Chapter 144: Capturing Wormtail
Wade rarely paid attention to the names floating above people’s heads—doing so always gave him a jarring sense, as if he were trapped inside a game. Over time, he’d grown used to treating those names as part of their hair, simply ignoring them. But this time, he couldn’t help glancing upward at the girl.
【Luna Lovegood】
It really was her.
The girl didn’t look quite like the ethereal beauty from the movies. Her appearance wasn’t striking, but her presence carried an unmistakable, almost eerie distinctiveness.
Luna wrapped herself in a blanket and slowly sat up, dazed, staring at Wade without speaking.
Wade stepped closer. “You’re a First Year, right? What are you doing up so late? Shouldn’t you be in your dormitory?”
The golden-haired girl stared at him with her wide, protruding eyes, unblinking for what felt like an eternity—her silence giving her an otherworldly stillness.
After a long pause, she spoke slowly, as if dredging words from a distant place: “I lost my books. I came to look for them… but couldn’t find them. The dorm door was locked.”
“Didn’t you knock? Or did your roommate refuse to let you in?” Wade frowned.
“What difference does it make?” Luna replied, lying back down and pulling the blanket over her face like a veil. “The door’ll open in the morning, anyway.”
Her calmness made it feel like interfering would be nothing short of meddling.
Wade asked again, “What’s your name? And what exactly did you lose?”
The girl’s eyes, sharp in the dim light, pierced through the darkness as she looked at him.
“Are you going to help me find them?”
“If it’s not too much trouble.”
She seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, then said, “I’m Luna Lovegood. Some people call me ‘Loony Lovegood’ behind my back. I can’t find my History of Magic textbook.”
Wade raised his wand and declared clearly, “Luna’s History of Magic—come!”
A book shot out from between the sofa cushions, flying straight into Wade’s waiting hand. He placed it gently beside the girl.
“Wow…” Luna breathed, stunned into silence for a few seconds before remembering to speak. “Thank you.”
“If you need help,” Wade said, “you can come find me. I’m Wade Gray, second year.”
With that, he slung his backpack over his shoulder and headed back to the dormitory.
Though Luna was alone in the common room that night, Wade wasn’t worried about her safety. House-elves were usually cleaning the common room at night, and the portraits on the walls, along with the ghosts drifting through the space, were far from decorative.
…
The next morning, when Wade woke up, Luna was no longer curled on the sofa.
The storm had raged all night, and it showed no sign of stopping. Rain hammered against the windows, streaks of water snaking down the glass like tears.
The grounds were flooded, ankle-deep in places. Hagrid’s animals huddled under their shelters, and no one could play Escape and Kill. Most students lingered by the windows, staring blankly at the gray sky, hoping the rain would end.
But the downpour continued for days.
“If only I knew a Weather Spell,” Michael groaned, lost in his game. “I’d stop the rain whenever I wanted.”
Finally, the weekend arrived—but with the rain, everyone was stuck inside the castle. For young wizards addicted to gaming, it was pure torture.
Michael still lingered on his wishful thinking, while Harry and Hermione had already headed to the library, hunting for a book on weather magic.
In the meantime, Wade’s Veritaserum had finally finished brewing.
The potion was clear and crystalline, like fresh spring water, sealed in a glass vial.
He pulled out the Marauder’s Map and confirmed Peter Pettigrew’s location once more.
The rat remained exactly where he’d been—staying put in Ron’s dormitory.
Sometimes, he’d sneak out for a brief walk around the castle, lingering in corners and alcoves like a shadow. Wade had actually worried when he first couldn’t find him on the map—thinking Peter might be up to something dangerous.
But then he realized: the man was just bored. He’d been cooped up in the dorm, so he’d been sneaking out to stretch his legs.
Even in rat form, Peter Pettigrew avoided people. He had to dodge student pets—especially cats and owls—hiding whenever he moved. His walks were furtive, secretive.
Recently, Ron had been playing Escape and Kill quite a bit, and Peter often followed him around. Rumor had it that the rat once even helped Ron wound an opponent during a match.
At dinner, Ron had praised his little rat extravagantly, calling it a “hero of the battlefield.”
Wade had once considered offering a new wand or a few Galleons in exchange for the rat. But after weighing the risks, he’d abandoned the idea.
Ron’s wand wasn’t broken—though the unicorn hair was fraying, it still worked. Yes, he was poor, but he wasn’t necessarily willing to sell the rat for money.
Ron was stubborn, flawed, yes—but fiercely loyal. The rat might be more than a pet to him. It was family. And Wade knew that trying to take it would only scare Peter, making him flee.
If Peter escaped the school and vanished into the Muggle world, or hid in the wilderness—Wade wouldn’t have a clue how to track him down.
Capturing Peter Pettigrew had to be flawless.
Perhaps because of the rain, students stayed indoors for days. Peter hadn’t sneaked out in several days.
Wade tucked away the map and Veritaserum, then pulled out the Book of Friends. He sent messages to several people, coordinating the plan in advance, before finally stepping out of the Room of Requirement.
The corridor was empty. He descended all the way to the fifth floor, where he found the Weasley Twins waiting.
The moment they saw him, both twins clapped their hands over their ears and shouted in unison: “Look, Wade!”
They held their hands there for a few seconds, then yanked them away—releasing a thick cloud of white smoke that spiraled toward the ceiling.
George, ever the showman, flicked his fingers in and out, creating ring after ring of smoke that floated upward like bubbles in water.
Even in the storm, the Gryffindor Quidditch team hadn’t stopped training. To avoid catching cold, they drank a small sip of Stimulating Elixir after practice—though it came with a side effect: their ears began to smoke.
Harry was mortified. Colin Creevey had caught several photos of him looking like a steam train, complete with puffing ears. But the twins loved it—turning the smoke into a performance.
“Check this out!” Fred covered his ears again, then exhaled a massive plume of white smoke. He blew through the center, shaping it into a hollow ring.
George waved his wand, conjuring a bubble and trapping the smoke ring inside. He balanced it on top of his head and grinned.
“Like a papal coronation, right?”
“Exactly! Hahahaha!” Fred laughed until tears formed.
Wade couldn’t help but laugh too, caught up in their carefree energy.
After the playful chaos died down, Wade asked, “Fred, George… have you ever used the Marauder’s Map to check Ron’s dormitory?”
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
