Chapter 312: A Single Message
【Makki: Makki! Makki has time!】
【Zoe: Makki’s lying! Makki hasn’t finished cleaning the Slytherin Common Room yet! Zoe has time.】
【Fell: Fell’s here!】
【Habi: Habi is very willing to help Mr. Wade Gray. What do you need, Mr. Gray?】
A flurry of messages flashed across the parchment, then Makki and Zoe began bickering across the page.
Wade’s message cut through the chaos.
【Wade: Does anyone know where Dumbledore is?】
The chatter died down.
After a pause, a reply appeared:
【Makki: Makki can’t tell Mr. Wade Gray where the Headmaster is. But Makki heard there’s a trial at the Wizengamot today.】
—So Dumbledore’s too busy for anything until the trial ends? Wade thought to himself.
In the original timeline, it seemed Harry Potter always hit trouble just when Dumbledore was nowhere to be found.
Or perhaps it could be said this way: if Dumbledore hadn’t been preoccupied, Fudge wouldn’t have dared approach the door to arrest someone.
Once Sirius Black was taken, even Dumbledore couldn’t storm the Ministry of Magic or Azkaban and pull him out. They’d be forced to rely on slow legal procedures—or catch Peter Pettigrew and prove Sirius’s innocence.
But Wade knew that wasn’t possible. Peter Pettigrew was already dead, lost at sea, his body never recovered.
And Britain’s Ministry of Magic was riddled with flawed, contradictory laws. Relying on them to prove the arrest unjust was like hoping Fudge would suddenly lose interest in being Minister—or Dumbledore would take the job instead.
Just then, Harry sent another message:
【Harry: Sirius Black’s in Animagus form. If the Ministry can’t find him, will they just give up?】
【Wade: They wouldn’t have come knocking if they weren’t certain he was at home. If they search the house and find nothing, they’ll doubt the dog’s size—too obvious to ignore.】
【Wade: Animagus forms resemble their human selves. A careful wizard can tell the difference. That’s why Remus stopped them—don’t take chances.】
As Wade typed, he pondered:
Mice and beetles could hide easily. But a large black dog? Concealment was almost impossible.
Too bad the Vanishing Cabinet was left behind in the Hogsmeade house… No, even that was too conspicuous. Anyone passing by would spot it instantly.
They couldn’t let Zoe take Sirius Black away—Sirius could Apparate himself, but that kind of magic made too much noise. It’d be detected immediately.
If Sirius escaped on his own, Remus Lupin would be blamed for obstructing the Ministry.
And if Fudge was smart enough, he might’ve already laid a Counter-Apparition Spell around the area.
After long thought, a plan formed in Wade’s mind.
【Wade: Harry, tell Sirius Black…】
The words on the parchment unfolded one by one. Harry’s eyes slowly widened, as if a new world had opened before him.
The black dog stared at Fudge with deathly stillness. Then, in the flicker of light from Fudge’s wand, something moved. He turned—there, in the shadow of the corridor corner, Harry was waving frantically.
Sirius Black hesitated. But under Harry’s urgent gaze, he finally stepped forward.
As he rose, one of the Aurors—a dark-skinned man with light-colored hair—twitched his fingers, as if about to raise his wand. But he paused, then let it fall.
Sirius entered the room. Harry handed him the parchment, still glowing with Wade’s unfinished message.
…
Meanwhile, Wade returned to the page where he’d been in contact with the house-elves.
【Wade: Is there anyone among you who can Apparate from Britain to America? I need to return to Britain as soon as possible.】
Apparition over such distances was extremely dangerous. Though Wade had studied the theory, he hadn’t begun practicing.
The adult wizards around him had been subtly delaying his training—afraid he’d recklessly sever his own head.
The farther the distance, the greater the risk. One mistake could split the body, cause grievous injury, even death.
Skilled wizards could Apparate across continents. But aside from Dumbledore, Wade didn’t know who else could manage it.
Britain and America were separated by thousands of kilometers—over three thousand at the shortest. Most wizards couldn’t cross that gap by Apparition.
Portkeys were convenient and simple to use, but crafting one required advanced magic.
【Zoe: Zoe’s never tried such a long distance. Even if Zoe could… Zoe wouldn’t dare take Mr. Wade Gray. Without enough ability, it could cause serious harm.】
Other house-elves echoed the same concern—this was beyond their reach.
Just when Wade thought he’d have to wait for the next flight, Makki sent one more message:
【Makki: But Makki knows someone who can… Relf definitely can.】
【Habi: Yes! Relf can do it! Go get Relf’s help!】
They stopped there. Clearly, they’d rushed off to find the eldest house-elf—Relf.
Wade felt a flicker of worry. Not every house-elf was eager to help, and this was clearly outside their duty.
He feared Relf might refuse, or worse, punish Zoe and the others for breaking Hogwarts house-elf rules.
But minutes later, a reply came:
【Zoe: This is Relf. He can help. Where is Mr. Gray now?】
…
Fudge grew increasingly impatient with Remus Lupin, his tone turning sharp.
“Remus, I’m telling you this as a friend—keep blocking us, and I’ll have to question whether you’re hiding a connection with someone dangerous.”
“You were close friends with Peter Pettigrew back in school, weren’t you?”
“They both ended up in Azkaban. Don’t tell me you want to join them?”
Remus’s face paled, but he held firm. “If you suspect Sirius Black’s involved in the breakout, produce proof. Not baseless accusations.”
“I am investigating. If you hadn’t interfered, we’d have evidence by now!”
Fudge sneered, shoving Remus aside, and stepped toward the bedroom—then froze.
A tall, cloaked man emerged from behind Remus’s bedroom door, face grim.
“Sirius Black!” Fudge blurted, startled. Then, regaining composure: “We need you to cooperate in the investigation into Peter Pettigrew’s escape. Of course, if you’re proven innocent, we’ll release you and offer our deepest apologies.”
“Sirius Black…” Remus whispered, pale with dread.
“Relax, mate,” Sirius said, clapping him on the shoulder. He stepped forward, arms raised in surrender. Then, lowering his voice: “I’ll go with you, Minister. But someone inside sent you a message—”
(End of Chapter)
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