"Even if it's not direct troll ancestry, it must be some kind of throwback! Look at Marcus—even a prehistoric baboon would have a more refined face than him—"
Miles was going off, absolutely relentless.
Unfortunately for him, Marcus Flint happened to be walking by.
With one swift motion, Marcus slammed a fist into Miles' shoulder, then grabbed him by the collar. "You've got a lot of nerve, runt. Seems like you could use some extra practice. How about a little trip to the Quidditch pitch? Today, I'm teaching you how to catch a Bludger with your bare hands."
"That's abuse, Marcus!" Miles wailed miserably as he was dragged away.
The rest of the group watched in silence until he disappeared.
Montague swallowed hard. "Alright… let's, uh, skip over the topic of Marcus' ancestry. Next question—how did the Weasley twins manage to outsmart both Filch and Snape?"
Alicia blinked. "There's a rumor that the Weasley twins were goblins in their past lives, which is why they're so sharp and good at sneaking around."*
"Past lives?" The other wizards exchanged confused glances.
Eve explained, "It's an idea from Asia. It means that when a person dies, they can be reborn into a new life."*
Montague smacked his lips thoughtfully. "I see. Then Nolan must have been rich in his past life."*
"Wake up, Montague—" Camille giggled. "He's rich in this life too."*
Nolan chuckled softly. "Forget reincarnation—if you're curious about why the Weasley twins are so good at sneaking around at night, I actually know the real reason."*
Everyone leaned in.
"They have a magic map," Nolan explained. "It's incredibly detailed and highly enchanted. With that map, they can avoid Filch… or that stupid cat of his."*
Montague looked skeptical. "That's it? Just a map?"
Nolan shrugged. "That's it. What else did you expect?"
Astoria, however, had lost interest in the topic. As a new first-year, she still wasn't fully familiar with Hogwarts, but she was interested in Nolan—the famous and exceptionally talented Nolan von Draugr.
She hesitated for a moment, then asked excitedly, "What about the next question? Why is your wealth considered one of Hogwarts' great mysteries?"
"Oh, that one's actually a joke," Montague explained, stepping in to fill the gap left by Miles' unfortunate departure. "In our first year, Nolan bought a ridiculous number of broomsticks just to take them apart and study their enchantments. We never found out how much he spent on them, but it was definitely a lot. And you know—once a broomstick is dismantled, you can't exactly put it back together…"
Camille grinned. "So, whenever someone asks us a question we can't answer, we just fire back with: 'Oh? You think you know everything? Then tell me—how much money does Nolan von Draugr have?'"
Montague laughed heartily. "And since no one actually knows the answer, it stays a mystery!"*
Astoria's eyes sparkled. Resting her chin in her hands, she gazed up sweetly and asked, "But seriously… how much money do you have?"
The Slytherins exchanged glances.
"You'd have to ask Nolan," one of them finally admitted. "We have no idea."*
Nolan was silent for a moment, then simply shook his head. "Honestly? I don't know either."*
Montague grabbed him in a playful headlock. "What, you have so much gold you can't even count it anymore? You filthy rich wizard!"*
Alicia, half-dreaming, sighed, "Some girls like to believe that Nolan swims in a sea of Galleons every morning…"
Eve snorted. "And what—lights cigars with British pounds? When did Nolan turn into Uncle Scrooge? This is ridiculous. Trust me, he's not that kind of rich. But, to be fair, Nolan's family is wealthy. They own a huge estate—almost as big as London—though it's out in the countryside."*
Montague froze. "Wait, wait, hold on. Estate?"
A nearby fourth-year Slytherin spoke up. "That means they have a Muggle title, right?"
Eve snapped her fingers. "Exactly. Nolan's ancestors were famous among Muggle nobility, and they still hold that status today. Most of their wealth actually comes from the Muggle world. His sister owns several high-end businesses there, and the income from those shops is astronomical. Every year, they probably make enough to fill an entire room with Galleons."*
From across the hall, Malcolm suddenly shouted in disbelief, "A whole room of Galleons? Are you serious?!"
Eve shrugged casually. "You guys don't understand Muggle capitalism. Their way of making money is on a whole different level. The amount of wealth they control is honestly terrifying."*
It wasn't that wizards were poor.
The problem was that there were simply too few wizards. Most of them followed the same, predictable path—graduate from Hogwarts, get a stable job at the Ministry of Magic, and settle in. A handful of entrepreneurial oddballs would occasionally open a magic shop, but their society was too small to support a fully developed financial system like the Muggles.
The wizarding world was simple, yet chaotic—a primitive society wrapped in the illusion of sophistication.
Montague cleared his throat, pulling everyone back to the topic at hand. "Alright, next question—what exactly is so great about Eve Stock? Though, let's be honest, we all already know the answer."*
"She's warm and kind!" Camille, Eve's roommate, grinned and threw a playful wink at her.
"Best Chaser ever!" Montague clapped his hands, still reminiscing about the legendary Silver Lightning from last year. That match had been unforgettable.
"Determined, hardworking, and always gives it her all!" Alicia wrapped her arms around Eve's, squeezing her affectionately. "And she's the best friend anyone could ask for!"*
Eve's face turned bright red. She waved her hands frantically. "Oh, come on—you guys are making me sound way better than I actually am!"*
Astoria, however, rolled her eyes. She wasn't interested in pointless flattery, so she changed the subject. "Alright, we all know Eve is amazing—she's a Hogwarts legend. She dominates the Quidditch pitch, takes down foreign duelists, and makes the rest of us look like amateurs. I knew all that before I even set foot in this school. But what I don't understand is—why is this question considered one of Hogwarts' great mysteries?"
"Oh, that's because of Nolan!" Montague burst out laughing, giving Nolan a firm pat on the shoulder. "You know, a lot of girls have tried to get close to him, but no matter what they do, they can't get rid of Eve. No one understands why Nolan is so attached to her—that's why this question exists. Nolan, you're the only one who can answer it—so, tell us!"
"Ohhh!" The Slytherins perked up immediately. They loved this question.
It was no secret that Eve was incredible, but that had only been obvious since last winter. Nolan, on the other hand, had been sticking with her since day one.
Back in first year, Nolan was already brilliant and talented—so why had he chosen to be friends with Eve Stock, the crybaby?
Everyone wanted to know.
Nolan tilted his head slightly. "You want to know why I first chose to be friends with Eve?"
The younger Slytherins nodded eagerly.
"Oh, that's simple—because she kept clinging to me," Nolan said flatly, without a hint of hesitation. "Back in first year, she used to grab onto my sleeve all the time. No matter what I did, I couldn't shake her off. Eventually, I just gave up, and we became friends."*
The Slytherins froze.
Camille looked devastated. "That's it?" she asked, voice filled with despair.
Nolan shrugged. "What else do you want me to say? Of course that's it."*
Camille let out a dramatic wail and collapsed into her friend Laura's arms. "I regret everything! Why didn't I cling to Nolan two years ago?! I missed my chance at having the perfect boyfriend!"*
Around her, several other girls sighed enviously, stealing glances at Eve.
This girl was too smart.
She had seen the future before anyone else had.