Harry Potter: Even Voldemort Can't Stop Me from Studying

"Brilliant, absolutely brilliant!" Michael couldn't help but give a thumbs-up. "I thought you'd directly retort!"

Vid wasn't sure when he'd given Michael such a Gryffindor-esque impression.

"You can see how vengeful Slytherins are just by looking at Malfoy and Potter," Vid shrugged, casting a spell to block out the sounds of the compartment, then poured himself a glass of water. "I don't want them harassing me every day at school."

Theo nodded. "You're right—Yaxley is the type to hold a grudge and exact revenge. Unlike Malfoy's petty squabbles, he loves to use underhanded tactics, and even the professors haven't caught him red-handed. Ryan, you really need to control your temper."

Ryan pouted, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, then changed the subject. "Vid, that Muggle... computer, can it really do all that?"

He seriously recalled what Vid had just said, finally extracting a small portion of what he could barely understand. "They can buy things from all over the world from their homes?"

Vid chuckled. "Actually, the earliest online shopping started about ten years ago. It's bound to become even more convenient in the future—but I don't really know much about it myself."

Vid wasn't a computer expert. In his previous life, he was just an ordinary university student, having returned most of what he learned about C language programming to his teacher after exams.

Reborn into this world, and understanding the future development of computers, Vid had considered delving into this technology to bring WeChat, Douyin, shopping websites, and smartphones into existence earlier. He might even become the world's richest person before he turned thirty. But Vid's studies had just begun when he received his Hogwarts admission letter...

World's richest person or magic? Vid hesitated for only 0.1 seconds before choosing the latter.

"But you sounded like you knew everything just now," Michael said, disbelievingly.

"I just said some things I read in magazines—sounds very impressive, doesn't it?" Vid leaned against the compartment wall, smiling. "You don't understand, and the Prewetts certainly don't understand, but I was very confident—so they'll think I know a lot. But they can't communicate with me, so they have no choice but to keep their distance, otherwise, just listening would make them uncomfortable."

"Merlin!" Theo exclaimed. "I thought you were a computer expert among Muggles! I've seen their television; the experts on it don't speak as—as incomprehensibly as you do."

For a moment, Theo even wondered if what he heard was English, or if Muggles had invented a special language just for their computers?

—Right, Vid seemed to have mentioned that concept just now... something about computer languages... C, C++, Java, Python...

Theo fell into contemplation.

—So Muggles really did that? Invented a machine... and then invented many complex languages just for that machine...

"I noticed you seemed a bit nervous just now?" Vid asked Michael. "Who are they?"

"They're a troublesome bunch among the pure-bloods—the kind who would eagerly pledge allegiance if the Dark Lord returned."

Michael continued, "Yorkm Prewett, you probably haven't noticed him before, but he's a sixth-year Ravenclaw student. He's enthusiastic about organizing all sorts of gatherings, big and small, in the common room. Even just by self-study, he achieved an 'Outstanding' in his Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L.s, but he's even more skilled at various minor curses. He's narrow-minded, so it's best not to provoke him if you can help it."

Ryan sighed, "Before—before I came to Hogwarts—I thought all Ravenclaws were just bookworms! Did you see that Prewett? He looked like he'd jump at the chance to be Yaxley's minion!"

"—Because that Prewett isn't a true Prewett," Theo recalled. "I think I heard someone say that his great-great-grandmother married a half-blood wizard named Dion or Dick, and later, when the Pure-Blood Directory was published, their family changed their surname to Prewett, one of the 'Sacred Twenty-Eight.'"

"And then?" Vid asked curiously. "Did the Prewett family acknowledge this branch?"

"No, they were never recognized by the Prewett family. However, the two Prewett brothers were killed in the war against the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters. Prewett—I mean, Yorkm Prewett's father and uncle are now high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Magic. They claim to be pure-blood Prewetts, and no one bothers them." Theo smiled, seeing the gossipy expressions on everyone's faces. "Actually, the closest blood relatives to the Prewetts in school are probably the Weasleys in Gryffindor."

"Weasleys?" Everyone was surprised.

"Yes, Ron Weasley's mother's maiden name was Prewett. The two brothers who sacrificed themselves were her elder brothers," Theo said.

"They all died?" Ryan asked.

"Yes."

"That's terrible—I mean the war. Thankfully, it's over."

Ryan silently thanked Harry Potter in his heart—even though the boy hadn't shown any extraordinary excellence or power, he had truly saved the world, and that alone was enough.

Including Ryan's parents, many people were very grateful to and respected the boy who lived.

"What about Yaxley and Fawley?" Vid asked.

"Yaxley—" Theo's face paled slightly. "His father, like Malfoy's, once served the Dark Lord. After the Dark Lord disappeared, they all claimed to have been under the Imperius Curse and escaped punishment with money. Unlike Malfoy's father, Yaxley's father still works at the Ministry of Magic, and is said to be a cruel, cold-blooded man. I have no doubt—Yaxley must be proficient in Dark Arts."

Michael was surprised. "Even if they really were under the Imperius Curse, they must have done a lot of bad things, right? And they're still high-ranking officials in the Ministry?"

"Yes, that's right," Theo said with a bitter smile. "Incredible, isn't it?"

Michael fell silent. The clever boy suddenly felt the towering image of the Ministry of Magic crumbling in his mind.

"As for the Fawley family—" Theo continued, "Their family were once followers of Grindelwald. After that man was defeated by Dumbledore, the Wizengamot Party also disappeared from public view, and the Fawley family became low-key. But no matter what, the Wizengamot Party was once more terrifying than the Death Eaters, so you need to be extra careful with him."

The compartment was quiet for a while.

Michael and Ryan, both half-blood wizards, didn't know much about the wizarding world's families, factions, and past wars. Some things weren't recorded in A History of Magic. Young wizards like them, born in an era of peace, mostly thought of war as stories in textbooks, maddening exam topics, unaware that the shadow cast by war's wings still lingered among their own classmates.

Thinking of Professor Quirrell, possessed by Voldemort at school, and then of those classmates who might aspire to become Death Eaters, the young boys couldn't help but sigh deeply, feeling a heavy weight.

The rest of the journey was peaceful. Occasionally, students would come by to gawk at the "inventor of the Book of Friends," only for Vid to weaponize "internet concepts" and end the conversation within minutes. By the time they were about to disembark, no one was running up to him to discuss those headache-inducing topics anymore.

The train slowly pulled into Hogsmeade Station. Students, bundled in thick clothes, stepped off the train. In the distance, Hogwarts, illuminated by lights, awaited them.