Mabel was riding on the broom, watching the city lights gradually come on below her. She felt an exhilarating sense of freedom and joy.
As this leg of the journey was coming to an end, a deep reluctance surged in her heart. She wished she could continue adventuring forever with these adorable magic dolls, never reaching the end.
But the dolls couldn't wait to return to their master.
"Faster! Faster!"
The cloak urged impatiently from time to time.
The broom snapped back, frustrated: "Stop rushing me! This is already top speed! Do you even know how heavy you all are? Why don't you fly yourself?"
"I can't fly fast!" the cloak replied, completely self-righteously.
"We're almost there," said Peter II calmly, trying to use his composure to end the argument.
Mabel forced herself to perk up and asked, "Is Wade's house just ahead? Will he be home?"
"Probably not," said the Cube doll. "The school term has started, so the master will be at school — or possibly visiting his parents."
"You're only saying this now?! I flew the wrong way."
The broom immediately turned to change direction, but was smacked by the cloak.
"Are you dumb? That bell guy is still over here!" said the cloak. "Without the wardrobe space, how are we supposed to stay close to the master?"
The broom: "..."
It didn't reply. Amid Mikael's chirping laughter, it silently adjusted its course back.
"Huh?" the Cube doll suddenly exclaimed. The telescopic lens around its "eyeball" extended and retracted twice, and it said in a low voice: "The bedroom light is on."
"What? A burglar!" the broom suddenly perked up and sped up sharply.
"No, the master must be back," said Peter II.
"We're doomed!" cried the broom. "If he finds out we snuck out, will we get scolded?"
"Maybe even beaten," the cloak said, utterly pessimistic.
"I'm not afraid of being beaten," said the broom. "Doesn't hurt me anyway."
"The consequences might be worse," said the Cube ominously. "Maybe the master will decide he needs more obedient dolls, and he'll erase our consciousness and reprogram us."
"What?! How's that any different from dying?" the cloak cried out in fear. Then it glanced enviously at Mikael and said, "That big bird has it good. Doesn't have to worry about any of this."
Mikael swiped at it with a wing, but the broom suddenly veered off course, causing the attack to miss.
Mabel let out a startled cry, then realized the broom was now flying unsteadily, as if it were deeply frightened.
Her heart softened, and she said, "How about… how about you all hide first? I'll go talk to Mr. Grey. If he really plans to… do that, I'll help you escape."
"N-no… we can't… I can't leave the master behind…"
The broom trembled as it spoke, but still flew resolutely toward the window.
Mabel looked around. But when the dolls didn't want to show emotion, they naturally had no expression — and there was no way to guess what they were thinking.
Still, none of them brought up running away again.
Mabel had been unsure whether she even wanted to see Wade, but now she'd completely forgotten her own nerves. All she could think about was worrying for her doll friends.
She thought: If… if Wade really is angry, then I'll step in and stop him. I won't let the dolls have their consciousness erased…
The cold wind howled past, and the small window grew rapidly larger in their field of view. Warm light shone from inside, casting shadows of the people within, but it was hard to see anything from the outside.
Peter II spotted Sirius and Lupin inside and was instantly startled. He grabbed the cloak and threw it over himself, tugged down the mask he wore, and after a moment's thought, silently adjusted his height up by a few centimeters.
After all, he was a doll— made entirely of alchemical materials — and after a few subtle tweaks, his appearance was now completely distinct from Peter Pettigrew.
Peter II quietly let out a sigh of relief, thankful for his quick reaction.
By this time, they had arrived at the window. Under the watchful eyes of the three wizards in the room, they passed through the window one by one and landed on the floor.
Before stepping inside, Mabel had already decided she would take responsibility. As soon as her eyes met Wade's, she stepped forward and said, "Mr. Grey, please don't blame them for acting without your orders — it was all because of me…"
"I understand," Wade said with a warm smile. "I've heard all about it. Mabel, thank you for coming to rescue me. And thank you — all of you. You've performed even better than I expected."
Mabel was momentarily stunned, then broke into a smile and her anxiety melted away.
Some of the dolls nearby were already floating with pride at the praise. The cloak twisted and turned, saying smugly, "Hahaha… honestly, I didn't even do that much… Master, you're too kind…"
"Although you didn't help much, we all know you tried your hardest," the broom "comforted" it, then added, "Unlike me… flying back and forth non-stop, barely any rest — but in the end, it was all worth it."
Cloak: "...?"
Cloak: "#!"
It said nothing and suddenly wrapped itself around the broom, smacking it over and over.
The broom was taken aback, struggling as it cried out, "What are you doing?!" while the two of them flew wildly around the room, colliding into furniture.
Wade sighed helplessly, opened his wardrobe space, and tossed the two unruly dolls inside. The rest of the dolls politely greeted him and entered the space obediently.
The room fell silent all at once.
Sirius burst out laughing. "Wade, your dolls have some very interesting personalities."
Lupin, who had quietly scrutinized Peter II earlier and confirmed that it wasn't the fugitive Wormtail, now smiled as well. "You made all of them yourself, didn't you?"
"Yes," Wade sighed. "When I first infused them with consciousness, I thought they'd all turn out to be proper and obedient in personality — but they turned out to be more lively than I ever expected."
"That's what's fascinating about magical dolls," Sirius said with a grin. "Each one can have a completely different personality."
"I know someone at the Ministry," he continued, "really shy guy, doesn't like to argue — so he bought a foul-mouthed doll to insult people for him."
Wade looked at him with some surprise.
It wasn't just his imagination — Sirius no longer looked so grim and tormented. He seemed to have regained a hint of the carefree charm he had in his youth.
Wade quietly took note of this change and then turned to Mabel. "Where have you been hiding all this time? Professor Dumbledore's been really worried about you."
Mabel had been watching the two adult wizards' attitudes, and was momentarily stunned by the question. She unconsciously began tracing circles on the floor with her foot.
"I… I've just been hiding wherever I could, living in attics where no one goes."
"That must've been very hard," Lupin said gently. "It's impressive that you've managed to hold out for so long."
Mabel's eyes turned red, but she forced a strong front. "It's nothing… most people aren't a match for me anyway."
"Since we've run into each other, how about coming with us to Hogwarts?" Wade offered. "You don't have to worry about Dementors — they're not allowed anywhere near the school."
Unlike in the original storyline, Dumbledore was now taking a firmer stance. Since the attack on the train, Dementors had been completely banned from approaching the school grounds.
And since Fudge was as fickle as ever, the moment Dumbledore stopped compromising, the Minister became much more cooperative.
Mabel glanced at Wade, then quickly lowered her gaze and shook her head stubbornly. "No. I know you mean well, but I can't trouble you… I'm not a student at Hogwarts. If I hide there, I'll be easily discovered."
"Then why not live in Hogsmeade instead?" Lupin suggested. "There are no Dementors there either, and Hogwarts students come to visit all the time. You could stay at my house…"
His voice trailed off as he suddenly remembered she was just a 13- or 14-year-old girl — not appropriate to live with a single adult man. He quickly pointed to Sirius and added:
"—I live with this guy. We're neighbors. It's easy to look out for each other if anything comes up."
"Yeah," Sirius chimed in, seeing her hesitation. "If you could cross the sea and risk everything in a foreign land just to rescue Wade, then we're friends already! Accepting help from a friend isn't a burden — it's also a kind of giving."
Mabel hesitated, then looked at Wade. Seeing him smiling and nodding at her, she finally gave a small, slightly awkward smile and said softly, "Thank you."
Dumbledore and Wade had both helped her greatly in the past. Now, the thought of living near them brought her a sense of comfort and security.
Wade stayed with her, following Lupin and Sirius to Hogsmeade via Apparition. They tidied up the place a bit, Lupin moved his things over to Sirius's house, and they prepared some daily necessities for Mabel.
"It's too late today — we'll buy more supplies tomorrow," Wade said, taking out a large pouch of Galleons and handing it to Mabel.
Now that his wardrobe space had returned, his resources and money were plentiful again. Wade also left Mabel a few bottles of Polyjuice Potion and a small bundle of hair that his dad had previously helped him collect.
"This potion can make you look like someone else so you won't be recognized. If you go out, remember to take a sip every hour," Wade explained.
The abundance of gifts made the girl uneasy. She tried to decline, unwilling to accept them. But Wade looked into her eyes and said:
"I know you're strong, but everyone needs help sometimes. If you didn't hesitate to help me when I needed it, why should my help be a burden to you?"
Mabel had no choice but to accept as she mumbled her thanks. Her eyes turned slightly red as she lowered her head, not daring to let anyone see her expression.
"No need to be so polite," Wade said with a shake of his head. "I'll send you my study notes later. Since Obscurials are born from the prolonged suppression of magic, then maybe learning to accept one's magical abilities and use them properly can help control the Obscurus' power."
Mabel had once deeply resented the fact that she possessed magic, because it had cost her her parents and brought endless pain.
But now, her view of wizards and magic had quietly begun to change. She fell silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "I'll study hard."
"Good." Wade smiled. "Let's work hard together."
…
After that, Sirius stayed at home while Lupin Apparated with Wade to walk him home.
The street was very quiet. As they headed toward the Grey residence, Lupin said softly, "Wade, once an Obscurus is formed… it's not easy to make it disappear."
"I know," Wade replied just as softly, looking at the road ahead.
"But we still need to have hope, don't we? An Obscurus is both a magical entity and a manifestation of inner darkness. If she receives enough care, a sense of safety, and proper magical education, at the very least it could help suppress its eruptions."
"As long as you're aware," Lupin sighed.
"With her staying in Hogsmeade, if the Obscurus does break out, at least we'll be nearby to handle it — unlike what happened with Credence back then, almost exposing the wizarding world to Muggles completely."
Wade gave a small nod.
When the two adult wizards had so earnestly persuaded Mabel to stay in Hogsmeade, Wade had already guessed that their motives weren't purely out of kindness for a pitiful girl — they also wanted to keep the potential danger in a place that was easier to monitor and control.
Even if there was a cold logic behind it, the help they offered Mabel was real and substantial. And if the Obscurus did erupt, Sirius and Lupin would be the first to face the crisis head-on.
"There's one more thing I think you already know…"
Lupin said with pity in his voice, "The Obscurus does immense damage to both the host's body and mind. It's said that Obscurials rarely live past ten years old."
"Credence from decades ago was an exception, but from what I've heard, although he was very powerful for a time, he quickly became extremely weak… perhaps that was the result of the Obscurus draining him."
Lately, Lupin had researched a lot of old records, learning about histories nearly forgotten.
Mabel seemed fine for now, but who knew when her life force would start to be consumed by the Obscurus?
It was cruel, but Lupin didn't want Wade to be unprepared for the possibility of losing a friend. Better to keep a bit of distance now than suffer too much later.
"I know, Remus," Wade said softly.
As they approached the front of the Grey residence, Lupin stopped walking and watched Wade go inside with a barely audible sigh.
…
But Wade's mood wasn't as heavy as Lupin imagined.
He was no less informed about Obscurials than Lupin. The first time he saw Mabel unleash Obscurus power, he had already recalled all relevant knowledge.
And Wade had foreseen far more deaths than Lupin realized. If he let every glimpse of death weigh him down, he'd have no way to carry on normally — every meeting would become a farewell.
So for now, Wade remained optimistic. Dumbledore and Newt Scamander had both tried to save Obscurials. Though they have failed, their experience still holds value. And this time… it might not end the same way.
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⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- +235 Chapters
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