It was an incredibly grand party.
Everyone donned scarlet robes, and the tables were piled high with drinks and candies that Fred and George had brought from Hogsmeade.
The group chat members were stunned.
Peppermint Toads that made your stomach hop; Jelly Slugs that made you float; Drooble's Best Blowing Gum that filled the room with bluebell-colored bubbles; Pepper Imps that made you breathe fire; Ice Mice that made your teeth chatter...
As for drinks: Butterbeer, Pumpkin Fizz, and Exploding Pumpkin Juice. Only the Exploding Pumpkin Juice felt truly fantastical—it hissed constantly, even after swallowing, and when combined with Peppermint Toads, it was hilarious.
However, to the uninformed, it might sound like you suddenly became a Parselmouth speaking snake language.
Harry could testify to this, though he noted the grammar was atrocious—basically sounding like "Me You He Hahaha."
Harry being revealed as a Parselmouth shocked everyone, netting Basil another 500 Gems. But more importantly, the group chat members were captivated by these magical sweets and drinks.
Basil immediately withdrew a batch of Galleons from the Lestrange vault, bought a load of candies and drinks from Honeydukes, and transported them into the Club Space.
Instantly, all the group members logged into the space.
Taking advantage of their astral forms, they began to feast without restraint.
Basil unconsciously stopped the livestream. He found Hermione in a corner reading a thick book titled Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles.
Resting his head on her lap to pretend to nap, his consciousness entered the space.
Madison greeted him immediately, hiding a Pepper Imp under her tongue, causing Basil to sneeze fire a few times after a warm welcome.
Sophie wasn't shy either. In front of everyone, she copied Madison's method, feeding an Ice Mouse directly into Basil's mouth via a kiss.
Beatrice was still a bit reserved, but seeing the other two, she swallowed two Jelly Slugs. Her cheeks puffed out like a squirrel as she pushed past Sophie and Basil to share the jelly. The two of them floated into the air, and she smiled smugly down at Sophie and Madison on the ground.
Sophie's fingertips glowed, and an invisible wind wrapped around her, lifting her toward Basil as well.
Quiet, introverted Zoe flipped through a book, but her attention remained entirely on Basil.
Basil winked at her.
The party lasted until 3 AM.
Whether in the Gryffindor common room or the Club Space modeled after the Slytherin common room, the festivities were equally lively.
The only difference was that by 3 AM, the Gryffindor common room was nearly empty, leaving only Hermione, still reading, and Basil, pretending to sleep. In the Club Space, however, everyone remained on the lounge sofas, reluctant to leave.
Seeing the chaos around him, Basil coughed awkwardly.
Madison really went too far! With a genuine newbie like Zoe present, how could she be so bold and reckless, practically dragging the poor girl into their mess?
Luckily, he worked tirelessly and devoted all his energy to ensure Zoe didn't feel left out.
Basil, oh Basil, how could you be so depraved?
Starting tomorrow, no more Pumpkin Juice!
"Basil, why are you quitting Pumpkin Juice?" Hermione snapped the thick book shut, blinking her large, light brown eyes.
"You know about allergies, right?" Basil sat up from Hermione's lap, making up a lie on the spot. "Before, I was fine with pumpkin pasties and pumpkin ice cream. But surprisingly, after drinking Exploding Pumpkin Juice, my head feels dizzy."
"Allergies?" Hermione narrowed her eyes. She suspected someone had cast a Confundus Charm on Basil.
During the time Basil lay on her lap, no fewer than 50 students had come over to strike up a conversation, looking for an excuse to help carry Basil back to his dorm.
Ridiculously, there was even a Slytherin student who had sneaked in wearing Gryffindor robes.
After being caught, he admitted he heard the "High Flower of Gryffindor" was drunk and wanted to try his luck.
So, she suspected someone had directly or indirectly cast a Confundus Charm on her Basil.
The Confundus Charm, being the most widely used spell by modern wizards (like the Muggle-Repelling Charm used to hide the wizarding world), had many variations and indirect application methods.
Putting it in food or drink was just a slightly more sophisticated method.
Truly advanced Confundus Charms could even be infused into volatile gases.
The Muggle legend of a handkerchief that makes one obedient and mindless upon sniffing it was likely a wizard using a gas-infused Confundus Charm on Muggles. This method was most common in America, where wand control was strict.
Unlike in Britain, where you could just wave a wand—why bother with all that trouble?
"So annoying." Looking at Basil's inhumanly handsome face, Hermione felt inexplicably troubled. So many rivals, even men, coveting him. But thinking that Basil sought her out even when dizzy filled her with motivation.
Luckily, today he only went missing for 20 minutes after the match.
The rest of the time, he was by her side.
Surely Basil couldn't be taken advantage of in his dreams.
Surely he didn't go to another world and lose his virginity.
"What are you annoyed about?" Basil didn't know what Hermione was thinking. One second she said she was annoyed, the next she was smiling like a doting aunt.
"I'm annoyed that you're too popular." Hermione leaned in closer, straddling Basil's lap. She sealed his lips with hers.
An hour later, Basil was in his pajamas, lying in his long-lost four-poster bed.
Harry, Ron, and the others were already deep asleep.
Fanta cooed, turned its head, saw it was Basil, and closed its eyes again.
Basil let out a sigh of relief. Luckily, he had preserved his status as a "boy" in Hermione's hands.
"I can sleep now," Basil thought, stretching.
The fatigue of his astral body somehow transferred to his physical body.
But Basil didn't use his [Radiance] talent to banish the tiredness.
After excessive exertion, sleeping felt much more comfortable.
However, just then, Riddle's voice transmitted through the [Magic Book].
"My Lord, I think you must come to Malfoy Manor."
"Your absence has made Narcissa extremely anxious. She seems on the verge of a breakdown."
Basil sighed helplessly. "Do I really have to play the homewrecker?"
Anyone who cooks knows that if a scallion is old, cutting the white part releases a lot of slime, and it's extra pungent.
Although she was an enemy's wife... mainly, he was really tired today.
So, [Radiance] activated. This also gave Beatrice a sense of participation.
Fatigue vanished.
Also, he didn't plan on losing his physical virginity.
He closed his eyes, and his body seemed to sink into the bottom of a deep, dark lake.
This was the Sea of Dreams.
"If Dumbledore could see this, he'd be even more convinced I carry the blood of both Arthur and Merlin."
"After all, legend says Merlin was a cambion, half-incubus. And incubi are high-dimensional beings that feed on dreams."
The thought struck him inexplicably as he entered.
"Opening" his eyes, he saw countless stars twinkling in the pitch-black 'seawater'.
Each star was a dream. Every second, countless stars extinguished and were born.
Finding a specific dream among billions of stars was like a fantasy.
Especially since the owner of the star hadn't started dreaming yet, so it wasn't emitting light in the darkness.
But through his connection with Riddle, Basil quickly located the dark star belonging to Narcissa.
On the floor of the secret chamber, Narcissa was barefoot, hugging her knees, eyes vacant, muttering something unintelligible.
An invisible, misty force surged from the dream dimension. Her large gray eyes grew heavy.
Basil stepped into the dark star, and it began to glow.
Narcissa finally closed her eyes and fell asleep.
A dream constructed exactly like the real secret chamber appeared. Narcissa maintained her pre-sleep posture, as if still in the real world.
She was utterly desperate. After losing Lucius, she needed a pillar, someone to ensure Draco grew up safely with a bright future.
Dumbledore was too old. The Dark Lord was too cruel, and the Malfoys had deeply offended him—Lucius had even died by his hand.
So, she had only one choice.
Upon learning from the young Dark Lord that the Master was interested in her, her first reaction was honor, not disgust.
During these days of waiting for the Master, she bathed daily in hot water infused with fragrant potions and took beauty elixirs.
Today, she had even used a Vanishing Charm to remove all excess hair from her body.
On her abdomen, she bore the mark taught by the young Dark Lord—a brand the Master could activate to verify his identity.
However, deep into the night, as the clock ticked into the next day, the Master still hadn't descended.
Her cold abdomen felt as chilly as her failing heart.
She sank into despair.
"Look up." A voice clear as a spring hitting pebbles rang out.
Narcissa looked up in surprise. Her abdomen began to heat up—it was the Master!
Her joy was instantly replaced by infatuation.
Although the Master wore a bronze mask revealing only the lower half of his face...
Those sapphire-like eyes and perfectly shaped lips instantly hooked her heart.
For a moment, she even compared Lucius to the Master.
The conclusion: Lucius couldn't hold a candle to him.
Hiss!
The Master's pale, slender hand unknowingly cupped her chin.
Her robes slipped off, seemingly removed by her own unconscious will. Revealing a body so white it seemed to glow, with beautiful curves.
The next morning.
Narcissa opened her eyes.
A flush appeared on her cold face. In a trance, she suddenly wished the Master would visit every night.
The black robes wrapped around her again, and the traces cleaned by a Scourgify spell, all spoke of the Master's attentiveness and care for her.
——
Basil didn't know Narcissa had started gaslighting herself into falling for him.
He woke up very late today. Normally a light sleeper needing little rest, he actually got up at the same time as Harry and Ron.
Hermione, who had arrived early at the dormitory with breakfast for Basil, lowered her head shyly. She thought it was all because of her.
Sirius also came to the dormitory, bringing breakfast and a hug for his godson.
Sirius wasn't surprised to see a girl by Basil's bed.
In his youth, thanks to his excellent grades and handsome face, girls often visited his dorm with food and gifts.
But back then, he was just playing around; his heart only held James.
Just like in his room at the Black house, where the bikini-clad Muggle girl posters (stuck with a Permanent Sticking Charm) were relegated to secondary positions, while his photo with James was placed where he could see it the moment he woke up.
If James and his family had been fine, maybe years later, he would have found a nice girl among his admirers and settled down.
But all of that... Peter Pettigrew!
"That's strange." Sirius frowned. His hatred for that stinking rat abruptly cut off before reaching a climax. Then, he suddenly thought of his sweet times with James. Something was wrong; he hadn't even looked at Harry's face just now.
He looked at Basil, who was being fed by Hermione. Every time this boy was around, he always relaxed, like he was under a mild, side-effect-free Cheering Charm. Why hadn't he suspected this before?
Unseen by Sirius, Basil frowned as well. His finger glowed, and he waved it gently.
Sirius's eyes instantly went blank. After returning to normal, he scratched the back of his head, put down the plate, and left the dormitory.
Basil smiled with satisfaction.
"Is it good?" Hermione wiped the corner of Basil's mouth.
He extended his index finger, glowing with a light only a Fairytale Wizard could see. "Excellent."
Truly excellent.
Finger Glow was less like magic and more like wishing.
As long as the underlying principle existed and it was theoretically achievable, spending enough emotional magic could bypass time, difficulty, aptitude, and all other external conditions to achieve it instantly.
Just now, he erased Sirius's suspicion out of thin air.
However, unlike ordinary Fairytale Wizards, he didn't spend massive amounts of emotional power to achieve the wish from nothing. Instead, he pushed the magic of the Harry Potter world to achieve it. The emotional power consumed this way was negligible.
"But..." Basil turned his face away, his warm, sunny expression suddenly darkening. "It seems necessary to control the [Sword of Truth and Goodness]."
Whether it was the past [Inspire] talent or the current [Core of Immortal Duality], their effects weren't obvious enough for victims to notice something was wrong. Their absorption was subtle and silent. Even if victims felt strange, they usually attributed it to their own mood swings.
But the process of the [Sword of Truth and Goodness] absorbing positive emotions, amplifying them, and returning a portion undoubtedly created a connection with the victim.
People with particularly sharp intuition would likely suspect Basil for no reason.
Let alone wizards, who constantly used mind-based magic and had intuition far superior to Muggles.
Sirius's suspicion today was because the [Sword of Truth and Goodness] returned too much positive emotion.
So, the returned positive emotion shouldn't be excessive.
This had an upside too: it could lower the fanatical emotions of the "flesh fans" attracted by Basil's charm.
Freed from their harassment, Basil could finally walk around the castle and common room normally.
Instead of keeping "all-map vision" on and dodging people.
So, for the following time... aside from chatting in the group, training Fanta, reading The Tales of Beedle the Bard, returning to the School for Good and Evil for official duties and classes, and participating in group activities and "after-parties"... he constantly held the [Sword of Truth and Goodness].
In the common room, he slowly adjusted the ratio of returned positive emotions.
Fortunately, carrying a weapon in the wizarding world wasn't a big deal, so he didn't need to avoid people.
Finally, on Sunday the 14th, he found the right ratio.
The Good Magic stored in the [Sword of Truth and Goodness] also broke the 50-point mark.