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"Hello—hello—"
After an unknown amount of time, Morris felt someone tapping on his table.
He slowly opened his eyes and saw a familiar face.
"Is there something you need, Hermione?"
Hermione placed the enormous textbook on the table next to Morris, her brow furrowing slightly. "I called you several times, why didn't you answer?"
Morris, too lazy to explain about meditation, casually replied, "I fell asleep, sorry."
Hermione didn't know what to say.
Just now, Maurice looked like this—his eyes were closed, but he was sitting very upright, giving people a strange sense of tranquility, but it was definitely not the look of someone who was asleep.
She looked at him suspiciously for a few seconds, but ultimately didn't ask any further questions.
The first time at the Diagon Alley pet store, Maurice also ignored her.
Although it's very impolite, maybe that's just his personality.
"By the way, why did you come so early?" Hermione asked casually as she sat down next to Maurice. "I thought I was early enough. I wanted to find a good seat and also take another look at the chapter on the goblin rebellion."
"Same," Morris replied briefly.
He looked around and found that there were only the two of them in the classroom, and there was still almost half an hour before class started.
"Have you read *The History of Magic*?" Hermione asked enthusiastically. "I finished it the first time over the summer and am now taking notes the second time. The chapters on international secrecy laws are particularly interesting, with a completely different focus from *Major Events in Modern Magic*..."
"..."
Maurice felt a little strange watching Hermione talk on and on.
Is this something an eleven-year-old girl should be talking about?
At their age, the topics of conversation should be dolls and gossip.
Could it be—
Is she also a reincarnated person or a time traveler?
While agreeing, Maurice subtly observed her.
...
As time passed, students began to enter the classroom one after another.
The History of Magic course is somewhat special, as it is taught by all four houses together, and the classroom quickly becomes crowded and noisy.
Harry and Ron entered the classroom in the last few minutes. They looked around the classroom and finally chose to sit behind Maurice.
Morris turned around and greeted the red-haired boy: "Ron, is your leg all better?"
Ron put his textbook on the table, paused for a moment upon hearing this, and a hint of awkwardness flashed across his face, but he quickly put on a relaxed look. "Oh, that? It's nothing, I've almost recovered by now. Thank you for your concern... Morris."
He paused for a moment before remembering Maurice's name—Harry had told him.
Moreover, Fred had told him this morning that Morris was the true owner of the eight-eyed giant spider, and they were merely borrowing it.
This sent a chill down his spine.
Such a kind-looking person actually keeps a spider as a pet; appearances can be deceiving.
"That's good." Maurice nodded, took a candy from his pocket and handed it to Ron. "I'm sorry I scared you last night, this is my apology. I got it from your two brothers, it tastes pretty good, but eating it will change your tongue—"
Before he could finish speaking, Ron had already taken the candy, tore open the wrapper, and popped it into his mouth.
"What—uh—"
He was about to ask Maurice what he had said when he suddenly felt his tongue swell uncontrollably.
His tongue quickly filled his entire mouth, making it impossible for him to close his mouth completely; he could only make indistinct "mmm" sounds.
His eyes widened in shock, and he frantically covered his swollen cheeks with his hands, looking at Maurice in horror.
Harry was startled and nearly jumped off his chair. "Ron, your tongue!"
Hermione was taken aback when she saw Ron's comical yet pitiful appearance. Then she frowned and looked at Maurice disapprovingly. "What did you feed him?"
"Uh, the side effects will only last for half a minute, don't worry." Morris said with a hint of helplessness.
Why is this guy in such a hurry?
At least let him finish what he was saying.
About thirty seconds later, Ron's swollen tongue quickly shrank back to its normal size like a deflated balloon.
Hermione was still somewhat dissatisfied and spoke up for Ron: "You should have explained the side effects beforehand, Maurice. Even if it was just a harmless joke, it's still irresponsible."
Before Morris could speak, Ron waved his hand.
"It's nothing," he smacked his lips, looking nonchalant. "The candy is quite delicious."
Compared to the eight-eyed giant spider hatchling from yesterday, this is nothing.
He has a very good mindset right now.
Moreover, at this moment, he was more concerned about something else—
"Maurice, do you know my two older brothers?" he asked curiously.
"Hmm." Morris nodded. "Fred and George are two good men."
"You two have a good relationship?" he pressed.
"Not bad," Morris replied.
"I see." Ron fell into deep thought.
Why is he hanging out with Fred and George when he's just a first-year student?
At that moment, Hermione suddenly realized something and glanced between Maurice, Harry, and Ron. "Speaking of which, did the three of you know each other before?"
She noticed that Harry and Ron didn't treat Morris like a stranger.
Harry and Ron exchanged a glance.
"There was a little mishap," Harry said vaguely. "We met last night."
"I see." Hermione didn't ask any more questions.
Chapter 38 Death, Request
As the school bell rang, the students quieted down and waited for the professor to arrive.
However, half a minute later, the stage remained empty.
"Where's the professor?" Hermione couldn't help but ask in a low voice.
Morris focused his gaze on the blackboard at the front of the classroom, where something unusual seemed to emanate.
The next second, a transparent figure emerged from the blackboard.
Like all ghosts, Professor Binns was a pale, translucent ghost.
He looked quite old, wearing a vintage wizard's robe, thin, with a wrinkled face, a tired and indifferent expression, and frighteningly empty eyes.
At first glance, Maurice thought it didn't look like a living person.
Well, Professor Binns wasn't a living person to begin with.
In short, this is a rather charismatic ghost.
Compared to the ghosts Maurice had seen at the opening banquet, Professor Binns was clearly more in line with his stereotypes about ghosts.
The students present were all taken aback by Professor Binns's appearance.
"Is he a ghost?"
"It seems so."
Morris heard Ron and Harry whispering behind him.
However, Professor Binns seemed not to hear the students' noise and began lecturing on his own.
"The history of magic, as a discipline that records the rise and fall of the wizarding world, is often underestimated by young wizards."
"Everything I teach you is the truth, not baseless stories."
"Now, let's begin class. Please turn to the section on 'The Early International Wizarding Federation' in your textbooks..."
His voice was flat and lifeless, with a sense of death hanging by a thread.
The students unconsciously quieted down.
Then, Professor Binns began to speak from the book in a flat, monotone voice.
Morris listened attentively at first, but when he noticed that what Professor Binns was saying was exactly the same as what was in the book, he couldn't help but feel a little bored.
Thirty minutes later, he looked around and found that most of the students had unfocused eyes.
Harry was listlessly poking at the edge of the parchment he used for taking notes, while Ron had completely collapsed onto the table.
Hermione, on the other hand, was extremely serious, straightening her back and taking meticulous notes.
Even so, Professor Binns showed no intention of interacting with the audience and simply continued lecturing.
His gaze wasn't even on the students.
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