78: Rumors only affect the weak

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By Merlin's beard!

Harry Potter is a Parselmouth!

Everyone in the Great Hall witnessed this, pushing Harry into the spotlight.

Some people started saying that Harry was the heir, while others approached John, hoping he would deal with this "threat."

John, however, told them not to jump to conclusions.

But in no time, Harry became synonymous with the heir.

There were even conspiracy theories suggesting that Voldemort tried to kill Harry because he feared Harry would take over as the Dark Lord. John couldn't help but laugh when he heard that.

A snowstorm caused the afternoon Herbology class to end early.

Harry was taken away by Professor McGonagall, while John remained in the Great Hall. Percy sat beside him, sipping warm pumpkin juice.

"Sorry, we couldn't find anything. I searched Harry's luggage three times."

Listening to Percy's apologetic words, John shook his head helplessly. "Percy, you have to believe in Harry. He can't be the heir."

"Alright," Percy agreed, though John knew he still harbored doubts about Harry. But John didn't call him out on it.

Harry being a Parselmouth made John think of something—perhaps he could use Harry to open the Chamber of Secrets.

However, with Harry now taken away by Professor McGonagall, John would have to wait.

"I will prove that he's not."

John reassured Percy, thinking that this was the Savior they were talking about. If Harry became disheartened due to all the suspicion, what would happen then?

After Percy left, John took out the Marauder's Map to check.

Apart from Harry and his two friends, no one had been near the girls' bathroom for quite some time. With the basilisk unable to escape without the Chamber of Secrets being opened, Hogwarts was safe.

'What are those three doing in there?'

John's face turned a bit strange as he recalled the scent of potion brewing the last time he was there.

Could the trio be brewing potions inside the girls' bathroom?

Brewing potions in a girls' bathroom—was there some special reason behind that?

In reality, John, with his access to the Room of Requirement, didn't fully understand the challenges Harry and his friends faced. They had no such convenient options.

It wasn't as if they could brew potions in the Gryffindor common room after all.

Meanwhile, after leaving Dumbledore's office, Harry kept to himself what he knew. Dumbledore had questioned him, but Harry had chosen to keep things secret, influenced by Ron's warning that hearing voices might not be a good sign.

The rumors circulating in the school were making him increasingly agitated, especially after he secretly put on the Sorting Hat in the headmaster's office.

That old hat still insisted that he belonged in Slytherin.

This made him start doubting whether he might actually be Slytherin's heir.

Hermione noticed his worry and suddenly had an idea, suggesting, "You could talk to John. He'll help you."

"John?"

Harry recalled another moment—on the dueling stage, from his perspective, he had seen John's eyes change.

Those eyes—they looked just like a dragon's or a snake's...

He hesitated for a moment and asked, "Wouldn't that be bothering him?"

Hermione, knowing John well, reassured him, "John would definitely be waiting for you. You know he's always good to his friends."

Friends?

Harry was silent for a moment.

In the end, he decided to go find John.

At the castle's covered bridge, Harry arrived with a nervous heart.

"Oh! Hi Harry." John wasn't surprised to see him and gently said, "You're struggling with your differences, aren't you?"

"And you, John, do you.. do you also think I'm Slytherin's heir?" Harry asked, staring into John's eyes.

John burst into laughter, his laughter bright and cheerful.

"Stop joking around. You're the Chosen One; how could you possibly be Slytherin's heir?"

It was as if he had heard a hilarious joke, and John couldn't stop laughing.

Harry grew a bit annoyed by the laughter. "Enough, it's not funny."

Harry was startled by his own voice; he hadn't meant to shout so loudly.

John stopped laughing and stared at Harry, seriously saying, "You're not Slytherin's heir, at least not now."

Seeing that Harry was still doubtful and hesitant, John chuckled and added, "Rumors only affect the weak, Harry. Those who are strong enough don't care about whose heir someone is."

Harry felt a jolt in his heart as he looked at John, realizing he wasn't joking.

Harry sighed and said, "If only everyone else thought like you."

"You can't expect everyone to be like that. The strong lead the weak—it's an unchanging truth."

John leaned on the railing of the covered bridge, gazing into the distance where snowflakes covered the land.

...

Christmas arrived.

Many students had left the school, but not everyone.

Some Muggle-born wizards even stayed at the school because John Wick made them feel safe.

"John Wick will protect us, just like he protected Justin Finch-Fletchley."

The scene at the Dueling Club had earned John a lot of favor among the Muggle-born wizards. They even began to think of him as their protector.

Some of them kept a photo of John fighting the Basilisk at their bedside, believing it could protect them.

Morning arrived.

John received numerous packages.

He opened one—it was sent by Cedric.

Inside was a new-style handbag; it seemed Cedric thought John would like such a bag.

There were so many gifts that if he wanted to open them all, it would take the entire day.

John decided to save the unwrapping for the evening. As he stepped out of the dormitory, he spotted a blonde girl and a dark-haired girl.

'Daphne and Pansy, they didn't go home?'

It was a bit surprising that the two hadn't returned home, but John didn't dwell on it.

Malfoy was already waiting for John in the common room. When he saw John emerge, he grumbled, "You made me wake up so early, yet you slept in."

"I didn't sleep in; I was planning a project for you."

Malfoy rolled his eyes at John, as if to say, "Yeah, right."

Malfoy hadn't gone home for Christmas; he wanted to stay at school to strengthen himself.

At the Dueling Club, Malfoy and Harry had exchanged curses, and in the end, Malfoy was even hoisted into the air.

Although he later unleashed a Serpensortia, it didn't cause Harry any harm at all.

Frustrated, Malfoy sought out John for help in strengthening himself, and John naturally agreed.

The two left the Slytherin dungeon and headed to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.

Since they were going to train, they needed a spacious place.

John brought out a Boggart—Malfoy was all too familiar with this cabinet.

Every time John taught a class, he would bring it out, and Malfoy always wondered how so many creatures could fit inside it—Malfoy didn't knew it was a boggart after all.

And so, the two began a hands-on lesson, with John instructing and Malfoy practicing.

By evening, before the sky had fully darkened, John had to head to the Room of Requirement, so they had to pause the training.

As Malfoy was heading back, he encountered Crabbe and Goyle. These two cronies always did whatever Malfoy did.

Seeing them standing around aimlessly, Malfoy kindly led them back.

Little did he know that the two were actually Harry and Ron in disguise.

And when Malfoy had time to relax, he liked to brag. He knew a lot of secrets from Lucius Malfoy, including the fact that the Chamber of Secrets had been opened before.

...

"Tsk* Felix Felicis is really hard to come by."

John looked at the still-unfinished Felix Felicis and couldn't help but shake his head.

It was truly the most top-tier potion—not only did it take a long time to brew, but it also required meticulous attention.

Potion-making was a branch of alchemy, and since John had learned alchemy, he had also mastered potion-making.

Now, his level had reached 3, making him a seasoned alchemist.

After adding the necessary ingredients for the Felix Felicis, John watched over it for a while to ensure there were no issues.

He then began experimenting with embedding new enchantments onto the Iron Wick Sword in the Room of Requirement.

"Dragon blood can enhance fire spells, so what could other magical creatures enhance?"

John pondered this for a while, still undecided on which enchantment to apply to the Iron Wick Sword.

Unlike the Sword of Gryffindor, which was an alchemical artifact made by the great Goblin, the Iron Wick Sword was still a lesser-made item.

If something went wrong, the entire sword could be ruined, which would be troublesome.

After deliberating for a while, John temporarily set aside the idea of enchanting the sword.

He then extended his hand, attempting to cast a spell without using a wand.

"Emotion, I need an emotion."

John closed his eyes in deep thought, allowing his emotions to fuel the magic.

His expression gradually shifted to one of anger, and John raised his hand and struck.

The chest of the humanoid target before him exploded.

"Anger… It's hard to control, but it sure works."

When it came to the simplest and most intense emotion, anger was a good choice.

Just now, John had thought about someone forcing him to eat a Stargazy Pie, and that surge of anger had arisen... 

"How can the others eat such an abomination.."

Back to the topic,

Wandless magic was indeed possible; after a few tries, John found that in moments of extreme anger, he could perform basic spells.

The castle was never short of feasts, so after finishing his training, John headed to the evening banquet.

On his way there, he ran into Goyle and Crabbe, who were groggily waking up, which struck him as odd.

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