Chapter 182: An Invitation from Sirius Black
As soon as Michael arrived at the pitch, he ran off to find Padma. Since the area was filled with girls, Wade didn’t go over—instead, he found an empty spot and settled in to watch the match.
He wasn’t particularly interested in Quidditch, but as a member of his own House, he felt it was only right to show support.
"Look! The players have just departed! We can see some changes in the Hufflepuff lineup—new Seeker, Cedric Digory, and honestly, he’s got a face I’m a little jealous of—"
"Jordan!"
"Sorry, Professor! Just got carried away. Alright, let’s get back to the game—right now, the Quaffle’s in Ravenclaw’s hands—"
The entire stadium was filled with Lee Jordan’s commentary, while Wade tried to identify the Ravenclaw players—most of whom he didn’t even know.
Suddenly, someone sat down beside him. Wade turned to look.
"Harry?" he asked. "Your arm’s healed?"
"The bones are all fully regrown," Harry replied, demonstrating his arm with a slightly stiff motion. "Madam Pomfrey told me to keep moving it—should be back to normal in a few days."
"Magic is truly convenient," Wade couldn’t help but remark. "If you were a Muggle, you’d be permanently disabled."
"Yeah," Harry agreed, clearly relieved. "Sirius Black?" Wade glanced up at the sky, asking casually. "He’s already gone back."
"Back this morning," Harry said. "He asked me to thank you. He wanted to send you a birthday gift and asked what you’d like. I told him you love reading books."
Harry smiled.
"He said the Black family is an extremely ancient one, with a vast collection of hidden books—"
Wade’s eyes lit up instantly.
"So Sirius Black is inviting you to spend the Christmas holiday at the Black family manor. He said you can explore the study freely—take whatever you like, even if it’s everything."
As he spoke, Harry nodded emphatically, as if making sure Wade understood this wasn’t a joke.
Wade couldn’t help but laugh. "That would be terribly rude..." he said with mock restraint. "I’ll just copy them instead."
"I knew you’d love it," Harry said. "But Sirius also had one warning—just in case: the Black family is exactly what you’d imagine—purely evil, dark wizards. Their home isn’t elegant, nor is it beautiful. It might even be dangerous."
"Even better," Wade raised an eyebrow.
Harry laughed too, his eyes alight with anticipation.
Gralin Farm was unremarkable in appearance, but the countless fantastic beasts within made it extraordinary. The Weasley family was poor, yet magic made even the most ordinary moments feel special and enchanting. Remus Lupin’s home was warm and cozy—exactly the kind of family home Harry had always imagined.
Sirius Black had been busy renovating his own house. Harry had planned to go over this weekend to help, but yesterday’s injury had ruined those plans.
Even though Sirius described the old Black manor as dark, terrifying, and dull, Harry suspected it was just because he’d grown up there—everything familiar becomes invisible with time.
But to them, an ancient, mysterious mansion full of secrets was far more exciting than any ordinary wizarding family home.
As they chatted, a long, clear whistle echoed through the air.
The match was over. Cedric had caught the Golden Snitch, and Hufflepuff won by twenty points.
The stands erupted in applause and cheers. Even Ravenclaw students, aside from the players who were clearly devastated, clapped politely.
Wade and the others, though they no longer needed Cedric to help purchase proxy services, were genuinely happy to see him win.
Especially the girls—most of whom barely cared about the game’s outcome. They’d come just to openly admire that strikingly handsome face.
Harry, however, looked unusually serious.
"March is when we play Hufflepuff again," he said, worry in his voice. "I thought Cedric, as Seeker, would be slow and clumsy..."
Wade suddenly remembered: in the original story, the second-year match had been canceled due to the Serpent’s strange attack. The third year, a Dementor had appeared on the pitch, and Harry had passed out, losing the match. And the fourth year—well, the Quidditch match was canceled entirely, and Cedric was murdered by Peter Pettigrew.
In that timeline, Harry had never actually faced Cedric in a real duel as Seekers.
Thinking about all that, Wade gave Harry a light, sympathetic pat on the shoulder.
"Looks like Wood will make you train twice as hard," he said.
Harry still nodded nervously. "Thankfully, Christmas holiday is coming up soon..."
Even if Harry loved Quidditch, he couldn’t take much more of Wood’s brutal training regime.
This year, he wasn’t homeless—so he had no intention of staying at school.
After the match, Harry went looking for others to invite.
"I’m inviting friends to my house for the first time this Christmas," he said with a grin. "Well, actually, it’s the first time in my life. Sirius Black told me to bring a few friends—help with the cleaning."
As they parted, Harry’s mood was cheerful.
He clearly thought Sirius was joking—so he’d said it in jest.
But Wade’s smile froze.
Wait… cleaning?
The Black family manor was covered in decades of grime. And the house-elf, Kreacher, hated Sirius with a passion—refusing to do any work.
In the original story, Mrs. Weasley—experienced as a mother and homemaker—had spent days with her children, barely managing to clean a few usable rooms.
Wade’s expression instantly darkened.
He could study magic until he dropped, work tirelessly to master spells—but he absolutely refused to waste hours on repetitive, menial chores.
Use magical automatons?
Or upgrade the Cleaning Crab again?
He could do both—except the problem was, what if the rebellious house-elf secretly sabotaged everything? Those alchemical artifacts weren’t indestructible.
No—first, he had to deal with that house-elf. He remembered the name: Kreacher. The guidebooks had clear instructions...
Originally, Wade had planned to wait until Sirius Black’s health improved further before attempting the cave expedition.
But now, for the sake of the Black family’s hidden books—and to avoid endless cleaning chores—he quietly decided to move his plan forward.
He wanted more time to study magic.
Thinking about the cave reminded him of the Horcruxes. Then the Resurrection Stone in his pocket. Then Dumbledore.
Wade noticed something odd—Dumbledore wasn’t in the teachers’ stand watching the game.
Had he come yesterday just for Harry?
After all, Harry had been injured in the maze. Maybe Dumbledore feared someone inside might try to attack him again during the match...
A cold jolt ran through Wade’s chest.
When Harry finished inviting Ron and Hermione and walked past Wade again, Wade waved him over.
Harry paused, curious.
"What’s up?" he asked.
"I forgot to ask you," Wade said, his tone suddenly serious. "After the match yesterday—why did you suddenly fall from the sky?"
(End of Chapter)
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