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Chapter 356: Wade: Psychologically Sound
Wade fell silent for a moment before speaking.
“When I was seven, he pulled me away from school—insisted on dragging me to some fun place. The outcome? We ran all the way to the lighthouse, and he tried to push me off the edge.”
Dumbledore’s brow furrowed. The faint sorrow in his eyes, which had lingered when he’d looked at the child within, now cooled into something colder.
“You didn’t tell your parents?” Dumbledore asked. “They seemed to think your relationship was close.”
“I didn’t jump,” Wade explained. “Of course I wouldn’t do something so stupid. I turned and left. But as I was descending the spiral staircase, I suddenly heard a crash—”
Wade paused.
“He jumped himself.”
Now Dumbledore was speechless.
He’d assumed the boy had been born wicked. Instead, he was just… foolish.
Since time was on their side, Wade decided to finish the story.
“I thought he was dead. I ran out immediately to check. The outcome? He landed in a haystack. Lucky for him, he only broke a leg.”
“I carried him to a nearby clinic. After that, we weren’t friends anymore.”
Even now, Wade couldn’t make sense of Kariel’s mind. But because of that day, he had drawn a hard line between them.
Before the age of seven, they’d barely qualified as friends. After the lighthouse, Wade saw him only as a troublesome child—one of his father’s friends’ kids who needed to be endured.
Kariel, on the other hand, seemed to think they’d forged a bond of life-and-death loyalty. Before moving away, he kept showing up at Wade’s house, which made Ferdinand believe their relationship was strong.
And since it was Kariel who’d jumped from the lighthouse—and the one who’d broken his leg—the boy was surprisingly honest. He took full blame, sparing Wade any guilt.
Moreover, their fathers had always been close. They shared business ties, trusted each other, supported one another.
So in the end, Wade kept quiet about what had happened. He didn’t tell his parents that Kariel had tried to push him to his death. He just drew a line in his heart.
Two bats slipped through the night air from afar. Wade and Dumbledore both fell silent.
They watched the creatures glide into the room. Moments later, the four of them hurried away.
Then Falcon transformed back into human form, spun the golden hourglass, and vanished from the spot in an instant.
Wade couldn’t help but feel a lightness in his chest.
The past had returned to its earlier time. Now, in this moment, only one Wade remained—no longer hiding, no longer needing to be someone else.
But just as Wade was preparing to follow the vampires, Dumbledore suddenly placed a firm hand on his shoulder and broke his Disguise Charm.
Wade blinked, startled. “Professor?”
“You should go back and rest, Wade,” Dumbledore said. “If I’m not mistaken… tomorrow—no, this morning at nine, you have two electives.”
Wade stared, stunned. “You just taught me a spell!”
“Yes,” Dumbledore replied. “But I taught you that spell so you’d know how to protect yourself if you ever face such enemies again. Not so you’d rush into battle right now.”
With the charm lifted, Dumbledore stood before him, looking down gently.
“Fighting vampires is not like competing in a challenge. And you haven’t even mastered the Sunlight Charm properly yet.”
“Wade, you’re still young. You don’t need to face the cruelty of this world just yet.”
“And besides,” he added, “these four are hiding a much larger secret. I need time to investigate. But you don’t have time to run around chasing shadows with me.”
“—Go back.”
The command was absolute.
You didn’t say that when you trained Harry to fight Voldemort, Wade thought bitterly, glaring at the Headmaster.
He didn’t understand. He’d already destroyed several of Voldemort’s Horcruxes. Why was he being shut out of a fight against mere vampires?
He didn’t believe Dumbledore was worried about his safety—certainly not when it came to class. The Headmaster well knew most of the curriculum was effortless for Wade. And with the Time-Turner, he could nap anytime, never miss a lesson.
So why?
Suddenly, a thought flickered in Wade’s mind. His eyes narrowed slightly.
“I understand,” he said, voice heavy with resignation. “I’ll go back to school.”
“Promise me you won’t follow us.”
“I’m not a Weasley Twin,” Wade said, seeing the seriousness in Dumbledore’s eyes. “I promise.”
He never broke his word.
Dumbledore nodded, then strode off in the direction the vampires had taken, his form shifting colors as he moved—until he vanished completely from sight.
Wade sighed, and didn’t follow. Instead, he transformed into a falcon and flew back to Hogwarts.
He finally understood.
It wasn’t that Dumbledore thought Wade couldn’t handle four vampires. Nor did he doubt his ability or inner strength.
It was simply that Dumbledore didn’t want him to be part of a battle that might end in blood.
The sight of blood, of a creature screaming in agony as it died—of a human-like being gasping, begging, cursing, collapsing from life into silence—that was something Dumbledore didn’t want him to witness again.
This wasn’t like facing Voldemort’s ghost or a reanimated corpse. Vampires bled. They screamed. They pleaded. They cursed. They could go from lively to lifeless in an instant.
Witnessing such a scene could scar an ordinary mind. Some might never recover.
Dumbledore believed Wade wasn’t ready for that.
He didn’t know what the bearded man had told him—but Dumbledore must have known about Wade’s past use of the spider to defeat a criminal. And yet, he still treated him like a child.
Wade felt helpless. But he couldn’t say it aloud—It’s fine, I’ve been through worse. I’m not affected. I’m psychologically sound.
Back at school, Wade wasted no time. He rested for a few hours.
All morning was packed with classes. Only after finishing Defensive Magic Against the Dark Arts in the afternoon did he finally get to practice the new spell.
The Room of Requirement transformed into a dark, stone chamber—eerily similar to Slytherin’s Chamber of Secrets.
Wade stood before a mirror, practicing again and again—until, finally, he mastered the correct incantation.
He raised his wand.
“Akayas-Tomio!”
A blinding, searing white light erupted from the tip of his wand, instantly flooding the entire room.
The beam cut through the darkness like a blade, radiating waves of intense heat. It overwhelmed the chamber, reflecting and refracting so violently that not a single shadow remained.
Even Wade’s back was bathed in light.
Yet, despite its ferocity, the light carried no burning sting. Instead, it felt warm—deeply, powerfully warm—like a force of pure, radiant energy.
(End of Chapter)
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