Chapter 51: Keep a Low Profile, the New Golden Legend

Although his thoughts were intense, Silven did not rush to act against the Whomping Willow; he merely observed it from a distance before returning to the castle with Neville and Seamus.

Afterward, he attended classes diligently, completed his assignments, and did his best to make up for the points he had lost.

Don’t rush…

It had only been a short while since his wand had gone out of control and nearly destroyed his dormitory; Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore had not yet fully turned their attention away from him.

If he did anything unusual now, he would likely be discovered.

Silven himself was unsure whether the punishment would be this lenient if he broke the rules again.

After all, professors’ patience has its limits; they might tolerate him once, but not necessarily twice in a row.

Wasn’t the famous magizoologist Newt Scamander expelled for keeping magical creatures?

Although Silven did not know exactly what Scamander had done, or whether he had truly kept only magical creatures, maintaining the professors’ “anger levels” could only be beneficial.

The reason Professor McGonagall had only deducted twenty points from Silven that night was largely because she had received in advance the wand with her own hair as its core.

She had seen his work and understood he was engaged in serious craft, not deliberate mischief—so she deducted only twenty points as a symbolic warning.

Because of this, Fred and George had been puzzled for days.

They couldn’t figure out why Silven had smashed his dormitory to pieces in the middle of the night, woken half the castle, and received only a twenty-point deduction with no detention.

Even their own punishments for nighttime roaming had included detention!

First impressions still mattered greatly; Silven decided to play it safe—his most prudent course was to remain low-key until the fuss died down.

Strangely, ever since Silven turned his attention to the Whomping Willow, he no longer found wand-making boring; in fact, his efficiency had improved significantly.

That sense of anticipation was like finding a clear goal, and everything along the way seemed to grow brighter.

For the following weeks, Silven remained immersed in this enthusiasm, nearly forgetting the Whomping Willow altogether.

Since the Red Hat’s heart had given Tom an extra meal, Silven was no longer eager to seek out Snape, so he simply used the Christmas wand-core gift package Hagrid had given him.

Mainly because Snape’s temper had grown worse lately—he would find ways to deduct two points from any Gryffindor he encountered in the halls.

If the student was Harry, the points deducted would double.

Silven naturally had no desire to invite trouble.

Besides, the materials Hagrid had given him were excellent; there was no need to cling to the Red Hat.

During this time, most people had learned that Silven regularly made wands, and many came specifically to watch up close—he mostly did not refuse them.

Most people were initially curious to see wand-making up close, but after spending time around it, they grew accustomed to it.

On ordinary days, some would even bring things they thought might be useful.

Silven had explained to them more than once that branches picked up by the roadside could not be made into wands—even if they were straight and beautifully shaped.

Pet cat fur, owl feathers, and similar materials were unsuitable as wand cores—their magical compatibility was too poor, far worse than even a pet toad, and only wasted time and wand wood.

Of course, if someone was willing to pay, Silven had no objection to making a commemorative piece.

Pet hair with pearwood wand shaft: three Galleons each, clearly priced—not cheap, but not expensive either.

Yet this high-end “toy” seemed quite popular; Silven received thirty orders and made a substantial profit.

That night, he ordered a new batch of high-quality magical woods, including hawthorn from Devon and grapevine and beech from the Pyrenees in France.

He not only replenished all the wand shaft materials he had used this term, but had plenty left over.

With this, Silven’s enthusiasm for crafting grew even stronger—and it continued uninterrupted until the Easter holidays.

…

Perhaps because exams were approaching, the professors assigned a mountain of homework, forcing Silven to spend most of each day in the library writing assignments, leaving only the evenings free for wand-making.

“You really should take time to memorize key concepts,” Hermione said to Silven after dinner, unable to hold back: “Yesterday in Herbology, you got the behavior of the Jumping Shroom wrong—you’ll lose many points on the exam.”

“Thanks for the reminder, but I really don’t have time,” Silven said, rubbing his hair.

The Easter holidays were even worse than Christmas—just the mountain of homework had already left Silven overwhelmed.

He wasn’t like Hermione, who finished extra assignments and still had time to memorize the twelve uses of dragon blood or practice wand movements.

He had other things to do—things far more important than memorizing textbook facts.

“Perhaps you could… uh, make fewer wands?” Hermione offered tentatively.

“That’s impossible,” Silven replied without hesitation: “Exams don’t matter—I’m in first year, I don’t have to take O.W.L.s; I just need to pass into second year. But wand-making must not stop.”

After completing the two-foot-long wand, Silven could clearly feel his own progress.

Not only had his speed in carving magical runes increased significantly, but he now handled core transmutation with far greater ease—this was precisely the time to practice extensively and push himself further; how could he possibly stop?

Seeing Silven’s firm resolve, Hermione opened her mouth but said nothing more.

After dinner, Silven returned to his dormitory and resumed his crafting.

Soon, half the Easter holidays had passed, and Silven received an unexpected surprise.

It was a wand made in a single day—pure black.

[Ebony, eight-legged spider leg, eleven and one-third inches]

[Status: Perfect]

[Traits: Binding: Leg-Locker Curse effect +5%; Petrification Curse effect +5%; Confinement Curse effect +5%]

Although each bonus was only 5%, the combined positive effects on three highly practical spells made it a Golden Legend.

Yet upon seeing this wand’s effects, Silven inevitably thought of the Whomping Willow—both had multiple limbs (branches); in a certain sense, they seemed well matched.

More importantly, Hagrid had given him two spider legs; he had used only one, leaving one longer one still unused.

Now, Silven could no longer sit still—the hidden thought resurfaced.

He wanted to trim the excess branches of the Whomping Willow.

(End of Chapter)