[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-hogwarts-don-t-call-me-a-wandmaker":3,"chapter-hogwarts-don-t-call-me-a-wandmaker-hogwarts-don-t-call-me-a-wandmaker-chapter-15":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Hogwarts: Don't Call Me a Wandmaker",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2292267,4482,"Chapter 15: Tom","hogwarts-don-t-call-me-a-wandmaker-chapter-15",15,"\u003Cp>It turned out that Silven’s instincts were sometimes quite accurate… though, to be fair, it wasn’t really instinct.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because while everyone was celebrating, Silven had spotted gray cat hairs on the stairs, and Tom at the very top.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If one’s eyes were sharp enough, one could even see the dried blood crusted on its fur, and the out-of-place gray cat hairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It appeared right after Silven entered the common room, looking smug, as if demanding praise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Praise?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few minutes later, Silven couldn’t help but twitch his lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He suddenly wondered if Tom had seen Mrs. Norris intercept him last night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, before he arrived at school, he’d warned Tom not to target anyone else’s pets… and Mrs. Norris counted as Filch’s pet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Tom had no reason to attack it without cause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Mrs. Norris certainly wouldn’t have provoked Tom, who was nearly twice her size.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, even if Tom truly disliked Mrs. Norris, he’d have cleaned off all evidence immediately after the attack… just like he’d tried to hide Rafe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silven had never doubted Tom’s intelligence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, nearly all the cats at Eeylops Owl Emporium carried some boggart blood, and for Tom to rise above them all and become the “king of the pet shop” spoke volumes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fact that Tom now dared to keep the “evidence” for a full day, and then boldly appeared before Silven, meant he was utterly unafraid of punishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that in mind, the matter became much simpler.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well done.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silven climbed the stairs and rubbed Tom’s chin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cat rubbed against his hand, emitting a low rumbling sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But you still can’t eat your colleagues—no exceptions!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The soft sensation in his palm vanished instantly; when he turned his head, he saw only the tip of a black tail disappearing into the crowd of revelers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Silven.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ron’s voice came from behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You said you’d tell us the reason tonight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, yes, that’s right.” Silven stood up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What were you just doing?” Harry asked curiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d seemed to see Silven touching something, but it vanished the moment he looked away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nothing,” Silven said offhandedly. “Aren’t you wondering why I switched dorms? Come with me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this, Harry immediately forgot his earlier confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group headed to the second floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silven’s new dorm wasn’t far from the old one—in fact, it was right next door, with less than ten feet between the two doors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The room’s layout hadn’t changed at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course not; Gryffindor didn’t have true single rooms to begin with. This was still a five-person dorm, just empty now because there weren’t enough new students.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After entering, Harry and the others automatically scanned the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then their attention settled on the desk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their own dorm had a similar large table, big enough to sit in the middle of five beds, usually holding backpacks, snacks, wizard’s chess, and other things—also used for homework and reading.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this dorm had only Silven, so there wasn’t much clutter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, the desk held only a transparent long glass tube filled with a pale yellow gel, and a… wand?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s not a wand. It’s a half-finished one.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before they could ask, Silven explained: “The wand core infusion, mixed with fifty different herbs and tree resins—non-toxic, but slightly pungent.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, Silven had already removed the half-finished wand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The liquid dripped onto the desk; Harry and the others caught a faint, lingering scent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a strange mix of bitterness, earthiness, and sourness… like pouring fermented tomato sauce over freshly cut tree roots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was just weird.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seamus and Ron instinctively covered their noses, but Harry didn’t react.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d spent years living in the Dursleys’ cupboard, where the smells were just as bad—he was used to it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now he watched Silven with keen interest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You just said that’s a half-finished wand?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“More precisely, it’s the wand core.” Silven rubbed his fingers lightly—the cylindrical wood split cleanly down the middle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is it done?” Silven raised an eyebrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The necessary preparations.” Silven raised his hand and pulled out a red, faintly glowing “string.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait, Silven…” Neville suddenly realized something and blurted: “Are you going to make a wand right now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.” Silven nodded. “The core’s ready, the shaft’s cured—why not?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But—but… we’re still here.” Neville stammered, stunned. “Can we watch the wand-making process?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neville came from a pure-blood wizarding family; though forgetful, he knew what “wand-making” entailed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were thousands of wizards in Britain, but only Ollivander made wands… at least, he only knew of Ollivander.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You mean this?” Silven glanced at them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neville, Harry, Seamus, Ron…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, it’s fine. No problem at all. I trust you.” Silven smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if a sliver of sunlight had torn through the night outside the window, a wave of emotion—and guilt—rose in their chests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’d harped on his dorm switch, said so many cruel things, yet Silven trusted them so completely—even willing to share this family secret…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn it, they were truly awful people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, the moment they smelled that odd odor, they’d understood why he’d moved here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One or two times, they could have endured it—but if they had to smell it daily… they couldn’t even imagine what it would do to them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone,” Seamus Finnigan declared first, his gaze firm, almost solemn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?” Silven glanced at him. “I wasn’t… well, you can think of it that way.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, Silven wasn’t worried at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If merely glancing at it taught you how to make a wand, that ability would be worthless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, these guys… how to put it? They weren’t known for their intellect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, he couldn’t say that aloud—it would be too cruel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ignoring the others, Silven placed the red “string” on the split surface of the wand core.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One end of the “string” flowed like a stream into a river, or a fish swimming—under Silven’s control, it twisted and curled, leaving behind an irregular trail of flickering red light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Control?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry suddenly felt a momentary daze—and he noticed Silven’s right hand was glowing, golden, as if etched with some symbol.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1018,"2026-06-20T04:03:11.805Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","8f9885de26e23b86f4a68d351fdc0419b7329fc73f441bec371caf812686af83","hogwarts-don-t-call-me-a-wandmaker-chapter-16","hogwarts-don-t-call-me-a-wandmaker-chapter-14",149,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fhogwarts-don-t-call-me-a-wandmaker-cover.jpg"]