Chương 63: 63
Chapter 63, "Family, Death Eaters, and Alliance":
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"Wonderful, absolutely wonderful!" Michael exclaimed, giving Wade a thumbs up. "I thought you'd just brush them off!"
Wade had evidently made quite an impression on him with his Gryffindor-like boldness.
"You know how Slytherins hold grudges, just look at Malfoy and Potter," Wade shrugged, casting a spell to muffle the sound inside the carriage. He poured himself a glass of water and continued, "I didn't enjoy being harassed by them every day at school."
Theo nodded in agreement. "You're right—Yaxley is vindictive, and unlike Malfoy, he doesn't shy away from using more underhanded methods. Even the professors have never caught him. Ryan, you really need to control your temper around him."
Ryan pursed his lips, neither confirming nor denying, before asking, "Wade, can Muggle computers really do all that?"
He recalled Wade's earlier explanation, trying to grasp some of the more comprehensible parts.
"They can buy things from all over the world without leaving home?" he asked.
Wade smiled. "Online shopping began about ten years ago, and it's only going to get easier. Though I'm not an expert in computers"—I was just an average college student in my previous life, barely passing my C language exams.
Reborn into this world with knowledge of future computer developments, Wade had contemplated advancing technologies like Instagram, online shopping, and smartphones early on—potential avenues to become the world's wealthiest man. But Hogwarts had intervened just as his studies began.
"I'm sure what you said made sense," Michael said incredulously. "You sounded quite knowledgeable."
"I just mentioned some magazine articles—it sounds impressive, doesn't it?" Wade leaned back, smiling. "They don't understand it, and neither do Prewett and the others. They'll think I'm knowledgeable but won't dare engage with me—too uncomfortable to even listen."
"Merlin!" Theo chuckled. "I thought you were a Muggle computer expert! I've seen their TV, and what those experts say isn't as complex as what you described."
For a moment, Theo wondered if what he heard was English or if Muggles had invented a language just for their computers.
"By the way," Wade had mentioned the concept earlier, "computing languages like C, C++, Java, Python..."
Theo pondered deeply.
"So Muggles really did that—created machines and invented all these complex languages..."
"I sensed some nerves earlier," Wade said to Michael. "What's on your mind?"
"They're trouble, those purebloods—they're the type who'd eagerly rejoin You-Know-Who if he returned," Michael explained. "Yom Prewett—maybe you haven't noticed—he's a sixth-year Ravenclaw who loves throwing parties in the common room. Despite barely studying Defense Against the Dark Arts, he aced his O.W.L.s through self-study. He's adept with small curses and holds grudges. Best not to cross him."
Ryan sighed. "Before Hogwarts, I used to think Ravenclaws were all bookish nerds. Did you see the way Prewett looked at me? Like he'd love to see me as Yaxley's pawn!"
"Because Prewett isn't really a Prewett," Theo recalled. "I heard his great-great-grandmother married a wizard named Dion or Dick of mixed ancestry. After 'Pure Blood: The Lineage Record' was published, they changed their name to Prewett, one of the 'Sacred Twenty-Eight'."
"And then?" Wade asked curiously. "Did the Prewett family acknowledge this relative?"
"No, they've never recognized them. But both Prewett brothers were killed in the war against You-Know-Who and the Death Eaters. Yom Prewett's father and uncle are now high-ranking Ministry officials, claiming pureblood status, but nobody pays them any mind," Theo explained, observing the reactions with a smile. "At Hogwarts, the closest they have are the Gryffindor Weasleys."
"Weasley?" Everyone was surprised.
"Yes, Ron Weasley's mother was a Prewett, and the brothers who died were her siblings," Theo added.
"They're all dead?" Ryan asked.
"Yes."
"Horrible—war is terrible," Ryan reflected quietly. "Thank goodness it's over."
He silently thanked Harry Potter—he may not have shown extraordinary power, but he had indeed saved the world. Many, including Ryan's parents, held deep gratitude and respect for the boy who survived.
"What about Yaxley and Fawley?" Wade inquired.
"Yaxley—" Theo's expression darkened, "His father served You-Know-Who, like Malfoy. After his defeat, they claimed Imperius Curse influence to escape punishment with money. Unlike Malfoy, his father still works at the Ministry, rumored to be ruthless and cunning in dark magic."
Michael was surprised. "Even if they were under the Imperius Curse, they must've done terrible things. And they're still in the Ministry?"
"Yes, that's right," Theo confirmed with a wry smile. "It's unbelievable, isn't it?"
Michael fell silent. This intelligent boy felt his lofty image of the Ministry of Magic beginning to crumble.
"As for the Fawley family," Theo continued, "they were Grindelwald supporters. After his defeat by Dumbledore, the Alliance vanished from public view, and the Fawley family kept a low profile. But remember, the Alliance was once more feared than the Death Eaters, so be cautious around them."
The carriage fell silent for a long moment.
Michael and Ryan, both half-blood wizards, knew little of the families, factions, and wars that had shaped the wizarding world. Such details weren't always recorded in the "History of Magic". Born in peacetime, they often viewed war as a distant tale in textbooks and an intense exam topic, unaware of the shadows cast by those who yearned to become Death Eaters among their classmates.
Recalling Professor Quirrell's possession by Voldemort and classmates who might secretly admire Death Eaters, the young wizards couldn't help but sigh heavily.
The remainder of the journey was peaceful. Some students came to see the "Book of Friends' inventor," but Wade used his "Internet concepts" to divert their interest in mere minutes. When they finally disembarked at Hogsmeade Station, no one bothered Wade about these bothersome topics.
As they changed into warmer clothes and prepared to disembark, Hogwarts glowed brightly in the distance, eagerly awaiting their arrival.
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