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Chapter 29: A Powerful Lineup
🕑 Added 2025-02-13 00:30:01 +0000 UTC
Noah didn't intend to provoke the Slytherin prefects, and Kenn also didn't get along with the Slytherin students.
Of course, this might also have something to do with the fact that the students in Slytherin were generally more difficult to deal with, right?
Noah didn’t blame Kenn for this. In his view, it would be incredibly rare to find someone in Slytherin who didn’t subscribe to the pure-blood ideology.
Finding such a person would take considerable time and effort. Since there was still half a year left, Noah wasn’t in a hurry.
But then, Noah had a realization—why did he have to recruit only future prefects?
He had such good resources at his disposal. As long as he was selective in who he brought in, they didn’t necessarily need to be preordained leaders. He could cultivate them into leaders himself!
Well, if someone with natural talent came knocking, Noah certainly wouldn’t turn them away.
The next day, Noah woke up early. It wasn’t necessary, but out of habit, he always got up early after the holidays.
This habit had stuck with him since his student days—whether it was in high school when he was studying seriously or in college when he was mostly coasting.
The first class of the day was Transfiguration, and coincidentally, they were paired with Hufflepuff.
That made things much easier. At least Noah wouldn’t have to go hunting for Ernie after class.
Ernie was a little surprised when Lance invited him. Of course, he knew about Lance’s dormitory—it had become quite famous.
After all, every single one of Lance’s roommates was considered a top student at Ravenclaw!
So why were these talented students approaching him and asking if he wanted to join them?
Ernie was puzzled, but curiosity was always stronger in children than in adults. Even though he was confused, he still chose to follow Noah and the others to the eighth floor.
When they arrived, he noticed Hermione was waiting for them. In fact, she had been expecting them.
This made Ernie even more confused. He knew that this Gryffindor girl, who didn’t quite fit the Gryffindor mold, often hung around Noah and his group. But he didn’t realize how closely she was involved with them.
"Wait… is she a part of their group too?"
Ernie’s confusion only deepened when he saw Noah suddenly summon a door on the eighth floor. His expression quickly mirrored Hermione’s when she had first seen it.
"What in Merlin’s name? Is this like Platform Nine and Three-Quarters?"
When he stepped inside, his expression changed completely.
He now understood why Hermione had been so shocked the first time she came in.
Bookshelves stretched from floor to ceiling, crammed with an overwhelming number of books. There were magical artifacts, various experimental tools—this place was every wizard’s dream!
“What is this place?” Ernie stammered.
“This is the Room of Requirement, and it’s also the headquarters of our ‘League of Mages,’” Lance explained proudly.
“The Room of Requirement? Does it really grant any request? And the League of Mages? What’s that?”
“The Room of Requirement can more or less do that,” Lance confirmed. “And the League of Mages is the name of our organization.”
“Wait… Granger is part of this too? What exactly does your group do? And does it follow school rules?”
Ernie had a lot of questions, and Noah could see that he was starting to grow wary.
It had to be said—pure-blood families still had a strong influence in shaping their children’s worldview.
Even though Ernie was much more open-minded than most pure-bloods, he had been raised with a deep disdain for Voldemort and his Death Eaters.
Hearing about a secret student organization immediately put him on guard.
Noah could practically see the gears turning in Ernie’s head. Is this some kind of Death Eater recruitment effort?
Realizing he needed to clear up any misunderstandings, Noah patiently explained everything to Ernie—the same way he had done with Hermione before.
Of course, he also emphasized Dumbledore’s involvement and assurance.
Sure enough, Ernie visibly relaxed after hearing that. He deeply respected Dumbledore and fully supported the headmaster’s stance on Muggle-born witches and wizards.
“So… you recruited me to fulfill Professor Dumbledore’s request and make him uphold his promise?”
“Yes, but more importantly, we recruited you because we think you’re a great person,” Noah replied. “Don’t you want to become even better?”
“Of course I do,” Ernie admitted. “But I have one concern—if I refuse, will you really cast an Obliviate on me?”
“Of course,” Noah said matter-of-factly. “I’m not joking. The Memory Charm is difficult to control, but I believe I can erase only what needs to be erased without any side effects.”
Noah wasn’t bluffing. While his overall magic level was still low, his precision with spells was exceptional—one of the minor benefits his system had given him.
Ernie sighed. “Alright, I understand. I’ll join you.”
His expression was stiff, clearly displeased with being put in such a position.
But he also understood the reality of the situation. Even though this place was hidden, it wouldn’t stay a secret forever. Their frequent comings and goings would eventually attract attention.
For now, keeping a low profile until they had Dumbledore’s full approval was the only choice.
Of course, Ernie wasn’t thrilled about it, but for the sake of his future, he decided to join.
He wasn’t stupid.
The League of Mages was clearly a student-led organization, and none of its members supported Voldemort.
Noah was Muggle-born—he would never align with Death Eaters.
The same went for Hermione.
Kenn and Evan had a reputation for openly disliking Slytherin.
As for Lance—well, he had once said, “If the Sorting Hat had put me in Slytherin, I would have packed my trunk and gone home that night.”
Clearly, none of them were potential Death Eaters.
And even if that wasn’t enough to reassure him, wasn’t Professor Dumbledore’s endorsement good enough?
Noah was thrilled that Ernie had agreed.
Their team was growing.
They now had a future Minister for Magic and a future Hufflepuff prefect among them.
Their lineup was looking stronger and stronger.
Of course, Noah hadn’t forgotten about the biggest challenge—the Slytherin problem.
But he wasn’t worried.
There was still plenty of time.
