Chapter 450: Returning to School
Chapter 450: Returning to School
"To be honest, I was thinking..." Wade sighed, "How can I explain this to you? One of the conditions for my return is that I can't disrupt the Magi Puritan Party's propaganda plan."
"I guessed as much," Marquioni said. "Actually, this is a good thing for me too. If the entire magical world only hears the voice of FMC, I'd be worried about my own life."
"So, you're still not allowing the various Ministries of Magic to broadcast their own programs?"
Sirius, slightly annoyed, asked, "I heard you've had many visitors for negotiations, but they've been challenging. Do you know how many people message Remus daily, asking him to persuade you?"
"Look at what you're saying!" Marquioni said sternly. "How can you pass up a great money-making opportunity just for a minor safety issue?"
Sirius rolled his eyes, no longer bothering to argue with this money-driven man who would risk his life for wealth.
Remus, who had been bombarded with messages, understood Marquioni's approach better. "If we give in too easily, they'll take advantage. But you shouldn't be too stubborn either..."
Remus turned and looked at Marquioni, offering advice, "At least leave some room for negotiation, let them fight it out themselves... Otherwise, I'm genuinely worried that one day I'll see news of your demise on the streets."
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Marquioni assured, putting down his glass and donning his soft hat. As he passed by Wade, he paused and advised, "Stay at Hogwarts for now, don't leave the school."
"I understand," Wade replied softly.
Marquioni nodded to the group and hurried off, as if his sole purpose for this visit was to check on Wade and ensure his well-being.
"This guy..." Sirius leaned back on the sofa with a frown. "He's already incredibly wealthy, why is he still so greedy? Can he take gold into his grave?"
"For him, money is the ultimate pursuit, and making it is the greatest joy," Wade said. "It's like me; no matter how much magic I learn, I never feel like I've learned enough."
Sirius looked at him with a hint of teasing in his tone, "How old are you? When you're fifty, I bet you won't still be so naive and focused on learning."
Wade just smiled and didn't argue.
"I'm going to see Mabel," he said. "My mom made some treats for me to bring to her."
Although Fiona had read about Morien in the newspaper, she believed that anyone who would travel over a thousand kilometers to save Wade couldn't possibly be a bad person.
Wade went upstairs and knocked on the door. Mabel's voice came from inside, "Come in."
He pushed the door open, and Mabel was standing in the center of the room, her back to him, deeply focused on practicing spells.
On the table in front of her were five or six candles, and she was pointing her wand at them one by one, softly chanting, "Lumos!"
No blazing flames appeared.
Instead, a thin flame spurted from the wand with a 'pfft' sound, lighting one of the candles.
Then the second, the third... until all the candles were lit, and the room was instantly filled with warm candlelight.
"Remus, I've learned the Incendio spell!" Mabel exclaimed.
"Yes, very precise control," Wade's voice came from the doorway. "But aren't you worried about setting the table on fire?"
Hearing his voice, Mabel turned around abruptly, her face lit up with delight. "Wade!"
After a brief pause, she added, a bit more formally, "...Mr. Granger."
"Just call me Wade," Wade said as he walked over, his gaze falling on her right hand. "Do you have a wand now?"
"Yes, Professor Lupin took me to Diagon Alley to buy it," Mabel said, her eyes filled with gratitude. "I used the money you gave me, and the Polyjuice Potion."
"Your pronunciation and gestures for the spell are very standard," Wade said with a smile, his eyes showing a hint of approval. "You're a quick learner, Mabel."
After a moment, he continued, "I'm heading back to school today. Seeing that you're adjusting well, I feel relieved."
"Professor Lupin and Mr. Black are kind; they've been taking good care of me," Mabel smiled.
She was about to say something more but stopped herself, her words caught in her throat.
Wade noticed her expression and asked, "Are you facing some difficulties? Oh..."
He suddenly realized that although Mabel looked young, she was already thirteen or fourteen, at a delicate age. Perhaps she had some... unique adolescent concerns that the two adult wizards might not easily notice or help with.
"Mrs. Rosmerta, the owner of The Three Broomsticks, is kind and enthusiastic. You can also seek her advice for anything; she's a trustworthy person who will surely offer you useful suggestions."
"Nearby is Hogwarts, and the safety of this village is basically not a concern. You... well... you don't have to hide in the house all the time. You can occasionally go out, buy some things you like, and relax..." Ved said, his voice trailing off as he noticed the hesitation and unease in Mabel's eyes.
"Mr. Lupin said the same, but I just..." Mabel's voice grew softer, her gaze filled with uncertainty.
After a long silence, she finally spoke in a quiet voice, "I wonder how Hailey is doing. If possible, I'd like to see her." Her voice trembled slightly, revealing her cautiousness.
"Of course!" Ved didn't wait for Ved to respond and quickly added, "I know the Ministry might still be watching her. I won't meet her, I just want... to see her from a distance, to make sure she's safe, and then I'll be at ease."
Ved's expression softened at her words. He thought of the pale-faced little girl who was like a sister to Mabel, and a warm feeling filled his heart as he understood Mabel's current state of mind.
He nodded gently and said in a soft tone, "I'll ask Dumbledore to arrange a time for you to meet her... I think that shouldn't be difficult."
Mabel's tense body relaxed instantly upon hearing this, and a relieved smile appeared on her face. "Thank you, Ved," she said gratefully.
...
It was late at night when Ved returned to school.
Filch was standing by the gate, holding a dim lamp. Seeing Ved, a rare smile appeared on his usually stern face.
"You're finally back," the key manager muttered, turning slightly and walking towards the castle with heavy steps. "Have you taken care of everything at home?"
Ved was taken aback and replied vaguely, "Yes, it's all settled... By the way, where's Mrs. Loathsome?"
"Oh, she's with those little ones!" Filch's smile deepened, and he said affectionately, "When the Cleaning Crabs get stuck in the corners while cleaning, someone always has to rescue them."
In his words, both Mrs. Loathsome and the Cleaning Crabs seemed like adorable children.
"Have there been any more malfunctions recently?" Ved asked.
"No... Well, there have been some," Filch said. "But they fixed themselves. These little guys are getting smarter and smarter."
Ved nodded.
The Cleaning Crabs were his early creations, initially resembling low-level AI, only capable of rigidly following commands. However, they also possessed simple learning abilities, and their intelligence naturally grew over time.
As they approached the castle gate, Ved spotted several figures moving in the corridor from a distance. He turned to Filch and asked, "Shouldn't it be curfew time by now?"
"Of course," Filch replied, his expression darkening as he noticed the figures. "There are always some brats trying to break the rules. Just wait till I get my hands on them!"
Remembering that Ved was still by his side, he added, "Oh... You just got back, so it doesn't count. Go back to your common room now!"
The key manager quickened his pace and rushed into the castle to catch the rule-breaking students. In this moment, he ran with surprising speed, not like a man in his seventies.
Ved shook his head, raised his wand, and cast the spell, "Accio!"
Although there might be hundreds of brooms in Hogwarts, when Ved cast the spell, his mind had a clear image, and he would only summon that specific flying broom.
"Whoosh!"
With a sound of breaking wind, an old but well-maintained broom flew over and hovered next to Ved, bouncing twice as if it were also delighted.
"Long time no see, buddy," Ved said with a soft laugh, patting the broom handle gently before skillfully mounting it.
He first flew around the castle and the Black Lake before entering his bedroom through the window.
The house-elf had taken care of everything, and the room was warm and tidy, exactly as it had been when he left last semester. It was as if time had stood still in this place.
---
It felt great to be back at Hogwarts.
Vessey genuinely expressed his relief as he unpacked his belongings, organizing everything in its designated place. As he was arranging the bookshelf, he heard a knock on the door.
"Come in," Vessey said, looking up.
"Hey, Vessey!"
Michael entered the room, scanning the area with his eyes until he located Vessey. A look of excitement gradually filled his eyes.
"I just heard the sound of a flying broom passing through the window, so I guessed you were back... Seems like it's true!"
Michael quickly approached, his excitement evident.
"Long time no see, Michael," Vessey put down the book in his hand and greeted him with a smile. "It hasn't been that long... probably less than a month, right?"
"You've been gone for twenty-three days, mate!"
Michael grabbed Vessey's arm and looked him up and down, his eyes showing concern, but he hesitated to ask directly. Instead, he vaguely inquired, "What happened over there... erm, did you encounter anything? Anything you want to talk about? I promise I'm a good listener."
"It's not as bad as you think. I just went to handle a little... technical issue."
Vessey closed the door, sat down, and briefly recounted his recent experiences.
"Weird... so weird..."
Michael propped his chin on his hand, his face thoughtful.
"Honestly, if you had gotten beaten up, I would've found it more normal. But... from the previous news, Grindelwald doesn't seem like a kind and reasonable person, does he?"
"Ever since the Dark Lord proclaimed himself as the Dark Lord, most European wizards believe he can only be considered the second generation. The first Dark Lord should be Grindelwald."
"For someone like that to be so polite to you..."
As Michael thought about it, he suddenly shuddered, as if a cold wind had blown past him.
"Vessey..."
He called out in a low voice.
"What's wrong?" Vessey asked curiously, as he was in the middle of making tea.
"The Death Eaters all have the Dark Mark on their arms," Michael said slowly. "Did the Magi Puritan Party leave you with a strange symbol, like a triangle within a circle?"
He stared intently at Vessey, as if trying to discern any unusual expressions on his face.
Vessey, however, only paused slightly before setting down the teapot and speaking calmly, "If I had truly joined the Magi Puritan Party, I wouldn't have returned to school. You don't think that with my alchemy skills, they would send me to Hogwarts as a mere spy, do you?"
"Oh... I guess you're right."
Michael scratched his head awkwardly, "Sorry, I seem to have gone off on a tangent."
"Your idea isn't entirely wrong, though," Vessey said as he pushed the tea cup, now fragrant with steam, towards Michael. "There was indeed someone who wanted me to join the Magi Puritan Party, but Grindelwald didn't use any coercive measures. You could even say that he voluntarily let me leave with Professor Dumbledore."
"Is he that kind-hearted?" Michael asked skeptically.
"Kind-hearted? No, I'd say it's more about his demeanor. As a leader, he at least has the basic qualities of magnanimity and grace—though," Vessey added, recalling the incident at the grocery store where Grindelwald, disguised as an ordinary old man, had ambushed him, "sometimes he does disregard martial ethics."
Michael couldn't help but laugh at Vessey's remark.
A million explanations couldn't prove Vessey's point better than this natural and effortless complaint—that he hadn't been subjected to any abuse or control by the Magi Puritan Party.
Michael felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his heart.
With a friend having been taken away by the authorities, Michael, like Lupin, had been tormented day and night by a sense of responsibility, guilt, and disappointment in himself.
Now that Vessey had finally returned safely, Michael felt like he, too, had been released from a cage.
"Michael, apart from you and the others, does anyone else know the real reason why I didn't come to school on time?" Vessey asked.
"No, Professor Flitwick told everyone that you had taken a few days off for personal matters... Oh, and here's your class schedule."
Michael suddenly remembered his task and took out a piece of paper from his pocket. Seeing the dense list of courses, he said with lingering fear:
"There are five classes tomorrow morning... I'm sorry."
"Don't worry," Vessey said calmly. "Before coming to school, I discussed it with the professors. They said that since I've already mastered the basic knowledge, it's fine if I don't do last week's homework."
Vessey dusted off the parchment and smiled, "And now I've got... plenty of time."
(End of Chapter)
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