Chapter 136: The Eagle Who Values His Life
“They were friends before?” Michael asked.
“Best friends,” Theo paused, then added, “...so they say.”
“Where is that person now?” Liam asked.
“Azkaban, of course,” Wade said, looking up at the empty space where a photograph had once hung. He said nothing more.
After lunch, the group headed to Hogsmeade. Theo had visited the famous village with his parents a few times before, but Michael and Liam were seeing it for the first time. They rushed into the shops with uncontainable excitement, practically eager to buy everything in sight.
Wade and Remus Lupin lagged behind. The middle-aged wizard watched the children’s joy with a quiet, bittersweet pleasure.
“Next Rest Day, I’ll bring Harry too,” Wade said thoughtfully.
“That would be wonderful,” Remus Lupin replied with a soft, fatherly smile. “I never really noticed it before when I was alone. But now… the house feels empty without him.”
“Please keep today’s matter confidential with Harry,” Wade said. “He’s living peacefully. There’s no need to drag him into anything involving Tom.”
Remus Lupin readily agreed.
Then, remembering a lingering doubt, he asked, “Wade, do you remember the Shadow in the cave?”
“Of course,” Wade replied.
“Just injecting thoughts into it shouldn’t have created something with such a solid, independent form—like it had a soul of its own.”
Remus Lupin frowned, worry in his voice. “Given Voldemort’s—Tom’s—magic, he must have mastered dark arts beyond our understanding. The danger of that crown… I didn’t realize it was this severe.”
“Good thing you were cautious,” Wade said. “You never touched it directly.”
“Of course. It’s already destroyed. But if you ever encounter anything like it again, be extremely careful.”
He didn’t suspect Wade of hiding anything—only that Wade, with his current knowledge, might have underestimated the true threat.
“Of course,” Wade said seriously. “I’ll be careful.”
“For safety’s sake,” Remus said, “one more thing—have you encountered any other of Tom’s weapons?”
Wade glanced away. “Even Tom couldn’t have made many of those, could he?”
Remus studied him, then sighed. “I’ll teach you the Inferno Charm.”
“Great!” Wade grinned openly. “I’ve been waiting for that.”
“Promise me—don’t use it until you can fully control it.”
“Of course. I promise.”
“And if anything happens, come to me first. Don’t go charging in on your own.”
“I know.” Wade agreed, but Remus still looked uneasy.
When the group returned to Hogwarts through the Vanishing Cabinet, Wade was once again the last to step inside.
“Thanks, Remus,” Wade said with a smile, as he closed the cabinet door behind him. “But don’t mistake me for a reckless lion. I’m a creature who values his life—very much an eagle.”
Remus Lupin blinked.
The black cabinet door had already shut. The person inside was now in Hogwarts.
Remus let out a wry smile, muttering to himself, “Not all lions are reckless.”
He picked up the photograph, now upside down, and brushed his fingers across it. The paper stuck to the glass peeled away.
The dark-haired boy in the photo smiled—a carefree, spirited grin full of life and confidence.
But Remus felt a sharp pang in his chest.
“…It’s still hiding… a serpent no one’s detected… still coiled in the shadows.”
…
Back at school, the group now shared a secret. Their bond grew tighter.
They went to the Umbrella Room, only to find Padma there. She informed them that Harry had been taken to the Infirmary.
“What happened?” Liam asked.
“They fought with Malfoy again?” Theo guessed logically.
“No,” Padma said. “It happened during Quidditch practice. Harry fell off his broom.”
Wade frowned slightly. “Was his broom malfunctioning? Or did he get hit by a Quaffle?”
—Had Dobby already made it back to school and started wreaking havoc?
“No,” Padma said. “He wasn’t hurt. He just passed out.”
…
In the Infirmary, Harry lay in a hospital bed, just regaining consciousness. Around him were several Gryffindor students and members of the Quidditch team.
A young boy—Colin Creevey—was holding a camera, filming the moment Harry stirred.
“I’m fine,” Harry said, pushing the lens away with a sigh. “Thanks, Colin. But I really don’t want photos right now.”
“Was it terrifying when you suddenly fell?” Colin asked loudly, his voice oddly excited.
“Yeah, falling like that was definitely scary,” Wood, the team captain, said, patting Harry’s shoulder. “Rest well today. We’ll resume training tomorrow morning.”
“You’re a monster,” Ron blurted, stunned.
Fred placed a hand on Ron’s shoulder. “You think he’s not, Ronnie? The team is cruel.”
George nodded gravely. “Wood isn’t just a monster. He’s worse than one.”
Wood tapped both twins on the head, then launched into a detailed, relentless lecture on the new tactics, the poor coordination among players, and how critical the upcoming match was—though it was still two months away.
The Weasley twins exchanged pained expressions.
Angeleina, another team member, watched silently, her eyes gleaming with Schadenfreude. She barely suppressed a laugh.
While Wood was still talking, Fred leaned over and made a ridiculous face at her.
Harry tried to explain, “It wasn’t the fall that knocked me out. It was the sudden headache…”
But the Infirmary was filled with Wood’s voice. No one listened.
Only Liam, who had just entered, caught it.
“Headache?” he asked, stepping closer, frowning. “When exactly did it happen?”
Finally, someone was listening. Harry exhaled in relief and said quickly, “Around ten-thirty… or close to eleven.”
“Ten forty-five,” Wood suddenly interjected, his attention shifting. He sounded disappointed. “We’d only just finished an hour and twenty-five minutes of practice.”
Liam exchanged a glance with Theo.
Ten forty-five…
If he wasn’t mistaken, that was when the Shadow in the crown was being destroyed.
Harry, so far away, had still sensed it?
Michael felt a chill. He looked at the person beside him—Wade—but saw that Wade wasn’t focusing on the timing. Instead, he was watching Ron Weasley.
“That’s why it took you an hour to talk about tactics,” Fred said to Wood.
Wood narrowed his eyes, preparing to retort.
George suddenly clamped a hand over Fred’s mouth. “Wait—suddenly remember! We’ve got detention today! If we don’t go now, Hagrid’s going to be furious!”
“You’re in detention again?” Wood asked.
“Just a little trip into the Forbidden Forest,” Fred said, pulling George’s hand away and shrugging. “Our Gamekeeper caught us.”
“He thought we needed a lesson with a little… flavor.”
“Cleaning the pigsties—no magic allowed.”
“Since Harry’s awake, we’ll take our leave.”
The twins backed away, disappearing from Wood’s sight in seconds.
To them, Wood’s lectures were worse than scrubbing pigsties.
Angeleina couldn’t help it—she burst into laughter.
(End of Chapter)
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