Chapter 483: Farewell
Chapter 483: Farewell
A book that hadn't been finished yet lay on the table, a bookmark made from a hippogriff feather beside it. On the bed were a pillow pet and a teddy bear, and the posters on the wall, which occasionally fluttered, needed to be rolled up.
Mabel had thought her stay here wasn't long, so her luggage should be minimal. But as she packed, she realized how many traces of her life were here.
Fortunately, Wade had cast an Undetectable Extension Charm on the suitcase, tripling its space, allowing her to pack everything without feeling the weight.
Mabel picked up the photo frame on the table last.
It was a photo taken on a Hogsmeade weekend afternoon when Wade, Harry, and Michael had all come to Lupin's house to play. Wade had brought his camera and taken a bunch of photos, and this was one of the group shots.
Initially, Mabel, who wasn't familiar with the others, had planned to be the one taking photos. But Michael pulled her to the sofa and made her sit down.
In the photo, the girl in the center had a surprised yet shy smile, surrounded by a group of vibrant young wizards.
Lupin was at the back, arms spread wide, as if protecting everyone under his wings.
Mabel couldn't help but smile as she looked at the photo, then carefully placed it in the compartment of her suitcase.
She took one last look around the bedroom where she had lived for a few months, feeling that every corner held many beautiful memories.
Her eyes showed reluctance, but soon that was replaced by acceptance and joy. She put on her hat, picked up her suitcase, and walked down the stairs with a light step.
The living room sofa looked exactly like the one in the photo, with Wade and Lupin sitting and chatting.
"Are we going to Privet Drive tomorrow?" Wade asked.
"Yes, Sirius is busy lately, but Harry still has to stay with the Dursleys for two more weeks."
Lupin sighed. "They're on some 'diet plan,' but I suspect they just want to starve Harry. If I don't go, he'll probably only get a handful of grass to eat each day."
It sounded pretty bad, but Wade couldn't help but chuckle.
"Harry has money. Why doesn't he buy his own food?"
"Harry buying his own food? That would drive the Dursleys mad! They are the most unreasonable Muggles I've ever met, with more rules than a church."
Lupin shook his head, sighing in frustration.
Just then, he heard footsteps from the stairs and turned to see Mabel, wearing a frilly blouse and a light green pleated skirt, coming down, looking fresh and adorable.
Lupin stopped talking, his eyes filled with reluctance as he watched the girl he had almost treated as a daughter finally ready to leave.
"Mabel, are you all packed?" Wade asked.
"Of course." Mabel smiled at Lupin. "Remus, thank you for taking care of me all this time."
"It's nothing." Lupin said softly. "Take care of yourself over there... you know you're always welcome back. This place will always be your home."
"Um-hum."
Mabel nodded forcefully, sniffled, and stepped forward to hug Lupin.
"Goodbye, Remus." She whispered, her voice choked with emotion.
Lupin stroked her silky hair, saying, "Stay in touch... and if anyone bullies you, let me know."
...
The carriage jolted as it left Hogsmeade. Mabel turned around, watching the pointed-roof cottage grow smaller and smaller until she couldn't hold back a few tears.
Wade handed her a handkerchief, speaking gently. "You know, you don't have to leave so soon."
"I'm afraid the longer I stay, the harder it will be to leave."
Mabel wiped her tears, forcing a smile. "And I need to adapt to a normal life!"
Wade sighed inwardly, silent, his thoughts drifting back to two weeks ago.
After the separation of the Muggle-born, Mabel's weak body couldn't recover immediately. Madam Pomfrey had her take two bottles of potion daily, and Dumbledore had even sent Fawkes.
The golden-red phoenix, upon seeing Mabel, had graciously shed two tears to help her recover.
Wade hadn't seen the separated Muggle-born again, as Scamander had put it in his suitcase that day. He had heard that Dumbledore and Scamander were still studying it.
On the third day, under the urging of Haley’s adoptive parents, the two sisters had to part ways, with Lupin sending the young girl back home.
On the seventh day, Scamander conducted another thorough check, confirming that the dark force of the dissociated Muggle-born had completely disappeared from Mabel’s body.
However, it seemed that Mabel had also lost her magical abilities.
She had already learned quite a few basic spells, but now, when she picked up her wand, it was like a dud—she couldn’t cast any magic, only occasionally managing to produce a few stray sparks from the tip.
Dumbledore contacted the Ministry of Magic, and numerous Ministry officials came and went, almost wearing down the gravel path in front of Lupin’s house. Finally, after two days, the warrant for Mabel’s arrest was rescinded.
This was followed by a flood of reports in the _Daily Prophet_, with headlines like “Unprecedented Breakthrough” and “First Cured Muggle-born.”
Many journalists wanted to interview the “miracle girl” Mabel, but Wade, working with Fmc (Marchioni Media Company) and Dumbledore, managed to deflect this wave of attention. Under Fmc’s guidance, the focus of the media reports shifted to Scamander and Dumbledore, who were responsible for the miracle.
These two had ample experience dealing with the media, and as long as they didn’t want to be found, the journalists couldn’t even catch a glimpse of them. There was no need to worry about being harassed by them.
However, when Wade caught a familiar beetle on the oak tree outside, everyone realized that the media hadn’t truly let go of Mabel, a major hot topic. At least, reporters like Rita Skeeter, who were persistent, definitely wouldn’t.
Especially since Mabel no longer had any magical abilities. Staying in Hogsmeade, a wizarding village, and at Lupin’s house, whose address was already exposed, would be more harmful than beneficial for her.
Lupin originally planned to send Mabel to Privet Drive, where Sirius had also bought a house, and the entire area was under the Ministry’s strict protection, ensuring Mabel’s safety.
But before that, a letter arrived at Lupin’s house.
This letter came from Haley’s adoptive parents, who had managed to send it through Professor Sprout. The letter expressed their hope and request to adopt Mabel.
The kind couple had heard about their story from Haley, and despite not having met her, they had already developed a great fondness and sympathy for Mabel.
From the _Daily Prophet_, they learned that Mabel might have become a Squib, so they carefully sent this letter, detailing their economic and living conditions, the nearby schools and hospitals, to prove that Mabel would not be mistreated if she came to live with them.
Of course, for Mabel, the most important point was that Haley was there.
...
The Thestral sneezed, flicked its tail, and stretched its bat-like wings, trotting lightly.
Mabel, who could naturally see the Thestral, asked curiously, “Are all magical horses like this?”
“This is a Thestral. Among the Pegasi, they are considered one of the less attractive, but they are very intelligent and loyal, with a good sense of direction,” Wade explained.
“In Beauxbatons—another magical school—they keep many Aethonans, with white or pale gold fur, which are very beautiful,” Wade added.
“Are there many magical schools in the world?” Mabel asked curiously.
“There are eleven schools like Hogwarts, plus some smaller training institutions,” Wade replied.
“After the start of the school year, many students from other schools might come to Hogwarts for an event, which will be very lively. Would you like to come? We can pick you up to visit.”
Mabel’s face lit up with longing, but after a moment’s thought, she smiled and shook her head.
“It sounds so interesting… but I’ve decided to leave. If I keep coming back, I might regret it.”
Mabel turned to look at Wade and said, “And there are many exciting things in the Muggle world too! I’ve been looking forward to it for a long time. I want to know what it feels like to go to school… staying in the magical world, I’ll never get to go to school.”
Wade couldn’t help but nod in agreement, impressed by the girl’s clarity of thought.
“You might want to brush up on your studies,” Wade suggested. “You’ve never been to school, so you’ll probably find it hard to adapt at first… if you preview the textbooks, you’ll at least understand what the teachers are talking about.”
“You’re right,” Mabel said, instantly forgetting her regret at leaving the magical world. She sounded a bit nervous. “At my age, I can’t start from the first grade, can I? Will it be too hard to catch up?”
Wade: “…”
Mabel should be in middle school by now, but for Wade, that level of difficulty was just a warm-up. However, Mabel had only ever been in the organization’s research lab, subjected to experiments...
The two exchanged glances for a moment. Since they still had a few minutes before the carriage arrived, Wade decided to give Mabel a quick math lesson.
Other subjects could be tackled gradually, but math required a solid foundation. Wade had seen how his classmates struggled with math when he was in elementary school here.
So, for the next few minutes, Mabel was busy reciting the addition table, followed by the multiplication table, muttering to herself as if casting a spell.
A few minutes later, Wade began to wonder if he had pushed her too hard. Mabel seemed to be stuck in a loop of "horse what horse", occasionally mixing up the addition and multiplication tables.
In the UK, the multiplication table goes up to 12, and the language difference made it impossible to form the catchy rhymes that are common in Chinese, further complicating the learning process.
By the time they got off the carriage, Mabel’s eyes were almost spinning. They flagged down a cab and headed to the nearby Muggle train station. Even then, she was still muttering, “Five times six is thirty-five? No, five times six is eleven? Wait... it’s twenty-seven, right?”
“Mabel,” Wade patted her shoulder and nodded toward the front.
Mabel immediately snapped out of her math-induced daze and saw Haley bouncing and waving at her from a distance.
Beside the little girl stood a chubby middle-aged man in a gray suit, his face wearing a gentle, warm smile as he looked at Mabel.
Mabel hesitated, then turned to look at Wade.
“Go on,” Wade encouraged, looking at her. “Stay in touch.”
Mabel nodded, mustered her courage, and pulled her suitcase toward the two.
Wade watched as Mabel walked over, hugged Haley, and shyly greeted her future adoptive father.
The man bent down to help her with her suitcase, smiling as the two girls chatted and climbed onto the train.
Just before boarding, Mabel turned and waved energetically at Wade. Wade waved back with a smile, watching as they disappeared through the train door.
Then he sighed, looking at the empty space beside him. “If you’re so reluctant, why don’t you show yourself? Mabel definitely wanted to see you too.”
“This wouldn’t be good for her... She has a new family now,” Lupin’s muffled voice came from the air. “If she keeps longing for her old family, she won’t be able to integrate into her new one.”
“So you’re just going to hide and cry on the sidelines, Mom Lupin?” Wade teased. “It’s not like it’s a permanent goodbye. You can visit her anytime if you miss her.”
“It’s different,” Lupin said softly, his voice heavy with sadness.
Wade found it interesting.
The Lupin from the original story seemed to be a more emotionally repressed and reserved person.
Despite being a werewolf and under Snape’s suspicion, he never showed that he was once Harry’s father’s close friend while teaching at Hogwarts. He rarely visited Harry before his death and hardly ever revealed his vulnerable side to the children.
He was a reliable but low-key elder, appearing only when Harry needed him, his whereabouts always a mystery.
But the Lupin Wade knew hadn’t been burdened by poverty, and his werewolf status was known only to a few close friends, who didn’t consider it a big issue.
This Lupin could express his concern for everyone around him more naturally and openly, sometimes even appearing overly fussy because he thought too much.
The train had already left, and the people on the platform were gradually dispersing. Wade turned and walked toward the exit.
“Let’s go.”
“Okay,” Lupin said. “I’ll take you home first.”
“No, let’s visit Harry,” Wade said with a playful tone. “See if he’s turned into a rabbit from eating grass all day.”
...
On a desolate hillside, a black dog slowly rose, its silhouette almost blending into the darkness, with only its sharp eyes gleaming.
After watching the two for so long, he saw a grayish-yellow rat appear beside them for the first time.
(End of Chapter)
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