King's Cross Station, Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
Wade waved goodbye to his friends with a calm smile. One by one the students gathered their trunks and owls, drifting away with excited families. Laughter and farewells filled the air for a while before the platform gradually grew quiet and empty.
In the end even Tom disappeared through the barrier, moving carefully while leaning on his crutch.
Only when no one remained nearby did Wade slip into a shadowed corner and Apparate back to the safe house.
Since he was alone and could travel instantly, there was no need to leave King's Cross the ordinary way. He had not returned for nearly half a year, yet the safe house showed no trace of dust or neglect.
Toby had come back from time to time to clean every surface thoroughly. In truth the safe house was no longer as essential as it once had been.
Grindelwald had chosen a new direction and would not move against Wade and Tom lightly anymore.
When Tom returned to Riddle Manor to recover, Dumbledore had raised no objection at all. Even Fawkes had left the safe house six months earlier and gone back to the old wizard's side. Only after Aurelius recovered had the phoenix returned to him once more.
By the time Wade stepped into the familiar rooms, Toby and Tom the cat had already beaten him home.
They had also brought back most of the valuable items from his old laboratory. The small basilisk, Sneak, however, had gone with Tom. The young serpent clearly preferred the company of a Parselmouth who could speak with him directly and understand his nature.
That evening Wade unpacked his belongings and experimental equipment with care, but he left everything packed away in the end. The safe house might look secure on the surface, yet it was not a space that only he could enter.
His true laboratory could not be established in a place others could access.
In other words, since he could no longer return to the Somnolen wizarding tower, he needed a completely new hidden location that he could truly control.
Wade was in no hurry. He rested peacefully for one night in the safe house and rose early the next morning, feeling refreshed and focused.
"Toby, how much money do we have on hand right now?" he asked over a simple breakfast of toast and eggs.
"Replying to Master Wade, the last time Toby visited Gringotts there were 23,530 Galleons in your vault," the house-elf answered respectfully while standing beside the table. "Toby did not have time to count the Sickles and Knuts clearly, but they are also there."
Wade nodded with satisfaction. "That is more than enough."
Besides the several thousand Galleons he had once exchanged for gold, a steady sum arrived in his vault each month without fail. The income came from the potions he produced together with Professor Slughorn.
Although he spent heavily on rare ingredients and equipment, the growing volume of potions handed over for sale had steadily increased their earnings. Over the past year he had managed to save a respectable fortune that most young wizards could only dream of.
He intended to buy a property in a wizarding district to serve as his new laboratory. The greatest concealment, after all, lay in plain sight.
A shop in such an area would draw little suspicion from outsiders.
Once he placed a Fidelius Charm upon it, the place would become extremely secure and almost impossible to find.
During the past year Wade had already mastered the intricacies of the Fidelius Charm, and his magical power was more than sufficient for the task.
In this era more than twenty thousand Galleons could purchase an excellent shop in Diagon Alley. Yet properties there were rarely sold. Every inch of land was precious beyond measure, and most owners preferred to lease rather than part with their holdings permanently.
Therefore Wade's true target was not Diagon Alley itself, but the darker and more shadowy Knockturn Alley.
Knockturn Alley belonged to dark wizards and those who dealt in forbidden knowledge.
It offered all manner of dangerous and illegal items, and most ordinary witches and wizards avoided it entirely.
Rare and dubious goods appeared there often, which suited Wade's needs perfectly for his future experiments.
After finishing breakfast he took the Galleons from Toby, pulled on a thick traveling cloak, and stood before the fireplace with purpose.
"Toby, you and Tom may go about your business for the day," he said.
The house-elf nodded at once and tugged the reluctant cat upstairs with gentle insistence.
Once they had vanished from sight, Wade drew a deep breath, took out a worn second-hand wand, and pointed it directly at his own face.
His body gave a series of sharp cracking sounds as the disguise took hold.
In moments his height stretched from just over five and a half feet to nearly six feet. His features shifted completely and naturally.
The cute boy with chubby cheeks and distinct blond hair disappeared entirely, replaced by a middle-aged European man with a neatly trimmed beard and weathered skin.
Wade turned to the full-length mirror and studied his reflection with great care, checking every detail from the angle of his jaw to the color of his eyes.
Satisfied that the disguise was flawless, he pulled the hood of his cloak over his head, took a pinch of Floo Powder, and stepped into the green flames with confidence.
The Leaky Cauldron's landlord, Tom, glanced at the newcomer with open curiosity as Wade emerged from the fireplace.
He had never seen this bearded stranger before and clearly wanted to strike up a conversation. Yet Wade's cold expression and distant bearing made the old man think better of it and stay silent.
Wade strode out through the back door into Diagon Alley without saying a single word.
Tom clicked his tongue as the figure vanished into the crowd. "Nothing strange about that… probably some American tourist passing through."
Diagon Alley, the bustling heart of the British wizarding world, was already alive with activity even at this early hour. Witches and wizards moved between colorful shops under the warm morning sun, chatting and laughing as they examined window displays.
Cloaked and hooded, Wade blended into the crowd without effort or drawing any attention.
After walking for a short while he reached the narrow entrance to Knockturn Alley and stepped inside without hesitation.
The narrow street felt noticeably darker and cooler even in daylight.
Many figures moved about cloaked and hooded just like him, their faces hidden. In such a place, failing to hide one's face would have been far more noticeable and dangerous.
Knockturn Alley seemed even livelier than Diagon Alley in its own twisted way.
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