A certain broken Hogwarts

Chapter 9 The Shafik Family

Back in the real world of Charms class, Owen rubbed his temples, looking somewhat tired.

But he still forced himself to stay alert, his wand gripping tightly in his hand, trying to spot any possible anomalies.

This wasn't an overreaction on his part, but rather an instinctive reaction honed from years of bad luck. While the various anomalies happening around him weren't life-threatening, they proved that if he didn't want to lose his chance at finding a partner on his very first day of school like Harry Potter, he'd better be extremely vigilant.

Professor Flitwick had finished explaining the key points of casting the Illumination Charm and was now walking around the classroom with his hands behind his back, watching the young wizards practice their spells. His small figure was lost among the desks that seemed especially tall to him.

"Fluorescent lights!"

Blaise muttered a phrase under his breath, and a bright white light burst forth from the tip of his wand, steady and dazzling. He looked languid, seemingly uninterested; after all, he came from a wizarding family and had practiced a few spells before enrolling in school.

Amidst the clamor of chanting, most of the young wizards in the classroom successfully cast the spell. After all, it was their first spell class, and it wouldn't be good to discourage them too much.

The bright light flickered in the classroom, hurting people's eyes.

"Why were you spacing out like that? Professor Flitwick almost caught you," Blaise said in a low voice, glancing at Owen.

"Hmm, I'm having a brainstorming session." Owen gave a gentle smile, casually waved his wand and said "Flash," and a bright light shone from the tip of the wand.

"It's amazing that you can describe daydreaming in such a refined and elegant way." Blaise curled his lip.

Irving smiled, having no intention of continuing the small talk; all his attention was focused on everything and everyone in the classroom.

As time ticked by, Irving found nothing of interest. This was clearly different from before; previously, anomalies were usually confined to a small area around Irving, and he never needed to deliberately search for them.

There are many ways to resolve these anomalies. Skilled wizards can use magic to restrain or even resolve them, while Owen can find the entity responsible for the anomalies and remove it according to his own will, or simply wait for a period of time, whether long or short, and the anomalies will disappear on their own.

"So the upgraded anomalies aren't just limited to my vicinity anymore?" Owen habitually spun his wand rapidly, turning it into a black blur. "Could it be affecting the entire Hogwarts? That makes things even harder to solve..."

"If that's the case, then... good luck to everyone." Owen's lips twitched, no longer in such a hurry. Sharing is worse than keeping it to yourself, right? It's time for Hogwarts to experience Owen's love. Hmm, a strange kind of love.

Nothing unusual happened until the end of the class. Professor Flitwick didn't assign any homework in the first class, and the students, chatting and laughing, rushed out of the classroom.

Daphne walked with Owen and Blaise, ultimately failing to stop Pansy. As Pansy had suggested, she was going to have a fateful encounter with Harry and Malfoy…

Their second class was on the history of magic, taught by the ghostly professor Binns, a formidable hypnotist whose monotonous, tedious ramblings turned what should have been interesting historical events into something resembling a funeral procession. Throughout the class, even the most studious young wizards found themselves drifting off to sleep.

Already feeling sleepy, Owen patiently listened for a while, only to discover that Professor Binns' knowledge of magical history was actually quite extensive. His unremarkable words often revealed many historical events not mentioned in textbooks. Although these minor events wouldn't be tested, they could greatly enrich students' historical knowledge.

Having realized this, Owen perked up and listened with great interest. Every now and then, he would raise his hand to ask about the contradictions between Professor Binns's statements and the textbook, and discuss the different philosophies that historical figures upheld throughout their lives. This surprised many of the young wizards, but it also encouraged Professor Binns, whose silvery-white ghostly body became much brighter.

"...That's right, what Hein practiced was never the will of the tribe, he was actually a pioneer..." Professor Binns muttered, shaking his head, his voice buzzing like a bee. "Very good question, it seems you are indeed thinking seriously about what I have to say, very good... Slytherin, ten points."

After class, Blaise looked at Owen, who was packing his things, with a strange expression, and shrugged, saying, "I guarantee this is the first time Professor Binns has ever given a student extra credit. I think you can tell people you're Professor Binns' favorite student now."

"Hmm, the professors at Hogwarts are all quite capable," Owen remarked. "None of them should be underestimated."

His statement was challenged by both Blaise and Daphne in the next class.

"Are you really sure every professor has something to offer?" Blaise looked arrogantly at Professor Quirrell, who was stammering as he read from his textbook, and wrinkled his nose as he said, "He can't even read the textbook properly."

"It's said that Professor Quirrell was also an outstanding graduate of Ravenclaw. How did he end up like this?" Daphne wrinkled her nose in confusion, her beautiful azure eyes filled with bewilderment.

"And there's a strong smell of garlic here. I bet his sash is stuffed full of garlic." Blaise added sarcastically, "I really don't know why Hogwarts would choose someone like this as a professor. I mean, whether he's a good graduate or not, he's clearly not cut out to be a teacher."

Owen looked at Professor Quirrell, who was holding a textbook and looked timid. He was a pale-faced young man, and the large purple scarf around his head made his head look bigger.

"He doesn't just have a little something to do..." Irving shook his head, thinking to himself, "He has a really big problem."

He carries an old man with him, enjoys playing dumb to outwit his opponent, and single-handedly infiltrates enemy territory to steal treasures from heavily guarded positions. In a novel, this would be the protagonist template, wouldn't it? Owen's thoughts wandered.

Despite his thoughts, Owen had no intention of getting too involved with Quirrell and Voldemort. His own lineage was his best protection, and he had no intention of breaking with family tradition.

The Shafik family remained neutral during the First Wizarding War, or to put it bluntly, they were fence-sitters. While they welcomed Voldemort's ideals, no family members joined the Death Eaters... This was perhaps mainly because the Shafik family had dwindled in number over the past few generations, with only one heir per family. Unlike other pure-blood families like the Rosier, they couldn't send one or two members to join the Death Eaters as a gamble, so that even if they failed, they could sever ties decisively.

Hedging is a survival philosophy of ancient families, unrelated to good or evil, only about interests and inheritance. The Malfoy family's complete support of Voldemort is an anomaly; it can only be said that Lucius Malfoy, as the sole heir of the Malfoy family, made a less-than-rational decision, a high-stakes gamble.

Of course, although the Shafiq family did not contribute any personnel, they secretly provided a considerable amount of money behind the scenes. Choosing neutrality comes at a price.

Back when Voldemort's power was at its peak, even Harry Potter's parents were coerced into joining his ranks, not to mention the wealthy pure-blood families.

Aside from those members of the Order of the Phoenix who resolutely severed ties with Voldemort, some pure-blood families chose to protect themselves and fled Europe, while other families, not wanting to offend him, mostly chose to quietly invest in him from the shadows. Even if Voldemort ultimately failed, such actions would be untraceable and wouldn't affect them, since most of these families didn't reject or even endorse Voldemort's ideals.

It can be said that the Shafik family was at least one of Voldemort's supporters, so even if he made a comeback, he had no reason to deal with them.

Therefore, although Owen understood that Voldemort would inevitably return in the future, he didn't need to befriend him, nor did he need to offend him. This kind of relationship was perfect for Owen's peaceful growth.

As for Quirrell, leave him to Dumbledore and the Savior. What does he have to do with me, Shafik?

"Hmm, why does this feel like I'm setting a flag?"

Irving shook his head slightly, dismissing the strange thought from his mind.

(End of this chapter)