Chapter 55: Stamina Potion and Top Student Dual Cultivation Experience Card

[Wand (Blackthorn, Dragon Heartstring, 12 and 1/3 inches) Compatibility 79%]

Tom played with his spoils; this was a good thing. Previously, he was constrained by the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy and dared not use his wand for magic outside of school. Now things were different; he could use the wand he confiscated for spellcasting.

Thinking about this, Tom couldn't help but smirk. The previous owner of this wand was quite formidable. Spells like the Dementor's Kiss came naturally to him. He was adept at the Soul-Sucking Curse, controlling even tough characters like General Dimitri who had fought in World War II. It was likely that the former owner was a somewhat famous dark wizard, but now he had met an unfortunate end. Once again, it proved the characteristic of wizards having powerful offenses but weak defenses. Learning only one spell like the Illumination Charm, the rest was just empty talk.

The remaining two items were more ordinary. The pack of cigarettes had nothing special about it, and it had already been distributed and smoked by Yuri. The notebook, on the other hand, was suspicious. Despite its old exterior, the inside was blank, except for a single word on the title page: Tartaglia.

Tom knew that this word meant "young lord." He had encountered it in some improvisational comedy before; the archetype character of a young lord.

The peculiar feature of the notebook being old on the outside but new on the inside raised Tom's alertness. He dipped his quill in ink and made a couple of strokes. After a while, finding that the ink hadn't changed, he relaxed. Tom casually stuffed it into his backpack.

The plane quickly arrived in London. Upon exiting the airport, Yuri slipped a small bag of gold bars into Tom's pocket, and thus, Tom earned enough to cover his tuition for the next school year.

Tom returned to the Granger household.

"So, where did you go?" Hermione asked; it was a question Tom couldn't avoid, and he needed to answer.

He organized his words, "I went to deal with the remnants of Soviet military equipment with a friend."

This tactful response successfully dispelled Hermione's suspicions. In the following days, Tom and the Granger family spent a peaceful Christmas. Due to the good news on Christmas day, the entire UK was shrouded in a joyful atmosphere.

The day before school started, Tom and Hermione took the Hogwarts Express back to school. Having recharged during the Christmas break, they were ready to hit the library again. However, most of their time in the library was spent on homework – the assignments left by the professors were increasing.

Tom was busier than Hermione. He had Quidditch training three times a week. Currently, there was immense pressure on the Ravenclaw team because Harry, as a Seeker, displayed astonishing talent. He first stole the Quaffle from Slytherin under the circumstances of a rogue broom, and then, in the match against Hufflepuff, he efficiently caught the Snitch, breaking Hogwarts records.

Facing such a formidable Gryffindor team, the Ravenclaw team had to defeat them in direct dialogue to have a chance at winning the Quidditch Cup.

In such circumstances, Tom practically lived in the library. Besides completing daily assignments, he had a bold plan: he needed to review the knowledge from the first year. He felt that the time was near, and he could soon schedule exams with the professors.

Reviewing took up a lot of his time and energy, so he decided to use something.

"Hermione," after the Flying class on Friday, on the way back to the castle, Tom stopped Hermione, "Are you free tomorrow?"

Sound waves vibrated through the air, transmitting the message not only to Hermione but also to many other students of their year. In an instant, their gossip radars activated, and everyone's ears perked up.

Tom and Hermione were somewhat famous in the school. The moment Tom said those words to Hermione, was it not the beginning of inviting a girl on a date? Definitely an invitation for a date!

The flames of gossip burned in everyone's hearts, especially in the hearts of the young witches. Facing such a situation, what should they do if they were in Gryffindor? How should they respond?

However, Hermione understood Tom a bit more than those students. Although she almost misunderstood and her heart skipped a beat, she quickly realized that Tom probably didn't want a date but—

"Are you free to go to the library together tomorrow? Let's spend the whole day studying in the library!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the gossip fires in the hearts of boys were extinguished, and the hearts of the girls, full of deer, were crushed. Everyone walked away with disappointment on their faces.

Hermione only felt her head buzzing. Even though she had a premonition, Tom still choked her with his words. Listen, can a person say something like that in this context? However, after a second thought, she found that this proposal felt quite good! Spending a whole day studying in the library, she was moved. After all, there were still many things she didn't understand, many shortcomings to address, and it was just right to set aside a day to solve them.

So, early on Saturday morning, Tom and Hermione appeared in the library. On Friday night, Tom had gone to the Room of Requirement to collect the rewards for the previous tasks: the Top Student Dual Cultivation Experience Card (8 hours) and a Stamina Potion.

The Stamina Potion was a magical potion that could clear mental fatigue. The so-called Dual Cultivation Experience Card was a packet of potion powder. Tom needed to drink it together with Hermione...

This matter sounded strange, looked strange, and upon careful thought, was indeed very strange. If someone saw it, Tom would probably be sent straight to Azkaban.

But Tom did it anyway. On Saturday morning, he poured a glass of chilled pumpkin juice for Hermione, mixed in the packet of potion powder, and also poured himself a glass after Hermione drank hers. Then he felt that his mind seemed to be clearer, sharper than usual.

This feeling was confirmed in the library.

Text that used to take an hour to memorize now took less than half an hour, and previously unclear parts were finally discovered.

Such smooth and efficient studying made the two unable to stop; eight hours passed in the blink of an eye. When the effect of the experience card ended, the two finally emerged from their state of study. The clear train of thought that was present moments ago seemed to be abruptly cut off; the speed of thinking, like a water pipe, was now blocked by stones.

"Today's study efficiency was so high!" Hermione put down her books, stretched in a lazy yawn. She didn't notice anything unusual; she just felt that her condition was exceptionally good today. As for the sudden disappearance of the condition, it was simply due to fatigue.

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(End of this chapter)