Professor Snape's face grew even darker at the sound of the cheering.
He knew very well that if Slytherin had won, there would have been no such uproar. Only when Gryffindor won would three-quarters of the students celebrate them.
Amidst the screams and laughter that even the thunder couldn't drown out, the Potions professor left Wade and limped towards the castle dungeons.
Wade didn't understand why he didn't use Magic to make things easier for himself; he could have floated back to his common room.
In the end, Wade could only conclude that Professor Snape probably had a bit of a masochistic streak.
Suddenly, someone leaped over and threw an arm around his neck.
"Ha, Wade, why didn't I see you just now!" Michael said, laughing. "Did you see Harry's move just now? When he caught the Golden Snitch amidst the Slytherins, haha, the Slytherins were furious!"
Wade withdrew his Wand, which he'd almost poked out, and chuckled, "Harry won?"
"That's right, Harry Potter! He's definitely going to be a world-class Quidditch star!"
Other students, whether they knew him or not, loudly echoed his words.
Before Wade could even speak, Michael was pulled away by others again.
They were as excited as if they themselves had won.
Even the usually calm Ravenclaws were like this, not to mention Gryffindor; many students ran wildly on the Quidditch Pitch in the heavy rain, tossing the players into the air repeatedly.
The girls, however, returned to the castle in twos and threes as soon as the match ended, and the Hufflepuff students also began to return.
Everyone had been drenched in rain all day, and now they were hungry and cold, shivering all the way.
"Wade?" Theo and Ryan, clutching warming flasks, their eyes seemingly dripping water, called out, "Want to walk together?"
Wade walked over and asked, "Everyone seems especially excited today?"
"Yup, Harry recreated the Polish team's classic tactics at the last moment, using the bad weather to distract the enemy, and finally caught the Golden Snitch while surrounded by four Slytherin players!"
Theo gesticulated excitedly, "Although he eventually fell off his broom, it's nothing serious—Professor Abigail caught him!"
"Professor Abigail?" Wade's steps paused slightly.
"Yeah," Theo said. "I don't know why, but Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick aren't here today, and I didn't see Professor Snape either. But luckily Professor Abigail was still here, otherwise Harry would definitely have been injured."
Ryan asked, "Wade, you didn't watch the match today?"
"That's right, it's rare to have such heavy rain, so I went for a flight," Wade said. "I flew a bit far."
"That sounds pretty silly," Theo said disapprovingly. "Flying out in this weather? Be careful you don't get struck by lightning."
"How could I be that unlucky? The rain stopped a little further out," Wade said.
The group chatted and laughed their way back to the castle. The match had gone on quite late today, but thankfully the kitchen had saved dinner for all the students.
However, in the Great Hall, there were virtually no Gryffindor students to be seen—they were probably celebrating all night in their own common room.
The SSC members were still sitting together, and even Michael and Padma seemed to have reconciled; they sat next to each other for the first time in a while and waved to Wade and the others.
Wade waved his Wand, helping everyone shed the cold, soaked rain, and their clothes instantly became warm and dry.
"Thanks, Wade," Padma said happily. "My clothes were cold and sticking to me, it was awful. If I wasn't so hungry, I would've just gone straight back to the dorm."
Wade sat down and said, "It's just a simple little Spell. I'll teach you later."
"Alright!" Michael quickly agreed, then turned to Padma and said, "I'll be the first to learn it, so you won't have to suffer like this again."
Padma snorted and said, "I don't need you, I'll learn it myself!"
Theo asked Ryan, "Have you finished your Astronomy essay? There are a few constellation positions I'm not clear on."
"Finished," Ryan said. "I'll help you look at it later."
"Give me some pointers too, Ryan!" Michael said, pretending to be pitiful. "I haven't been able to observe the stars for three classes straight, but Professor Sinistra's assignments haven't gotten any lighter. My head's gone up a size from the torment."
Wade took a beef pasty for himself, and the fragrant smell of the food instantly conquered his taste buds.
He sat in the clean, bright school Great Hall, with perpetually burning candles overhead, surrounded by the voices of his friends discussing homework and the match.
So peaceful, so ordinary, as if the recent experiences on the island had been nothing but a dream.
"Mr. Conner, if you could memorize all the star charts like Mr. Carroll, I wouldn't mind reducing your essay assignments a bit."
Suddenly, a laughing voice sounded from behind, startling Michael so much he nearly fell off his chair.
Everyone turned around and saw several professors passing right behind them. It was Professor Aurora Sinistra, the Astronomy professor, who had spoken.
Michael hurriedly put down the baked potato in his hand, jumped up, and said earnestly:
"How could I do that, Professor? Studying the trajectories of stars and planets deepens our understanding of Magic, helps us comprehend the connection between celestial changes and everything in the world, and even allows us to predict the future!"
"This subject is so important, how can I be perfunctory in my studies? I must conscientiously write my Astronomy assignments and not be lazy for any excuse. Even if my head aches as if it's going to split open from studying, I won't give up!"
Michael's theatrical performance amused the professors, and Professor Sinistra no longer harped on what he had said earlier, shaking her head and telling him to sit down and continue eating.
Professor Abigail smiled, then suddenly said, "Wade, several professors suddenly left in the middle of the match. Was there an emergency?"
Wade looked at her strangely and said, "I'm not sure, Professor. Perhaps you could ask Professor Dumbledore?"
Michael interjected, "Professor, we were watching the match the whole time. But at the end, I think I saw Professor Snape; he should know what happened."
"Hmm, alright..." Professor Abigail looked at Wade thoughtfully and said, "I don't know why, but I always feel like you might know something... But never mind. Oh, right, about what we talked about last time..."
"It's mostly done already. I can give it to you on Monday," Wade said.
"That's wonderful!" Professor Abigail smiled.
Several professors walked towards the faculty table—Sera Abigail from Defense Against the Dark Arts, Aurora Sinistra from Astronomy, Charity Burbage from Muggle Studies, Septima Vector from Arithmancy, and Bathsheba Babbling from Ancient Runes.
They were all female professors, and Abigail didn't seem out of place among them at all. Her beauty was dazzling, yet her demeanor was harmonious and natural.
Wade vaguely heard them discussing his name, like Professor Babbling complaining about Wade always secretly helping other students solve introductory puzzles. Her tone sounded less like a complaint and more like bragging.
Everyone started talking animatedly.
Both exceptionally bright students and struggling ones were points of focus for the professors.
As Wade sat down, he saw Michael staring at him.
"What's up?" Wade asked.
Michael leaned in and whispered, "Is there something wrong with Professor Abigail?"
Wade paused, not answering immediately.
In his first and second years, he'd had an unconscious sense of superiority as a transmigrator, treating Hogwarts like the fairytale world he'd seen in movies.
But as this world increasingly revealed its true and cruel side, Wade had become much more cautious.
However, the fact that he didn't immediately deny it was enough for Michael to know the answer.
"Sigh—"
Michael let out a deep sigh and said, "In first year, a professor had a Mysterious One pendant. In second year, we found out the Mysterious One's servant was disguised as a pet lurking in the student dorms. I was actually thinking that this year was so peaceful, it felt a bit abnormal!"
"Peaceful isn't normal?" Padma caught a bit of the conversation and asked curiously, "Hasn't it always been peaceful?"
Michael smiled. "Yes, you're right. By the way, do you want some pear juice?"
He seemed to have forgotten what he just said, diligently picking up a clear glass bottle to pour Padma a drink.
Wade, however, remained silent for a long time because of his words.
...
Watching Snape disappear with Wade, Hailey gasped in surprise, then immediately clapped a hand over her mouth.
Mabel held the little girl, looking at the white-bearded old man in front of them. "Hey, what are you going to do with us?" she asked.
Dumbledore peered at the two through his half-moon spectacles, asking gently, "What do you have in mind?"
"I… I know I killed someone. If you want to kill me, go ahead! But don't hurt Hailey, and don't experiment on her!" Mabel said with a fierce expression.
"No, you can't!" Hailey cried loudly. "I don't want Mabel to die! If Mabel dies, then I'll go with you!"
"Don't be afraid, children," Dumbledore soothed. "I promise no one here will die… Do you remember your parents? Do you know where your home is?"
Mabel shook her head and said, "I don't remember anything from before."
Hailey, on the other hand, said, "My mom died, and my dad doesn't want me anymore." She hugged Mabel's waist tightly and declared, "Wherever Mabel is, that's my home!"
"Hmm… I think I understand…" Dumbledore asked, "Do you mind if I perform a simple check on you?—using Magic."
Mabel subconsciously wanted to refuse, but then she remembered that the old man in front of her was incredibly powerful, and he didn't actually need her consent. So, she reluctantly nodded.
Dumbledore waved his Wand, and soft beams of light fell upon the two of them, as if countless pure white feathers were silently drifting down.
Hailey curiously reached out to grab them, and the feathers passed through her arm, merging into her body.
Mabel watched this scene, her body tense, with dark energy faintly visible, as if it could erupt from her at any moment.
A moment later, Dumbledore withdrew his Wand, his expression slightly somber.
Hailey's condition was good; besides being malnourished and a bit anemic, the girl who had nearly died was in a reassuringly healthy state.
But just as he had suspected, Mabel's memory had been completely erased, thoroughly and irrecoverably.
Even worse was the Obscurus.
Children parasitized and consumed by this dark power usually didn't live past ten years old, because the Obscurus constantly burned the host's soul.
But Mabel was already fourteen.
It seemed that because Muggles had used a method to suppress Magical Power on her, the brewing Obscurus had never fully awakened. Until today… until she was unbound…
Dumbledore didn't reveal his test results. After a long silence, he finally smiled.
"Would you like to go to school?"
He asked with a chuckle, like an old man about to hand out Christmas presents.
"School?" Hailey sounded a little wistful, and a little scared. "I used to go to school… up to second grade…"
Mabel paused, wanting to ask—was the killing earlier just going to be overlooked? But after regaining her composure, she swallowed the question and asked, "Can we be together?"
"I'm afraid not," Dumbledore said apologetically. "Hailey will go to a Muggle school, and you are a Wizard, so you should go to Hogwarts."
"Hogwarts?" Mabel murmured.
They had heard Skeeter talk about this place. In the reporter's description, it was a school that seemed to exist only in fairytales.
"Yes," Dumbledore smiled. "It's a school of Magic, and almost all underage Wizards in the British Isles attend there. You'll meet many kind and interesting friends at school, and they can all do Magic too."
"Will Wade Gray be there too?" Mabel asked.
"Of course."
"But… what about Hailey?" Mabel looked at Hailey, hesitant.
"I'll help her find a very good adoptive family. She'll grow up healthy and happy, just like any other child," Dumbledore said. "You can visit her during the holidays."
Mabel was reluctant to be separated.
But she also knew clearly what the best choice for Hailey would be.
The old man in front of her was someone Wade trusted… and he didn't seem to have any ill intentions…
And since they were all wizards, surely no one would try to find the magical genes within her, right?
After much thought, Mabel finally nodded hesitantly and persuaded a reluctant Hailey.
"…Once I learn magic, I can take you flying in the sky too. If anyone bullies us again, I'll just whoosh whoosh whoosh and knock them all down!"
"Magic can also make little ants and butterflies bigger than houses. Then you can sit on a butterfly's back and fly over the sea…"
As the two girls fantasized about a future with magic, the anxious expressions on their faces gradually gave way to happy anticipation.
Dumbledore silently watched this scene, his blue eyes holding unspoken pity.
...
On the ruined island, more and more Ministry of Magic officials received the notification and rushed over.
With explanations from the Hogwarts professors, the Ministry of Magic finally understood that the Muggles here were not pitiful individuals needing protection. On the contrary, they were criminals who had committed cruel acts against wizards and murderers who had killed many innocent children.
All the Muggles on the island were taken away under escort, awaiting judgment and punishment from the Ministry of Magic.
At the same time, the children in the dungeon were also brought out. Those in very poor health were immediately sent to St. Mungo's, while the others would be sent home after their identities were confirmed.
Rita Skeeter had already retrieved her crocodile-skin handbag amidst the chaos. She pulled out her camera and snapped away, capturing a large number of precious first-hand photos. Her Quill beside her was practically flying with excitement, scribbling non-stop.
At this moment, Skeeter was the only reporter on the entire island. With such a huge exclusive story, Skeeter was ecstatic, her mouth unable to stop smiling, feeling that all her previous suffering had not been in vain.
Umbridge, who arrived on the island a step later, had a dark expression but could do nothing about Skeeter—this reporter had already shamelessly woven a thrilling heroic story for herself and was continuously enhancing and embellishing it, with the children echoing her claims.
Many Ministry of Magic employees believed this wholeheartedly, looking at the brave "war correspondent" with adoration, wishing they could fight alongside her.
Meanwhile, a group of wizards led by Fudge finally confirmed the direction the Obscurus had vanished and walked towards the still-standing building.
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