Intriguing Developments

The next day, when Jon appeared in the great hall yawning, Stephen and the other two no longer showed surprise. They had discovered Jon's nightly outings when they woke him up one morning. After several stakeouts, they realized that Jon was indeed sneaking out frequently at night. At first, Stephen and the others were surprised because it wasn't a tradition for Hogwarts students to wander around the castle at night. Initially, they even wanted to go out with Jon. However, they were also self-aware, and after Jon asked them to learn the Disillusionment Charm for half a day, they gave up on the idea.

Now, they started preparing breakfast for Jon in the morning when he hadn't returned at night, allowing him to rest a bit longer.

"Where were you yesterday? I saw your robes in the laundry basket all wet," Jon's group of four habitually huddled in an inconspicuous corner of the great hall, discussing in hushed voices.

"I said I went off-campus. Do you believe me?" Jon replied.

"Really? We wish we could go too!" Flynn said, his freckles visibly dancing. It was clear he wasn't being sincere, so Jon rolled his eyes and said, "I'll take you guys to Hogsmeade Village as long as you learn the Disillusionment Charm earlier."

"Did you really go?!" Scali had heard of Hogsmeade Village, but as a first-year student, he couldn't go, so his dream hadn't been fulfilled.

"Why would I lie to you?"

Stephen, who was closer to Jon most of the time, handed Jon a sandwich and said with a knowing tone, "Whether he there or not doesn't matter. What matters is that we can't go."

He had already seen through Jon's thought process as they had been left far behind by Jon on the path of studying, although he didn't understand why Jon was so determined.

They knew Jon had a cousin in Ravenclaw, but the scope of Jon's studies that they were aware of was already much broader than what first-year students knew. At least they couldn't catch up.

"It's clearly because you're not putting in enough effort," Jon retorted.

Jon quickly devoured the sandwich due to hunger, and his mouth was free to speak again. "Do you believe that if I spread this knowledge to the students in our college, many of them will be able to finish their studies earlier?"

Scali, who usually didn't say much, came up with a crucial point, "The prerequisite is that you can pass it on without being confined by the professors."

Jon seriously pondered this question for a moment. "If it's a student club, the professors shouldn't restrict it too much."

Recalling the plot in the original story, Jon realized that the Defense Association, or something like that, didn't have many professors genuinely limiting them. As long as he found two senior students and started a student club within the school that complied with the rules, focused purely on academic research, it shouldn't be too difficult.

After all, there was no need to submit any applications to Hogwarts.

Jon kept this matter in mind and planned to find a time to ask Professor Sprout. If he could really establish an academic club, then he would have a source for all those "out-of-syllabus" spells.

When Stephen and the other two saw Jon starting to contemplate, they instinctively closed their mouths and focused on eating. When Jon started thinking, it meant something was about to happen. And whenever something happened involving Jon, these three roommates of his were usually the first to know, along with Jon's feasibility experiments.

"I feel like I just caused trouble."

Scali said gloomily, "That expression on his face usually means he's thinking about something big."

"What big thing? Jon's big things usually don't affect us," Flynn comforted him, though he wasn't very confident himself. In comparison, Stephen remained calm. After all, they had firmly latched onto Jon's coattails in their studies. Other students in the college already grouped them together. Since that had already happened, there was no other path to take. Regardless of what Jon did, they were the ones being influenced.

Since they were always being influenced, why worry?

If Jon knew Stephen's thoughts, his impression of him would undoubtedly reach a new level. This go-with-the-flow attitude was something that many adults couldn't achieve.

Breakfast ended, and classes began. Starting in October, the courses for first-year students became more intense. After getting through the initial adjustment period, Hogwarts entered a rigorous study rhythm.

Jon naturally adapted well to this study rhythm, and his three roommates maintained a similar learning ability with his help and influence. Although they couldn't learn the Disillusionment Charm, they did well with some simple spells revised by Helga.

So, the four of them had an interesting academic life throughout October. The only problem was that Jon hadn't found a suitable opportunity to talk to Professor Sprout about the club.

Of course, the main reason was his packed schedule, leaving him with no free time.

Who knows why there were so many assignments for first-year courses.

Before Halloween, the atmosphere in the school became cheerful, and the teachers no longer assigned as many tasks. Jon finally found an opportunity to approach Professor Sprout.

Luck was on his side as Professor Sprout happened to be tending to a herb that seemed to be wilting in the greenhouse.

"Professor, can I come in?" Jon gently knocked on the door, observing Professor Sprout's busy activities inside the greenhouse.

Professor Sprout didn't seem to hear, so Jon raised his voice slightly. One couldn't be loud in the greenhouse, as it might disturb some peculiar plants. After all, it was still dangerous in there.

Fortunately, this time Jon managed to catch Professor Sprout's attention.

Seeing that it was Jon looking for her, Professor Sprout's round face lit up with a smile. The Head of Hufflepuff had a gentle voice. She took a pair of earplugs from the patch-covered pocket of her worn-out robe and handed them to Jon at the door. "Of course, you can come in, but you need to put these on first."

At that moment, Jon didn't want to go in anymore. When he took the earplugs, he already guessed what plant was being taken care of in the greenhouse, even if it was a wilting Mandrake, it was something Jon couldn't resist at the moment.

It was too dangerous.

But the arrow had already been released from the bow. Since Professor Sprout allowed him to enter, there shouldn't be any danger inside... right?