Chapter 1074
A Sunny Sunday
Chapter 1074 A Sunny Sunday
Wade has already spent two weeks at Hogwarts.
Time seemed to suddenly slow down.
He no longer needed to rush to complete any tasks, but could instead leisurely attend classes, study, research alchemy, and create magic puppets.
As he walked through the castle corridor, he could occasionally hear the Black Lake lapping against the walls, the rhythmic and serene sound mirroring his current state of mind.
Those intense and rapid conflicts seemed to have vanished from his life all of a sudden.
Time seems to have flown by.
By the time he came to his senses, half a month had passed, the temperature had risen a bit, and the corridor at night no longer felt bitterly cold.
While strolling along the lake, Wade also saw snow lotuses beginning to bloom in large patches, their heads drooping, their white petals seemingly glowing.
Every morning, he would pick up the broken time converter and stare at it quietly for a while.
The fine sand piled up at the bottom was always grayish-white, like a pile of ashes that had been burned out.
When evening came, he took another look, but it remained unchanged.
There was still no news of the principal in the friend's book.
Wade didn't interrupt rashly, but suddenly understood what kind of feelings others had when they were waiting for his reply.
Every Wednesday evening, he would go to Snape's office to learn memory magic.
This was the only class he would attend on time.
Wade became more and more adept at weaving memories, but Professor Snape never praised him, always saying the same thing after each session: "Continue next week."
Every weekend, Wade would also visit Hughes in the medical wing, where he was still undergoing treatment.
The former American Auror has recovered from an infant to the size of a four or five-year-old. Mrs. Pomfrey said that out of caution, his growth will be slower at the beginning of the treatment, but will accelerate later.
Fortunately, Hughes' recovery has been progressing well so far.
On Sunday morning, when Wade opened the door, he saw toddler Hughes peering out the window.
At his age, he had a round face and wore a light blue striped hospital gown with the sleeves rolled up, revealing his thin wrists.
Looking out through the glass, Wade saw some students chasing and playing on the newly green lawn, their laughter carrying far and wide, seemingly carefree.
Young Hughes watched intently.
Wade walked over, stood beside him, and asked softly, "Want to go out and play?"
Hughes turned his head, pursed his lips, and said, "Too childish... not for me."
Wade looked down at him and saw the boy's gaze unconsciously drifting towards the window again, and he understood—
He hadn't regained his memories as an adult; he just didn't want to cause them any trouble.
“The school is indeed not very convenient,” Wade said, “but I can take you to a nearby village or town for a while, and we’ll be back in an hour or two. Nobody will know except Mrs. Pomfrey.”
But Hughes shook his head without hesitation: "Thank you, but no need."
Although he was small in stature, he was very opinionated. From his tone, Wade knew that the boy's decision would not be easily changed by others' persuasion.
So he didn't say anything more, but simply took out the things he had brought for him—
There's a honeydew candy that makes you float, a toy broom that can fly off the ground, and a toy lion that can run and jump.
Hughes held the lion cub in his hands with some surprise, watching it open its mouth and make a soft cry, and finally showed a genuine smile.
He played for a while, then suddenly spoke up: "Wade."
"Ok?"
"After I recover," the boy whispered, "will I become an adult?"
“Yes,” Wade said simply.
Hughes was silent for a moment, then reached out and poked the little lion lying on the pillow.
The golden lion exposed its belly to him, squinted its eyes, and kicked its legs a few times.
“Then…” Hughes continued, “Will I forget who I am now when I grow up?”
Wade looked at him.
On that tender face, there was a melancholy expression that did not belong to a child.
He turned his gaze away and looked out the window.
“I don’t know,” he said. “But I can tell you that very few people who grow up in a conventional way remember their childhood.”
“But…” Hughes said, head bowed, “If we forget… wouldn’t it be as if it never happened?”
"Different."
Wade said, "The things you forget will also become a part of you. Some will make you timid, some will make you brave, and some will become the confidence that supports you to keep going."
Hughes listened, seemingly understanding but not quite, with a somewhat bewildered expression.
Wade was rather curious.
In just over a month, Hughes has grown from an infant to his current form, spending most of his time in this hospital room.
During the Christmas holidays, Mrs. Pomfrey did take him for a walk around the campus, but there were always students staying on campus, so Hughes couldn't play and run around freely.
Moreover, he was only two or three years old at the time, and Wade doubted whether he even remembered the scene of the walk.
and so……
What important things could he possibly need to remember?
This hospital room?
This window?
Or is it the scenery outside the window that he cannot participate in?
Knowing that Hughes was different from other kids, Wade simply asked, "Is there anything you don't want to forget?"
“Of course there are,” Hughes said, a hint of pride in his voice. “But I won’t tell you.”
"Why?" Wade found his behavior amusing and asked casually.
"Because I can't say." The boy's chubby face looked very serious: "If I say it, it won't be the way I want to remember it."
“Alright.” Wade raised an eyebrow. “However, I have a memory spell that can preserve your memories. Even if you forget them later, you can take them out and review them.”
"Ah...this..."
The boy hesitated for a moment, trying hard to think with his still immature mind, but finally shook his head.
This truly surprised Wade.
He pondered for a moment, then reached into his pocket and rummaged around for a while before pulling out a camera.
"What is this?" Hughes asked curiously as he leaned closer.
"Camera," Wade said.
He demonstrated how to use it and then said, "This is a gift from my parents, so I won't give it to you, but I can lend it to you for a while."
“You can take pictures of your important things, so that even if you don’t remember them later, they will remind you that this time really existed.”
Hughes' eyes lit up: "Really?"
"real."
"Can I borrow it?"
"Okay." The boy reached out and carefully took the camera, holding it in his hands and examining it from all angles. His gentle and careful manner softened anyone's heart.
"Will it be preserved and never change?" he asked again to confirm.
“Of course,” Wade said, “as long as you don’t ruin the film… or lose it.”
Hughes hugged the camera tightly to his chest and said gratefully, "Thank you, Wade!"
Immediately afterwards, he jumped out of bed and ran towards the medicine storage room, shouting:
"Madam! Mrs. Pomfrey! Look, Wade has lent me a camera!"
Wade smiled, and hearing Mrs. Pomfrey's gentle voice coming from inside, he turned and walked towards the door.
Sunlight streamed through the tall windows on both sides, spreading bright golden patches across the ground.
Perhaps infected by Hughes's joy, Wade was in a good mood, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously curved up.
He didn't rush back to the common room, but walked slowly down the corridor, the warm sunlight shining on him and making his back feel slightly warm.
Faint sounds could be heard from outside: laughter, the whooshing of brooms through the air, and the whispers of students in the corridor.
"I think you should know about this... no, I should ask you to be careful, just in case there's any danger."
“Of course, you can trust me, Mr. Whitby. I’m here to protect the students’ safety.”
Percy's voice, feigning authority, came through: "What is it you want to talk about?"
Wade stopped in his tracks.
Whitby… he remembered the last name; it must have belonged to a lower-grade Hufflepuff.
The boy said nervously, "I... during my herb class, I overheard some Gryffindor students saying... that they were going to find a secret passage in the school and then sneak off to Hogsmeade to play."
"……Oh."
Percy responded with a somewhat uninterested tone.
He knew, of course, that some students would use secret passages to sneak out of school, and his two twin brothers were frequent visitors to such places.
There were even rumors that Fred and George knew more secret passages than Filch did, and Percy had spent several nights trying to find the two troublemakers, but to no avail.
Whitby was unaware of Percy's perfunctory attitude—Percy had already graduated when he enrolled, and speaking in front of this Ministry of Magic official was a very stressful thing for a boy.
He lowered his head, his voice even softer: "I heard that Fred and George, and Harry Potter... even Wade Grey... used to sneak in and out of the castle, and no one could catch them..."
Percy raised his eyebrows.
Whitby quickly glanced up at Percy's expression, then quickly lowered her gaze again, and said timidly:
“Mr. Weasley, I’m not here to complain about your brother. I’m just worried… what if they encounter danger outside… or what if a dangerous person follows their trail and sneaks into the school… what then?”
For a moment, Percy's face lit up with an unusual radiance, but Whitby, who was looking down, didn't see it.
The boy continued in a low voice, "You said before... if anyone discovers any potential safety hazards, they can report it to you, so I... I think I should report it to you..."
Percy nodded, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.
“Thank you, Mr. Whitby. This is very important information! You have contributed to the safety of Hogwarts!”
"Don't worry, I'll investigate this matter... Of course, I won't mention your name—except in the report to the minister!"
Whitby breathed a sigh of relief, quickly thanked her, and got up to leave.
He felt he had done a good deed.
The footsteps faded into the distance. Wade emerged from the corner of the corridor, glanced at Whitby's figure in the distance, leaned against the wall, and glanced down the other side of the corridor.
Percy was quickly picking up his pen to draft a report when he suddenly remembered something, waved his wand, and the wooden door slammed shut.
Wade frowned.
Blocking the secret passages or restricting students from going to Hogsmeade wouldn't really affect him; he had long since lost interest in such childish games.
If he wanted, he could even go for a stroll in Diagon Alley and come back anytime without anyone noticing.
Even Harry probably doesn't care.
Throughout the Christmas holidays, Harry spent almost all of his time with Sirius in Hogsmeade. The village had become just an ordinary village to him, and it no longer held the same allure as it had at the beginning.
But if Percy were to actually impose any restrictions on this... his conflict with the twins would certainly escalate immediately.
I wonder if Percy thought of this when he put the words on the report?
The fleeting joy Hughes had brought him vanished in an instant. Wade pondered Percy's or the Ministry of Magic's next move. As he approached the Ravenclaw lounge, he saw two figures on the spiral staircase ahead.
Mrs. Grey—the ghost of Ravenclaw—was standing quietly beside a pillar, her long, soft hair falling over her shoulders.
The person next to her was Luna, the blonde girl who looked at her with those misty eyes and asked, "What are you afraid of?"
Mrs. Grey didn't speak, but simply turned her head slightly to avoid Luna's gaze.
But unlike her usual self of ignoring people, she didn't simply walk through the wall and leave.
Luna tilted her head and looked at her, thought for a moment, and then put her hand into the pocket of her robe.
"If you're scared, then try this!"
She took out a crumpled little cloth bag, untied the drawstring, and poured out some grayish-brown stuff.
Valerian root.
She said matter-of-factly, "This was trampled by a giant, and it can transmit the giant's courage to the user! I'll give you half, so you won't be afraid."
Mrs. Grey's lips twitched slightly. She turned around again and saw Wade coming up the stairs.
Their eyes met in mid-air. Mrs. Grey stiffened slightly, turned, passed through the wall, and disappeared without a trace.
Luna: "..."
She blinked in confusion, withdrew her hand, lowered her head to smell the valerian root in her palm, and muttered to herself:
"Don't you like it? Are you afraid of the smell of giants' feet on it?"
“Sorry,” Wade said, “it seems I interrupted your conversation.”
Luna turned around and said with relief, "Ah, then it's alright... but I don't think she really likes valerian root."
She tied the small cloth bag back up and put it back, then waved her hand and said:
"I'm going to the library now—I remember there was a secret to boosting courage mentioned in *The Quibbler*, I need to look it up. Goodbye, Wade!"
The girl ran down the spiral staircase, her long, light-gold hair bouncing behind her, making her look like a graceful magpie.
Wade smiled slightly, then turned around and found a figure with a pearly white complexion behind him.
Mrs. Grey has popped out of the wall again!
For a moment, Wade's heart almost jumped out of his chest.
Even though he had seen ghosts many times, Vader still couldn't get used to this pale-faced being silently appearing behind him.
He composed himself, then put the wand back and met the other person's gaze.
Mrs. Grey hovered there, silently watching Wade, her lips pressed into a thin line, her hands unconsciously clenched into fists.
— Luna is right, she does seem to be afraid of something.
But what could frighten a dead ghost?
Recalling Mrs. Grey's unusual act of sitting next to him at the opening banquet, Wade's heart sank slightly, realizing... something unexpected had happened.
“Mrs. Grey,” he said softly, “what do you want to tell me?”
The ghost lowered its eyes, its lips trembling slightly, as if it were struggling with something invisible.
After several seconds, she said, "It...it's looking over here."
(End of this chapter)