Chapter 566: The Wise Do Not Enter the River of Love
It was Saturday, a day without classes. Though the Triwizard Cup placed in the Great Hall tugged at the hearts of everyone inside Hogwarts, no one could stay cooped up there all day.
After breakfast, the group scattered. Wade grabbed a book and headed to the Umbrella Room to pass the time.
Not long after he arrived, Theo and Padma showed up with their assignments. Then Padma arrived with a whole stash of snacks. Within half an hour, the others began arriving one by one.
Michael was the last to enter, his face clouded with gloom. He slammed the door shut with a loud bang, startling the entire room.
Padma arched an eyebrow and called out, “Hey, no one here offended you, did they?”
“Sorry,” Michael muttered, running a hand through his hair before dropping into his seat. He yanked a book from the pile and flipped it open—then immediately tossed it aside in frustration.
“What’s wrong?” Wade asked. “Did you argue with someone?”
Michael gave a sullen shake of his head. “Nothing.”
Padma, however, looked knowing. “It’s Daphne, isn’t it?”
“Daphne?” Several voices chimed in unison, eyes wide with surprise.
“Michael… you’re dating a Slytherin girl named Daphne?” Hermione blurted out.
“Yeah, what’s so strange about that?” Michael replied. “She’s beautiful, and her personality isn’t nearly as awful as Pansy’s. Honestly, you might not have noticed, but she’s never been the one to bully anyone.”
“But she never stopped Pansy from bullying either,” Hermione shot back sharply. “She’s an accomplice.”
Michael’s gaze flickered. “Accomplice? Come on—she’d be in trouble in her own house if she didn’t go along with them. It’s not like she has a choice.”
“But why are you even with her?” Harry asked, genuinely puzzled. “I don’t mind Daphne, but I thought you hated Slytherins.”
“More precisely,” Michael corrected, “I hate the Pureblood extremists. But I’ve had decent relationships with some Slytherins—like Astoria, for example.”
He paused, then added, “But I only started feeling differently about Daphne after seeing her protect her little sister from Pansy, and later, hiding by the greenhouses, quietly crying.”
He glanced nervously at Padma, his voice dropping even lower.
Padma, however, remained calm—almost indifferent. “So what happened today?”
Michael’s expression darkened again. “Daphne… she wanted me to come with her to the Maze. I told her I had to stay here. I’d planned to finish all my essays today. But when I said no… I don’t know why, she started crying. She said if I didn’t care about her, we might as well break up…”
“Then what?” Wade asked, genuinely surprised. “She said all that, and you still came here?”
Michael wasn’t some emotionless brute—he knew exactly how to soothe a girl. By all logic, he should’ve quickly calmed her down and returned to her. Instead, he’d stormed off here, simmering with irritation.
“Ugh… I’m just… annoyed,” Michael groaned, slumping onto the table. “Daphne’s sweet, really. But being in a relationship with her… it’d mean giving up everything I’m used to. I’d have to bend my entire life around her preferences. I just… can’t handle that.”
Padma snorted. “You’re such a fool.”
“What?” Michael blinked at her, bewildered. “Don’t you think I’m right?”
“Don’t you get it?” Padma said, her tone cool and condescending, her eyes flicking down at him like a teacher addressing a slow student. “She wasn’t actually dying to go to the Maze. She wasn’t opposed to you staying here. She just thought… you kept coming here… because you were…”
She bit her lip, her cheeks flushing a delicate pink—like a winter lake beneath a streak of sunset.
Michael’s eyes froze. He stared, dazed, for a long moment before slowly blinking. “Ah…”
Two seconds passed.
Then, in a shaky voice: “So… that’s… why?”
He slammed his book open again, then dropped it. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair as if it were full of thorns. Finally, he stood up abruptly.
“I… I should go explain this to her.”
He didn’t know why he said it—whether to the room, or himself. He yanked his chair back and bolted out of the Umbrella Room.
The others in the room, including Wade, sat frozen in silence, caught in the thick tension between the two.
When the door clicked shut behind him, everyone instinctively turned to Padma.
But Padma acted as if nothing had happened. She slid her assignment toward Hermione and said, “Hermione, did you finish the essay on the Muggle-Repelling Charm? I was wondering if this spell combination might actually work…”
The heavy silence cracked like ice. The air flowed again. The group exhaled.
Theo leaned in close to Wade and whispered, “Did you see Michael’s look just now? He’s totally into Padma.”
Wade smirked. “It’s just lust. Padma and her friends are kind, or else Michael would’ve been cut down with a kitchen knife by now.”
Theo frowned. “What do you mean?”
“The wise don’t enter the river of love,” Wade said seriously. “Love is a poison that erodes your intelligence. It’s more powerful than the Imperius Curse—more effective at controlling your mind.”
Theo gaped. “That’s… extreme. Surely not that bad?”
“Maybe not,” Wade said, shrugging. “But it’s still dangerous.”
After lunch, the sky began to drizzle. A fresh, damp scent of soil filled the air—clean and crisp.
Through the window, they could see students from foreign schools lining up outside the Maze, eager and undeterred by the rain.
“Why doesn’t the school just seal off the Maze?” Padma muttered. “It’s our training resource…”
She paused, then added with a hint of pride, “And if those outsiders wreck something inside, we’ll have every right to complain.”
Liam asked, “Has anyone decided to enter the competition? Did you all sign up?”
They looked at one another.
“I’m not entering,” Liam said. “Theo and I both think Cedric’s going to win anyway.”
“I’m out,” Padma shrugged. “I’m not risking my life in a competition where I might die. Thanks, but no thanks.”
“Same here,” Hermione said cautiously. “My knowledge isn’t strong enough to be selected. So why bother signing up?”
“Me too,” Neville said, smiling warmly.
That left only Wade and Harry, who exchanged a glance.
“So… we’re the only ones who signed up?” Wade said.
(End of Chapter)
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