Chapter 457: Invitation
Chapter 457: Invitation
On Thursday, Wade didn’t have many classes—just two overlapping electives in the morning, Herbology in the afternoon, and Astronomy in the evening.
However, since he needed to attend alchemy classes with Professor More, Wade woke up early and went to the Hospital Wing to pick up the wolfling.
As usual, he skipped the long corridors and stairs, opting instead to ride his broomstick. He flew along the windows, arriving at the Hospital Wing’s window a minute later.
Wade placed his hand on the window and cast an unlocking charm without a wand. The lock inside turned silently, and he opened the window, preparing to enter. Suddenly, he heard a voice—
“Ah!” Malfoy screamed, sounding like he had just jumped out of bed.
Wade paused, thinking he might have found the wrong window.
Just as he was about to quietly turn and leave, he heard someone else speaking inside.
“Good morning, Draco,” a girl said in a slightly teasing tone. “Sorry, I guess I woke you up a bit too roughly.”
“You’re crazy, what are you doing?” Malfoy said angrily. “My bed is soaking wet now! Madam Pomfrey will be here any minute!”
The others in the room burst into laughter, their amusement tinged with mockery, as if they found his reaction childish.
Wade cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself and hovered outside the window, peering in.
Five or six students stood around Malfoy’s bed, seemingly surrounding him. Malfoy, drenched, jumped out of bed, looking rather disheveled.
Wade took a moment to note the names of a few of the students and then focused on the one familiar face.
Caryle.
Despite being a few years younger than the others, Caryle wasn’t notably shorter. Standing among them, he fit in seamlessly.
Wade suddenly realized it had been a long time since he last saw Caryle. Though they had spoken before the holidays, it had only been a month or so, yet Caryle seemed to have changed a lot.
His once smooth face had grown thinner, his eyes serene, as if he had aged several years overnight, even giving off a sense of weariness.
At that moment, while everyone else was laughing, Caryle’s expression remained neutral, his eyes downcast, as if he had just woken up.
“Don’t make such a fuss, Draco,” another boy said, laughing. “A simple spell can fix this. Didn’t you learn that in your Charms class?”
He waved his wand, and the water on the bed disappeared, leaving only a faint trace.
“Sorry, I don’t need to learn such… what do you call it? Household magic? Do you not have a house-elf at home?” Malfoy sneered.
The boy stopped laughing but didn’t get angry. Instead, he shrugged and said, “Not every family can be like the Malfoys, with ancestors who left behind wealth that continues to grow instead of being squandered.”
“Really? You can’t even afford a house-elf?” one of his companions asked, sounding naively surprised.
“We have one, but Bru is quite old,” the boy explained. “My mother allows him to breed, but you know… it’s not that easy.”
“Enough about those lowly house-elves. The thought of their faces makes me sick,” a girl said haughtily. “Draco, you haven’t attended our gatherings in a while. Are you planning to quit?”
“Don’t you know? I’ve been in detention! All because of that spell you taught me… the Sectumsempra! I’m facing a year of detention!” Malfoy said, clearly irritated.
The boy quickly hushed him. “Shh—shh—keep your voice down! Do you want to attract Madam Pomfrey?”
Someone else laughed. “This can’t be our fault. I warned you that the spell was dangerous, but it’s very satisfying to use—right? Didn’t you enjoy using it to get back at traitors?”
“Enjoy it?” Malfoy said stubbornly. “I almost vomited!”
“Well, I have to go to class,” the haughty girl said. “Malfoy, we’re having a gathering at the usual spot this evening. If you want to join, just pretend your injuries haven’t healed and take a day off. Of course, if you want to quit, you just need to…”
She paused, smiling meaningfully. “…say the word.”
Her smile was laden with a threat, as if she was saying—dare to quit and I’ll twist your head off.
After a moment, Malfoy’s voice rang out in the room. “I’ll be there.”
“That’s best.”
The group filed out, and the last boy to leave took a bag of Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans from the bedside table.
Malfoy tightly clutched the ring in his hand, standing by the bed with an uncertain expression.
Wade glanced at the scene once more, then gently turned his broomstick and flew away from the window.
He remembered when Malfoy had injured Crabbe, and Malfoy's parents had rushed to the school to handle the matter.
Dumbledore had sentenced him to a year of detention, the longest any student had ever been given.
Malfoy's father had not raised any objections, only entrusting the matter to Professor Snape. At the time, Draco Malfoy must have felt relatively relieved, given Snape's well-known favoritism toward him.
However, the reality was far different. Draco Malfoy's detention was extremely severe. Apart from classes, he spent every moment in detention, and even homework had to be completed during his detention time, with Professor Snape occasionally allowing him a few moments to finish.
Rumors suggested that Professor Snape would review his essays during detention. For other professors, this would have been a rare learning opportunity, but with Snape's style, Draco Malfoy was likely enduring mental torture every day.
There were even times when he returned in tears.
Now, reflecting on it, Dumbledore, Malfoy's father, and Professor Snape, despite their differing stances, seemed to have a unified approach in this matter.
They were using the detention as a means to force Draco Malfoy to sever ties with people he shouldn't associate with.
However, it seemed Draco Malfoy didn't see it that way.
When Wade entered the infirmary where the young wolf was resting, he had already made his decision.
He objectively recorded what had just transpired on a piece of parchment, made two copies, and transformed them into paper cranes. He watched as the light yellow cranes flapped their wings and flew out the window.
One headed for the headmaster's office, the other to find Professor Snape.
Draco Malfoy's gathering tonight would likely not go smoothly, and the student club might be shut down by the professors as well.
As Wade leaned against the window, watching the cranes fly away, the young wolf on the bed had already turned over, peeking through a small gap in the curtain, his round eyes watching Wade.
Wade suddenly turned his head, and the young wolf was startled, letting out a soft growl as he withdrew back into the bed.
"Hello", Wade said gently, without moving closer. "My name is Wade Gray. How are your wounds feeling?"
After a moment, the small wolf poked his head out again.
"Much better", he said in a young voice. "Thank you for saving me... Where are we?"
"At Hogwarts' Hospital Wing. Come on, I'll take you back to the Forbidden Forest."
Wade extended his hand, and the young wolf hesitated for a moment before emerging fully. Wade gently picked him up by the scruff of his neck.
The young wolf let out a small cry, his limbs tightly gripping Wade's arm, his tail stiffening.
"What's your name?" Wade asked as he walked out.
"Morris", the young wolf said. "Morris Holden."
"How old are you?" Wade asked.
"I'm already two years old", Morris said proudly.
Wade was somewhat surprised; he had thought the young wolf was only a few months old.
He vaguely remembered that ordinary wolves were nearly mature by two years of age, but this young wolf still had a childlike appearance and manner.
Perhaps this was due to his human heritage—his childhood was longer, but his lifespan was likely much longer than that of a wild wolf.
"If I take you back to the Forbidden Forest, do you know how to find your way home?" Wade asked, concerned. "Don't get caught by some monster again."
"Of course I do! I just made a mistake earlier!" Morris argued loudly.
As they spoke, Wade left the infirmary and paused in the corridor.
Caryle leaned against the wall, looking up and smiling. "Good morning, Wade."
"Morning", Wade replied, closing the door behind him. "No classes this morning? Why are you here?"
"I was waiting for you", Caryle said. "I sensed you were outside the window, didn't I?"
"Sensed?" Wade raised an eyebrow. "You heard, right?"
"Ha, that works too", Caryle laughed, then turned his gaze to Morris. "Is this little guy your pet?"
Morris shivered slightly, burying his head in Wade's chest.
"No, I found him in the forest", Wade explained. "He was injured, and I brought him to Madam Pomfrey for treatment."
"Oh, so you met him in the Forbidden Forest yesterday evening, right?" Caryle smiled. "I thought I had a good relationship with Professor Hagrid, but I didn't expect Malfoy to receive an invitation and not me."
Hagrid had promised Malfoy long ago, back when you were still new to the school. Besides, Hagrid always does what he wants", Wade said.
"Like illegally raising a dragon?" Caryle said enviously. "It’s so cool... doing whatever you want, even if you mess up, there’s always someone to bail you out."
Wade glanced at him and asked, "Did something happen over the holidays? You look... not so good."
"Maybe I just went a bit wild during the break and haven’t recovered yet... or maybe it’s because I didn’t get the Christmas gift I wanted", Caryle said, hinting at something.
Wade felt a bit awkward when he heard this.
He hadn’t given Caryle a Christmas gift, but when he returned from the Gray Castle, he found a gift from Caryle among the pile of presents—a planner and a small bag of cookies.
They were very ordinary, so ordinary that Wade felt like a fool for checking them so thoroughly.
Of course, he had eaten the cookies, but he still kept the planner on his shelf as a decoration. The closet space was ample, so it didn’t matter if it took up room.
"Speaking of which..." Caryle suddenly asked, "Did you like the cookies I gave you?"
"…They were pretty good", Wade said vaguely.
"Haha, no need to be so reluctant. I know they’re far from what my mom used to make", Caryle said with a smile. "Wade, you remember, right? My mom was a great cook, and you loved the little cookies she made when you were a kid."
"Of course", Wade nodded.
"But my favorite was the seafood chowder... she’d add cream, a bit of bay leaf, and lemon, and it was so delicious you could almost swallow your tongue", he said with a nostalgic look. "Unfortunately, vampires aren’t very sensitive to taste, so her seafood chowder isn’t as good anymore."
Wade felt a pang in his heart and turned to look at Caryle, unsure if he was saying this intentionally or just chatting.
"By the way, you didn’t accept my invitation over Christmas break. How about next Hogsmeade weekend? Come over to my place? My parents bought a house in Hogsmeade, and they really want to meet you."
Caryle said enthusiastically, "My mom will cook a big feast, and you can bring a few friends along."
Wade frowned. "Your parents?"
"Yep!" Caryle’s smile didn’t waver.
Wade was confused. "Caryle, after all this time, you really haven’t noticed..."
The boy’s smile faded, and his eyes, which seemed to have a hint of red, turned cold and hateful. But this cold expression lasted only a moment before he bent his eyebrows and smiled again, a mask-like grin.
"Please, Wade, this is something you owe me", Caryle said humbly. "You didn’t accept my invitation last time, so please, just this once, say yes. Otherwise, my parents will be angry with me... I’m begging you."
Wade looked into his eyes for a long time before nodding slightly.
"Great!" Caryle immediately beamed, looking triumphant. "Haha, I knew you’d be soft-hearted! Once you agree, you can’t back out! I’m going to have breakfast!"
He waved and walked briskly toward the Great Hall. Wade, on the other hand, turned in the opposite direction and went down the side stairs.
Only then did Maurice cautiously raise his head, rolling around in Wade’s arms and looking up at the wizard who had saved him.
The young wizard’s gray eyes were downcast, filled with a deep sadness and pity.
"Wade?" Maurice called softly, placing his front paws on Wade’s arm.
"Hmm?"
"That person… he smells of blood, and he feels dangerous… you should stay away from him and not accept his invitation", Maurice said earnestly.
Wade simply replied, "I know."
"Huh?"
"I know he’s a vampire. But…"
Wade walked out of the castle, gazing at the dark forest in the distance, swallowing the rest of his words.
After a moment, Maurice thought about it and patted Wade’s arm with his paw, saying, "I don’t know what’s going on, but my dad once said… he said that bad things won’t go away just because you avoid them, but if you keep moving forward, you’ll eventually get out of the mud."
Wade smiled. "You’re very smart, Maurice, and your father is a wise man. But… in some ways, I’m very clumsy."
Looking back at the majestic castle, Wade sighed. "It seems I’m going to be troubling Professor Dumbledore again."
(End of Chapter)
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