"Since that's the case, go take a look now. Your main body can stay in my office. It will be safe here."
As he spoke, Dumbledore opened the office window.
Wade was a little surprised. He had originally planned to go back and bring Slytherin along before setting out.
But clearly, Dumbledore was not comfortable letting him find time to go alone.
"Alright." Wade nodded.
Since Dumbledore had said so, he had no reason to refuse.
The humanoid form made of black mist dispersed back into fog.
Then the Obscurus drifted out through the window and rose into the sky.
Dumbledore pulled over a chair and sat in front of Wade, watching him with some concern.
Wade blinked at him. "Professor, the way you're staring at me is making me a bit uncomfortable…"
At the moment, Wade was essentially multitasking, paying attention to what the Obscurus was seeing while also talking with Dumbledore.
"Ah… my apologies. That was my oversight." Dumbledore gave an awkward smile, then shifted his chair out of Wade's line of sight.
However, even though Dumbledore had moved out of his view, Wade could still feel the man's uneasy gaze.
After a moment of thought, Wade turned his head toward Dumbledore. "Professor, come sit beside me…"
"Hm?" Dumbledore looked puzzled but still moved his chair again and sat down at Wade's right side.
Seeing Dumbledore settle into his seat, Wade immediately reached out with his right hand and grasped Dumbledore's left arm.
"Wade?"
Dumbledore had only just managed to call his name when he suddenly felt an entirely new field of vision appear before him.
At that moment, it felt as though he had flown high above Hogwarts.
Not only his sight, he could also hear the rushing wind of flight and even feel the air brushing against his body.
Right now, it was as if he had truly become the Obscurus that had just flown out of the office window.
Even the powerful magic contained within the Obscurus was perfectly clear to his senses.
At the same time, Dumbledore could feel that what maintained this shared perception was that familiar magic, ancient magic.
"Professor, I've shared with you the vision and senses of my consciousness within the Obscurus. This way, once we arrive, you'll be able to communicate with me in real time," Wade's voice sounded in Dumbledore's ear.
"Ah… I see. This is truly a brand-new experience," Dumbledore said with emotion.
At the moment, the Obscurus was circling above the castle.
Though Dumbledore was powerful, he had never observed Hogwarts from this perspective before.
"Let's set off," Wade said, and Dumbledore immediately felt the Obscurus begin flying toward the Forbidden Forest.
Watching the castle and the Black Lake sweep beneath them, along with the scattered students strolling by the lakeside, Dumbledore's face filled with curiosity.
This sensation was completely different from flying on a broomstick.
The Obscurus flew very quickly. Before long, it had reached the skies above the Forbidden Forest.
"Head left," Dumbledore said promptly.
"Got it." Wade immediately adjusted course and entered the forest from the left.
Under Dumbledore's guidance, Wade soon arrived above Grindelwald's large tent.
At that moment, the supporters were setting up various protective enchantments on the grass outside the tent.
They were guarding both against creatures entering from outside and against the dark creatures inside the tent escaping.
"Do you feel it? This is the sensation," Dumbledore suddenly said.
Because their senses were linked, he once again detected that familiar chaotic magic.
And through the Obscurus's body, the turbulent magic felt even clearer.
Wade had naturally noticed it as well.
He guided the Obscurus downward and, during the descent, deliberately cast a Disillusionment Charm on it.
Dumbledore was somewhat surprised by this move.
To be able to cast magic while controlling the Obscurus, and using the Obscurus's own magical power no less, meant Wade was not merely controlling it. He was effectively treating the Obscurus as another body.
At this moment, Wade guided the Obscurus into a humanoid form, and the dark magical energies in his field of vision immediately shifted in color.
Although the colors were chaotic and mixed together, deep within them there was still that faint azure glow.
Wade's eyes sharpened.
Though filled with impurities and highly unstable, that was genuine ancient magic.
Moreover, the amount of ancient magic here appeared greater than all the ancient magic hotspots Wade had absorbed before combined.
Realizing this, Wade's heart began to pound wildly.
If he could purge the impurities from this magic and absorb it properly, his ancient magic would increase by more than tenfold.
He might even be able to bring the Senior out to spend Christmas together by the end of the year.
At this moment, Dumbledore was also staring in surprise at the color-shifted magic.
"That is the azure ancient magic you mentioned?" Dumbledore asked.
"Yes. The azure is pure ancient magic, while the other colors are different forms of dark magical energy," Wade explained.
Dumbledore could not help but marvel. Although he had previously been able to sense magical traces, he had never seen the colors of magic this clearly and directly.
"So when these dark creatures gather together, they really can produce ancient magic, like the chemical reactions Muggles talk about?" Wade said with delight.
The ancient magic hotspots around Hogwarts had long since been thoroughly harvested by Wade.
He had been worrying about where to find more, yet now he had unexpectedly discovered a way to generate ancient magic.
Even so, Wade could not afford to appear too pleased. Even though what he shared with Dumbledore was only the Obscurus's sensory link, he still did not want to risk revealing his true feelings.
It would be best to put on a bit of an act…
"Professor… since so many dark magical energies colliding together can produce ancient magic, then… does that mean ancient magic is actually dark magic?" Wade asked, his tone suddenly low.
"That is not the case, Wade. One of the most defining traits of dark magic is that it harms both others and the user. While it injures others, it also brings harm to oneself. However, so far I have not seen ancient magic cause you any harm," Dumbledore said reassuringly.
Wade said dejectedly, "Last time I lost control and even attacked you. Could that actually have been a problem with ancient magic?"
Dumbledore shook his head. "Last time, it was the Obscurus's inherent negative emotions affecting you. It had nothing to do with ancient magic."
"But… what if the true nature of this dark magical energy is ancient magic?"
"You are overthinking, Wade. Do not worry. Let us observe more carefully. Even if ancient magic were the essence of dark magic, as long as it brings no side effects to the user, it is not a major concern. That is completely different from the current dark magic that produces backlash the moment it is used."
In truth, Dumbledore was rather pleased to hear Wade express such concerns.
Although this student did not hide the fact that he had studied and used dark magic before, his questions today showed that he still maintained the necessary caution toward it.
That was far better than those who treated dark magic with no caution at all.
"However, now that we can clearly see the colors of this magic, we can also clearly identify where this chaotic ancient magic is most concentrated." Dumbledore's gaze fell on the tent at the center of the lawn.
Directly above the tent, a deep vortex was forming, radiating a multitude of colors that appeared both magnificent and eerie.
This was something Dumbledore had not been able to perceive before.
Wade nodded. "Yes. Next, we can check whether this newly formed magic is what caused the people present to experience hallucinations."
"Indeed. With the Obscurus's body, we can reach places I couldn't access earlier today," Dumbledore said.
"Professor, where should we check first? The vortex in the center?" Wade asked.
"That will do. Let's move closer and take a look."
Wade immediately guided the Obscurus forward with great care toward the vortex.
As the Obscurus slowly approached, the ancient magic Wade could sense grew increasingly dense.
Dumbledore did not feel much, but Wade felt as if every cell in his body were roaring, urging him to absorb every last drop of that ancient magic.
However, Wade did not dare absorb it directly. With so many impurities, who knew what might happen if he did?
Still, as he carefully sensed the turbulent magic brushing past him, Wade was already secretly calculating how to purify it.
Suddenly, both Wade and Dumbledore felt the scene before them flicker.
Then they noticed overlapping afterimages appearing in their view.
"Is the magic too chaotic, affecting the vision?" Wade asked.
"That should not be the case. The Obscurus's senses are different from a human's. Even if the magic is highly unstable, it should not interfere with its vision."
Just as Dumbledore and Wade were carefully observing the surrounding magic—Buzz!
Both of them felt the Obscurus slam solidly into something.
"This is… someone used a Disillusionment Charm to hide themselves!" Dumbledore said gravely.
"Who is it?!"
At that moment, the unseen person or thing on the other side also seemed to freeze.
Then a spell shot straight at them.
Fortunately, Wade had been maintaining extreme vigilance.
The Obscurus's body split apart to either side, dodging the incoming spell before swiftly re-forming.
Wade was certainly not one to be pushed around. If someone attacked him, there was no way he would not strike back.
Boom!
Before Dumbledore could even speak, Wade had already launched a fierce counterattack through the Obscurus.
Whoosh!
Unexpectedly, Wade's spell missed as well.
Yet Wade could clearly sense that the other party was right in front of him. They had not even dodged. How could the attack miss?
Unless the other side was also controlling something like an Obscurus… but that should have been impossible.
Just as Wade was thinking this, both Disillusionment Charms suddenly failed at the same time.
Wade and Dumbledore both cried out in shock.
Because they could finally see what had collided head-on with their Obscurus.
It was another Obscurus that looked exactly like theirs.
"Bloody hell. What is going on? Am I fighting myself?"
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