Hogsmeade Station.

The Hogwarts Express departed from here, heading toward Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.

Vader, Daphne, Draco, and his two lackeys were sitting together in the same compartment.

Vader declined their invitation to join their games and stared listlessly out the window at the passing scenery.

The summer holidays lasted two months.

For everyone else, these two months were a time to relax and have fun.

For him, however, they were two months he needed to spend working hard.

He had only digested half of the Faceless Man potion, and it was unrealistic to expect him to finish digesting the rest during the summer.

But if he made good use of this period, he could still finish digesting the potion before Christmas and advance to Sequence 5.

However, a Faceless Man couldn't simply stay at home and perform.

He had to go out into the world.

Where to go and what preparations to make were things he needed to plan in advance.

At that moment, the compartment door suddenly opened.

Hermione stood awkwardly at the doorway.

"Um... Vader, could you come out for a moment? There's something I'd like to talk to you about~."

"She's looking for you."

Daphne bumped Vader's arm with a teasing smile.

"What could be so mysterious that you have to go outside to talk about it?"

"I'll go ask her and find out."

Daphne let out a cold snort, crossed her arms over her chest, and straightened her back, blocking the passageway.

If he wanted to get through, he'd have to step over her.

Vader's mouth twitched.

He gave Hermione an apologetic smile.

"If it's not urgent, let's talk after we get off the train."

"Not urgent, not urgent."

Hermione awkwardly waved her hands.

"Hurry up and leave. You're not welcome here, you filthy—"

"Young Master Draco, I'd appreciate it if you showed my friend a little more respect."

Vader politely interrupted him, but his wand was already in his hand.

"I don't know many curses, but unfortunately for you, Professor Snape taught me a spell called the Tongue-Tying Curse that can make people shut up."

"Would you like to experience it?"

"Er... no, thank you."

Draco instinctively swallowed.

He could clearly tell that Vader wasn't joking.

"If there's a next time, I won't bother asking for your cooperation."

"And I'd also appreciate it if you stopped testing my limits again and again."

"I... understand."

Vader put away his wand and turned toward the aggrieved Hermione.

"I apologize to you on his behalf."

"Apology accepted."

Hermione nodded.

"I'll be waiting for you at King's Cross Station."

After Hermione left, Daphne leaned back against her seat, a trace of indignation visible on her face.

"Do you really like standing up for her that much?"

"I don't like meddling in other people's affairs, but I also don't like it when people treat me as though I don't matter."

Vader secretly glared at Draco.

"I've warned you more than once. How do you keep forgetting?"

Draco curled his lips and looked angrily at Crabbe and Goyle sitting on either side of him.

"You two just watched? Didn't either of you feel like protecting me?"

"Wasn't it just a joke?"

Crabbe looked completely confused.

"I thought it was a joke too."

Goyle shrank his neck and spoke timidly.

"You two... really need to use your brains a little more!"

Draco was speechless.

Crabbe and Goyle's loyalty was unquestionable, but their intelligence was truly another matter.

"Young Master Draco, what did your father say about the business deal?"

Draco pulled a piece of parchment from his pocket.

"This is the address of Malfoy Manor. You can only enter if you're invited."

"My father has agreed to meet you. But the price has to be discussed in person."

"You'd better be prepared. One hundred thousand Galleons isn't a huge amount to the Malfoys. The money my father donates to the Ministry of Magic every year is already far more than that."

"But you want to exchange an unverified piece of information for that much money. I'm afraid..."

"I understand. When?"

"Eight tomorrow morning."

"Isn't that a little too soon?"

Daphne frowned.

"Vader won't even get home until tonight, and Malfoy Manor is in Wiltshire, more than a hundred kilometers from London."

"Draco, is your father deliberately making things difficult for him?"

"There's no need to say more. I understand."

Vader smiled indifferently.

"The Malfoys are an old pure-blood family. The fact that they're willing to take the time to meet a second-year half-blood wizard with no family background, no connections, and no remarkable talent is probably already because of Draco."

"Besides, the amount of money I'm asking for really isn't small."

"Perhaps, in Draco's parents' eyes, I'm simply an opportunist trying to make money through a school friendship."

"Uh..."

Draco's eyes darted away, and his voice became so quiet that it was almost inaudible.

"Draco, your Malfoy family really does like treating people according to their status."

Daphne was furious.

"Vader, I'll go with you tomorrow."

To put on a show of support?

Absolutely not.

I don't want them thinking I'm some freeloader living off my girlfriend.

Vader complained inwardly, but his expression remained unchanged.

"Let's not. I can't rely on you to help me with everything, can I?"

"But..."

"No buts."

"Young Master Draco, I'll arrive on time tomorrow."

Vader smiled faintly.

"However..."

"The price will be adjusted accordingly."

"What could have been solved with money has now become more complicated."

Draco: "..."

...

The Hogwarts Express slowly pulled into the station.

Vader carried his trunk off the train.

He had just said goodbye to Daphne when he heard Hermione's voice.

"Vader, over here."

Hermione stood beside the barrier leading toward the Muggle world.

"I've been waiting for you for quite a while."

The two of them passed through the barrier one after another and entered King's Cross Station.

"All right. What did you want to talk about?"

"The basilisk."

Hermione got straight to the point.

"Did you know from the beginning that the monster in the Chamber of Secrets was a basilisk?"

Vader's heart skipped a beat.

"There's a limit to how far you can take a joke!"

"That book was borrowed by you."

Hermione had clearly done her homework.

"I checked the records. You borrowed that book the day after Colin was attacked."

"That was a coincidence."

Vader forced himself to defend his position.

"The book is so thick that I hadn't even reached the section about basilisks."

"Then how do you explain this?"

Hermione took an eyeglass case from her pocket.

When she opened it, there was a pair of rimless glasses inside.

"When I saw the basilisk's eyes, the magical runes inside these glasses began burning rapidly."

"I don't know why, but I could see everything unusually clearly."

"I memorized those symbols, and as luck would have it, I recently read a book called A Beginner's Guide to Ancient Runes."

"The runes inside the glasses have an effect that blocks direct vision and greatly reduces the lethality of eye contact."

"They were specifically designed to defend against some kind of creature."

"I'd bet the glasses you and Daphne wear contain similar magical runes."

"They do, but that's also a coincidence."

"Is that so?"

A playful smile appeared at the corner of Hermione's mouth.

"Before the basilisk was killed by Harry, you and Daphne wore those gold-rimmed glasses every single day."

"But after the basilisk was killed, you hardly wore them anymore."

"Don't tell me that's another coincidence too."

"Unless you think I'm an idiot."

Click.

Click.

Vader blinked blankly before letting out a helpless laugh.

"Sometimes, I really wish you weren't this smart."

At the same time, his mind began racing.

He quickly considered how he should deal with the situation that followed.

After all, smart people weren't so easy to fool.