Chapter 645: Wolf Toad Ghost
Though Rosa was the one guiding them, Morris still insisted on following Wade, while Lucas slung his bow and arrow across his back and slid a dagger into the strap at his thigh.
"I'm coming with you," he said seriously. "The dangers in the Forbidden Forest are far greater than you children can imagine."
"Why?" Morris frowned. "We used to wander freely before! The swamp isn’t far."
"Back then was back then," Lucas said without hesitation. He gave one last farewell to the white wolf, who had risen to her feet.
Wade watched as the two of them—man and wolf—pressed their noses together in a tender nudge. Then Lucas reached down and ruffled the heads of the younger ones.
"When I leave," he instructed, "keep an eye on the home. Don’t wander off."
"Got it, Father," the pups replied in unison, heads bowed obediently.
"Let’s go." Lucas fell into step beside Wade, glancing back one last time. The white wolf stood with her front paws braced against the trunk, watching them go. The younger wolves had already curled up at her legs, playing lazily in the dappled shade.
A soft smile tugged at Lucas’s lips. He waved once, then turned and departed.
The werewolf hadn’t come simply to guide. After walking a short distance, he pushed aside a thick curtain of vine and murmured, "Why are we looking for a toad? What’s so special about it?"
"I’m not sure yet," Wade answered, walking behind Lucas and tilting his head to avoid a low-hanging branch. "But I doubt... it’s someone I already know who was transformed into one."
"A wizard?" Lucas raised an eyebrow. "An illegal Animagus?"
Wade, the true illegal Animagus, shook his head. "Not quite... more like he was tricked. Ambushed."
No matter how he tried, Wade couldn’t picture Lucius Malfoy willingly transforming into a toad. For that proud peacock, it would be worse than death.
"Then his enemy must be powerful. Be careful," Lucas said after a pause. "Do you think the wizard who did this is still active in the Forbidden Forest?"
"The one who turned him?" Wade shook his head. "If my guess is right, the transformation happened over half a year ago. That’s why he’s been missing so long... probably seven months or more."
"Then that’s good," Lucas exhaled, relief washing over him. "I was just worried..."
"About what?" Wade asked cautiously. "You seem unusually cautious. Has something new appeared in the Forbidden Forest?"
To Hogwarts students, this part of the forest was a place of dread—home to every dark creature in existence.
But in truth, for the creatures of the forest, the castle itself was the most terrifying place.
Near the school, the ecosystem remained stable. Aside from the Acromantula Hagrid had introduced, most of the creatures here were at least friendly toward wizards.
After a long silence, Lucas shook his head. "I can’t say for sure... it’s just a feeling."
The werewolf frowned, struggling to find words. After a few more minutes, he said, "It’s like someone slipped into your home while you weren’t looking. Nothing’s moved, nothing’s changed—but you still know something’s different. There’s a strange scent in the air... unfamiliar, almost foreign."
"Didn’t you notice anything odd?" Wade asked.
"No," Lucas replied. "That’s exactly why it’s dangerous."
He stopped walking.
The light rain had ceased, but the air was thick with damp. The werewolf’s breath came low and raspy as he spoke. "This is the swamp."
Rosa stepped forward, swaying her head as she searched left and right. Then she waded through a patch of mud and dead water, finally standing atop a fallen, decayed log.
"This is it!" she declared. "I saw the toad right here!"
A muddy depression nearby bore faint tracks—evidence of something small and slimy having crawled through. The puddle within was murky and still.
The toad hadn’t been gone long. With few visitors or animals passing through, the scent lingered.
Wade raised his wand and murmured, "Trace revealed!"
Golden light, like fine sand, erupted from the tip and spread outward in a delicate fog.
Lucas stepped back with his children, but Morris strained forward. "Let me see! I want to see!"
The fog faded quickly—but the ground now bore a trail of tiny footprints. Four-legged, uneven, unmistakably those of a toad.
Wade smiled. "Thanks for your help, Lucas, Rosa, and Morris. Now I’ll go on alone."
"Alright," Lucas said, gripping Morris by the back of the neck—this boy still wanted to pounce on Wade. He nodded. "Be careful."
"Got it." Wade watched them leave. As the werewolf’s silhouette vanished behind the trees, he suddenly called out, "Lucas!"
The werewolf turned, eyes questioning.
In the shadow of the leaves, the three wolves—large and small—gleamed with greenish light in their six eyes. Unnerving.
But Wade knew their nature: calm, pure. He waved, then shouted, "Don’t underestimate your intuition, Lucas!"
"If this place feels dangerous to you, take your family away. Find a safer home. Don’t wait until the danger arrives. By then, it’ll be too late."
Lucas stared, surprised. Then he nodded firmly, turned, and hurried off with his two children.
Wade’s smile faded. His gaze grew heavy.
Creatures had evolved over millions of years, developing an instinctive warning system deep within their bodies. Before reason could even register, the senses would detect the faintest threat signal.
Every wizard knew: when intuition screamed, better to be safe than sorry.
Even if it meant overreacting—better than being a lamb, blind and helpless, when the wolf came.
Though Lucas couldn’t Divinate or prophesy like Wade, his magic still heightened his sensitivity to anomalies.
But what had triggered it?
And what did it mean for Hogwarts?
Wade stared at the desolate swamp. After a moment, he stepped forward—then followed the footprints, just as the golden prints began to fade.
The Forbidden Forest was always dark, even in daylight. Light was thin and weak.
Wade flicked his wand, and a glowing orb floated out, drifting ahead of him like a lantern, illuminating the tangled roots beneath his feet.
He followed the trail for who knew how long—until suddenly, a frantic croak cut through the silence:
"Goo-goo-goo-goo—goo-goo-goo-goo!"
Then, a shrill, unnatural laugh echoed through the trees:
"Goo-gwak-gwak, goo-gwak-gwak! Hee-hee-hee! This is so much fun!"
Wade quickened his pace.
There, dangling from a pair of hands, was a plump grayish toad, belly up, flailing in panic.
Peeves hovered above it, grinning, poking its belly with a stick.
"Hey, Peeves," Wade said, frowning. "Put it down."
Peeves turned, grinning. "Oh? You want to play with this ugly thing too? I was just about to pop his belly—look how much like a balloon it is!"
"Playing with life isn’t a good habit, Peeves."
Peeves narrowed his eyes. "You’re such a Dumbledore clone. Too bad. You’re starting to get boring."
The mischievous poltergeist showed no sign of stopping—only growing more intense.
Wade raised his wand. "Want to test my magic, Peeves?"
Peeves froze. He tilted his head, then suddenly grinned. "Know this? Dumbledore can sneak into the Forbidden Forest. But you can’t!"
With a flick, he hurled the toad straight at Wade—then zipped away, laughing, as he screamed, "Student in the Forbidden Forest! Student in the Forbidden Forest!"
Wade didn’t react. He didn’t catch the toad. Instead, he waved his wand, suspending the creature in midair. He studied it closely.
The toad’s eyes were gray—rare for its kind.
On its head, a tiny inscription, barely visible from afar, looked like a dark spot.
Now close, Wade saw it clearly:
Lucius Malfoy.
His intuition had been right.
He was stunned—shocked by the strange mix of fate and coincidence that stirred in his chest.
In the cold, detached gaze of the boy, the toad looked up helplessly, its front legs stretched out like hands, trembling with fear.
It made pitiful noises, trying to look like a helpless creature—innocent, vulnerable.
Wade flicked his wrist. The wand swept through the air, and a beam of light struck the dry branch beside him.
The gray stick writhed, split, twisted, and wove itself into a delicate cage—small, intricate, and secure. The toad was trapped inside.
Then, near the handle, tiny green leaves sprouted. Ferns unfurled, blooming like ornaments. The cage looked refined—almost elegant.
The forest fell silent.
Peeves’s laughter vanished.
Seconds later, a gaunt, pale ghost—his body streaked with silver blood—drifted through an oak tree, heading straight for Wade.
Wade took an involuntary step back. "Bloody Baron?"
The ghost glanced at him, unblinking, expressionless. Then he drifted past, not speaking.
Wade exhaled.
Then, a chill brushed his shoulder.
He turned—and there, where the Bloody Baron had vanished, stood the Ravenclaw ghost: Lady Gray.
Was tonight a ghost party?
Lady Gray was beautiful—long hair flowing past her waist, her face pale, but her beauty untouched by death.
She was also famously arrogant, often ignoring everyone.
Yet, perhaps due to their shared surname, she occasionally spoke to Wade.
Now, she paused. Her eyes fixed on him—and on the cage.
"You caught the toad, Wade Gray," she said, her voice like wind through trees.
"Yes," Wade replied, raising the cage. "Is there something special about this creature? You seem... concerned."
Could ghosts recognize a human beneath an animal’s skin?
Lady Gray turned her gaze toward the crack between the trees.
"He was an uninvited guest."
"Guest?" Wade repeated.
She drifted deeper into the forest, her voice fading. "Go back to the school. Give him to Dumbledore. And don’t wander off."
Wade hurried after her. "Why are all of you here tonight? Is something happening?"
"Not tonight," she said.
Wade blinked. "What?"
She passed through a bush like mist, whispering, "Not tonight... we’ve been patrolling the Forbidden Forest every night. For a long time now."
Wade frowned. "Is there a real danger here? Does Dumbledore know?"
"Dumbledore?" She scoffed. "Who cares if he knows? We’re not doing this on his orders!"
A pause.
"Besides," she added, "it’s not arrival we’re worried about."
Wade frowned. "What?"
Before he could speak, he realized he’d just become a mindless echo.
"Your meaning?" he asked, trying to recover.
Lady Gray glanced at the toad. "There’s no other invader. Only this one."
"Then—"
"Follow me."
She led him deeper into the forest.
As a ghost, she passed through walls and roots without pause. Wade kept casting spells, clearing vines, branches, and bushes.
Each time he paused to cast a spell or detour, Lady Gray waited patiently.
The third time he stopped, he noticed the Bloody Baron lingering nearby—but every time she looked, he vanished, avoiding her gaze.
Wade said nothing.
After a while, the soil underfoot grew soft and wet. The air stank of decay.
Lady Gray stopped. Her pale finger pointed to a cluster of translucent lilies growing beneath the roots of a tree.
"See those lilies?" she said, voice faint. "I haven’t seen this kind in centuries. A wizard researching rare herbs once listed over a thousand extinct plants. This one was among them."
"But now it’s back."
She looked at Wade, eyes deep and knowing.
"Know this, Wade Gray... some ancient things are waking up—just like this lily."
(End of Chapter)
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