Chapter 1068
Application Form
Chapter 1068 Application Form
"Family matters?" Percy asked tentatively, somewhat concerned. "Is there anything that would make it inconvenient for his parents to sign?"
Filch, however, said, "What I mean is... it's a student's family matter who they ask for a signature."
"Whether it's my father, mother, godfather, or mentor, as long as they are the guardians recognized by the school, I won't interfere."
"But you... Mr. Weasley..."
The administrator stared at Percy, a growing suspicion forming in his cloudy eyes.
“Wade Gray enrolls on time every semester and shouldn’t be on your list of ‘student safety inspectors.’ So why are you so concerned about the Gray family… what’s your purpose?”
His expression seemed to suggest that he suspected Percy of "stealing from his own office."
Percy felt a chill run down his spine. He coughed lightly and instinctively explained:
"I just... noticed something unusual during registration, and as part of the review process, I naturally had to ask about it..."
“Oh,” Filch said.
Whether he believed it or not, those sinister little eyes continued to scan Percy's face, instantly reminding the Ministry of Magic official of the embarrassment and terror of being grabbed by the arm and verbally abused by the administrator.
He took a step back, creating distance between himself and Filch, and said hastily:
"Since the procedures are all in accordance with regulations, then there's no problem. See you tomorrow, Mr. Filch."
Filch stood in the doorway, watching the red-haired figure disappear quickly down the stairs.
Then he closed the door, slowly walked back to the brazier, added some water to Mrs. Lorris's bowl, and threw two pieces of charcoal into the brazier.
"It's alright, everyone come out now," he said softly.
The little crabs crawled out from every corner and gathered around Filch. Some climbed onto his palm, and some climbed onto the table, their pincers clicking as if waiting for the next instruction.
Filch patted each of them and said, "You don't need to clean up yet. Stay home and behave yourselves. I'm going out for a bit."
He took down the old coat hanging by the door, put it on, and went out.
……
When there was a knock on Professor McGonagall's office door, she was grading holiday transfiguration assignments. The crooked handwriting on the parchment made her frown.
Hearing the knock, she raised her eyebrows as expected and said:
"Please come in."
Filch pushed the door open and came in, then turned around and closed it again.
Under the light, the wrinkles on his face appeared more pronounced than usual.
“Professor McGonagall,” Filch said in a low voice, “that Percy Weasley, he really did take a look at Wade Gray’s application form and questioned Professor Murray’s signature for a long time.”
Professor McGonagall looked up, her face showing no surprise, only a slight downward turn at the corners of her mouth.
“Understood.” She said, “Keep an eye on him. Pay attention to his behavior at school, and if anything seems amiss… let me know immediately.”
Filch nodded, but did not leave immediately.
He stood there, his eyes appearing more sinister than usual.
“Professor,” Filch said ominously, “if he’s really going to harm the school—I mean, not just targeting a particular student, but actually trying to do something—can’t we do something? Something more… radical?”
Professor McGonagall put down her quill, looked at the administrator's unusually direct gaze, and after a while spoke:
“Mr. Filch, a young official in the Ministry of Magic, has shown some curiosity and interest in the famous alchemical genius, which does not prove that he has any ill intentions.”
Filch's facial lines tightened, his expression clearly indicating his complete disagreement with and intention of not adhering to this official narrative. Professor McGonagall then added, "Furthermore, Percy Weasley is accustomed to placing himself on the 'right' side; he lacks the courage to devise any schemes or plots."
"So if he wants to do something, he must just be a pawn charging ahead. The ones really manipulating his actions from behind are certain people in the Ministry of Magic."
"So keeping Percy around and watching him... what we need to know is their true intentions."
Percy, or rather someone in the Ministry of Magic, wanted to obtain information about Vader's family in Muggle society. Although their actions were suspicious, their intentions were not necessarily bad.
Perhaps some people are worried that Vader will cause chaos like Voldemort in the future, so they are taking precautions and want to build a barrier for the wizarding world by controlling his family.
—If Vader hadn't been a student personally taught by McGonagall for many years, McGonagall herself might have had similar concerns based solely on the abilities of the puppets he wielded.
Or perhaps, some people simply want to indirectly establish a good relationship with Wade, to befriend this rising star who is bound to have a powerful influence in the future.
Since Wade himself didn't have many opportunities to interact with others at school, it's quite reasonable for them to target Wade's parents.
Of course, another possibility is that someone wanted to use this to coerce and control Wade Gray.
But then they would first have to consider how Dumbledore would react; secondly, they would have to think about what an enraged Vader would do.
Judging solely from the kid's performance in the league, no one would think he's an easy target to compromise with.
Driven to desperation, McGonagall even believed that the instigator would likely not fare well even if he hid in Gringotts' vault.
So McGonagall felt that the last possibility seemed plausible, but it was actually the least likely.
Filch was silent for a moment, then nodded.
"I see, Professor."
He left the office, the door closing softly behind him.
Professor McGonagall's gaze fell on the flickering candlelight. She pondered for a moment, then opened the drawer on her right, rummaged through it, and pulled out an old parchment from the bottom.
A Hogsmeade license application form.
The applicant is Wade Gray, while the guardian's signature section clearly states "Ferdinand Gray".
The latter's handwriting is rounded and neat, giving one the feeling that one can see Mr. Gray's seriousness and prudence through the words.
This was the real application form that Wade submitted at the beginning of third grade.
When Wade decided to participate in the league, he made a request in this office to have her retrieve his application form from the archives.
At that time, Professor McGonagall felt that although it was necessary to guard against methods outside the competition, it was just a competition between schools, and Wade's worries were somewhat unnecessary.
But since she promised, she will naturally keep her word.
As for the one Percy saw... it wasn't actually fake.
That was before, when Wade had to go to Hogsmeade to take care of some trivial matters. Professor Morrie signed his application and then, because he was worried, accompanied him there in person.
But that application was only valid for that week.
All McGonagall did was find the old application form and erase the handwritten expiration date.
Unexpectedly, the defensive measures taken a year and a half ago are now proving effective.
The person she was wary of was her former student, Percy Weasley, the son of Arthur and Molly, whom she had once highly regarded.
Professor McGonagall sighed softly and closed the drawer.
(End of this chapter)