Wade glanced at Tom. "Relax. I'm not stupid enough to breed a Basilisk in a place Dumbledore knows about."
Dumbledore might overlook some rule-breaking, like growing a bit of Devil's Snare.
But he would never tolerate Wade raising something as dangerous as a Basilisk within the school.
That much had already been made clear back at the wizard tower, where Dumbledore had hinted as much to Wade, and even to Slytherin before his departure.
In any case, Wade had never planned to breed a Basilisk at Hogwarts.
When he discussed it with Professor Slughorn, he had already made his plans.
Once everything was prepared, he would go to a country where breeding Basilisks was permitted.
As for which country allowed it… that would depend on how well-connected Professor Slughorn was.
That way, neither the British Ministry of Magic nor Dumbledore would be able to stop him.
"As for raising chickens in the lab… figuring out how to make them grow faster and better is an interesting experiment, isn't it?" Wade said with a smile.
Tom added, "Then why did you mention raising toads…"
"Toads are perfectly legal pets, and they can also be used to test the effects of potions. As a diligent student who loves Potions, what's wrong with keeping a few toads?" Wade replied calmly.
"As long as you've got a reasonable explanation, that's fine," Tom said, finally reassured after hearing Wade's usual thorough planning. "Then the Basilisk…"
"No need to rush. It will come," Wade said with a smile.
Tom nodded. In truth, he was also quite interested in Basilisks now.
After all, clothing made from Basilisk skin was indeed excellent.
During the spar with Dumbledore tonight, if he hadn't been wearing Basilisk skin, he would have been beaten even worse. There was no way he could have recovered so quickly after being hit by spells.
"I'm heading back. It's late, I need to sleep," Tom said, glancing at his watch. "Are you coming?"
"Oh… you go ahead. I still have an interesting little experiment to do. I'll head back after I finish," Wade said with a smile.
Tom looked at Wade in shock. This guy had just been battered by Dumbledore for two hours, then written a full paper, and he still had the energy for an experiment?
"Suit yourself…" Tom turned and left.
In truth, Tom had been pushing himself the entire time. He felt like he could collapse at any moment.
Once the body's exertion exceeded its limits, even a high-quality Invigoration Draught had its limits.
After Tom left, Wade went behind a bookshelf in the study and took out a suitcase, opening it.
It was the suitcase Newt had given him.
Wade climbed inside and dropped into an empty room.
He opened the door and stepped out, only to find an endless grassland stretching beyond.
Above him, the sky was pitch black, with only a half moon peeking through the clouds.
It was projection magic, casting the outside sky into the suitcase.
The ceiling of the Hogwarts Great Hall used the same projection magic.
Wade looked around, then took out his wand and began modifying the environment inside the suitcase according to the method Newt had taught him.
…
In the pitch-black night sky, a shadow sped across.
Slytherin's mood was complicated.
Over the past few days, he had traveled across many places.
Although he had learned some things about the outside world, he had never expected that in just a thousand years, the Muggle world would have undergone such tremendous changes.
Muggles, who knew no magic, had created vehicles that could move without horses.
Muggles, who knew no magic, had built enormous machines that could soar through the sky.
Likewise, Muggles, who knew no magic, had still managed to create weapons of astonishing power.
Along the way, Slytherin had already passed several cities reduced to ruins by bombardment.
He could not understand how these seemingly weak Muggles could cause such destruction, even surpassing the power of some dark magic he knew.
"It seems… I truly need to change some of my views on Muggles…" Slytherin murmured.
…
On the weekend, Tom rarely failed to get up early.
After several days of special training, he was utterly exhausted.
Studying and reading could go to hell… right now, he just wanted to sleep.
It wasn't until noon that Tom finally woke up.
Not because he had slept enough, but because he was hungry.
He stared blankly at the green canopy above his bed, feeling utterly drained.
Even though he was starving, he still hadn't made up his mind to get up.
"How does it feel to sleep in?" Wade's voice came from nearby.
"Terrible… like I've been beaten up," Tom said as he sat up, shaking his groggy head. It took him a while before he gradually came back to himself.
"Letting yourself relax once in a while isn't a problem. You've been disciplined enough already," Wade said, handing him a beef pie and a glass of pumpkin juice.
Tom didn't stand on ceremony. He grabbed the pie and started eating, too lazy even to wash up first.
It was clear just how much Dumbledore's special training over the past week had impacted him.
"Hurry up and eat. After that, we'll go to Hogsmeade," Wade said with a smile.
Tom paused mid-bite. "Is there training tonight?"
"Not today. The great Professor Dumbledore has decided to give us a day off," Wade sighed, looking rather regretful.
"You don't seem very happy about avoiding a beating."
"You don't understand, Tom… facing a strong opponent, every challenge is full of excitement. Honestly, yesterday my Incendio… I think I actually set Dumbledore's beard on fire. Did you see it?"
"No. I only saw someone getting bricked into the wall by Dumbledore."
"How could you not see it? I definitely burned his beard!" Wade insisted anxiously.
Tom didn't bother arguing further. After quickly finishing the pie and pumpkin juice, he finally felt fully awake.
Ten minutes later, the two of them took a secret passage to Hogsmeade.
By now, it was already March, and the weather had begun to warm.
As the snow gradually melted, the ground in Hogsmeade became muddy.
Wade and Tom wrapped themselves in their school robes, carefully making their way along the slushy path.
"With magic being so convenient, why doesn't anyone fix the roads properly?" Wade complained.
Tom didn't respond to that. Instead, he asked uneasily, "Didn't you say before that your Marauder's Map is in Dumbledore's hands now?"
"Yes, he has it," Wade nodded.
Wade had indeed told Tom this after returning that day.
With Dumbledore holding the Marauder's Map, it was practically like installing surveillance over Hogwarts, so Wade had warned Tom in advance, lest he foolishly wander into the Restricted Section at night.
Although Dumbledore had relaxed his vigilance toward Tom and even tacitly allowed him to study dark magic, the Restricted Section contained more than just dark magic.
There were also many forbidden books and inherently dangerous texts.
Therefore, sneaking into the Restricted Section was still a violation of school rules.
"If you know the map is in his hands, how can you still dare to go to Hogsmeade with me?" Tom suddenly felt on edge. "We don't even have permission to go to Hogsmeade right now…"
Tom had no real objection to breaking school rules to visit Hogsmeade, as long as they weren't caught.
But now, with the Marauder's Map in Dumbledore's possession, breaking the rules at this time was practically asking to be caught.
"It's fine. Dumbledore has already agreed to let me visit Hogsmeade to see a friend. Since you're leaving with me, it won't be a problem," Wade said calmly.
Earlier, Dumbledore had agreed to let Wade come to Hogsmeade once to visit Aurelius.
Wade simply hadn't had the chance to come until now.
"You'd better not be lying to me…" Tom had been burned by Wade too many times.
If Dumbledore saw only his name on the Marauder's Map and not Wade's beside it, wouldn't he be done for today?
"There's no need to be so afraid. When it comes to minor rule-breaking like this, Dumbledore isn't as rigid as you think. In fact, he doesn't mind if we do something a little improper. What he fears is us doing things behind his back. So even if we came to Hogsmeade without explicit permission, as long as we don't do anything excessive, he won't interfere. At most, he'll just think we're a bit playful."
"He really won't interfere?" Tom asked uncertainly.
"This may sound a bit arrogant, but you and I are different from other students. Who else gets personally trained by Dumbledore every night? Students like us naturally receive a bit of favoritism. Special people tend to get a few privileges."
Tom fell into thought.
Before long, the two of them arrived at the entrance of the Hog's Head.
On weekends, Hogsmeade was filled with older students wandering about.
But few of them lingered in front of the Hog's Head.
Most students, even those who wanted a drink, would choose the Three Broomsticks rather than the Hog's Head.
After all, the clientele at the Hog's Head was rather… mixed.
And under normal circumstances, Aberforth did not often serve students.
After all, aside from those close to graduation, most Hogwarts students were not yet of drinking age.
Wade and Tom had stayed at the Hog's Head for a time before, so returning here felt familiar.
Clang!
Tom pushed the door open, but the moment he saw who was inside, he turned to run. Wade, however, blocked the doorway behind him.
Wade stepped past Tom and saw Dumbledore standing by the bar, smiling as he looked their way.
"Tom, have a bit of dignity… he's already seen you. What's the point of running now?" Wade shoved Tom forward into the room.
Dumbledore watched the stiff and uneasy Tom, along with Wade behind him, completely unbothered.
"Since you're here, come in."
"It was Wade who brought me!" Tom immediately sold him out.
"Tom, you're truly something else."
___
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