Chapter 467: The One Called Rock
Chapter 467: The One Called Rock
Wade didn’t comment much on the punishment Caryle would face.
Age was Caryle’s greatest shield.
Just as Dumbledore had been willing to wait, hoping that he would see the light during his school years, the Ministry of Magic would not easily throw a thirteen-year-old into Azkaban.
For a wizard, being expelled from school and having one's wand snapped was already a severe punishment.
Of course, buying a second-hand wand wasn’t difficult, but this punishment also meant that the Ministry would prohibit Caryle from using magic in the future and from owning a wand. If he were caught buying a second-hand wand, he would face additional penalties.
Like Hagrid, despite his wealth, he could easily buy a hundred wands, but in the past, he could only hide his wand inside a ridiculous pink umbrella.
Wade no longer paid attention to Caryle. He put away his wand and walked down the stairs. The busy wizards in the hall couldn’t help but look up at him, and some even came over to shake his hand and introduce themselves.
Before he knew it, Wade had several slender, pod-like objects in his hand. These were essentially the magical world’s “business cards,” recording a wizard’s name and the specific magical signal for their communication bean.
Later, as long as Wade placed the “pod” together with his communication bean for three seconds, the bean would record the information. In the future, he could simply press the communication bean and say the other person’s name to establish a connection.
It took him about ten minutes to finally leave the dimly lit wooden house and step outside.
Next to the somewhat neglected vegetable garden, Kingsley was speaking with one of his Aurors.
“... Lock them up, no bail. We need to gather more evidence, and we need to investigate the identities of these vampires and their lair thoroughly...”
When Kingsley saw Wade, he patted his subordinate’s back, instructed him to take care of the matter, and then walked over to Wade.
“Hello, Wade,” Kingsley said, a faint smile appearing on his usually stern face. “The Sunlight Charm was excellent.”
“Thank you,” Wade replied. “The vampire who escaped...”
“It confirms the information you sent. It’s indeed Gael Troca, who escaped from Azkaban.”
Kingsley continued, “And the person he took from the storage room, although his appearance has changed significantly, it’s almost certain that he’s the other escapee, Gilderoy Lockhart.”
“I didn’t expect they would still be together,” Wade said seriously. “So, Peter Pettigrew is likely with them... or at least maintaining some sort of contact.”
Kingsley nodded. “That rat disappeared without a trace after escaping. These two are the only leads we have... but if Peter Pettigrew is cautious enough, he might abandon them and hide on his own.”
—No, Peter Pettigrew would go to Voldemort... if he’s still alive.
Wade's mind flashed with this thought, and then he smiled. "If they prove to be useless, we can always capture them later—as long as the Tracking Charm hasn't been detected or expired."
“Don’t worry, it won’t be detected,” Kingsley said. “Hestia used a very obscure spell. Lockhart wouldn’t know it. I asked his former professors, and they all said that Lockhart’s pursuit of fame far outweighed his interest in learning magic. He only studied the parts he liked.”
After Kingsley left, Wade touched the communication bean in his left ear and whispered, “Draen?”
A moment later, he heard a voice. “Wade Gray.”
“They want to take me to 25 Millfield.”
“Understood.”
“Thanks.”
“No need to thank me. Mr. Grindelwald is also very interested in these individuals.”
The call ended, and Wade removed the communication bean. He turned to look at the homunculus, who followed him like a shadow.
Seeing that face, which he saw every day in the mirror, now as an independent entity behind him, felt strange.
Wade said, “Change your appearance. Haven’t you noticed how people look at you?”
The homunculus shrugged. “The way others look at me means nothing to me.”
Despite this, his appearance changed subtly. He became slightly shorter, his body under the robes bulked up a bit, his black hair turned brown, and his gray eyes became deep blue.
After a few steps, the homunculus looked like an ordinary student, completely different from Wade.
The road to the village was as quiet as when they came, but with Caryle gone, Wade and the homunculus could speak freely.
"Finally, Lockhart and Gael Troca have shown up. It's time for you, Peter Pettigrew, to make your comeback", Ved whispered. "As long as the three of you are together, no one will suspect that one of you is an imposter."
The homunculus, who was actually Peter Two, nodded and said, "I'll find the right moment to join them."
"Did you bring the rat?" Ved asked.
Peter Two nodded, reaching into his pocket—actually extending his hand into his stomach—and pulled out a gray rat that was bald and missing a toe.
The rat looked around smartly, flattening its ears and lying still in Peter Two's palm.
This rat, of course, was another of Ved's alchemical creations. Small in size but wise, its intelligence matched that of the real Peter Pettigrew.
Peter Pettigrew was a well-known Animagus, but Peter Two couldn't truly transform into a rat. The magical materials Ved used on him far exceeded the volume of a rat.
Peter Two could change his appearance and even grow taller and more robust—essentially becoming hollow. However, the smallest he could compress was to the size of a seven- or eight-year-old child, not small enough to fit in a palm like a rat.
So, whenever he needed to transform into an Animagus, he would use this rat, while Peter Two would hide or use an invisibility charm.
"This trick can only fool Lockhart and the others. It won't work on truly powerful wizards. Use it with caution", Ved warned.
"Understood", Peter Two replied.
"And one more thing", Ved opened his palm to reveal two dark, lifeless eyes. "These are new eyes I recently made for you. They can't change color, but they might be useful in critical moments."
Peter Two took the eyes, carefully removing his old ones and replacing them with the new ones.
These eyes, like Moody's magical eye, rolled around in his sockets in different directions before settling into place.
Peter Two looked up at Ved, his gaze noticeably dimmer, lacking the sharpness it once had, even when cold.
The bustling street was just ahead, and through the alley, they could see many students passing by.
Ved stopped, looking at Peter Two. "Go. I hope everything goes smoothly for you."
Peter Two didn't leave immediately. He whispered, "Master, I have a request."
Ved was surprised and replied, "Go on."
"I want you to give me a new name", the homunculus said. "Peter Pettigrew is a despicable and cowardly person. I don't want to be called Peter Two anymore. Even if no one ever knows, I want a name that truly belongs to me."
Ved was taken aback for a moment, then asked, "Is this a long-standing wish, or did it just come to you now?"
The homunculus, puzzled by the question, answered honestly, "I've never liked being called Peter Two, but I only had the courage to ask you now as I was about to leave."
Ved looked into the homunculus's eyes, which, though made of non-living material, revealed a hint of sincerity. He smiled. "Indeed... Peter Two is a rather casual name. Let me think..."
His gaze swept over the homunculus, then to the distant mountains and forests, and the grayish-white rocks and earth.
"How about 'Rock'? It means 'stone' and symbolizes resilience and strength", Ved suggested.
"Rock?" The homunculus's plain face broke into a smile. "I like it."
...
Number 25 Mill Town was actually an abandoned villa in the suburbs, uninhabited for years. The villa's owners had all died mysteriously over a decade ago, with no visible wounds or discernible cause of death. The incident was shrouded in mystery, and rumors persisted that restless spirits still wandered the villa.
The town's residents stayed away, but recently, strange figures had been spotted around the villa, appearing and disappearing suddenly, and sometimes bats circled the area. This led to the spread of several ghost stories in the town.
The protagonists of these ghost stories, armed with bombs and heavy weapons, had been waiting by the fireplace, which was lit with a Lumos charm, for an entire day.
"What's taking Baird so long?" someone asked, unable to contain their impatience. "Is the operation failing?"
The leader checked his watch. "We'll wait five more minutes. If they don't show up, we leave immediately!"
Just as he finished speaking, the villa's door exploded, and several figures appeared at the entrance. Before anyone could identify them, they shouted in unison:
"Arcias-Tomio!"
(End of Chapter)
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