothes, expressing a wish for hot water upon returning to the dormitory.
The next morning, he woke up to find a steaming pot of black tea on his desk. The House-elf probably didn't quite understand what "hot water" meant; perhaps no one had ever made such a request of them before.
So Weide added a note: Thank you for the black tea. However, what I want is hot water from plain water boiled directly, without tea leaves.
From that day on, no matter when he returned to the dormitory, a pot of perfectly tempered hot water was always waiting for him, and the same was true when he woke up in the morning.
It must be said that at least half of the comfort of life at Hogwarts was provided by the House-elves.
Before going to bed, Weide placed three mini pumpkin carriages on his desk. He had created them using Transfiguration, and in front of each carriage hung a tiny lantern, the size of a bean, emitting a faint green glow.
To: Zoe, Phil, Hobby
Thank you for your diligent service. These are your Halloween gifts.
Happy Halloween!
...
Waking up early, it was already Halloween, and the entire castle was filled with the scent of roasted pumpkin.
The pumpkin carriages on the desk had vanished, replaced by a new pot of hot water, a plate of pumpkin cookies, a bunch of fresh flowers, and a pile of pretty little pebbles.
The heart-shaped cookies smelled delicious, the flowers still had dew drops on them, and the thumb-sized pebbles looked like gems. These were all thoughtful return gifts from the House-elves.
Weide couldn't help but smile.
He didn't despise the gifts from the elves for being cheap. The House-elves all belonged to Hogwarts; they owned nothing but the tea towels on their bodies, and even those tea towels technically belonged to Hogwarts.
Halloween wasn't a holiday. First thing in the morning was Charms class. Professor Flitwick divided the students into pairs to practice the Levitation Charm. Weide and Anthony Goldstein were paired together.
"Don't forget that subtle wrist movement we've been practicing!" Professor Flitwick squeaked. "Swish and flick! Remember, swish and flick! Pronouncing the incantation correctly is also very important—don't forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 'f' instead of 's' and found himself lying on the floor with a buffalo on his chest! All right, begin practicing!"
The students began to chant in a babble: "Wingardium Leviosa!"
The feather in front of Weide immediately floated up. He had already used this spell many times in the Room of Requirement, mainly for moving tables and chairs. Hermione and Michael also succeeded soon after, and Professor Flitwick clapped his hands happily, saying, "Very good, I'll give you two points—each!"
What followed was an even more surprising scene: the feather in front of Neville wobbled and floated up, like a small boat tossed in waves, hovering two feet above him.
The Gryffindors' eyes nearly popped out in surprise, because Neville had always been clumsy in every class, and no one praised him except Professor Sprout. Moreover, the Levitation Charm was quite difficult for young Wizards, and most of the feathers in front of the students remained motionless. So seeing Neville cast the Levitation Charm (though not entirely successfully) was as shocking as seeing a troll do ballet.
"Excellent! Excellent, Mr. Longbottom!" Professor Flitwick shrieked, bouncing with surprise. "Five points to Gryffindor!"
"No way? Even Longbottom succeeded?"
Weide heard Anthony say in surprise beside him. Anthony then cast the spell over and over, but the feather still didn't move.
Anthony was a tall, strong boy. There was nothing wrong with his incantation, but the subtle "swish and flick" motion was too difficult for him. He practiced repeatedly, and his movements became increasingly distorted.
"Wait!" Seeing that he was about to poke his Wand into the back of a student in the front row, Weide grabbed his wrist and said, "Try this—"
He drew a steep, sine-wave-like curve on a piece of paper, marked directions with arrows, and noted where to speed up. He then enlarged it and floated it in front of Anthony, saying, "Swish your Wand along this line, don't go outside the boundaries."
Anthony didn't question him. As fellow Ravenclaws, they both knew that Weide's Charms skills were arguably the best in their year. The blonde boy first silently practiced the movement himself, then swished his Wand—
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
The feather immediately floated up, rising higher and higher under Anthony's guidance, even touching the chandelier above. Anthony watched with a look of pleasant surprise, almost reluctant to put his Wand down.
Terry Boot and Lavender Brown, sitting to their left and right, exchanged glances and almost simultaneously reached out their hands. Lavender, with her superior agility, managed to grab the parchment and pull it over to her group.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
On the right side of the classroom, more and more feathers floated up, naturally drawing Professor Flitwick's attention. Just as Lisa Turpin snatched the parchment, she saw a small hand pull the parchment away from underneath. Professor Flitwick glanced at it and smiled, "Oh, a very clever way to guide them—"
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