A certain broken Hogwarts

Chapter 7 The Ingenious Uses of Magic

The next morning, Owen got out of bed right on time, driven by his biological clock.

The lake outside the window remained dark and deep, shimmering with a deep green hue, making it impossible for him to see the sky and giving him the illusion that it was still dark.

While his three roommates were still fast asleep, Owen leisurely finished washing up, changed into his Hogwarts robes, and stood in front of the mirror carefully tidying up his hair to make sure there were no unruly ahoge sticking up.

When he returned to his four-poster bed, Theodore Nott was already awake and mouthed "Good morning" upon seeing Owen. He was a very thin boy who looked somewhat sickly, and his short chestnut hair accentuated his frail appearance.

Owen smiled and responded, then opened a black briefcase leaning against his bed. It was a briefcase enchanted with a Seamless Extension Charm, and the Shafik family crest was engraved on its exterior. It was a black and white shield with a black and white tower on top, surrounded by gold and silver roses.

Owen finally managed to rummage through his suitcase to find his backpack and textbooks. Before he even had a chance to practice the Summoning Spell, heaven knows how difficult it was to find what he wanted among so many messy items.

The box was stuffed with all sorts of odds and ends, which Owen thought were completely useless. He figured Mr. Shafik had just put them there out of boredom, and Owen thought his usually decisive and efficient mother wouldn't do something like that.

Owen reached out and stroked the still-sleeping rabbit Muse, making sure the old fellow was still alive. He didn't disturb her sleep, but simply placed some rabbit food beside her.

After he finished packing, Malfoy and Harry finally got up. They sat up almost simultaneously, quite in sync. Malfoy was still wide awake, his pale blond hair a tangled mess like a bird's nest, and Harry, needless to say, his already unruly hair was now standing on end in a wild, defiant manner. The two stared at each other, still half-asleep, creating a somewhat comical scene.

"Good morning, you're up early." Owen sat at the table, poured himself a glass of milk and sipped it slowly, his posture as elegant as if he were savoring a cup of fine black tea—the milk was something he had just found in his suitcase, and heaven knows what his dad's mentality was in stuffing it in there.

Harry rubbed his eyes, found his round-framed glasses and put them on, then glanced at his roommates: Owen, whose entire body, including every strand of hair, seemed to exude "refinement"; Malfoy, who kept talking about "my dad" and had a self-satisfied air; and Nott, who looked sickly and had a face full of world-weariness...

Why does he feel like he's the only normal person in this dorm room?

……

From the moment he left the common room, Harry Potter was the center of attention. Curious students lined up outside the classroom and jostled back and forth in the corridors, all just to catch a glimpse of him.

Draco Malfoy walked beside Harry, head held high and an air of arrogance, as if he were the one being watched. He walked with an air of indifference, radiating an aura of "Hogwarts is my home."

Crabbe and Gore, two big, clumsy guys, led the way on either side, like two fierce bodyguards, carving a bloody path through the crowded streets with their impressive physiques and brute strength.

The four men swaggered through the streets, their thuggish demeanor unmistakable. Owen, showing no loyalty, quickly slipped away with Blaise Zabini, while Theodore Nott also deserted halfway through…

Harry was crestfallen. He wanted to slip away, but the way Malfoy and his two companions were making him feel utterly ashamed. However, Malfoy held onto his sleeve tightly, looking smug, as if afraid he would get lost.

Harry wanted to die, feeling he had lost his right to choose a partner at Hogwarts...

Meanwhile, Owen and Blaise walked up the rickety stairs together, encountering Daphne and Pansy, who were lost along the way. Fortunately, they had left early and didn't have to worry about being late for class because they were lost.

Blaise didn't even glance at the two girls, and continued complaining to Owen, "Can you imagine? Crabbe and Goyle, those two big guys, are in the same dorm as me! When they stand there, there's no room for me to stand, and their snoring is deafening. When I wake up in the middle of the night, I think the castle has collapsed..."

Irving and the two girls listened and laughed.

Actually, there weren't as few first-year students as depicted in the original novel. There were several Slytherin dorm rooms for first-year students alone, and being assigned to the same room as Crabbe and Goyle... well, that's a pretty high probability scenario.

After Pansy finished laughing, she said to Daphne, "Oh dear, look, we're lost again. You should have listened to me and gone with Draco and Potter."

"I don't want to be stared at like a monkey. Harry Potter already gets enough attention, and Draco is so flamboyant," Daphne said, pinching a strand of blonde hair on her cheek and frowning.

“But I think that’s great,” Pansy said matter-of-factly, lifting her chin. “People like them deserve to be the center of attention… I mean, they’re such outstanding people.” As she spoke, a blush rose to her cheeks.

"I'm telling you, if you're going to be a fangirl, at least be reasonable. Where did you see how great they are? This is the first time you've met Potter, isn't it..." Daphne covered her face helplessly, then suddenly cried out "Ouch!" and stepped into a staircase that had vanished into thin air.

Owen reacted quickly, catching her arm and preventing Daphne from falling awkwardly. His reaction speed was extremely fast, thanks to his years of magic practice.

Just then, several pieces of chalk flew over, and Peeves flew in from the side corridor, clutching a box of chalk and screeching, "You little Slytherin brats, taste Peeves' love for you!"

"Ouch!" Blaise yelled, his face covered in chalk dust after being hit on the head. "You just wait, you little devil!"

Owen's lips twitched, and he quickly swept his hand in front of him, catching the piece of chalk that flew towards him. He coughed lightly, gestured to Peeves with the chalk in his hand, and said loudly, "Peeves, you have no idea how precious this thing is!"

"What? Are you playing a trick on the great Pippi Ghost?" Pippi Ghost paused.

"Watch closely!" Owen grinned mischievously, holding the chalk in his hand, then slowly opening his fingers, and the chalk disappeared.

"Huh?" Pipi tilted his head in confusion, watching Owen clench his right hand again. When he opened it again, there were five pieces of chalk in his palm.

"Huh? Are you using magic to trick me?" Mischievous Ghost said angrily, making a move to smash the chalk box in his hand.

"How could that be? I'm just a freshman. Look, I haven't even taken out my wand." Owen raised his empty left hand and waved it. "Actually, the chalk at Hogwarts has been enchanted with the most advanced Transfiguration magic. As long as you master the method, you can use it to get anything! They are the most precious things in this school!"

"Don't believe me? Look." Owen shook the piece of chalk in his right hand, his fingers closing and opening again. The chalk disappeared from his palm, replaced by a gleaming Galleon. Then he repeated the trick, and the gold coin in his hand transformed into a string of sparklers.

Pipi was stunned. It looked at what Owen was holding, then at the chalk box in his hand, its head full of question marks.

"This is my secret, but..." Owen drawled, looking at Malfoy, "if you can pass my test, I can tell you how to activate the magic of chalk."

Pippi the Ghost hugged the chalk box tightly, then suddenly leaned closer with a fawning smile: "Quickly tell poor, cute, and clever Pippi the Ghost..." It raised its hand, trying to brush non-existent dust off Owen's robe.

"I told you, you have to pass my test first and prove that your abilities satisfy me." Owen dodged Peeves' claws and revealed a reserved expression.

"No problem, Mischief is capable of anything!" Mischief pointed at his finger, but he didn't look cute at all; in fact, his laughter was enough to scare a child to tears.

"The first test is to disappear from my sight and not let me find you." Irving snapped his fingers.

"Hehe, Mischievous Ghost is the best at hide-and-seek!" Mischievous Ghost said with a grin, and his figure disappeared in a flash.

"Heh, this is interesting. I'll have some fun from now on." Owen smiled and brushed the chalk dust off his hands. Compared to fragile, crying brats, he preferred teasing mischievous and fun-loving kids like Mischievous Kid. It would surely add some spice to his life from now on.

"What kind of ability do you have? I want to learn it!" Blaise said, his eyes shining.

"It's a very simple magic trick," Irving said. "As long as you master the basics, it's not difficult at all."

"You're still persisting with this kind of magic? Aren't you afraid your parents will cause you trouble?" Daphne smiled, bending down to brush the chalk dust off her clothes. Of the four, only Owen remained clean and tidy.

"..." Irving didn't want to bring up this topic.

All the world-renowned magic tricks in this world are the magical acts of wizards, and those wizards who perform for Muggles as "magicians" are obviously highly controversial in the magical world. Especially in the eyes of those wizards who look down on Muggles, this is completely self-degrading, and they wish they could expel those people from their wizarding profession and break their wands.

Clearly, the Shafiqs were among those who rejected Muggles. When Irving innocently told his parents as a child, "I want to be a magician," it was as if he were announcing his dream of becoming a circus monkey and performing tricks for a group of gorillas, which earned him a merciless blow from his parents.

"It's a long and arduous journey," Owen sighed, temporarily putting this major headache out of his mind.

The four of them wandered around the castle, mainly because Owen was too lazy to find his way and wanted to take a stroll. After taking many detours, they finally found the Charms classroom, but the class had not yet started.

(End of this chapter)