Chapter 134: Destroying the Crown
Filch’s voice came through the air, cold and ominous: “Work, or be expelled—your choice.”
The voice echoed from an empty room. Through the slightly ajar door, Wade saw Malfoy glaring furiously at Filch. After a tense standoff, Malfoy finally picked up the cloth and began wiping the countless candle holders lining the shelves.
Filch continued muttering beside him: “Honestly, Dumbledore’s far too soft. Kids like you who break the rules should be hung up and whipped—proper discipline would teach them respect.”
Wade stepped past the dim corridor and left.
……
Saturday arrived swiftly.
Wade had already arranged everything with Remus Lupin.
Early in the morning, while the other students were still in bed, he brought Michael to the Room of Requirement.
Not long after, Theo and Liam arrived.
Then Zoe.
Michael and the others stared in astonishment at the sight of a house-elf.
Zoe fidgeted nervously, twisting her tea towel in her hands as she bowed to each of them.
“Once preparations are complete, we can depart,” Wade said, opening the cabinet door. “Who’s first?”
“I’ll go!” Michael stepped inside without hesitation.
Then Theo, then Liam.
Wade stayed behind. He crouched down, gently patting Zoe’s head. “Zoe, when I send you a message, open the cabinet door, okay?”
The Vanishing Cabinet required no spell to activate—closing the door triggered teleportation. But to return, someone on the other side had to open it from the outside. The person inside couldn’t open it from within.
So the cabinet’s function relied entirely on a reliable person waiting at the destination, ready to open it when needed.
Zoe nodded shyly. “Wade Gray, don’t worry. Zoe will do her duty.”
Wade smiled and ruffled her hair.
“You don’t need to stay here all night. Unless something unexpected happens, we’ll be back before curfew. I’ll send you a message in the Book of Friends when we’re ready.”
“Alright,” Zoe said, nodding again.
Wade stepped into the cabinet, closed the door—and darkness swallowed him whole.
Almost instantly, the door opened once more.
Remus Lupin stood on the other side, smiling warmly.
“Unbelievable,” Michael said. “We just left the school so easily.”
“Where are we?” Liam asked, scanning the surroundings with a frown.
“This place is still in the Scottish Highlands—two mountains away from Hogwarts,” Remus told Wade. “As you requested, there’s no wizard, no Muggle, almost no vegetation, and hardly any animals.”
Wade glanced around. The landscape was desolate and rugged, strewn with debris, with only patches of moss and weeds covering the cracked earth.
“Wade,” Michael asked, “what exactly are we doing here?”
Wade looked at the group. Everyone was waiting for his answer.
“Tom—yes, The Dark Lord—invaded the school last year. You all know that,” he said. Seeing Theo and the others nod, he continued: “I found something in the school… something that might be a Dark Magic weapon he left behind.”
“We’re here to destroy it.”
“A secret weapon of Voldemort?” Remus frowned. “He still plans to strike at Hogwarts?”
He spoke the name without hesitation. The three young wizards, however, paled at the sound.
“Why not just hand it over to Professor Dumbledore?” Liam asked. “Wade… don’t you trust the headmaster?”
“Of course not,” Wade replied. “In matters of darkness, there’s no one more trustworthy than Dumbledore. But… boys, Dumbledore is over a hundred years old.”
He paused. “I’m not saying he’s slow or that his magic has weakened. It’s just… he’s been fighting this war for decades. Carrying burdens no one else can bear. Everyone’s grown used to relying on him, dumping every responsibility onto his shoulders.”
“But… why should we keep handing over everything we could do ourselves to an old man?”
“We can rely on Dumbledore—but who can he rely on?”
The words struck deep. Even Remus looked down, shame flickering across his face.
Dumbledore had become a symbol, a beacon. Whenever there was a threat from Voldemort or any dark wizard, the instinct was always: Tell Dumbledore. Let Dumbledore handle it.
Few had stopped to consider—what about a man over a century old? Shouldn’t he be resting, enjoying peace, far from danger?
Of course, Wade didn’t tell them everything. Besides his desire to walk without Dumbledore’s guidance, there were two other reasons.
One: he didn’t want Dumbledore to see him as a piece on a chessboard—planted, directed, controlled.
The second: he didn’t want Dumbledore to discover the Horcrux too soon. Otherwise, he might rush to Riddle House, where he’d find the Resurrection Stone ring—and unknowingly fall victim to Voldemort’s curse. In the original timeline, that curse killed him a year later.
If Wade’s interference caused Dumbledore to die earlier, the next few years would become infinitely harder. And Voldemort might rise again sooner.
No need to explain further. The others understood.
Remus had already scouted a large cave nearby. Together, they moved a massive boulder, heavy enough to seal the entrance completely.
Wade explained his reasoning: “Tom’s weapon holds immense magical power. Ordinary spells won’t work. From what I’ve seen, only the Inferno Flame can destroy it completely.”
He’d confirmed with Remus that the man could cast the Inferno Charm.
War-worn wizards often mastered the three Unforgivable Curses. Dark magic was nothing new to them. In fact, the Inferno Charm wasn’t difficult to cast—its true challenge was control. Without it, the spell could rebound, burning the caster.
In the original story, Crabbe had cast the spell and died in the very flames he’d summoned.
“That means we should clear all the weeds around here,” Theo suggested. “I’ve heard the Inferno Flame burns anything flammable.”
They spent another hour meticulously removing every combustible material—inside and outside the cave.
“Should be good,” Wade said, selecting a bare patch of stone. They piled dry logs onto it.
From his bag, Wade pulled out a Shielding Magic Box. Using old iron tongs, he carefully placed the crown onto the stone.
His movements were slow, deliberate. The others felt the weight of the moment, too.
The crown looked dull and lifeless—gray, its gemstones dim, unlit. Michael didn’t recognize it as Ravenclaw’s lost crown. After all, the legendary crown had vanished a thousand years ago with its master. Even though the statue in the Ravenclaw common room wore a crown, what did that matter?
For over a millennium, countless students had crafted fake crowns, pretending to have gained supreme wisdom.
Now, the real crown sat quietly on the stone—no aura, no darkness, no hint of power.
Remus gestured for the others to step back. Wand raised, he whispered: “Inferno Flame, burn!”
A blazing flame shot forth, igniting the logs. The fire roared, expanding instantly.
“Out!” Remus barked.
They scrambled out of the cave, ready to drop the boulder to seal it. They watched the entrance, hearts pounding.
The fire wasn’t massive—perhaps due to the lack of fuel—but the flames twisted and writhed, shaping themselves into monstrous forms: a toxic horned beast, a fire dragon, a cheetah…
Suddenly, a giant shadow erupted from the flames.
It towered into the air, writhing, screaming in agony—sharp, piercing cries of pain—before lunging forward with the inferno, straight at the waiting group.
Boom!
The boulder collapsed.
Sparks burst from the cracks.
“Wade…” Michael whispered, eyes wide, voice trembling. “I… I don’t know… but that shadow… it looked just like Tom.”
“…No,” Theo murmured, shaken. “It must’ve been an illusion.”
(End of Chapter)
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