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Chapter 446: Sirius and Lupin
Chapter 446: Sirius and Lupin
Hey Michael,
Thanks to Dumbledore, I'm back safe and sound. Everything's fine, and I'll be returning to school this Sunday evening.
I don't have my friend's account with me, so I can only write to you for now. I'll fill you in on the details when we meet.
Please let everyone know I'm okay, and I hope you all are well.
Cheers,
Vedd
Vedd signed his name, waited for the ink to dry, then folded the letter and slipped it into an envelope. He watched as an owl carried the letter out the window.
He wanted to visit his old apartment to sort through his belongings, including the Christmas presents he had received, but as soon as Vedd showed the slightest intention of leaving, Fiona tightly grasped his wrist, her fingers feeling unusually cold.
"Not now," Vedd reassured her, patting her arm. "Tomorrow morning, I can ask Mr. Moody to accompany me. He used to be the most formidable Auror in the Ministry of Magic. With him by my side, you can rest assured."
"But Moody hasn't been home recently," Ferdinand frowned.
Then he realized that since Vedd had returned, if Moody had left to rescue him, he would likely be back soon.
Ferdinand changed his mind, "Alright, tomorrow morning, I'll accompany you to visit Moody. If he's not home... we can still contact Lupin."
Ferdinand also had Lupin's contact information.
After the kidnapping incident, the couple was temporarily unwilling to let Vedd go out alone, even to their London house, which they currently had no desire to visit.
Even though Vedd could fly there as a kestrel in no time, or even use apparition, he still smiled and nodded in agreement.
Vedd sent the letter to Michael and sat at the desk by the window, organizing his books—books on Dark Magic, even if they were just copies, could be dangerous if seen by Muggles.
Not only was their content dark and perilous, but these books also had the inherent ability to harm others due to the magic recorded within. Some could bewitch people into reading them, some could bring calamities, and others could induce hallucinations.
Therefore, these books had to be properly sealed with the appropriate magic and required specific techniques to read.
Similar to Hagrid's beloved book, 'Monsters and Their Monsters,' which would behave like a rabid mad dog, even biting off fingers, if one didn't stroke its spine.
Halfway through organizing, Vedd vaguely heard the sound of firecrackers exploding and looked up at the window alertly, thinking that perhaps Moody had returned. But the next moment, he saw two familiar figures walking towards the front door.
"Sirius! Remus!"
Vedd waved excitedly from the window. The two adult wizards looked up at him and waved back with smiles.
Both looked weary, having been in a low-voiced conversation with serious expressions, but upon seeing Vedd, their faces relaxed.
Vedd quickly ran downstairs, and as he passed the study, Ferdinand opened the door and asked, "Vedd, what's going on?"
"Sirius and Remus are here!" Vedd replied.
By the time the two reached the downstairs, Fiona had already opened the door and greeted the guests.
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Grey," they said with a smile.
"It's been a while, Mr. Grey."
After greeting them, they eagerly approached Vedd and breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing him unharmed.
"Great, you're safe!" Lupin opened his arms and gave Vedd a tight hug, his voice trembling slightly, "I'm so sorry, Vedd."
"It's not your fault, Remus," Vedd patted his back reassuringly, "You know, it was Grindelwald."
"Don't always wear that gloomy expression, Moony."
Sirius placed his hand on their shoulders and winked, "An incredible adventure, isn't it, Vedd? I wish I were you—facing the Dark Lord who once ruled Europe. That must have been thrilling!"
Lupin: "..."
He rolled his eyes at Sirius in silence—what nonsense are you spouting in front of other people's parents?
Vedd couldn't help but burst into laughter.
...
The Greys, sensing they had matters to discuss, prepared desserts and tea, then the two wizards returned to the study upstairs, leaving the space to Vedd and the others.
After some conversation, Sirius and Lupin learned about Vedd's general experiences, and Vedd also came to know about their pursuit of the Death Eaters, even their attack on the castle.
"We thought those guys would definitely keep you in the Death Eaters' lair, but we didn't expect Grindelwald to take you to the battlefield," Sirius frowned, his eyes sharpening.
Lupin patted Wade's shoulder and said, "I can't imagine that was a pleasant memory. Wade, if... I mean, if they forced you to hurt someone, don't feel guilty. We all know you didn't have a choice."
"Don't worry, I was just doing some technician work," Wade replied with a smile. "Even during their battles, Grindelwald only wanted me by his side..."
He paused, then continued, "I felt like... he must have known about our rescue plan and intended for me to leave with Dumbledore from the start."
As Wade spoke, Lupin observed his expression, noticing the clarity and calmness in his eyes, and the absence of any shadows. He finally felt truly relieved, knowing Wade was telling the truth.
Sirius scoffed, "That bastard definitely had ill intentions, Wade. Be wary of those guys; there's nothing good about Dark Wizards!"
He hesitated, thinking of Regulus, and amended, "Most Dark Wizards are no good! Their kindness is more terrifying than their mischief, because they're definitely after something from you!"
Wade considered this and couldn't disagree, so he nodded.
"Be cautious and steadfast in your beliefs," Lupin advised, looking at Wade. "As long as we know what's truly important, we won't be deceived, whether it's good intentions or ill will."
"I understand," Wade said seriously. "Dumbledore told me the same."
"Speaking of which, that Merrow took your magical puppets to the Wizarding Supremacists' territory—though it was to save you—Wade, did you know about this?" Sirius asked.
"Mabel?"
Wade recalled the girl who was determined to save her friends, then thought about the personalities of the Rubik's Cube and Cloak puppets. He fell silent for a moment.
It seemed highly unlikely that the puppets were taken away by Mabel, but the idea of them kidnapping the Merrow was absurdly plausible.
However, the magical world avoided discussing the thoughts and personalities of house-elves, a sentient species. If it became known that the puppets had their own ideas and were highly proactive, organizing a rescue operation...
At that point, the history of Muggle witch-hunting might repeat itself, turning into a witch-hunt for puppets.
"Mabel is my friend. I helped her once on that island," Wade said, subtly shifting the blame for the puppets' actions onto Mabel. He furrowed his brows in thought and said, "She probably wanted to seek my help, and somehow learned about my kidnapping, so she took the puppets to rescue me."
Sirius nodded, remembering the Merrow's black mist overturning the truck and the girl's decision to leave the Muggle soldiers to the Supremacists. He acknowledged the girl's decisiveness despite her young age.
Just like Wade, still young, yet impossible to treat as a mere child.
But Sirius had a question, "Where did she get the information? Even we weren't sure about the identity of the kidnappers at first."
Meanwhile, Lupin thought to himself, Hmm... Is Wade hiding something? What's there to hide... It seems he didn't know about it before...
Lupin's mind raced with thoughts, and he turned to Sirius, "It must be because of the two of us. Remember when we were chasing the gift-delivering owl to the Grey family's apartment? We discussed this."
Sirius raised an eyebrow, "You mean... the Merrow was hiding in the house back then?"
"Yeah," Lupin nodded and sighed, "Now that I think about it, I did see that colorful cube puppet, but I thought it was a decoration and didn't pay much attention."
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Sirius also remembered and couldn't help but go silent.
The Merrow, who had been tracked by the magical world for so long, was once just a few meters away from them, yet they hadn't noticed.
However, they had only heard of the Merrow's power and danger and had never witnessed its methods... Perhaps the Merrow had some unique hiding skills?
"I'd like to go back to the apartment," Wade said. "To see if the puppets have returned, if Mabel is still there, and also to get my Christmas present."
Lupin immediately understood his intention and said, "We'll go with you."
...
Wade didn't plan to be away from home for long. After dinner, they set off immediately, and he had promised his parents he would be back before bedtime.
"I have no choice; they're too worried about me."
As they stepped outside, Wade felt a little embarrassed and explained to the other two.
"I understand," Phin said calmly. "If I were your parents, I wouldn't feel comfortable letting you stay out all night either."
"Having good parents is a truly precious experience," Sirius said nostalgically. "Fleamont and Euphemia—oh, Harry's grandparents—treated me the same way, like a son of their own."
The London streets at night were quiet, with the brick buildings standing silently on either side, and only a few windows emitting faint light.
The three of them stood on the side of the road, first observing their surroundings to ensure there were no hidden dangers or Muggles nearby before heading towards the apartment.
Upon entering the room, they were greeted by the moonlight streaming through the window, casting a somber atmosphere. Wade turned on the electric light, instantly illuminating the entire room with a bright glow.
The bed, floor, and shelves were piled with gift boxes, and the wardrobe space was still there, with the bell that connected to the outside world hanging low, fast asleep.
"Wake up."
Wade snapped his fingers at the bell, startling it awake. It exclaimed joyfully, "Master, you're back!"
Then it swayed and asked, "Hey, where are the Rubik's Cubes?"
"That's what I wanted to ask you," Wade said. "How long have they been gone? Have they returned in the past few days?"
"Hmm..."
The bell fell into deep thought, unable to answer for a long time.
It couldn't help it; it was just a door bell without any sense of time. Moreover, when no one was around, the bell would spend most of its time in a deep sleep to conserve energy.
Wade realized he had asked a silly question when the bell remained silent for a while. He stepped into the wardrobe space and looked around but didn't see any trace of the others. So, he used a Floating Charm to send the gifts inside, planning to open them slowly when he returned home.
Wade also put away the magic books from his pockets, filling an entire bookshelf. He kept these books separate from his previous collection, storing them in different rooms to prevent any unwanted interactions between them.
As he exited the wardrobe space, he saw Sirius and Lupin packing his luggage. Clothes flew out of the wardrobe, folding themselves neatly before falling into the suitcase, while other items lined up, hopping and jumping into the box, each finding its designated spot.
When they had left, Fiona had asked him to collect all the important items, as she felt the house was unlucky and she would never live there again.
For wizards, moving was a simple task; no matter how many belongings they had, they could all fit into a small suitcase.
Sirius and Lupin also took the opportunity to explore the wardrobe space, which they had heard about but never seen. They were amazed by the vastness of the space.
"Limes is quite skilled with the Undetectable Extension Charm, but I've never seen him create such a large space!" Sirius exclaimed.
"I've only heard that Mr. Newt Scamander has a remarkable suitcase, like a whole other world inside!"
"Professor Morey took me to visit Mr. Scamander, and I did learn a lot from him," Wade said, looking up at the magical text in the space before turning to smile. "But his space is dedicated to protecting endangered magical creatures. My space here is mainly for alchemical research, so the scenery isn't as rich and interesting."
"Just make sure the Ministry of Magic doesn't find out about this large space of yours," Sirius said with a laugh. "Or else, you'll have trouble in the future when they discover it."
Lupin stared at the space, slightly dazed, and remained silent.
Newt Scamander, who had made exceptional contributions to resisting Grindelwald and protecting countless magical creatures, was a highly respected individual, and Lupin held the same opinion.
However, Scamander had also established the Werewolf Registry at the Ministry of Magic, documenting all known werewolves in Britain, managed by the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.
Perhaps Scamander's initial intention was to promote harmony between werewolves and humans, but the Ministry's approach was always harsh, simple, and arrogant.
Werewolves who refused to register were considered dangerous elements to be eliminated, while those who registered voluntarily faced constant surveillance and control in their daily lives, enduring various inconveniences and discrimination that Lupin had witnessed and experienced firsthand.
Wade transformed the wardrobe space into a pen box and placed it in his pocket. He took one last look around the room and said, "I should leave a note for Mabel and the others. When they return, they'll know where to find me."
He pulled out a piece of parchment and had just written the beginning when he heard Lupin suddenly say, "Look at the sky. Is something flying towards us?"
Wade looked up at the window, and in the night sky, a small ball of fire was rapidly approaching them.
(End of Chapter)
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