Chapter 465: Purpose and Exchange
Kariel stared at the woman who had once been his mother—Know her ProactiveEnthusiasm, her loud greeting, was all to avoid being the one to say “Mom” first.
Because Wade knew his real mother, and she had never been altered.
Even now, with the Entrance ahead and no one else around, the room was packed with vampires—enough to fill a classroom. Yet, out of fear for Dumbledore, they still wanted to lure Wade inside before making their move.
Kariel didn’t have any intention of opposing her—he simply turned to look at Wade, his eyes filled with cold cynicism.
Even if Wade now regretted his decision and wanted to leave, it was far too late.
Kariel’s gaze swept over Wade’s neck. His fingers twitched. His pupils narrowed. His breath grew subtly faster.
Wade, however, seemed completely unaware. He smiled, eyes crinkling like a normal student visiting a classmate’s home.
“Good afternoon, Madam,” he said cheerfully.
Unaware, he walked past Mrs. Johnson and stepped into the room.
The woman exchanged a glance with Kariel, her lips curling into a satisfied, secretive smile. Once he was through the door, she glanced around, then shut it behind her with a sharp click.
“Boom!”
The sound of the wooden door slamming echoed, simultaneous with the heavy thud of something hitting the floor—so forceful it made the floor tremble.
Kariel paused for a moment in the Great Hall before entering.
Inside, he found Wade lying sprawled and bound on the ground, his wand already confiscated by Majer Byerd, who now held it up for inspection.
“Is that it?” asked the scarred vampire, grumbling. “Too easy, man.”
“Were you hoping for a fight with Hogwarts wizards?” Roberts chuckled. “No casualties is the best outcome. Honestly, I didn’t think it’d go this smoothly.”
“Who’s the kid?” one vampire asked Kariel, eyeing his Hogwarts robes. “You a vampire too? Why’re you dressed like a student?”
“This is my son,” Majer Byerd said. “He has a certain magical talent.”
He emphasized the word tolerance with a mocking tone. “Thanks to Dumbledore’s generosity, even vampires are welcome in this school—giving us this chance.”
The vampires erupted into laughter.
“Good work, kid!”
Someone cracked open a bottle and raised it high.
“We didn’t get to fight, but every one of us came here ready to die. You’ve earned this.”
The burned vampire suddenly spoke, voice icy.
“The reward… you can’t back out now, can you?”
The laughter died instantly.
“Of course not,” Majer Byerd said, forcing a confident smile. “The wealth in the boy’s vault still belongs to you.”
He regretted it, deep down—but with the room full of vampires watching, he couldn’t afford to show weakness.
“Perfect,” the burned vampire grinned. “From what I know, wizards like this, with business ties across the world, don’t even need to act personally. A single letter can make goblins withdraw funds from the vault. Majer Byerd, I just need one letter.”
“Same here,” the scarred vampire added, almost apologetically. “I’m not asking for more. But the promised thirty thousand galleons? That’s non-negotiable.”
“Exactly,” others chimed in. “With him in your hands, you’ll have endless wealth. Now you just need a letter to get rid of us? You can’t renege.”
Roberts urged, “Letters to Gringotts must be handwritten. How many can he write in time? Who goes first? To avoid chaos, let’s delay the letters until we’re safe.”
“I agree,” Garr said. “This place gives me the creeps. Feels like Dumbledore could show up any second.”
“True,” Garr added. “We should leave now.”
Just then, he felt it—the sudden, sharp turn of Wade Gray’s head, eyes locking onto him.
For no reason he could explain, Garr regretted speaking.
It wasn’t just the words—it was the silence in Wade’s gaze, unnervingly calm, like a storm waiting to break. His mind screamed an alarm.
Garr glanced at the room where Lockhart was imprisoned. Should he abandon this cellmate and run?
Majer Byerd glanced down at Wade, who had remained utterly silent since being captured.
Was it despair? Fear? Or was he, with that strange mind of his, already plotting an escape?
But Majer Byerd dared not dismiss him. This boy—this teenager—had already reshaped the Wizarding World in just a few years.
So he snapped the wand from Wade’s grasp.
“A wizard without a wand is worse than a Muggle,” Majer Byerd said, dragging Wade up. He glanced at Kariel.
“Kariel, keep your wand ready. Don’t let him steal it.”
“I know,” Kariel said, bowing his head.
A drunk vampire sneered. “You’re overcautious, Majer Byerd.”
Kariel watched as Majer Byerd dragged Wade toward the fireplace. Mrs. Johnson had already prepared a large bowl of Floo powder.
Garr stepped forward, hesitating. “Uh… Dad… I need to go to the restroom…”
“Can’t you feel the time?” the scarred vampire mocked. “Now’s not the time for sentiment, kid.”
“No,” Kariel said quietly, his voice low, pleading. “Wade Gray… he’s got a magical artifact. I really like it… Dad… can I keep it?”
“Of course you can,” Majer Byerd said, pleased. “What is it?”
The goal—after years of waiting—was finally within reach.
Kariel stepped forward, meeting Wade’s blank stare. He lowered his eyes instinctively, then reached up and pulled a long, thin golden chain from around Wade’s neck.
A glowing golden hourglass timer dangled from it.
His hands trembled the moment he touched the Time-Turner. His heartbeat, once slow and steady, surged into a frantic drumming.
“What’s that, kid?” a lean vampire asked, eyes sharp with greed. He couldn’t tell what it did, but he saw something in Kariel’s face—something rare.
Before Kariel could speak, Roberts cut in:
“Enough, Tark. The boy’s earned his reward. And with thirty thousand galleons, he could buy any magical item he wants.”
Tark looked around. The others seemed to think he was being greedy, especially since he’d done nothing today. Reluctantly, he shut his mouth.
Kariel clutched the timer tightly, the edges digging into his palm.
Then Wade laughed.
“I had a strange hunch earlier… why you’d obey them so easily. Now I see. That’s your real purpose, Kariel.”
He looked up at Kariel, his eyes filled with a strange pity.
“But it won’t work. It can’t change anything.”
Kariel sneered. “You think you’re the only one who reads books? I’ve read A History of Magic. I know what happened before.”
He’d only feared Wade revealing the Time-Turner’s name.
But now, faced with that cold, stone-like gaze, a fire flared inside him.
He’d rather Wade scream in rage, curse his betrayal, than be looked at with such quiet, judgmental stillness.
“Enough,” Majer Byerd snapped. “You’ll have plenty of time later.”
He shoved Wade toward the fireplace, tossed Floo powder into the flames, and the green fire roared to life.
“25 Milltown Street!”
Kariel had already slipped back toward the entrance, planning to slip away unnoticed—when he caught sight of someone else whose goal mirrored his own.
They locked eyes.
Garr forced a nervous smile. “Uh… I need to use the restroom…”
Suddenly, a voice from the living room gasped in shock.
Kariel turned.
Wade and Majer Byerd were still standing in the fireplace flame.
They hadn’t been transported.
Chaos erupted.
The scarred vampire yanked them out. “Let me try!”
He threw in Floo powder, clear and loud: “25 Milltown Street!”
Nothing happened.
“Try another place!” Roberts urged. “Try The Leaky Cauldron!”
Still nothing.
“The fireplace’s been severed from the Floo network!” Majer Byerd said, his face pale, teeth grinding. He knew more than most.
“What now?” Artemis stammered. “Do we have to drag him to the village to find a working fireplace?”
“Idiot!” the burned vampire roared, stepping forward. He pressed his knife against Wade’s neck. “If you don’t want to die, contact your backers—tell them to restore the connection!”
Wade smiled. Calm. Unfazed.
“Or what? You’ll cut my head off? Then you lose everything—your wealth, your safety, my alchemy knowledge. All gone.”
His eyes swept over the faces of the terrified vampires, as if his life were not in their hands.
The burned vampire narrowed his eyes. “Proud little brat. We can’t kill you—but we can make you suffer.”
He twisted the blade and plunged it deep into Wade’s shoulder.
Garr flinched, instinctively clutching his own shoulder.
But then—nothing.
Wade didn’t scream.
The vampire, however, stared in horror.
“What the—?!”
He pulled the knife out.
No blood. No flesh. No bone.
Just pale, crumbly, soil-like material where the wound should be.
“Shame,” Wade said, calmly. “I really liked this robe.”
Then, with a twist of his arm—no one could explain how—his ropes fell away.
“What are you?” the vampire gasped, trembling.
“Magic Puppet!” Kariel exclaimed in disbelief. “How is this possible?”
“No!” Majer Byerd shouted, his face twisted in fury. “I heard your heartbeat! I heard your blood!”
“Oh, that?” The Magic Puppet Wade reached into his chest and pulled out a badge. “Recorded sound, played back. Even Muggles can do it. But lucky for you—what you heard was my master’s heartbeat. Just… yesterday’s.”
The badge came free.
And the vampires, in horror, realized—no sound was coming from the boy.
Majer Byerd’s eyes flashed with fury, locking onto Kariel.
Kariel stared back, stunned.
“Earlier… the voice I heard… it was you. You were pretending to be Wade all along?”
“No mistake,” the Magic Puppet Wade said, offering a faint smile.
“Guess when we swapped places, Kariel?”
(End of Chapter)
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