HP: Pure-Blood Glory

Luke ultimately decided not to roam around at night.

However, he didn't sleep in until late in the day either. He woke up early.

Hogwarts at night had become far too dangerous lately.

Dumbledore had set a trap for Voldemort and built a stage for Harry. Unless Luke had something to gain, it was best for him to steer clear of these matters.

While Dumbledore was focused on the Boy Who Lived and the Dark Lord, Luke saw this as the perfect opportunity to build his influence and spread his ideas. It was the most rational course of action. As long as Dumbledore wasn't paying attention to Luke, Luke planned to keep their paths from crossing as much as possible.

Of course, this was somewhat wishful thinking. Just as Luke was plotting ways to undermine or even manipulate Dumbledore, it was hard to say whether Dumbledore had already taken some interest in him and was preparing a role for Luke in this world.

From that perspective, Dumbledore truly was quite arrogant.

After getting out of bed and dressing, Luke looked over at Booker's nest. The little cat wasn't there, but this didn't surprise him. Booker rarely slept in the dormitory at night anymore.

Still, Booker always made a point of checking in with Luke every day to assure him he was safe.

It was clear the little cat had its own busy schedule, though Luke had no idea what it was up to. He had asked once, but Booker didn't want to discuss it.

So Luke didn't press further.

"Luke! Good morning!"

As Luke made his way into the common room, he saw a large group of people gathered there. At the front, Marcus greeted Luke.

"Good morning, Flint. Are you all heading out to practice?"

Luke asked, eyeing the tall Slytherin students and speaking with certainty.

"Yeah, we've got the pitch booked for this morning. Want to come with us and check it out?" 

Marcus pointed to the younger students behind them.

"They're interested in joining our Quidditch team, though for now, they're just observing."

Luke spotted Draco Malfoy in the crowd, who waved at him with a smile. It seemed that, being surrounded by older students, Draco didn't dare greet Luke loudly. 

Luke returned the smile, acknowledging Draco's greeting.

"No, I've got some things to take care of today. Maybe after we start our flying lessons. At least then I'll know what my talent's like."

Since the system hadn't shown him any specific talent for flying, Luke wasn't about to make any bold claims.

If he turned out to have a natural talent, he could join the team, maybe even become the captain. That position could prove useful to him.

But if he lacked talent and still tried to force his way onto the team, that would be a foolish move.

Pretending to know what you're doing when you don't, would either make you seem endearingly naive to experts or annoyingly incompetent.

Of course, not joining the team didn't mean he couldn't still find ways to make these people useful to him. There were plenty of methods for that.

"Well, our team's always open to you"

Marcus added. Luke's refusal was reasonable after all.

Although Marcus was known for his brutal and aggressive style on the pitch, in private he had a more easygoing temper.

Especially when dealing with someone like Luke—who, aside from being younger and smaller, had a family background just as strong as Marcus's, along with superior talent and charisma—there was no way Marcus would put on an arrogant or hostile face.

After speaking, the group of Quidditch players, along with the large crowd of students interested in the sport, made their way out.

This was essentially the best club recruitment opportunity at the school. Those who were interested naturally went along, and those unfamiliar with Quidditch often went just to see what it was about. Unfortunately, Hogwarts only had this one club.

Luke stood on the spiral staircase, watching them leave the common room. Across from him, on another spiral staircase, Prefect Gemma Farley was also watching from a distance.

Luke had piqued Gemma's curiosity. What kind of person was this boy? In Slytherin, students admired authority but also had a rebellious nature, each wanting to become an authority figure themselves.

As a prefect, Gemma often found that her words didn't command much respect from her peers.

But somehow, Luke had already managed to gain that respect, which surprised her.

Sensing something, Luke glanced across and saw Gemma watching him. When their eyes met, Gemma gave him a radiant smile.

Luke smiled back politely and nodded before heading downstairs.

Gemma was already in her seventh year, highly capable, and from a respectable pure-blood family.

So far, she didn't seem to oppose Luke's ideas, making her someone worth cultivating.

More importantly, having an ally on the verge of graduation could be beneficial. Letting her manage his enterprises after graduation would provide peace of mind.

As for the Lance family... Every family had its principles, but their first priority was always survival and profit, as long as they didn't cross certain lines.

Some families had even turned survival and profit into their guiding principles.

Of course, this matter had to be handled gradually.

Luke had come out early to track down Peeves.

He was someone who liked to see things through to the end, and with nothing urgent on his plate lately, he had the time. After planting seeds, the key was to patiently wait for them to sprout.

At just eleven years old, Luke had all the time in the world, and thus, plenty of patience.

He wandered through Hogwarts, greeting familiar and unfamiliar students alike. For those he knew, he exchanged brief greetings, and for those he didn't, he offered a friendly smile.

But as the morning passed, Peeves, who was usually ever-present and notorious for causing mischief, seemed to have vanished without a trace.

When Luke reached the greenhouse, he ran into Neville. Neville looked in good spirits but also quite wary.

"It's because Peeves didn't bother me today! Oh, Luke, you have no idea how hard it is for me to avoid Peeves. He's not like a ghost—he's more like a demon!"

Neville complained.

Luke resisted the urge to curse.

"Well, that's normal. If Peeves were so easy to deal with, he wouldn't be called 'the scourge of Hogwarts' by so many professors and students" Luke replied.

*****

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