Not every Wizard who arrived on the island later knew the full story.
In fact, Professor McGonagall had contacted Fudge, the Minister of Magic, and Scrimgeour, the Head of the Auror Office. The other Wizards were ordered to come and didn't know what kind of enemy they would face before arriving.
When they appeared via Portkey, they saw the Obscurus raging above the island, and Dumbledore and several Hogwarts professors were fighting against the dark creature.
Many people had been killed by the Obscurus, and even more Muggles lay on the ground.
The Aurors naturally slipped into their most familiar roles: fighting dark creatures and protecting the weak and helpless Muggles.
A young Auror with magenta hair saw a severely injured Muggle still groaning on the ground at the edge of the battlefield. She immediately cast a spell, pulling the person out of a dangerous situation where they were almost engulfed by the black mist.
"Are you all right? Where are you hurt? Oh, sorry!"
She pulled too hard, accidentally making the soldier hit the nearby lamppost. The young Auror thought she heard the sound of bone breaking.
The soldier almost rolled his eyes, gasping and unable to speak.
"I'm so sorry! I'm always so clumsy. Are you okay? Does it hurt a lot?"
The young Auror apologized frantically, her hair also turning a grayish-white to match her mood.
The soldier squinted, watching her hair change color. He coughed a few times and asked, "Who are you?"
"Me? I'm Nymphadora Tonks. You can call me Tonks." Tonks said guiltily, "Just a moment, I'll find someone to heal you."
"Are you... Wizards?"
The soldier had already seen many Wizards raising their Wands to control the Obscurus, but he still asked, "Are you all...?"
"Yes, we are all Wizards from the British Ministry of Magic."
Tonks nodded, then suddenly remembered that this violated the Statute of Secrecy, and her heart fluttered with panic.
Then she remembered that in this situation, secrecy was no longer an issue. As long as all Muggles' memories were erased afterward, she wouldn't have broken the law.
Tonks patted the Muggle soldier's arm reassuringly and said,
"Don't worry, an injury like yours can be healed in just a second! We'll deal with that thing in the sky very soon too. Everything will be back to normal when you wake up tomorrow morning."
The soldier didn't reply. He watched as the Witch whose hair changed color automatically also drew her Wand and joined the fight against the black mist.
No one paid attention to these lingering Muggles, nor did they think they could do anything besides fleeing and screaming. When the Obscurus appeared, the Wizards' main opponent naturally shifted.
The soldier, lying on the ground, crawled towards the ruins of a building not far away, spitting blood as he went.
He was just a low-ranking soldier; he didn't know what an Obscurus was, nor was he really clear about the research in the base.
But the belief ingrained in him for a very long time was that, since ancient times, evil Wizards were servants of the devil, bringing endless disaster to the world and being the root cause of poverty, illness, and misfortune for ordinary people.
In the soldier's view, it seemed to be exactly that way—everything had been fine, and when the Wizards arrived, the "black devil" suddenly appeared. Buildings collapsed as if the sky was falling, and the people around him were wiped out like weeds.
Those weren't numbers or symbols; they were his friends, his comrades, and the people he cared about.
The soldier struggled to crawl to the edge of the ruins, pushed aside debris, moved bodies, and pulled a machine gun from under a corpse.
He dragged his heavy body to the side of a concrete block, propped the gun up with a nearby stone, and aimed the barrel at the Wizards.
Blood flowed down his forehead into his eyes, blurring his vision and making it impossible to see figures clearly.
But it didn't matter; to the soldier, everyone standing was an enemy.
Including that noisy Witch from earlier.
He took a deep breath and pulled the trigger without hesitation—
"*Dakka dakka dakka dakka dakka dakka...*"
Amidst the dense gunfire, bullets rained down on the Wizards who were fighting the Obscurus.
Immediately, blood spurted from the chests and abdomens of six or seven people. The remaining Wizards either frantically cast the Shield Charm to protect themselves or immediately dove for cover.
The orderly suppression of the Obscurus was instantly broken. With a "whoosh," the Obscurus shot away in an instant, and the Wizards behind it only managed to shatter a piece of its tail.
A flash of magical light from high above streaked across, and the gun barrel immediately twisted. Dumbledore suddenly appeared, his face grim.
He flicked his Wand, and the machine gun flew away.
"Damn it, what in Merlin's name is going on?"
Scrimgeour furiously slashed with his Wand, and the concrete block blocking the soldier immediately flew away. Then everyone heard another crisp explosion.
"*Bang!*"
Scrimgeour quickly flicked his Wand, and a transparent barrier appeared in front of him, but it wasn't hit by anything.
After seeing the scene in front of him, the lion-like man's expression stiffened, and his raging anger had nowhere to be vented.
The soldier who fired the gun had committed suicide with a pistol. His forehead was lowered, and his legs were splayed out casually, as if silently mocking the arrogant Wizards.
"Help! Help me—"
Another young Auror held Tonks, looking at her blood-soaked body, and cried out loudly, "Help, she's dying!"
"Shut up! Haven't you learned a Healing Charm?"
Scrimgeour cursed, limping over and healing Tonks with his Wand.
Then, everyone's expressions stiffened.
They heard the roar of the Obscurus again.
This time, the black monster charged at the Wizards.
Dumbledore sighed, waved his Wand, and a large portion of the Obscurus was blown apart.
The black mist quickly contracted, then suddenly burrowed into the ground, causing the stones on the surface to crackle and shift. Before long, the Obscurus emerged from another spot, its black tentacles coiling towards a terrified Fudge.
Beams of magical light shot towards the Obscurus again, but this time, they seemed sparse and scattered.
Scrimgeour watched his dying subordinates and the tense battlefield not far away. Just as he was about to recall his Wand and give up on treatment, a figure suddenly Apparated into existence.
"Leave her to me."
Madam Pomfrey said, quickly taking over the treatment of the injured.
"Madam Pomfrey!" Several young Aurors cried out in surprise.
Over ninety percent of the British Ministry of Magic's staff had studied at Hogwarts, and almost all who weren't particularly old had been treated by her.
Scrimgeour sighed in relief, then turned to deal with the Obscurus, simultaneously ordering the Aurors who could still move:
"You lot, stun all the Muggles in this godforsaken place! Don't hold back, not on women or children!"
"But..." A young Auror still hesitated.
Wizards cannot use magic on Muggles—this was a law.
Although most Wizards didn't strictly adhere to it, these young people still considered it an unbreakable rule.
"Do you want to get shot again?" Scrimgeour roared furiously. "Do it! I'll take all responsibility!"
"Yes... yes!"
The young Aurors rushed out, starting to search for Muggles who appeared relatively intact, casting Stunning Spells on sight.
Even if the person was already unconscious, or even dead, the young Aurors diligently cast their spells.
...
After the gunshots, Wade immediately returned to the window, seeing the chaos in the distance.
Several Aurors were injured and needed treatment, and a few more had to be dispatched to deal with the Muggles, making the personnel dealing with the Obscurus immediately spread thin.
The Obscurus had also grown smarter. It no longer charged into the Wizards' encirclement, keeping its distance from Dumbledore, only occasionally attacking isolated Wizards at the edges, or going to slaughter Muggles on the island.
It was as if industrial pollution smoke was spreading everywhere, becoming the Obscurus's best camouflage. No one could pinpoint its core.
People were even more afraid of the Obscurus escaping—the immense destructive power of such a creature in a city would cause immeasurable damage. More importantly, it would severely violate the Statute of Secrecy.
Decades ago, an Obscurus (Credence) caused a series of destructions in New York, America. Although the unpleasant memories of Muggles across the city were eventually erased using venom mixed with rain, no one could guarantee that everyone had forgotten that experience, nor could they guarantee that every photograph taken of magic had been destroyed.
What if someone didn't like getting wet in the rain? What if someone thought that memory was exciting and interesting, not bad at all?
The Wizarding World now was like an ostrich burying its head in the sand. As long as they pretended the Wizarding World hadn't been exposed, they could trick themselves into believing everything was normal and refused to hear any dissenting voices.
Moreover, with the changing times and the rapid development of Muggle communication media, how much harder would it be to completely hide an event where an Obscurus caused massive destruction compared to the past? Hundreds of times harder?
The only fortunate thing was that this creature was currently focused on this island and had no immediate intention of escaping to wreak havoc elsewhere.
...
"What happened to Mabel?" Hailey clutched the bedsheet tightly, asking anxiously, "Is she hurt? Is that why you don't want to tell me?"
"Mabel isn't hurt." Wade pointed out the window. "She's right there."
The little girl immediately tried to sit up from the bed, but suddenly clutched her chest, a pained expression on her face.
She took a moment, then still climbed up and peered out the window.
She saw ruined buildings, swirling black mist, Wizards holding Wands, and soldiers lying on the ground. This kind of scene, which would make an ordinary person question their worldview, appeared to Hailey like a not-very-exciting baseball game broadcast.
She stared for a moment, then turned to Wade. "I don't see Mabel!"
Wade looked at her remarkably clear eyes, paused, then said, "That black mist is Mabel—her past pain gave birth to the dark creature, the Obscurus. Mabel, as its host, is enveloped within the black mist."
Hailey's eyes widened. She looked at Wade for a moment, then turned back to carefully observe the Obscurus.
Wade didn't know if she believed him. After a moment's wait, he continued, "I hope you can help awaken her humanity—otherwise, once an Obscurial reaches a certain emotional and mental state, it will completely lose control, fully transform into an Obscurus, and can never recover."
"Awaken?"
Hailey looked a little unsure, but she clenched her fists, stepped onto the windowsill, opened the window, and took a long, deep breath.
Wade, watching her climb up: "...?"
He had originally planned to persuade Hailey, then take her to a closer location, but seeing Hailey's mouth wide open, ready to shout, Wade quickly cast a Sonorus Charm.
"Mabel——————"
The little girl's sharp, clear voice pierced the clouds, cut through the darkness, and vibrated in everyone's eardrums.
The chaotic battlefield fell silent for a moment because of it. Then, the Obscurus instantly vanished from its spot, and a black wind swept towards them.
Wade quickly pulled Hailey down from the windowsill, drew her close to the wall, and waved his Wand, casting several Shield Charms.
The next second, thick black mist streamed through the window, rapidly contracting and fading, finally transforming into a gaunt human figure.
A pale Mabel looked at the girl, calling her name in disbelief—
"Hai… Hailey?"
"Mabel!"
Hailey cheered, throwing herself into Mabel's arms.
They hugged tightly, both with expressions as if in a dream.
Hailey: "I was so scared something had happened to you!"
Mabel: "I heard you died!"
Their voices overlapped, sounding like a single person speaking.
Wade couldn't help but laugh.
Mabel looked at him, saying gratefully, "You saved her, didn't you? Thank you."
Wade thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No… the one who truly saved Hailey was you… Madam Pomfrey would be next."
When he and Mabel arrived, it was actually too late to save anyone.
Hailey was saved because Wade reversed her time; and the reason he did that was because Mabel had brought forth the monster known as an Obscurus.
So, in essence, Mabel had traded her own future for Hailey's survival.
Mabel was puzzled but didn't press for details, simply holding the little girl as if she'd been lost and found again.
The Obscurus suddenly vanished, and the Wizards in the middle of the ruins were left bewildered and tense. They maintained their wary formation, fearing the Obscurus might suddenly attack from a corner.
Dumbledore, standing alone on the high ground, looked into the distance and then suddenly vanished from his spot.
Soon after, he appeared in the operating room.
Seeing the two girls embracing and talking, Dumbledore also let out a sigh of relief, smiling as he said, "It seems your plan succeeded."
"Thankfully, everything went smoothly," Wade said with relief.
"By rights, as the hero who resolved this matter, you should be down there now, receiving everyone's praise and cheers. Perhaps your photo will even be on the front page of the next Daily Prophet…"
Before Dumbledore could finish, Wade quickly waved his hand. "No, please don't mention my name. Just pretend I was never here."
Compared to fleeting praise and titles, Wade still felt that the Time-Turner was his true love.
Just think of how many Ministry of Magic prohibitions he had violated on this island today… any one of them would give the Ministry an excuse to reclaim the Time-Turner.
Dumbledore couldn't help but laugh. He said, "That's also what I mean—at your current age, too much attention wouldn't be good for you. Today's honors could become reasons for others to attack you tomorrow."
"So Professor Snape will send you back to school, and I will cover up any traces of the Time-Turner's use. Don't tell anyone about anything you saw here today."
Wade's expression turned serious, and he nodded. "I understand."
He knew the Headmaster wasn't trying to conceal or strip him of his credit, but to protect him—the retaliation and counterattacks from an organization capable of such deeds would surely be terrifying.
He asked, "What about Miss Skeeter and the children in the dungeon…?"
"Don't worry, someone will handle it," Dumbledore said. "After this, Miss Skeeter's troubles can also be completely resolved."
He pointed his Wand, and a silver Phoenix suddenly flew out.
Soon, the hobbling Professor Snape appeared at the door with a dark expression. He greeted the Headmaster, grabbed Wade's shoulder, and Apparated. The two instantly appeared at the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
"Wow—!"
A huge cheer erupted from the nearby Quidditch Pitch.
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