Chapter 1062
The Unspoken Advice
Chapter 1062 The Unspoken Advice
The line to the Ravenclaw Tower wound its way up the spiral staircase, filled with the cheerful laughter of students.
We hadn't seen each other for several weeks, and the previous minor conflicts seemed insignificant. Every familiar face brought the joy of a long-awaited reunion.
At least for this moment, the atmosphere at Takahashi High School was extremely harmonious.
Of course, this harmony usually doesn't last more than three days... at the latest by tomorrow morning, new conflicts will erupt.
Michael walked beside Wade at a leisurely pace.
He whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear:
“Listen to what he’s saying… he won’t take over specific tasks.”
He paused for a moment, a mocking smile playing on his lips.
"Research and investigation."
Michael paused again.
"In other words... it means being able to appear anywhere, do whatever one thinks is necessary, and not be accountable to anyone?"
"Percy Weasley was always good at speaking in official jargon, and now he's even better at it."
Wade didn't speak; he turned his head and looked down over the railing.
Percy, accompanied by Filch, was walking towards his new office.
Perhaps it was because the fabric of his robe reflected light that he appeared so dashing, even from behind, making Filch, who was hunched over, look even more like a little goblin.
Two seconds later, he turned a corner and disappeared from Wade's sight.
Michael stood beside him and also saw the red-haired figure from behind.
“Wade, don’t let your twin bias fool you into thinking he’s just back for a visit and won’t cause any trouble for his alma mater.”
Michael's tone lacked his usual flippancy, instead revealing a calm, almost sharp, scrutiny.
"Don't think of him as the male student council president who used to chase after younger students to recite school rules."
"His performance was more natural than Fudge's previous appearances in the spotlight."
Michael turned his head, glanced at the silent Wade, and said:
"Percy Weasley now is a bureaucrat with power in his hands and people behind him."
“He probably doesn’t have much goodwill towards us; in his eyes, there’s only ‘following the procedure’ and ‘not following the procedure’.”
"Or perhaps he'd prefer to uncover some shocking 'security threat' from the school—like he did with Peter Pedirou before."
“If possible, I suspect he would even sacrifice Hogwarts as a stepping stone to his advancement.”
After a while, he heard Wade's voice: "I know."
"Percy even broke ties with his family in order to climb the ladder without any hindrance—right during this holiday season."
“How could that be?” Michael frowned. “For people like them, isn’t a harmonious family relationship an important asset? Even if he’s faking it, he should at least pretend to be very close to his family!”
"Unless he receives some signal from the Ministry of Magic that makes him believe that cutting ties with his family completely is the wiser choice," Wade said.
The two exchanged a glance.
Then they went up the spiral staircase.
Michael frowned deeply, pondering: Under what circumstances would Percy feel that his family was a burden?
As far as he knew, the Weasleys were known among pure-blood families for their poverty and prolific procreation, but the couple were decent people, and their children were all outstanding, showing no signs of wrongdoing.
Percy would do that... could it be...?
The answer seemed to be right in his throat, about to burst out.
Just then, a high-pitched, familiar voice interrupted Michael's thoughts:
"Wade, come here for a second!"
Michael looked up and saw Professor Flitwick standing at the corner of the stairs, his short figure casting a long shadow in the torchlight. He waved to Wade, who waved back, then left the group and walked toward the professor.
Seeing Professor Flitwick's expression in the shadows, Michael took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
For most students, Percy's arrival was just a minor novelty.
Some of them might be thinking of reporting him, while others are simply curious about this "outstanding senior," completely unaware of what this means behind the scenes.
However, the professors' faces already betrayed the impending storm.
"Michael?" Terry's voice came from behind. "What are you standing here for? Curfew is about to start."
"Coming!" Michael replied, then couldn't help but look back again.
The two had already reached a place beyond the reach of the torchlight; in the darkness, only two blurry figures, one tall and one short, could be seen.
What would they say?
Michael thought to himself.
……
Professor Flitwick looked up, his expression unusually complex, a mixture of concern and barely concealed disappointment.
"Did you hear what Percy just said?"
Wade nodded.
“That’s good,” Professor Flitwick said. “To be on the safe side, don’t sneak off to school again anytime soon—I mean anytime soon.”
"Leave school?" Wade looked quite surprised.
Professor Flitwick's lips curled into a helpless smile:
"Don't think I don't know. More than one person has seen you guys hanging around the village on weekends outside of Hogsmeade."
"Especially that kid Michael, he dared to secretly buy hard liquor when he was only in second grade. You guys discovered a secret passage, didn't you?"
“I’ve known the shop owner there for decades. Would I lie to you kids?”
Wade paused for a second, then smiled sheepishly:
"Thank you, Professor... I will be careful."
“Just remember that.” Flitwick nodded. “It’s not that I want to interfere with you, it’s just… well, never mind, you should understand.”
He turned around, ready to leave, but stopped after taking just one step.
He watched the Ravenclaw students walking one after another down the stairs, and his voice suddenly became very soft, as if he were talking to himself:
"Percy is one of the few students I've ever taught who can break down theoretical spells so clearly."
"Ah, of course... I can't compare to you."
"But his meticulousness, seriousness, and hard work can completely make up for his lack of talent."
Wade remained silent.
"He should have become an excellent researcher."
Professor Flitwick's voice was heavy: "Where did that child who kept asking me in class, 'Why can't we reverse the Levitation Charm?' go?"
The professor did not wait for Wade's reply.
He shook his head, took a step, and disappeared into the shadows around the corner of the stairs.
Wade stood in the fire-lit corridor, looking at the long, winding staircase leading to the tower.
He knew what Professor Flitwick hadn't said aloud—
Don't be like him, Wade... Don't let us down.
(End of this chapter)