Rita Skeeter fell silent for a moment at the mention of Mabel.
When they parted ways in the dungeon, she never imagined it would be the last time they saw each other.
Trapped on the island, Rita spent her days thinking only of escape; but once back in a peaceful environment, she found herself yearning for that place in her midnight dreams.
It wasn't that she had some kind of attachment to prison... it was just that back then, she was surrounded by pure and kind souls. Despite their tragic fates, the children helped each other selflessly and openly, even risking their lives to shield a stranger like her.
That feeling was truly wonderful.
It was completely different from the current environment, filled with arrogance, jealousy, greed, and hypocrisy.
After a moment of quiet, Rita sighed and said, "No, nothing."
"The Ministry of Magic... sigh, the Ministry of Magic doesn't care about follow-ups at all. Fudge is only focused on the Quidditch World Cup now. They've got nearly five hundred people building that place, completely unable to spare anyone for anything else. Even the staff who were left on the island before have been reassigned."
Perhaps because she was badmouthing the Minister of Magic, Rita lowered her voice even further.
"Dumbledore was furious, and Fudge, afraid of offending him, only sent a few Aurors to go through the motions."
"He didn't dare let Dumbledore investigate on his own, so he came up with a rotten idea—Fudge had the Wizengamot court bring up all cases from over a decade ago for review, to tie Dumbledore up."
"You know, because of what happened with Sirius Black, Fudge's reason this time is very legitimate, and Dumbledore couldn't really refuse."
"Rita—"
A frantic shout came through the communication earpiece, along with loud complaints about the newspaper's layout.
"Coming!"
Rita Skeeter yelled back, then hurriedly added:
"I have to go, Wade. But there's one more thing I think you should know—"
"I heard that to capture the Obscurus, the Ministry of Magic will dispatch a special unit. Fudge has given them direct orders to kill the Obscurus and its host without interrogation or reporting. Anyone who tries to obstruct them will also be considered to have committed a serious crime!"
"In short, you must be careful. Just in case... and I mean just in case... you make contact with Mabel, tell her to leave Britain quickly."
Rita ended the communication abruptly without waiting for Wade's reply. She stuffed the pea into her small satchel, ran her fingers through her hair, waved her wand to remove dust from her clothes and cobwebs from her hair, and walked out of the utility closet where cleaning supplies were kept, head held high.
"Rita—my dear—"
A plump, bald editor immediately rushed over, saying with a "saved at last" expression, "Come quickly and look at this article—"
...
Wade put away the communication pea and sighed.
For some reason, Rita seemed to think Mabel might come looking for him. But in reality, he had only spent a very brief time with that girl.
Although Wade felt deep sympathy for those children, and despite his positive feelings towards them after hearing Rita's experiences on the island, objectively speaking, Wade didn't think Mabel would trust him very much.
Wade was almost powerless to intervene in the girl's life and death or her future fate, only able to await the moment destiny would declare its verdict.
The other students, however, couldn't grasp the weight of Wade's feelings. They happily discussed their holiday plans, looking forward to the approaching Christmas, and the atmosphere in class inevitably became more restless.
Three days before the break, Wade finally received a summons from Dumbledore. He patiently sat through his afternoon classes, then flowed back for three hours to the Headmaster's Office.
...
An owl fluttered out the window. Dumbledore watched this reliable messenger carry away his letter to someone, then returned to his desk and picked up his quill to write a message for Wade in his Book of Friends.
Two seconds later, he heard a knock on his office door.
The unlocked oak door was pushed open, and standing outside was none other than Wade Grey.
"Your speed truly surprises me, Wade," Dumbledore smiled, then added, "Of course, you certainly couldn't be late now."
Wade also saw Dumbledore's desk piled high with documents and clutter, realizing he had been a bit too eager.
"It seems I'm a bit early, Professor," Wade said thoughtfully. "Please, carry on with your work; I can wait a moment."
"Good... I just happen to have two more documents to process. Perhaps you'd like to read for a while first?" Dumbledore asked.
"Of course, Professor."
Dumbledore waved his wand, and a padded armchair hopped over, while a small table appeared with steaming hot tea and pastries.
—Magic couldn't conjure food, but it could transport food from the kitchen to the Headmaster's Office desk.
From the bookshelf, seven or eight books flew out and landed in front of Wade. He casually picked one up, and a slight moment of surprise crossed his face when he opened it.
It was The Tales of Beedle the Bard.
He flipped through a couple of pages and landed directly on The Tale of the Three Brothers.
—Perhaps it wasn't "directly," but rather because the owner of this office had read this story the most, leaving many subtle traces, like a bookmark hidden between the pages, which allowed Wade to find it immediately.
Though Wade had read this book before, he still reread it carefully this time—
Three wizard brothers, traveling on a road, encountered a swift river. They conjured a bridge to cross it, but Death, deprived of offerings, suddenly appeared and deceptively offered each of the three brothers a gift—
The eldest received the Elder Wand, the strongest wand in the world; the second received the Resurrection Stone, which could bring the dead back to life; and the third received the Invisibility Cloak, which could hide him from Death.
But the Elder Wand was an unprincipled fellow; when its owner failed, it would immediately find itself a new master;
The Resurrection Stone could only awaken unfortunate souls but not truly bring them back to life, causing endless torment to both the user and the revived souls. This thing could not be called a gift, only a curse.
As for the Invisibility Cloak, hailed as the most perfect, its function was quite limited. It claimed to hide one from Death, but in reality, even Moody's magical eye could see through it. Its advantage was that it wouldn't wear out or be affected by spells, and its invisibility effect could last indefinitely.
When Wade first read the story, he thought the stingy "Death" was probably a very powerful Alchemist, and the so-called three Hallows were just his creations.
But after studying magic for so long, Wade realized things wouldn't be that simple—the method for making an Invisibility Cloak was easy, but making it last was incredibly difficult.
Moreover, unlike ordinary alchemical creations, Wade couldn't quite see through the alchemical magic on Harry's Invisibility Cloak.
Wade unconsciously stroked the pages of the book, thinking to himself—If it were me, how would I create similar alchemical objects?
Countless runes and spells swirled in his mind, and he became lost in thought. When he came back to his senses, he found that Dumbledore had finished his work and was quietly waiting for him.
Wade saw the Headmaster's silver-white beard gleaming in the lamplight, his long fingers pressed together, chin resting above his fingertips, gazing thoughtfully out the window.
Wade turned his head for a quick look and saw that the sky outside was a dazzling opalescent blue, clear and bright, with the distant Forbidden Forest and grasslands covered in a thin layer of frost.
Wade: "Professor?"
"Mm." Dumbledore turned his gaze to him and asked, "Interested in the story of the Three Brothers and Death?"
Wade said, "I was just wondering how the Wand, Resurrection Stone, and Invisibility Cloak from the story could be made if they were all alchemical creations."
Dumbledore smiled at his words and said, "Don't be superstitious about legends, Wade. Stories that have passed are not worth pursuing; believe in your own power."
"I understand, Professor," Wade replied.
"Let's go." Dumbledore stood up, extended his hand to Wade, and said, "We'll go somewhere else to practice Apparition."
Wade stepped forward and took Dumbledore's arm. Fawkes the Phoenix flew over and landed on Dumbledore's shoulder.
The next moment, accompanied by a clear cry, a flash of light burst from the Headmaster's Office, and both vanished from the room simultaneously.
...
With a *thump*, Wade and Dumbledore appeared in a forest, where tall trees formed an arched canopy, completely covering the area.
Wade was surprised to find that this place was not unfamiliar to him—Sirius Black and Lupin had also set things up here before for Wade to practice Animagus transformation.
"This spot is just right," Dumbledore said. "It's not affected by Anti-Apparition Charms, and there are no wizards or Muggles to disturb us, so we can practice with peace of mind."
He waved his Wand, causing the bare branches to extend and seal the gaps more tightly.
The dry leaves on the ground swirled into several piles, then *whoosh*—they ignited, and Wade immediately felt a comforting warmth.
So Wade also waved his Wand, and clusters of blue fireballs fell around them, burning quietly, dispelling the winter chill.
Now, they were both standing as if encircled by flames.
Even with a simple Fire Charm, Wade's solid foundation in spells was evident, and Dumbledore's eyes showed approval.
"Apparition is a very difficult magic; normally, you would only learn it after sixth year."
Dumbledore said, "But I've noticed you seem to have started reading related books very early. I'm guessing you already have a considerable understanding of Apparition?"
"Yes." Wade pulled a rolled parchment from his satchel and said, "I recently completed a thesis on Apparition."
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow in surprise, took the thesis, quickly skimmed it for a moment, then rolled it up and put it away.
"I must say, this thesis is good enough to be published in Charms Today magazine."
Dumbledore sighed with a smile, "I don't know what else I can teach you... Let's start from the beginning. Watch me demonstrate..."
Dumbledore seemed to just give a slight twitch, and his body vanished from where he stood, reappearing with a *pop* several meters away.
"Did you see? Apparition doesn't require complex spells or cumbersome movements. The most important thing is whether your inner thoughts are clear, and whether your desire to reach your destination is strong."
"What are the three Ds of Apparition, Wade?"
Dumbledore suddenly asked.
Wade, of course, wasn't stumped. He immediately replied, "Destination, Determination, Deliberation."
"Excellent."
A spark shot from the tip of Dumbledore's Wand, hitting the ground and creating a black circle.
"Focus your mind on this circle, desire with your whole being to reach this place, don't be afraid or nervous, calmly surrender yourself to the magic—then turn."
Wade didn't hesitate. He carefully looked at the circle, memorized its appearance, raised his arm, and spun in place—
*"Bang!"*
He heard a sound like a firecracker exploding and thought he had succeeded, but when he opened his eyes, he found his body was still in the same place, with only a corner of his robe three meters away.
"Take your time," Dumbledore said. "It's always very difficult at first."
*"Bang!"*
Wade tried a second time. This time, he finally moved over a meter from his original spot, but his left foot temporarily parted ways with his body.
"Splinching," Dumbledore calmly stated. "Your concentration isn't focused enough. The target needs to fill your mind."
He pointed his Wand, and with a loud bang, purple smoke erupted around them. Wade's left foot reattached to his body, and he didn't even feel any pain.
Wade took a deep breath, a faint golden light flickering in his eyes.
He looked at the target circle again, then... spun!
*"Pop!"*
Splinching occurred again, but this time he only lost a few strands of hair, and Wade had no intention of getting them back.
*CRACK!*
Wade was distracted at the start and didn't even move, tripping over his own feet and falling.
*CRACK!*
He finally Apparated to a relatively distant spot... but it was too far, and Wade stepped right into a bonfire.
Luckily, extinguishing fires was a basic skill for wizards.
*CRACK!*
Wade stepped onto the edge of the circle. He looked around for a while before suddenly realizing that the target location was right where he was standing.
A trace of surprise on his face, he looked back at where he had been, unable to believe he had succeeded so quickly—after all, Harry in the original story took several months to learn this magic.
Wade hesitated, glanced at Dumbledore, stepped out of the circle and back to the starting point, then tried again!
*CRACK!*
This time, he stood right in the center of the circle.
*CRACK, CRACK, CRACK, CRACK, CRACK...*
A monotonous clapping sound echoed nearby. Wade looked up to see Dumbledore smiling and nodding.
"Yes, you've certainly succeeded, Wade." The Headmaster looked extremely pleased. He said, "I thought you'd need at least two or three lessons. You truly exceeded my expectations."
Wade gave a shy smile and said, "I'll practice a bit more, Professor."
The young wizard's figure began to flicker across the grounds once more.
Because he wanted his Apparition to be faster, to be as quick as instinct, Wade didn't wait until he was fully prepared every time before Apparating.
Splinching still occurred occasionally, so Dumbledore taught Wade how to quickly mend his body.
He watched Wade practice repeatedly; the Apparition time grew shorter and shorter, while the instances of splinching became fewer and fewer.
By the Ministry of Magic's standards, Wade had now mastered Apparition and could even pass the exam to earn a certificate, but Wade himself seemed unsatisfied.
He continued to practice diligently, repeatedly.
Dumbledore watched his figure flicker, feeling both pleased and unable to help but sigh.
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