Wade didn't understand. "What does this have to do with your wand?"
Neville looked at his wand, his gaze swept over every familiar scratch on it, and softly said:
"This isn't my wand. It was my dad's. My grandmother didn't originally agree to let me use it. She said if it's not your own wand, its effectiveness would be greatly reduced... but I…"
He had insisted on bringing this wand and hadn't gone to Ollivander's to buy a new one—using it made him feel as if his parents were still with him.
Whenever Neville cast spells with this wand, he always felt a bit powerless, but he didn't think much of it. He had long accepted the idea that he was clumsy, timid, and lacked natural talent.
He even often wondered why he had been placed in Gryffindor instead of Hufflepuff.
In fact, back when he was being sorted, Neville had argued with the Sorting Hat for quite a while—he believed he didn't possess the courage required for Gryffindor and asked the hat to place him in Hufflepuff.
But the hat insisted that he belonged in Gryffindor, and that's how the sorting ended.
However, after joining SSC, Neville began to feel steady progress every day. Spells started becoming less of a struggle for him, and for the first time, he experienced great joy and a sense of achievement.
Because of this, when he faced setbacks in learning spells again, he couldn't just tell himself—
"Yes, you're just that clumsy and dumb, you can't do anything right."
—He knew he could actually succeed, but the companion he had chosen—his wand—was holding him back.
Neville had confided to his grandmother about his frustrations in the Book of Friends. Lady Longbottom had responded firmly once more, telling him to let go of his useless persistence and that he needed to get a wand that suited him.
"Wade, what do you think... what should I do?" Neville asked, feeling lost.
Wade understood that Neville's hesitation meant that, deep down, he was already leaning towards a decision. However, abandoning something he had held onto for so long felt like letting go of his connection to his parents, which was what made it so difficult for him.
After thinking for a moment, Wade suggested, "Why not leave it to a coin flip?"
"A coin flip?" Neville, who was immersed in his dilemma, looked dumbfounded.
Wade took a silver sickle from his pocket and held it between his fingers. "Heads—you'll keep using your father's wand. Even if it means putting in ten times or a hundred times the effort to reach a normal level, you won't give up!"
The sickle spun halfway between his fingers.
"Tails—you'll keep the love and memory of your parents close to your heart, choose a wand that suits you best, gain greater strength, and become the kind of son your parents would be proud of, with the power to protect others."
Neville swallowed hard, nodding, staring nervously at the silver sickle.
Wade glanced down and noticed that Neville's hands were tightly clenched into fists, gripping the fabric of his robes until it was all wrinkled.
As Wade spoke, he flicked his finger, sending the silver sickle spinning high into the air. Neville instinctively lifted his head, his eyes followed the dazzling silver light as it ascended—then fell—his heart leaped into his throat!
Wade caught the coin in his palm, covering it. He slowly began to reveal it.
Neville's throat tightened with sweat pooling in his palms.
Just as the silver sickle was about to be revealed, Wade suddenly closed his hand around it again!
"Ah!" Neville couldn't help but cry out, "I didn't see it!"
"—But you already know, don't you?" Wade asked. "—You know the answer you truly want."
Neville froze, as if a lightning bolt had struck him.
Wade stood up and left, leaving Neville alone on the sofa to think it over.
"How's Neville?" Theo came over, asking with concern.
"He's fine. He'll figure it out," Wade replied, glancing down at the silver sickle in his palm before suddenly smiling and slipping it back into his pocket.
—What do you know! It turns out fate is looking out for this clumsy kid after all.
Isn't it better to make your own decision after careful thought, rather than letting fate push you along?
Before anyone realized it, Easter break had arrived again. This time, the professors assigned a fair amount of homework for each subject. With only a two-week spring holiday, most students opted not to go home.
Neville had applied to leave school; he was preparing to go to Diagon Alley to pick out a wand that truly suited him.
Wade also applied to leave school, but he only went home on Easter Day to celebrate with his parents. The rest of the time, he stayed in Hogsmeade to study spells with Lupin.
The spell for extracting memories wasn't as advanced as Wade had initially thought. If the person providing the memory focused on recalling it and willingly gave it up, the spell became quite simple.
Forcing someone to reveal memories they wanted to hide, however, was a much darker and more advanced form of magic.
Occlumency, on the other hand, required long-term practice. The basic requirement was to clear one's mind—no thinking, no recalling, no sensing. The more advanced technique involved weaving false memories and emotions into the mind to deceive a master of Legilimency.
During the break, Wade made the most progress with Transfiguration and Disillusionment Charms and also learned several ways to cast fire-related spells. Lupin also taught him some practical tricks that could be useful at school, like a spell to check for spelling mistakes in essays.
Wade returned to school the day before classes resumed. While distributing Easter eggs to his friends, he noticed that two Gryffindors looked tense and worried.
"What's going on?" Wade asked.
"Well…" Harry and Hermione exchanged a glance before Hermione, looking anxious, said, "It's Hagrid... He's gotten hold of a dragon egg and plans to hatch it!"
Wade thought for a moment and said, "I believe that's illegal, right?"
"Yes!" Harry said, frowning. "What if someone finds out? Hagrid doesn't seem worried at all; he's only thinking about becoming a dragon mom!"
"Hm... sounds like something a Gryffindor would do," Wade muttered under his breath. Seeing how troubled they were, he offered:
"I know a friend who works for Mr. Scamander as a caretaker. Maybe you could have the dragon egg handed over to them to hatch? Or you could arrange for the egg to be secretly transferred to a place where breeding dragons is allowed. Of course—"
Seeing their eyes light up with hope, Wade added, "That's only if you can convince Hagrid to give up on his current plan—keeping a dragon privately is illegal, unless he wants to end up in Azkaban." ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by NoveIꜰire.net
This wasn't going to be easy.
Hagrid was born with a love for all dangerous creatures, and raising a dragon was his lifelong dream. Even though he knew Harry and Hermione's concerns were valid, he couldn't bring himself to abandon the adorable, yet-to-be-hatched dragon.
The mere thought of the little creature being taken away and possibly suffering, being captured by wizards for its blood or liver, brought tears to the half-giant's eyes.
So, things dragged on until the dragon was about to hatch.
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⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- +80 Chapters & 2 Chapters/Day
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