The warning spell in the corridor was triggered, and Wade knew "he" was about to arrive.
He immediately entered the operating room. "Madam Pomfrey, I'm almost ready."
Madam Pomfrey understood at once. She looked at the girl's injuries and said regretfully, "Just a little more."
Despite her words, she opened the window with decisive swiftness.
Wade glanced back. The girl's horrific wounds looked much the same as when he'd entered, but in reality, they were now merely superficial.
"No, this is perfect."
They both mounted brooms and flew out through the window, one after the other. Wade cast a Disillusionment Charm, intending to observe from nearby, when he suddenly heard a tremendous roar from above. A large piece of metal spun and shot down, nearly hitting Wade as well.
Both were startled, breaking out in a cold sweat. They exchanged a look, then turned their brooms and flew upwards.
On the rooftop, a plane had just taken off. People on the ground who hadn't made it onto the plane were stomping their feet in agitation; some pleaded desperately, others cursed.
"I'm an important researcher! If you don't take me with you, Zeke, I promise you won't die a good death when you go back!"
A man roared, bells seemingly attached to him, jingling incessantly, drawing several glances from Wade.
The helicopter had already ascended some distance, but the cabin door hadn't fully closed, revealing several people seated inside.
Amidst the massive roar of the propellers, the man's shouts likely sounded no more than a mosquito's buzz, completely inaudible to others.
But the man with the ponytail, sitting by the cabin door, saw the other man's face, contorted with hatred. He thought for a moment, then turned and said something to the person beside him.
A moment later, a dark gun barrel extended from the cabin door, pointing directly downwards.
Wade quickly pulled Madam Pomfrey, and they descended rapidly, hiding on the side of the building.
"Dada-dada-dada..."
A rapid burst of gunfire, like popping beans, erupted, sending concrete fragments flying. It didn't stop until more than ten seconds later.
Only after the sound of the propellers receded did they cautiously fly up along the outer wall.
Wade had no confidence at all whether an Shield Charm could block such high-frequency, high-power weapons, or for how many shots.
They reached the rooftop and found that most of the people who had been gathered below the plane were already dead. The one or two survivors were barely clinging to life.
Even with Madam Pomfrey's compassionate nature, she didn't generously rush to save anyone at this moment. She simply frowned, watching the helicopter fly away.
Even the most isolated Wizard had heard of these Muggle modes of transportation.
They knew that planes could be ten times faster than Flying Broomsticks, and their massive, heavy steel machinery rendered most Spells ineffective. Moreover, once the distance became too great, the power of Spells also significantly decreased.
Wizards like Grindelwald, who could make an entire city fall under their magic, were extremely rare; Madam Pomfrey, at least, couldn't do it.
Even if the helicopter was relatively slower, catching up to it would still be almost impossible.
Madam Pomfrey thought this, and Zeke, the man with the ponytail, and Veronica, who were on the plane, thought the same.
They understood far more about what Wizards could do than ordinary people.
Seeing the plane successfully take off, Zeke finally breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at the soldiers on the island, lying on the ground like ants, he turned to Veronica and said:
"Good thing we got out fast. The Wizards who came this time were like monsters. I wonder what kind of person Upton brought."
To deceive others, one must first deceive oneself. He was now firmly convinced that Upton, the man with glasses, was a traitor.
Veronica forced a smile, then asked worriedly, "Why didn't you bring Dominica? You know his research is highly valued; it'll be hard to explain leaving him behind to the higher-ups."
"Do you even need to ask?" Zeke tugged at his collar, saying helplessly, "There's only so much space on the plane. If we brought him, we couldn't bring the data. If we brought the data, we couldn't bring him. We had to sacrifice one."
"Oh..."
Was there not enough space on the plane?
Veronica looked confused for a moment, then seeing the full plane, she nodded.
If Dominica hadn't been sacrificed, the one left behind might have been her.
Beside them, there was actually an empty seat, but at that moment, they both subconsciously ignored it.
It was the seat originally reserved for Dominica, but now an invisible person occupied it.
Snape sat expressionlessly beside them, a corner of his Metal Cloak subtly lifting, wanting to poke Veronica's gem ring, but Snape pressed it down firmly.
Veronica didn't see this, so she said, "You're right. It's just that the losses this time are so severe. Even if it's Upton's fault, you and I are definitely going to face severe punishment."
"No choice. Those old men in the office just can't understand the difficulties we face on the front lines," Zeke complained while pulling out his phone. "I'll call someone to give them a heads-up. At worst, I'll be exiled to another deserted island."
Snape tilted his head to look and found that he was calling someone named Ugo.
...
The plane flew higher and farther. Madam Pomfrey patted Wade's shoulder. "Don't look. They won't escape. The Ministry of Magic will surely find out who these people are."
"Mmm..."
Wade responded, but his gaze remained fixed.
He remembered having seen a helicopter broken in half once, and judging by its location, it might be right now...
*"BOOM!!!"*
The plane in the sky exploded into a ball of flames, its fuselage breaking into two pieces, whistling and spinning as it plummeted from a great height.
Madam Pomfrey whirled around, her gaze fixed on the sky in astonishment.
Almost simultaneously, a loud bang echoed beside them. Both quickly cast the Shield Charm and the Impediment Jinx. Only then did they see that the person who had suddenly appeared was Snape.
He swayed, lost his footing, and fell.
"Merlin's beard, Severus, what happened to you?" Madam Pomfrey rushed to help him up, asking.
Professor Snape's upper body appeared unharmed, but his calves were bloody, with exposed bone and flesh, and severe burns. Madam Pomfrey immediately began emergency treatment, several Potions flying out of her satchel.
"I was on that plane just now…" Snape gritted out.
Madam Pomfrey's hand trembled, spilling half a bottle of Potion onto Snape's leg, making him flinch in pain.
"You blew up that plane?" Madam Pomfrey asked incredulously.
"No," Snape said, enduring the pain. "I had intended to follow those who escaped, but when they were reporting, the person on the phone said 'goodbye,' and the plane suddenly exploded…"
He paused, then looked at Wade, praising him somewhat awkwardly, "That cloak is very good."
If not for the Metal Cloak, Snape might have been engulfed by the sudden explosion and wouldn't have had the chance to escape using Apparition.
Madam Pomfrey finally breathed a sigh of relief. Then she poured the remaining half-bottle of Potion onto Snape's other leg, causing the Potions professor's cheek to twitch in pain.
Next, Madam Pomfrey made him drink another Potion for burns. As soon as she pulled out the stopper, a peculiar smell assaulted his nose and taste buds. Snape had to pinch his nose as he drank it, and Wade watched, barely suppressing a laugh.
Snape himself was the largest supplier of various Potions for the Hospital Wing. Since the maze game became popular, the number of students entering and leaving the Hospital Wing had multiplied. So Snape deliberately made the already foul-tasting Potions even more indescribable, earning him many complaints from the students. Now, the boomerang had finally come back to hit him.
"Wade." Madam Pomfrey handed him a bottle of Potion and said, "The girl downstairs still needs a little more treatment for her wounds. I was planning to check on her later, but now…"
"I understand." Wade took the Potion. "I'll finish it."
The lacerations on Snape's legs had healed quickly, but the burns were clearly more troublesome.
Wade was about to leave when Snape called out to him again—
"Wait, take the cloak."
The Metal Cloak coiled up, slid off Snape, and floated gracefully to Wade's side, even showing off with a spin. The cloak also bore scorch marks and a lot of black ash, with bloodstains still clinging to its edges.
Wade pointed his Wand, and seeing the cloak restored to its neat and clean state, he draped it over himself, mounted his Flying Broomstick, and flew back the way he came.
He heard his own voice.
Wade waited patiently outside the window for a moment. Only after "he" had left the room did he climb in through the window. The two Magic Golems guarding the pillow looked at him, then at the door, seemingly confused.
"Shh—" Wade put a finger to his lips, signaling them to be quiet, and walked to the bed.
He had previously poured a Potion to promote wound healing, but that one had been modified for Muggle physiology. Considering Hailey's weakened state, Wade had also reduced the dosage. As a result, Hailey's healing was not ideal at the moment; blood was still slowly seeping out.
Wade sighed.
The healing is too slow… My Potions skills are still so far behind Professor Snape's…
For Potions that could be used on Muggles, Snape could preserve the rapid healing properties without causing any harm to the body.
As the new Potion was applied, the wound visibly healed at a rapid pace. Wade softly chanted a Healing Spell, his Wand moving slowly above her body, accelerating the treatment.
When the last wound gradually disappeared, the girl's skin returned to its clean and smooth state. Wade waved his Wand again, and the quilt automatically flew up to cover Hailey. The operating room was also cleaned anew, and the rust-scented air was swept up by a small whirlwind and sent out the window.
At this moment, the Obscurus had begun to rage. The entire building shook, as if it could collapse at any moment. Wade did not run out to rashly confront the Obscurus with his not-so-profound Magical Power. Instead, he stayed by the operating table, waiting for Hailey to wake up.
Could this girl soothe the rampaging Mabel?
Truth be told, Wade didn't know. He believed Dumbledore probably didn't have much hope either. But Mabel had still insisted on searching for Hailey in that state, not easily giving up even though the girl was likely dead. Wade believed their bond must be extraordinary.
However, even if the plan failed, it didn't matter. At least they had truly saved someone. And the arrival of the school professors would also lighten Dumbledore's burden; it was better than the two of them fighting alone.
Suddenly, Wade felt a strange Magical Power. He rushed to the window and saw a strange distortion of space on a distant street, as if a vortex had suddenly appeared in the air.
Just then, with a *thud*, four or five wizards holding a broken metal bucket appeared on the street.
As soon as they landed, they were stunned by the overwhelming black whirlwind. The wizards, recovering quickly, fumbled to draw their wands, and beams of light shot towards the Obscurus.
Following closely, a dozen more wizards appeared one after another. Some held broken boots, others wide-brimmed hats, and some clutched chipped flowerpots, seemingly popping up out of nowhere.
The ceaselessly swirling black smoke sometimes expanded to fill the entire street, and at other times shrank like a stray dog darting into a stairwell. It appeared and vanished suddenly, quick as lightning, never engaging the wizards directly, but merely fleeing in all directions.
As it fled, it continuously destroyed buildings on both sides, mercilessly tearing apart the soldiers or researchers lying on the ground.
The street was being torn apart, and the black mist was blasted into shreds, but as long as its core wasn't shattered, the Obscurus could still wreak havoc. It transformed into a grotesque monster, attacking everything in its path that Mabel resented, both people and objects.
Among the wizards fighting, Wade even saw Fudge, the Minister for Magic—he had thought the man wouldn't show up.
Wade didn't know if Fudge had anticipated the scene he would face upon arrival. He only saw him shouting at Dumbledore a few times, then drawing his wand and joining the battle.
Many wizards tried to control the Obscurus. Long, thin, blue-white beams of light emanated from their wand tips, gradually consuming the massive Obscurus, driving it from all directions, forcing it to gather together.
Only by controlling the Obscurus and finding its core could this dangerous creature be eliminated.
The black mist occasionally transformed into the shape of a monster, letting out painful roars, with black and red light flowing within it, looking both dangerous and evil, yet unable to break free.
Perhaps Hailey isn't even needed; the wizards can solve this themselves.
But Wade also knew that the reason Dumbledore had been slow to subdue the Obscurus, and had agreed to let Wade reverse time to find someone to save Hailey and awaken Mabel's humanity, was because he, too, pitied the tormented girl.
Suddenly, Wade heard a faint groan from a girl behind him.
He turned around and saw Hailey on the operating table open her bewildered eyes. She asked blankly, "Where is this? Who are you?"
"I'm Rita Skeeter's friend, and I came with Mabel to find you," Wade asked gently, "Are you alright?"
"...I'm fine."
Hailey sat up, groggily rubbed her eyes, looked around, and said blankly, "I... I remember..."
She shivered when she saw the surgical instruments nearby, a look of fear on her face.
But after touching her chest, Hailey sighed in relief.
"I think I had a nightmare." The girl smiled sheepishly, looked around in all directions, and even bent down to look under the bed, then whispered, "Where's Mabel?"
"She—"
Wade was considering how to tell her when he suddenly heard a faint series of gunshots—
"D-d-d-d-d-d..."
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