Chapter 500: Wizard Camp
## Chapter 500: Wizard Camp
Wade stepped out of the fireplace and saw a man who looked like a monkey fiddling with bones, eyeballs, and shells. Two glasses and a bottle of rum sat on the table in front of him.
It was a tiny bar with only four or five tables. The walls were adorned with the heads of a bizarre three-headed dog, and countless live bats fluttered from the ceiling.
Hearing the noise, the man glanced up at Wade and then his gaze fell on Remus.
"It's been a while, Remus", the man said with a happy smile. "I heard you've been doing well lately. Want to buy something?"
"Thanks, Acosta", Remus nodded. "I'm not here to buy anything today. I just need to use your fireplace to get somewhere."
"Alright."
The man's smile vanished, and the butt he had been about to lift dropped back down. He said listlessly, "Fine this time, but don't bring the kid to my shop next time."
Remus smiled, not minding his attitude. He grabbed Wade's arm and said, "Get ready, we're Apparating!"
With a loud crack, the two newcomers vanished from the bar like phantoms.
Acosta slumped back onto the table, continuing to handle the slimy eyeball in his hand.
The eyeball came from a Fire Dragon and was as large as an adult's fist. Acosta held it with tweezers, slowly peeling off the layer of mucus on top.
The door to the bar suddenly burst open with a bang, and light flooded in. Acosta instinctively shielded his eyes.
"Can't people follow any rules?" Acosta complained loudly. "Buddy, we don't serve during the day."
"Sorry, I need to buy something important."
A hooded figure in a cloak walked in, lifting his head to reveal a pale face.
Acosta's face lit up with a smile when he saw him.
"Oh, if it's you, I can make an exception. But in return, you have to tell me how you escaped from Azkaban... Gale."
Gale pulled at the corners of his mouth, showing a smile that seemed to waver between sadness and amusement.
...
Remus brought Wade to a forest, where the trees were lush and verdant, and the distant sounds of commotion could be heard.
"Who is Acosta?" Wade asked curiously. "He looks like a..."
"...a Dark Wizard?" Remus laughed. "Actually, he's a vampire. His bar doesn't serve Muggles, and most wizards don't know about it. Only outcasts like us—werewolves, vampires, or Dark Wizards—can buy things from him that are hard to come by elsewhere."
Wade nodded thoughtfully. "Is he a friend of yours?"
"Not really... this way." Remus led Wade through the forest. "I've helped him a few times, and he's done some jobs for me."
"Like a mercenary?" Wade asked.
"Sort of, but I never help with killing or cursing. Just occasionally removing curses or disarming magical traps", Remus said calmly.
He had never fallen into corruption even in his darkest days, but he had indeed questioned whether his principles were worth the struggle.
He knew that if he had lowered his standards just a little, he could have lived a much easier life.
Now, when he talked about those days of struggle, Remus could do so lightly, as if they were nothing, even finding some humor in them.
Passing through the woods, Wade saw the campsite that the wizards had set up. Tents of various sizes were arranged in a relatively orderly manner, with people constantly coming and going. Some seemed to have just arrived and were struggling to pitch their tents.
"Follow me, Wade. Our tent is over there."
Lupin led Wade deeper into the camp, saying as they walked, "Technically, this is still Muggle territory. There’s a Muggle family living just outside the campsite—though I don’t understand why the Ministry of Magic doesn’t just cast a spell to send them on a holiday or to visit relatives. Anyway, no magic is allowed here, Wade."
Before he finished speaking, Wade saw a wizard who seemed to be struggling with poles and screws. He glanced around furtively, then pulled out his wand, discreetly hiding it under his cloak and gave it a quick wave.
The tent immediately stood up, with all the small parts rushing to their proper places. A hammer flew over and quickly nailed the screws in place.
The wizard nodded in satisfaction, then pulled out a large leather bag from his pocket, reached inside, and grabbed a handful of clovers, scattering them over the tent.
Next, a child was seen lying on a toy broomstick, slowly gliding along the ground, giggling.
His red-haired mother came running from behind, grabbing the child and shouting, "Kevin! I told you to stay in the tent and not to run around!"
The child started to wail, and the woman yelled even more irritably, "Samuel! Samuel! Come and control your son!"
A Ministry of Magic official, who had been about to intervene when he saw the child flying, hesitated upon hearing the red-haired woman’s shouts. He stood there, craning his neck to look around.
Wade turned to Lupin, "No magic allowed?"
Lupin smiled, "Well, not openly. Once more people arrive in a few days, the Ministry will probably have a hard time enforcing it."
"So, they should have evacuated the nearby Muggles", Wade said coolly. "The Muggle Repelling Charm isn’t that difficult."
Hearing the disdain and frustration in Wade’s voice, Lupin chuckled helplessly.
The Quidditch World Cup was in full swing, and the final match in a few days was likely to attract wizards from all over the world. Yet, the Ministry of Magic still had the Muggle caretaker, Robert, standing at the entrance, collecting fees.
Wizards couldn’t help but break the Ministry’s "no magic" rule, and poor Robert saw all sorts of magical phenomena every day, only to have his memory and perception altered by Confundus and Memory Charms.
Many people had complaints about this, but the Ministry’s reasoning was that Robert’s family acting as gatekeepers made the campsite look more normal, avoiding drawing attention from other Muggles.
Whether this reasoning made sense or not, the Ministry—specifically the high-ranking officials led by Fudge—never listened to anyone else’s opinions.
After passing through many tents, Wade finally saw their destination—
A tent that looked as big as a two-bedroom house stood majestically, standing out but without any obvious magical marks.
The tent was adorned with a regal lion statue on top, and golden and red silk decorations hung around it, clearly indicating it belonged to Gryffindor. The lion looked incredibly lifelike, almost as if it could open its mouth and roar.
No doubt, this was the work of Sirius and Harry.
(End of Chapter)
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