Hoare thought that as long as he didn't say anything, the rumors would quickly die down. To his surprise, the rumrew more and more eous.

  "Say that again?" Hoare couldn't help but scratch his ear, clearly shocked by the absurd news he had just heard.

  Ron forced himself to suppress his fear, gring at Hoare with anger. Just as he was about to speak, Harry beat him to it.

  "Hahaha, I don't really believe it, but Ron kind of does, so I wao ask you," Harry said, his voice trailing off to the point where Hoare could barely hear him, probably out of embarrassment.

  Hoare looked at Harry, then at Ron. This brother was beyond saving; better to just toss him aside.

  Harry gathered his ce and shouted, "The school rumor is that you're Voldemort's illegitimate child! That's why the entire Slytherin house follows your lead!"

  Hoare...

  Today was Halloween, and the Great Hall was beautifully decorated with various pumpkins and all the ghosts floating around.

  At this moment, the three of them stood at the entrance of the Great Hall, amidst the bustling crowd.

  With Harry's shout, everyone froze, their eyes all turning to Hoare.

  "Where the hell did this ridiculous rumor e from?!" Hoare was almost ughing in anger.

  He turo look at Ron. How could Ron believe something so absurd?! They had practically e out of Molly's womb oer the other!

  Hoare couldn't help but ask the system in his mind, " I exge for a brain for Ron?"

  [Ding]

  [Exge failed]

  "You believe this? Su eous thing! You believe it?" Hoare tried hard to keep his voice from rising too high.

  Ron, frightened by Hoare's slightly ferocious expression, took a step back.

  His voice twisted involuntarily.

  "I believe~ it."

  Ron's two words infuriated Hoare, who pounced on Ron like a hungry wolf and gave him a good beating.

  It was one-sided; Ron was beaten bd blue without any ability to fight back.

  In the end, it rofessonagall eared and forcibly separated the two.

  "Henry William, Ron Weasley!"

  "Five points from Slytherin and Gryffindor each!"

  "Fhting in public!"

  Even though Hoare quickly pulled Ron over, pretending they were just py-fighting like good brothers, it couldn't stop Professonagall from dedug points.

  Hoare looked at Ron with rese, then snorted coldly and turo ehe Great Hall first.

  It was all because of Ron; otherwise, he wouldn't have lost points.

  At home, he ko protect the weak (Hoare), but o Hogwarts, he just followed the crowd.

  Ihe Great Hall.

  A thousand bats fluttered around the walls and ceiling.

  Clusters of low clouds swirled above the tables, causing the dle fmes ihe pumpkins to flicker.

  The school's ghosts suddenly appeared from the walls and tables, ughing and mog every student they scared.

  "Hmph! Lucky you ran fast, or you'd be in trouble!" Ron ched his fist and swung it forward twice.

  Harry covered his face, uo watch. He had tried to stop Hoare from beating Ron, but Hoare had just brushed him aside.

  Seeing the two of them with simir builds, he hadn't expected Henry to be s, knog him off bah a single push.

  It was uandable that Ron couldn't fight back.

  "Ro's go in too. I'll give you some potion tonight, and it'll be gone by tomorrow," Harry forted.

  Ron tio mutter, "I could actually beat Henry, but my subscious told me not to fight back, or something bad would happen."

  He shivered, "The way Henry hit me just now was exactly like Hoare!"

  It really was simir, except Henry was much strohan Hoare, Ron recalled Hoare's style of hitting him.

  The moves were the same, but at least Ron could resist; just now, he really couldn't!

  He was pletely overpowered, and Ro aggrieved.

  "Hoare?" Harry asked curiously, "Your brother is like Henry?"

  "Not in appearance, but in feeling..."

  The two chatted as they took their seats at the Gryffindor table.

  Meanwhile, over at the Slytherin table, Draco was nearly ughing himself off his seat at the sight of Ron's bruised face.

  Hred at Draco, knowing full well that this person artly responsible for the increasingly ridiculous rumors.

  "You should hold back," Bise, sitting nearby, advised Hoare, seeing his increasingly dark expression.

  "Hahahaha, Bise, look back at that Weasley's face, hahaha why didn't Pet beaten up!" Draco couldn't stop ughing.

  Hoare, sitting across from him, quietly said, "Harry didn't, but do you want to?"

  Draco quickly covered his mouth, sat up straight, and faced the main table, pretending to be a good student waiting for the professors to arrive.

  ---

  Today was a holiday, and the food was noticeably more luxurious and abundant than usual. Hoare was eating happily, a chi leg in one hand and a pure fruit drink iher.

  Retly, he had been w nonstop, feeling like he had lost a lot of weight. If he did more to replenish himself, how could he help others in css or py as a Quidditch starter?

  You see, Snape had already started thinking about making Hoare an assistant for all seven years, having him take on more work.

  That way, Snape could apply to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

  His reason was that his current workload was very light, and he could easily hawo subjects.

  Fortunately, Dumbledore didn't agree.

  Hoare thought that if Dumbledore had agreed, he would have goo the Ministry of Magic's bor arbitration ittee to protest!

  Doing the hardest work for the least pay!

  This deal, Hoare would never agree to.

  If the pay increased to be simir to that of Hogwarts staff, then he might sider it.

  As everyone was enjoying the feast.

  "Bang"!!!

  The tightly closed doors of the Great Hall were smmed open by someone, and it turned out to be their long-lost friend Quirrell.

  Quirrell shouted, "Troll in the dungeons! I thought you should know..." and then fainted with his eyes closed.

  Upon hearing this, the Great Hall desded into chaos.

  In the end, it was Dumbledore who used the Sonorus Charm tahe students' movements.

  Hoare saw Harry and Ron at the Gryffindor table sneaking out of the line.

  He frowned and quickly followed.

  What oh was Quirrell up to?

  In Hoare's memory, Quirrell did this to draw the professors away so he could have time to search for the Philosopher's Stone.

  But now, the 0.1 Voldemort on the back of his head was gone, so why was he still taking such risks, doing something so suspicious?

  Hoare couldn't figure out Quirrell's iions.

  Could it be that Quirrell had really gone mad, and his thoughts were just different from normal people?

  tless possibilities fshed through Hoare's mind, but he dismissed them one by one.

  He knew Ron and Harry were probably heading to the girls' bathroom to find Hermione.

  However, as he was about to approach the girls' bathroom, he heard a dull sound ing from behind him.

  The sound was very grating, like something heavy being dragged across the floor.

  0Niffler0