Chapter 1027
Confusion and Vision
Chapter 1027 Confusion and Vision
Harry stared at the two lines of text, his mind buzzing.
Ezra Hughes... turned into a baby... the child in the medical wing, Wade also said "turned into a baby"...
Is this a coincidence? Two or even more people were attacked by time magic at the same time, but only the American Auror office director made it into the newspapers?
Or is it that... the man in the news is the same person as the baby in the medical wing?
If it's the former reason, then this is terrifying—it means more people will suffer, and some may even die silently.
If it's the latter reason... but why would a high-ranking wizard from across the ocean be involved with Wade, a student at Hogwarts?
Countless questions bubbled up from Harry's heart like bubbles in a kettle, making his head spin with worry.
At times like this, he really wished he could borrow Hermione's brain... or Michael's would do too...
Just then, Ron suddenly gasped, "No way! Gellert Grindelwald? How did he get involved too?!"
The reason why the news of the Auror office director turning into a baby only occupies one line is, of course, because the reporter has a more explosive story to focus on.
The latter part of the report reads:
The most chilling moment was undoubtedly the appearance of Gellert Grindelwald... Why would he personally intervene for Nicklo Hawthorne? What deep and dark connection exists between them?
We are forced to wonder if Hawthorne's secret research into time magic resonated with Grindelwald's dangerous ideas, or if the president of the Magical Congress of the United States was himself a pawn long ago planted by Grindelwald.
In any case, the only certainty is that Grindelwald's shadow has never dissipated and has infiltrated the core of America's magical power structure...
Ron's pupils dilated in shock. He exclaimed in horror, "Even the president of the Magical Congress of America is his man... Could it be that the dark wizard is about to launch another war? He's been preparing for so long, could the scale be even larger than last time?"
Hermione read faster than them and had already finished reading the entire report.
Seeing the fear on Ron's face, she said dismissively, "Don't take what's in the newspapers seriously! Look, the rest of the article is just baseless speculation. The author is clearly stirring up trouble!"
Wade glanced at the name at the end of the article and, seeing that it was indeed Rita Skeeter, found it quite amusing.
This time, with Wade's intervention, Skeeter didn't spread rumors about Hermione, nor did she portray Harry as a pitiful little thing who cried in bed at night. But Hermione still seemed to see through her true nature at a glance and showed disdain for it.
“Hermione!” Ron stared at the girl in disbelief. “Do you know who that person is? He’s Grindelwald, who once ruled the European wizarding world! You have no idea how many terrible things he did…”
"Of course I know, I've read it all in the book."
Hermione interrupted him, saying, "I just think we shouldn't be led by the nose by an article."
"Moreover, judging from their actions in recent years, Grindelwald and his men have clearly changed their approach. Although their true motives remain questionable, it is not necessarily all bad."
“I don’t believe… I don’t believe someone like that would change.” Ron turned to Harry and Wade for support: “What do you say?”
Harry then came to his senses. He hadn't even heard what the two were arguing about, only that they had another argument.
So Harry, as was his habit, mumbled, "I think... uh... I don't know... both make sense..."
Wade said, "It's wise to wait and see until we have more information. But as for the Hawthorne case..."
He flipped through the newspaper, looked at the dates, picked out another one, placed it on the table, and pointed at it with his finger: "Look, he was actually framed."
Ron frowned as he read the article about Hawthorne's exoneration and Leila Picqueli taking his place as the most wanted criminal. "Oh, I've read this one. I knew I vaguely recognized the name Nicklo Hawthorne, but I just couldn't place it right now."
Hermione looked at Wade with some indignation and asked, "Did you memorize every single article in the newspaper?"
At the same time, she even had a thought: maybe I should try memorizing the news? I wonder if it would improve my memory…
As she struggled to rearrange her mental schedule, trying to squeeze out half an hour each day for news memorization, she heard Wade say:
"How could that be? I've only been paying attention to related reports lately because it involves time magic."
Hermione's mental timeline shattered with a "snap," and she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, Harry, sitting next to him, thought to himself: No, the reason Vader is paying attention to these news reports isn't because they involve time magic, but because the person mentioned in the news is currently at Hogwarts...
"But I still feel something's wrong, something's very wrong..."
Ron crossed his arms, adopting a worried yet far-sighted look, and said:
"A demon king even more terrifying than the mysterious man has landed in America. The magical world there is probably in danger. The Magical Congress might even have fallen into his clutches..."
Wade gave him a deep look and saw Ron striking a pose mimicking The Thinker, his fist pressed tightly against his lips, his brow furrowed, and his eyes lowered.
Wade decisively and resolutely looked away immediately.
……
By the time everyone packed up to go to the auditorium for dinner, Ron's stomach was already rumbling, and his foresight seemed to have been overwhelmed by the aroma of roast beef.
At the long table, Ron ate with great relish and discussed with his roommates Seamus and Dean the good news that the Quidditch pitch might be available that afternoon.
After dinner, a group of Gryffindors, disregarding the biting wind, noisily rushed towards the playground, shouting that they wanted to ride broomsticks around the field. Ron immediately perked up, eagerly following along, not forgetting to turn back and call out:
"Come quick, Harry! Bring your fire bolt!"
Harry would usually be the first to respond, but today he shook his head and said, "You guys go ahead, I... I have something to do."
Ron was a little surprised, but he didn't ask any more questions. He waved and ran off after the person in front of him.
At the other end of the long table, Ginny hesitated, wondering whether to go up and ask Harry if he had gotten up, when a girl next to her pulled her up.
"What are you standing there for! Didn't you want to join the academy's team? If you don't take this opportunity to practice more, how will you have a chance?"
Ginny: "But..."
The girl glanced at Harry from afar and said, "You won't get anywhere chasing after someone. You have to make yourself better, even beat him, before he'll truly notice you!"
Ginny paused for a second, then suddenly stood up, her eyes blazing with two bright and burning flames.
(End of this chapter)