Chapter 13 Echoes〖Dr. Pyromancer〗
[Ding! Your friend [Hermione Granger] has sent a friend request]
[Buzz buzz buzz verified, belongs to a high-weight character. Inscribe Echo]
[Spend 1000 gems to inscribe a growable Echo〖Dr. Pyromancer〗]
[Note: Growing Echoes can grow automatically based on the player's intimacy with the corresponding character (not limited to positive feelings)]
[Initial Quality: White]
[Echo quality will only grow, not fall]
"So, enemies count too."
"If I killed Lucius Malfoy, Draco's Echo would probably go straight to the highest [Fallen] quality."
"But... damn it! Why didn't Harry and Ron send a request?"
"Is this friend of ours fake?!"
"We've been in this compartment together for almost 2 hours! Not even as good as Hermione!"
These thoughts flashed through Basil's mind after receiving the system voice message.
Then, he replied to the system in his mind: "Yes."
The sound effect of the Time-Turner turning rang out.
Clatter!
Gem: 11134.431 (-1000)
[Ding! Obtained a white-quality echo 〖Dr. Pyromancer〗]
With a thought, Basil's [Spellbook] opened automatically.
Hermione's portrait appeared in the echo panel.
Clicking on it revealed the following text:
[All spells will open doors for you, reducing learning difficulty by 2%]
[Dark magic will not affect your mind, nor will white magic]
"This is white quality? Completely different from the game's description."
"But not bad, learning dark magic can start now."
"However, why doesn't it indicate or even lock affection levels like in visual novels!"
Basil didn't dwell on it.
Right now, getting closer to Hermione was the priority.
So, tears welled up in Basil's eyes, and he became increasingly vulnerable.
"I'm an orphan."
"My parents died shortly after I was born."
"My grandmother raised me alone."
…
"Not long ago, I was targeted by the most ferocious werewolf, Fenrir Greyback."
"Luckily, the enchanted tree in my yard protected me and I killed the werewolf."
"Neville probably heard me kill someone."
"He ran away before we could even explain."
Hermione grasped Basil's hands, her heart aching.
She felt utterly awful!
"I'm sorry, I didn't understand anything before—"
The border of [Echo] in her mind instantly turned blue.
Spell learning difficulty decreased by 2%, to 5%.
Additional description:
[The more spells you learn, the stronger your spells become]
[Every 10 spells increase by 1%]
[Maximum 10%]
Basil internally danced the Tarantella dance.
But in reality, he gentlemanly and tactfully withdrew his hands.
He only wanted to enter her mind, not her body.
"It's nothing. It was just a misunderstanding. I don't think Neville did it on purpose."
"He seems genuinely frightened."
He nudged Neville with his elbow, gently releasing the dispelling spell.
He turned his head, feigning ignorance. "Neville, are you alright? You were completely still just now."
Although the Body Binding Curse would freeze the affected person's entire body, their senses and thoughts remained normal during the spell's effect.
So, faced with Basil's gentle and kind inquiry,
Neville, often belittled by his grandmother and even less confident than Harry, instinctively assumed he was frightened and too afraid to move.
He had no doubt as to why Basil knew his name.
"I'm scared,"
Neville said, his face flushed and eyes brimming with tears. "I dare say, when it comes to the Sorting, I'll definitely be Hufflepuff! Someone like me with no redeeming qualities belongs there!"
"No, my friend," Basil placed his hand on Neville's shoulder. "You're the real hero!"
"You belong to the valiant Gryffindor!"
"Just now you really thought I was a murderer. Even in that situation, you still mustered the courage to stand in front of Hermione."
Neville was deeply moved.
Hermione, Harry, and Ron felt the same way.
Hearing the three chimes in his mind, and the echoing "Dr. Pyromancer" whose border gradually changed from blue to gold,
Basil's smile became even more genuine.
He decided to check Harry, Ron, and Neville's friend requests later that evening.
Maintaining the friendship and getting a better response is the top priority right now.
The cubicle door closed again.
Neville and Hermione stayed.
Rafer the toad?
What's that?
With that inexplicable leadership, Basil took center stage in the conversation.
"You may have noticed, my name is Badger, the symbol of Hufflepuff—the badger."
"My ancestors were all Hufflepuffs. In fact, Hufflepuff isn't the place Neville claims it is for people without merit."
"Hufflepuff has produced many outstanding figures. Grogan Stamp, one of the most popular ministers in the Ministry of Magic for a long time; Newt Scamander, the world authority on magical creatures; Iris Mansey, the famous 13th-century diviner; and Hanges, who founded the wizarding village of Hogsmeade next to Hogwarts. They were all Hufflepuffs."
"In fact, the reason Hufflepuff has a bad reputation is mainly because it accepts all students deemed lacking the qualities of the other three houses. The great Hufflepuffs hoped that all children with wizarding talent could be educated at Hogwarts."
Neville's eyes shone with longing. "Now I think being sorted into Hufflepuff isn't so bad!"
Hermione, however, was quite conflicted. "Badger, are you also going to Hufflepuff? Like your ancestors?"
She had already made up her mind, if Badger said yes.
She was willing to forgo Gryffindor.
In her eyes, it was the most prestigious house, having produced the greatest wizard, Albus Dumbledore.
Basil shook his head.
"No, I want to go to Gryffindor. The Granger family always has to have someone who stands out, and that has to be me!"
In fact, he had initially planned to go to Slytherin.
Because he didn't want to be targeted by the teachers. Even
Snape, who was so good in the movies, was so biased; the ones in this world would probably be even worse.
But he knew that only those with high status could provide "Echoes" through 'friendships'.
Enemies were also considered 'friends,' and negative perceptions could increase the progress of "Echoes."
Slytherin was an X in his mind.
After all, there were too few people with significant roles in Slytherin.
Apart from the Death Eaters who had already graduated and found comfortable, worry-free jobs in Azkaban,
Draco was probably the only one with high status.
Hermione didn't know that the Basil she saw, who seemed to be shining brightly in her eyes, would consider going to Slytherin, the school that had produced the most dark wizards.
She was completely immersed in the joy of sharing Basil's choice.
She didn't even notice that Basil mentioned the same last name as her.
She just cheered, "Great! I'm going to Gryffindor too!"
Ron coughed. "I guess so, we Weasleys are all Gryffindors."
Harry blinked too. "I guess so, Hagrid said my mom and dad are Gryffindors!"
Neville cautiously chimed in, "So we're all Gryffindors? That's wonderful!" (
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