As Dumbledore was about to leave, he glanced once more at the Marauder's Map on the desk.
After seeing Grindelwald's name enter the Forbidden Forest, he was about to look away.
However, just as his gaze was leaving the map, the corner of his eye caught sight of a name.
Seeing the shocked expression on Dumbledore's face, Wade could not help asking, "Professor, did you see two Grindelwalds appear?"
"Not exactly… however." Dumbledore looked up and asked, "Wade, do you often check this map?"
Wade shook his head. "I made it mostly for fun. After finishing it, I rarely looked at it again."
That was the truth. Since the second half of his first year, whenever he went out wandering at night, he simply cast a Disillusionment Charm and set off.
With the support of Ancient Magic, his Disillusionment Charm was nearly impossible for anyone to detect.
Because of that, he had no need to consult the Marauder's Map to avoid people during his nighttime wanderings.
"I see…" Dumbledore looked at the map again, then said, "May I borrow this map for a while?"
"Of course." Wade shrugged.
The Marauder's Map had been improved by Wade himself. Naturally, he had ways to make his name appear wherever he wished, so even if the map was with Dumbledore, it would not interfere with his nighttime excursions.
"Thank you very much. Your map has been a great help," Dumbledore said with a smile.
He slowly folded the map on the desk, placed it in his pocket, and then walked toward the door.
However, Wade could not help frowning. His instincts told him that something was wrong.
The shock on Dumbledore's face earlier had not been fake. That meant he had definitely discovered something on the map.
If it were related to the Forbidden Forest, there was no reason for him not to mention it.
Yet Dumbledore had only asked to borrow the Marauder's Map without revealing what he had just seen.
That meant he had probably discovered something unrelated to the situation in the forest.
Asking whether Wade often looked at the map was likely just a way to test whether Wade had already noticed it.
So aside from the strange happenings in the Forbidden Forest, what else could have made Dumbledore show such a shocked expression?
And whatever it was, it had to be something visible on the Marauder's Map.
!!!
Wade suddenly felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck his mind.
He roughly understood what Dumbledore must have seen.
The incident in the Forbidden Forest had shaken both of them.
Because of that, when Wade hurriedly checked the names in the forest on the Marauder's Map, he had overlooked something.
Salazar Slytherin.
Unless something unexpected had happened, his name should be clearly displayed at the Chamber of Secrets.
If there was anything on the Marauder's Map that could make Dumbledore look as though he had seen a ghost, then ninety-nine percent of the time it would be Slytherin's name.
A miscalculation.
It would not matter too much if Dumbledore discovered Slytherin's ghost, but the Chamber contained the laboratory Wade had designed for himself and Slytherin.
No matter what, Dumbledore must not see the experiments he was conducting there.
"Professor, perhaps I should go with you. I think observing through the Obscurus still has certain limitations," Wade quickly called out, speaking sincerely.
Right now, Wade was worried that Dumbledore might temporarily set aside the matter of the Forbidden Forest and go straight to the Chamber of Secrets to investigate.
If that happened, Slytherin would have no time to tidy up the chamber.
It would be better to take the initiative and suggest going to the forest. Since Dumbledore clearly did not intend to tell him about what he had seen, seeing Wade insist on going to the forest would probably make him deal with the forest first and only investigate the chamber afterward.
That time gap was exactly what Wade needed.
Sure enough, Dumbledore hesitated slightly. "Perhaps you should stay here."
"No, Professor. This matter makes me deeply uneasy. If I don't figure out the reason, I won't even be able to sleep," Wade insisted.
Hearing this, Dumbledore did not insist any further. "Very well, come with me. Remember, do not act on your own. Stay by my side."
Wade quietly let out a sigh of relief. He then retrieved the Obscurus drifting in the air and sealed it back inside the goblin-metal container before following Dumbledore out of the office.
...
Inside the Chamber of Secrets, Salazar Slytherin was personally assisting Wade with an experimental study.
Suddenly, he felt the Obscurus cloak around him tighten slightly. A line of information appeared before his eyes.
"Tsk. That brat… completely unreliable!"
Slytherin stopped the experiment in dissatisfaction, grabbed his wand, and began tidying up quickly.
As for the tables, chairs, and the experimental notes he already knew by heart, Slytherin simply cast a Vanishing Charm and cleared them away.
The small roosters were swiftly packed into a suitcase with a Levitation Charm.
In no time at all, Slytherin had cleaned up the entire chamber.
He looked around once more, then picked up the suitcase and flew into the mouth of his own statue, calmly leaving through another hidden exit.
...
Outside the castle, Wade and Dumbledore were already striding quickly toward the Forbidden Forest.
When Wade felt the container holding the Obscurus in his arms tremble three times, he finally relaxed inwardly.
This was the signal from Slytherin, indicating that the Chamber of Secrets had been cleared.
Phew~~
With that taken care of, even if Dumbledore went to the chamber now and saw Slytherin, it would not be a problem.
However, with Slytherin's appearance combined with the strange events in the Forbidden Forest, Wade had no idea what conclusions Dumbledore might draw.
Under these circumstances, Wade could hardly bring up Slytherin himself.
When Dumbledore and Wade arrived at the location of the tent in the Forbidden Forest, they happened to see Grindelwald questioning a terrified supporter.
___
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