Wade pushed aside the tent flap and immediately spotted Sirius.
He was leaning against a nearby pillar, a bonfire blazing in front of him. His gray eyes stared into the flames, lost in thought. He was still wearing the Wizard Robes Dumbledore had conjured for him when he transformed back into a human.
Hearing the sound, he looked up and asked, "Done talking?"
"Yeah." Wade replied, walking over. "Have you been waiting here for me this whole time?"
"The camp's been pretty chaotic tonight," Sirius said, gesturing towards the Ministry of Magic's tent nearby. "And I figured I'd listen to them argue—it's way more entertaining than Muggle talk shows."
"Still arguing?" Wade couldn't help but glance over. The tent was silent now, making him wonder if a Silencing Spell had been cast.
"Not anymore. They just had a fight. You really should have seen it—" Sirius said. "The Bulgarian Minister of Magic charged out of the tent like a wild boar, knocking Fudge flying. Then a fat woman rushed out and pounced on the Bulgarian Minister, almost suffocating him."
Wade genuinely regretted missing that scene. He sighed. "If only they'd fought later... Didn't any reporters capture it?"
"Hard to say." Sirius chuckled gleefully, tilting his chin to indicate the sky to Wade. "FMC has a bunch of those things recording everywhere. Maybe those two ministers will be on the Streaming Mirror tomorrow!"
In the night sky, a small blue Little Bird perched on top of a nearby tent, its eyes unblinkingly fixed on the Ministry of Magic's tent.
By now, most people in the Wizarding World knew that these birds were FMC's Master Mirrors, incredibly agile and nimble, often releasing explosive footage.
It was said that the Ministry of Magic had even urgently established a new news department, currently formulating various laws regarding the content broadcast on the Streaming Mirror.
Marchioni was very clever in this regard. His focus was always on making money, not instigating public opinion wars. Therefore, the Streaming Mirror rarely featured political or sensitive topics. Most of its content was lighthearted, comedic, or various films and TV shows from the Muggle world.
If Fudge enacted a law, Marchioni wouldn't have people on the Streaming Mirror commenting on it. But two Ministers of Magic fighting bare-handed?
That kind of news was far too interesting; he certainly wouldn't let it go.
Wade smiled knowingly.
Sirius didn't press him about what he and Dumbledore had discussed, but instead offered a warning similar to the Headmaster's—not to trust strange animals. The Weasley Family was a prime example of why.
Wade couldn't very well say he had an advantage, so he dutifully nodded in agreement.
By the time he returned to his tent, the sky was already faintly brightening. Many people in the camp were packing up their tents, rushing to find Basil, the Portkey administrator, hoping to leave the camp as soon as possible.
Looking at the long queue, Wade paused and said, "I won't be going with you all."
He looked at the noisy Wizards with their children and said, "What happened here will probably be broadcast on the Streaming Mirror very soon. I need to get home before my parents start worrying."
Sirius stared at Wade for a few seconds, then suddenly grinned, reaching out to ruffle Wade's hair. "Alright, be smart when you get home, and stay safe."
"Moody lives right next door to me; he's probably the most vigilant Wizard in the world," Wade said with a laugh.
He returned to his bedroom and quickly packed his things. Since Harry and the others seemed to still be asleep, he didn't say goodbye to anyone and simply Apparated away.
The camp was far from Wade's home. For safety, he Apparated twice before returning to his town.
Concerned that the pistol-like crack of Apparition might startle his parents, Wade first appeared in a nearby alley before walking towards his house.
When he pushed open the front door, the living room lights immediately came on. Then Fiona practically flew out the door, throwing her arms around Wade, her body trembling slightly.
"Thank God... you're alive... you're finally back..." Fiona choked out, her eyes red.
Wade felt her arms squeeze with a strength that almost seemed to embed him in her. He patted his mother's back reassuringly, softly saying, "It's alright, it's alright, I'm home. I'm completely fine..."
"It's good that you're safe. We'll talk inside."
Ferdinand pulled Fiona closer, embracing both his wife and son tightly, then led them into the house.
On the Streaming Mirror in the living room, footage of rampaging Leprechauns was playing. The Streaming Mirror currently had no censoring methods, so the bloody scenes directly assaulted the viewer's eyes, and the screams were clearly audible.
"It's actually over. This is all old footage. Apparently, all the Leprechauns and Veela have been contained, and the Ministry of Magic is investigating the cause of their rampage."
Wade sat down, saying casually, "We stayed in Sirius's tent the whole time. You know, ancient magical families always possess powerful protective Spells, so we weren't attacked at all."
"That's good." Fiona patted her chest, exhaling with relief. "I was so scared... terrified something had happened to you."
Hearing this, Wade surprisingly touched the Communication Pea still in his ear, confirming he hadn't accidentally missed any communication, and asked:
"If you were worried, why didn't you contact me? I thought you were asleep and didn't know what was happening at the camp."
Ferdinand sat beside her, sighing helplessly. "That's what I said too, but your mother was worried that calling at that time would disturb you."
Fiona said earnestly, "Don't they always have plots like that in movies? The protagonist is fighting enemies or sneaking into a dangerous place, and a phone call puts them in mortal danger."
"So she'd rather worry herself sick than put you in that kind of danger."
Ferdinand looked at his wife with a fond smile, clearly finding her behavior adorable.
Now that Wade had returned safely, the couple finally felt like joking. They avoided the obvious casualties at the camp and only discussed the recently concluded World Cup match.
FMC had live-streamed the entire match this time, allowing those who couldn't attend to enjoy it thoroughly.
As they talked, Wade yawned. Fiona, knowing he hadn't slept all night, quickly urged him to go to his room and sleep.
Once the sound of a door closing echoed from upstairs, the air in the room suddenly grew quiet, and the smiles on Mr. and Mrs. Gray's faces disappeared.
"Ferdi, I'm starting to regret sending him to Hogwarts," Fiona said softly, leaning on her husband's shoulder. "Again and again... it's so dangerous! He wasn't caught up in it this time, but... what about next time?"
Wasn't caught up in it? Not necessarily.
Ferdinand thought to himself, remembering his son's eyes.
In the process of a boy becoming a man, the things he experiences, the awareness he gains, are all reflected in his eyes.
Ferdinand didn't voice his suspicions. Instead, he pulled his wife into his embrace and whispered, "I know, we all know the Wizarding World is dangerous, but have you seen the look in Wade's eyes when he's learning magic? He loves magic, and he loves the friends he's made in the Wizarding World."
Fiona's eyes welled up, but she nodded. "Yes... I remember Wade always seemed so bored at his old school... He had a few classmates he played with, but he was really distant from everyone..."
"So... maybe he was born to be in the Wizarding World, and we can't take away his happiness."
Ferdinand gently squeezed Fiona's hand and said, "Even if we can't protect him anymore, we still have to trust him, support him... respect Wade's choices. No matter what difficulties he faces, we'll be there for him."
Fiona nodded, closed her eyes, and buried her face deeper into her husband's chest. Ferdinand lowered his head and kissed his wife's forehead.
Just then, the image on the Streaming Mirror turned to static. After flickering for a few seconds, it switched to another dark scene.
Ferdinand knew the Alliance had again hijacked FMC's signal to push their own propaganda. He habitually looked up, preparing to see what news these Dark Wizards had manufactured this time.
Then, Ferdinand suddenly sat bolt upright, his hands and feet growing cold as he stared at the image on the Streaming Mirror—
Countless towering trees, like ancient demons, rumbled towards the illuminated stadium.
And between them, only dozens of Wizards stood in a line, forming a wall that looked fragile and powerless.
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