Chapter 25: Bit-Bit Flavor Beans

Wade didn’t ask any further questions. He first glanced down at the Shopping List.

Hogsmeade, as a small village, naturally couldn’t compare to Diagon Alley—the bustling commercial heart of the British Wizarding World. The number of shops was limited. But though small, it had everything: Clothing Store, Feather Quill, Magic Supplies Shop, Post Office, Pub, Tea House… and of course, the most beloved destination for students—Candy Shop. The list of candies on the Shopping List was so long it dwarfed every other category combined.

Wade looked over the other things on the list, then raised an eyebrow. “Can he even carry all this?”

“In the Hufflepuff Common Room, Cedric said it himself,” Theo said with a grin. “He said, ‘Don’t worry about whether my arms can handle it—there’s Wingardium Leviosa!’ And other third-years offered to help too. No way Cedric’s gonna be the only one doing all the work.”

Michael slumped over the table, groaning. “Ugh… why doesn’t Ravenclaw have any seniors like that? They just glare at you sideways and say, ‘Don’t worry, you’ll get to go in two years.’ Or worse—‘It’s for your own safety!’ Not one of them offered to bring back candy for us. Honestly, another day spent dreaming about Hufflepuff.”

Theo and Liam exchanged a glance, sharing a quiet, proud smile.

Meanwhile, Hermione and Neville both thought of Percy Weasley, the Gryffindor Prefect—“I’m a Prefect, you have to listen to me!” “Do you want your House to lose points?” “Don’t think you can sneak out—Filch checks every name, and I’ll be watching you troublemakers.” Or the twins—“No problem, Dung Bomb or Belly-Burp Powder? Genius! You’ll give Filch a real shock! Special Offer: fifteen Sickles—swear, only five Knuts more than Hogsmeade!”

But before they could even get their money out, Percy caught them red-handed in their Purchase Proxy Service scheme. Worse still, most of the twins’ offerings were prank products guaranteed to make Filch scream. The result? The two brothers were chased around the Common Room by their older brother in full panic.

Hermione and Neville might’ve been worlds apart in academic performance, but in one way, they were both “outsiders” in Gryffindor. They swallowed their complaints about the Weasleys, but deep down, they both envied the warmth of Hufflepuff’s atmosphere.

Then Wade chuckled. “Michael, don’t go getting jealous of Hufflepuff’s helpful seniors—just think, when we’re third-years, will you be willing to do a Purchase Proxy Service for all the little Ravenclaws?”

“Are you kidding?” Michael shot back immediately. “That’s way too much hassle! I’m not gonna waste my precious weekend just ticking off someone else’s shopping list!”

“So that’s why we’re the selfless Ravenclaws,” Wade said flatly, picking out a few items others hadn’t selected—so they could trade later.

He wondered, though—would Cedric be shocked by Theo’s ridiculously long list?

…

“Honestly, I think you’re just like Cedric,” Theo said that evening, lingering after class to speak with Wade.

“Huh?” Wade was still caught in the afterglow of Petrificus Totalus, barely aware of what had been said before.

Theo looked him straight in the eye. “We never said it out loud, but the reason this SSC Group even formed… it’s all because of you, Wade. You’ve always been willing to guide us through spells, and you shared your notes—notes you spent ages compiling. I’ve never met another Ravenclaw who’d do that.”

Wade blinked, surprised. He stared at Theo, unsure what to say.

“Michael and Hermione—they’re brilliant, but they only joined us because of you. And me, Liam, Neville—back then, we weren’t even close to top-tier. Some of us were barely scraping by. But because of you, we’ve started earning House points. Professor Flitwick praised us multiple times. And last Herbology class, Neville even raised his hand—Professor Sprout even gave him an extra point.”

Theo paused, then added, “Wade, you’re a Ravenclaw. But you’re not selfish. You’re not cynical. You’ve helped us all. I just… wanted you to know that.”

After Theo left, Wade sat in silence for a long time, a strange emotion filling his chest.

He packed up his things and stepped out of the Umbrella Room. Outside, the portrait of Miss Claudia strolled across the grassy patch, her brow furrowed with quiet worry—her expression eerily like Lin Meimei in his memories.

As the door closed behind him, Wade muttered to himself, “How could it all be because of me? Theo must’ve forgotten—this classroom was his idea. He petitioned Professor Sprout to get it.”

Miss Claudia remained silent, as always. She never spoke to students. Unlike other portraits, she never wandered off to visit others. She stayed alone in this empty lawn. If not for her occasional walks, she might as well have been a Muggle painting.

…

Cedric had kept his promise. Everything on their list was returned—no extra Knuts charged.

“Holy—am I flying?” Hermione gasped.

The brown-haired girl had only taken a sip of a beverage, and now she was slowly floating off the ground. Wade lunged to catch her before she soared too high and hurt herself.

After a few moments, the magic faded, and Hermione gently settled back onto the floor. She puffed her cheeks in annoyance. “They really should put the warnings on the packaging!”

“Now that’s the fun of it, Hermione!” Michael grinned.

Hermione shot him a glare. “But I’m wearing a skirt!”

Michael froze. “Oh… right. Sorry.”

“Everyone, look!” Theo called out. “I’m eating this Black Pepper Imp!”

All eyes turned to him. Theo popped the candy into his mouth, chewed a few times—then his expression twisted. In an instant, flames shot out from his nose.

The group erupted into laughter.

Michael grabbed a handful of Bit-Bit Flavor Beans and passed them around. “Come on, try these! Let’s see who’s got the worst luck!”

He popped one in his mouth. “Meh—carrot flavor.”

Liam grimaced. “Bad luck… earwax.”

Wade tilted his head. “How do you even know what earwax tastes like?”

Liam blinked, looked up at the sky, then casually turned to Theo. “Your turn.”

Theo grinned and bit in. “Mmm—honeydew! Lucky me!”

Hermione took one. “Beef. Not bad, not great.”

Neville stared at the yellow bean in his hand with dread. “Please don’t be me again…” He shut his eyes and swallowed. Immediately, his tongue shot out, babbling, “Water… water… water!”

“Did you get the sand flavor?” Michael asked, handing him a glass.

Neville gulped down half the cup, eyes watering. “No… it was super-spicy chili!”

All eyes turned to Wade.

He eyed the bean with clear distaste. He’d never tried Wizarding World snacks like this before—rumor had it Bit-Bit Flavor Beans even came in vomit flavor. What kind of prank logic was that?

But everyone was waiting.

After a moment of internal debate, Wade finally popped the bean into his mouth.

“Taste like what?” his friends asked eagerly.

Wade exhaled, then smiled. “It’s… snow.”

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end