It was already June, and the weather was hot, but Professor Trelawney still had a fire going in the fireplace and the curtains drawn. The room in the tower was stuffy, hot, and filled with smoke.
Professor Trelawney sat in front of a large crystal ball, her face still bearing a somewhat sleepy expression.
"Oh, Wade, dear, I've never worried about your exams."
She pointed to the crystal ball and smiled, "Look inside and tell me what you see."
While Wade observed the crystal ball, Professor Trelawney got up and poured herself a glass of gin. She took a sip, her eyes closing in a blissful expression.
"It truly is an imported fine liquor, quite intoxicating. These House-elves are good at shopping, but it's just too expensive..."
Professor Trelawney opened her eyes, a hint of alcohol on her breath, and asked, "Wade, what did you see?"
A moment later, Wade looked up and said, "I saw an oval-shaped stadium... very large, with many people... it seems like a big match is taking place."
"A match?" Professor Trelawney put down her glass, wrote a few lines on a piece of parchment, and pressed, "And then? What else did you see? Did you see the outcome of the match?"
"I saw people in red raising their fists... but I also saw people in green cheering," Wade said.
"Raising fists? Does that mean the Golden Snitch was caught? But cheering..."
Professor Trelawney mused thoughtfully, "Did you see the end scene? Who won at the end?"
"The people in green," Wade affirmed.
"The people in green..."
Professor Trelawney muttered, her eyes lighting up slightly as if something had occurred to her. She said distractedly, "Alright, dear, that's enough for the exam. You may go."
"Okay, goodbye, Professor."
Wade got up to leave. Before he had even gone down the Trapdoor, he saw Professor Trelawney hastily rummaging through a cabinet, pulling out her money box. With a clatter, she emptied all the coins onto the table and happily began counting them.
Wade felt like he could almost hear the abacus beads clicking in her mind and couldn't help but smile. He even felt a little envious of Professor Trelawney's simple joy.
As he descended the stairs, he recalled what he had truly seen in the crystal ball—
A scrunched-up, snake-faced baby.
An adult Wizard holding the baby, with cold eyes.
A tall Dementor holding a person, bending down as if to kiss them.
Finally, a long, seemingly endless corridor, with tightly closed doors lining both sides.
His gaze swept quickly through the corridor, finally stopping in front of a locked door with a shell-like symbol on it.
The swirling white mist in the crystal ball briefly showed Wade several images. Except for the last one, which he didn't understand, the preceding ones seemed to be glimpses of future wars.
Wade took a deep breath, unable to believe he had overlooked Voldemort's matter for so long, having subconsciously assumed that because the real Wormtail was dead, Voldemort wouldn't pose a threat for a while.
Especially the man holding the baby...
Wade frowned, his mind replaying the past memories retrieved from the Pensieve.
The movies he had seen before didn't provide much reference, as the people in this world looked quite different from the actors.
But by comparing their age, demeanor, and facial features, Wade gradually pinpointed someone.
He quickly walked to the Library, tossed his bag onto a chair, and dove into the periodicals section.
Madam Pince was tidying books and, seeing Wade's hurried figure, quickly said, "It's almost closing time, Gray!"
"I know! I just need to look up one piece of information!"
Wade's voice came from behind the bookshelves. Madam Pince first frowned at his loud voice, then remembered there were no other students in the Library and shook her head, not chasing him out.
Wade waved his Wand, and several old newspapers flew down from the shelf, spreading out before him one by one. He searched through them, finally finding the image he wanted in one of the newspapers.
A boy, who looked only seventeen or eighteen, was being dragged away by a Dementor. In the picture, he struggled desperately, his mouth wide in a silent scream, his face filled with terror.
The newspaper also had two smaller accompanying pictures: one of several other condemned prisoners, and another of a cold, hateful man. The caption beneath identified him as Barty Crouch, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, responsible for the trials.
Wade's gaze moved upward.
The pale-faced boy was Barty Crouch Jr. His appearance was very similar to his father's, but younger and more slender.
If he were taller, his features more mature, and he replaced the panic on his face with his father's expression, he would be identical to the man Wade had seen in the crystal ball.
Wade couldn't understand how he could have forgotten the destructive potential of this person.
Of course, Barty Crouch Jr. was originally a lower priority in his plan because this person was supposed to be controlled by his father with the Imperius Curse, as harmless as a hamster.
It wasn't until Peter Wormtail escaped and the Death Eaters caused trouble at the Quidditch World Cup that Barty Crouch Jr. finally found an opportunity to break free from his father's control and reveal his true fangs.
Moreover, Barty Crouch, as the Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, held a high position of power and had gained a high reputation for his tenacious resistance against the Death Eaters. He was far from an ordinary student who could be approached or "slandered."
In Wade's plan, he intended to expose the fact that Barty Crouch Jr. was still alive through the fake Peter before the World Cup. Then, both "men" would be sent away by Barty Crouch or the Dementors.
This way, "Peter" would die a legitimate death, and Barty Crouch Jr., Voldemort's fervent fan, could disappear completely. Voldemort's resurrection might even be delayed for a few years.
It would be best if it could be delayed until after Wade graduated from Hogwarts. This way, his knowledge, Magical Power, and training would reach a higher standard, allowing him to operate freely outside of Hogwarts, greatly increasing his flexibility and adaptability.
Unfortunately... due to his momentary oversight, events seemed to be sliding back towards the original timeline.
Wade felt annoyed for a moment. He made a copy of the newspaper using a Duplicating Charm, folded the duplicated parchment, tucked it into his pocket, said goodbye to Madam Pince, and left the Library, heading towards the Headmaster's Office.
Dumbledore needed to know what he had seen in the crystal ball. If he was lucky, Barty Crouch Jr. was still under his father's control, and then he and Dumbledore could raid the Crouch home and capture Barty Crouch Jr.
Though that person diligently served as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for a year in the original story, who knew what he would do this time? In terms of ability, he was far stronger than other Death Eaters, and in some ways, even more threatening than Voldemort.
Among the many Death Eaters, there was no one else like Barty Crouch Jr. — brave and cunning, patient and skilled at acting, and incredibly loyal.
Most Death Eaters were either going mad locked up in Azkaban, or they had shrewdly escaped punishment and were living comfortable lives, even less keen than ordinary Wizards for their "master" to return.
But since he had already seen Barty Crouch Jr. holding infant Voldemort in the crystal ball, perhaps it was already too late to stop it…
Wade was so engrossed in thought that he accidentally missed the entrance to the Headmaster's Office. It wasn't until he started up the stairs towards Ravenclaw Tower that he realized he had gone too far.
So he turned back, tapped the stone gargoyle, and said, "Peppermint Drops."
The gargoyle jumped aside, and Wade stepped onto the automatically ascending spiral staircase, arriving at the office door in no time. He knocked on the brass door knocker, then heard Dumbledore's voice: "Come in."
Wade entered the room. Dumbledore was sitting by the window reading a letter and smiled when he saw Wade: "I was just looking for you, Wade. Newt is back. Have Mabel prepare herself; starting next week, we'll try to treat her Obscurus."
"Mr. Scamander?" Wade paused, then said with surprise, "Does he already have a treatment plan?"
"Yes. Though we haven't met for a while, he's been pondering this very thing!"
Dumbledore pulled a sheet of paper from the letter in his hand, indicating Wade could read it.
On the slightly yellowed parchment, Scamander had meticulously written about the treatment methods for an Obscurial and the Magic to be used, showing he had considered this for a long time.
But at the end, Scamander still cautiously stated that it was all his conjecture, and whether it would succeed was uncertain.
"It's great just to have a way," Wade said with a relaxed smile. "I have some gold dust from The Organization; even if it fails temporarily, it can keep Mabel's condition from worsening so quickly."
"Excellent," Dumbledore smiled. "We must always have hope and believe there will always be a solution. By the way, Wade, was there something you needed me for?"
"I…"
Wade was about to speak when he suddenly forgot why he had come. He stammered, and then the thought slowly surfaced in his mind.
"Mr. Bode from the Department of Mysteries commissioned a Humanoid Golem from me, saying it was for more dangerous Magic experiments."
Wade continued, "I've completed the main body of the Golem, but I still wanted your opinion on this matter."
"Broderick Bode?" Dumbledore smiled. "He's a dedicated and sincere person. He was in Ravenclaw House and had no hobbies other than studying Magic. Don't worry, he won't use the Golem to do anything out of line."
"Then I can rest easy."
Wade smiled, stood up, and bid the Headmaster farewell. He was overjoyed at the thought of Mabel finally being free from the Obscurus, until he accidentally put his hand in his pocket and felt something was off.
Wade pulled out a newspaper and saw Barty Crouch Jr.'s pale face on it, then helplessly slapped his forehead.
—Does this guy have some kind of "Presence -10" buff? Why do I always forget to mention him?
Though Wade grumbled inwardly, he didn't actually think that. He just felt he had been distracted by the Scamander matter, causing him to suddenly forget his purpose.
For example, sometimes when he was too focused on studying Magic, he would forget if he had eaten; or halfway through writing a paper, a thought about Alchemy would suddenly pop into his head, and he would forget his paper and turn to Alchemy instead.
Wade held the newspaper and walked towards the Headmaster's Office again.
"Peppermint Drops!"
The stone gargoyle lazily jumped aside, and Wade ascended the stairs.
Dumbledore looked at the returning Wade with some surprise and asked, "Is there something else, Wade?"
"Um, I forgot to mention earlier…"
Wade's gaze swept over the portraits of past Hogwarts Headmasters on the wall, and he asked with some trepidation, "Nicolas Flamel invited me to visit his estate in July, but I don't know the exact address or time… Should I send him another letter to ask?"
"Nicolas's address is a secret, known to very few people in the world, so he wouldn't forget that himself."
Dumbledore reassured him, "You don't need to worry; Flamel will arrange everything. Perhaps you'll receive a letter from him in a day or two."
Wade actually knew this, but hearing Dumbledore say it still made him feel much more at ease.
Then, he felt a bit embarrassed for bothering the Headmaster with such a small matter and left after a hurried farewell.
The spiral staircase carried Wade downstairs. He watched the main door close again, staring thoughtfully for a moment, then reached out and patted the stone gargoyle's head.
"Compared to stone lions, gargoyles are really much uglier…"
Wade grumbled, the parchment in his hand flapping loudly.
He instinctively thought it was his homework and casually stuffed it into his pocket, returning to the Ravenclaw Common Room.
The Common Room was sparsely populated. The term exams were finally over, and tomorrow they could even go to Hogsmeade. Students who had been pulling all-nighters studying for days couldn't help but go back to their dorms early to rest. Only one thin figure was still curled up on a sofa reading a book.
"Luna?" Wade saw the person and approached, asking with some concern, "Why aren't you back in the dorm resting?"
Had this unsociable girl been bullied by her roommates again?
Luna took off her oddly shaped glasses and said, "The dorm is full of Blibbering Humdingers; they're too noisy for me to read. And it's easier to find Night Shadow Elves when it's quiet at night."
"…What Elf?" Wade instinctively pressed.
"Night Shadow Elves," Luna repeated seriously. "They like to fly under oak trees at night and sometimes even fly into people's dreams."
"Oh… I see." Wade slowly realized that this was probably another magical creature that only Luna believed existed.
He was about to say goodnight and head back to his dorm when he heard the girl say, "Your newspaper is about to fall out of your pocket, did you know?"
"Newspaper?"
Wade paused, then slowly pulled out the newspaper, looking at the person in the picture with an expression like he had seen a ghost.
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