Chapter 645
Wolf Toad Ghost
Chapter 645 Wolf Toad Ghost
Although Rosa was leading the way, Maurice insisted on following Wade, and then Lucas also carried a bow and arrows and stuck a dagger into the bandage on his thigh.
“I’ll go with you,” he said seriously. “The dangers in the Forbidden Forest are far greater than you underage children can imagine.”
"Why?" Morris retorted, "We used to be able to play everywhere! The swamp isn't far away."
"Then was then, and the present is now."
Lucas made his decision without question and then bid farewell to the white wolf who had stood up.
Wade saw the boy and the wolf nuzzling each other's noses affectionately. Then Lucas patted the other children on the head and instructed them, "Watch the house while I'm gone, and don't wander off."
"I understand, Father."
The cubs lowered their heads and obediently responded.
"Let's go."
Lucas walked to Wade's side and glanced back again—the white wolf's front paws were resting on the tree trunk, watching them go, and several children were already lying down and playing around her feet.
He couldn't help but smile, waved, and then turned to leave.
The werewolf hadn't come simply to lead the way. After walking a short distance, he pushed aside the vines blocking his path and asked in a low voice:
"Why look for a toad? What's so special about it?"
"It's not certain yet."
Wade followed behind Lucas, tilting his head to avoid the branches hanging from the tree, before saying, "But I suspect... he is a wizard I know who has transformed into one."
“A wizard?” Lucas frowned slightly. “An illegal Animagus?”
The real "illegal Animagus," Wade Gray, shook his head: "It doesn't seem like it... It's more like he was ambushed by someone."
In any case, Wade couldn't imagine Lucius Malfoy willingly turning into a toad. For that proud peacock, this was perhaps worse than death.
"His opponent must be very strong, so you need to be careful."
After a pause, Lucas asked, "Do you think... that dangerous wizard is still active in the Forbidden Forest?"
"The one who turned people into toads?" Wade shook his head. "If I'm not mistaken, that guy turned people into toads more than half a year ago, which is why the latter has been missing for so long... well, more than seven months."
“That’s good…” Lucas breathed a sigh of relief: “I thought…”
"What did you think?" Wade asked tentatively. "You seem unusually cautious lately. Have some dangerous newcomers appeared in the Forbidden Forest?"
The Forbidden Forest has always been described by Hogwarts students as a very dangerous place, as if all the dark creatures in the world lived there.
But in reality, for the creatures of the Forbidden Forest, that castle might be the most terrifying place in the world.
Therefore, the ecosystem near the school has always been stable. Apart from the eight-eyed giant spider that Hagrid put in, most of the inhabitants are magical creatures that are relatively friendly to wizards.
Upon hearing Wade's question, Lucas thought for a moment before shaking his head.
"I can't quite put my finger on it; it's really just a feeling..."
The werewolf frowned, struggling with how to describe his feelings. After two or three minutes, he finally said:
"It's like someone sneaked into your house without you knowing... Even if nothing has changed, you can still sense that something is different... There's a strange smell in the air..."
"Didn't you notice anything unusual?" Wade asked.
"No...that's why I feel it's even more dangerous."
Lucas stopped walking as he spoke.
The light drizzle had stopped, and a damp breeze swept over the werewolf's deep breaths as he said in a hoarse voice, "This is the swamp."
Rosa took a few steps forward, shaking her head and looking around. Then she walked through the mud and stagnant puddles and stood on a fallen, rotten tree trunk.
“This is it!” she said confidently. “This is where I saw the toad!”
Upon closer inspection, there is a mud burrow nearby, with some traces of crawling still remaining on the edges, and a pool of murky muddy water accumulated in the burrow.
The toad hadn't been gone for very long, and few people or animals passed through the area, allowing its scent to linger for an extended period.
Vader held his wand and waved it in a circle:
"Traces have appeared!"
Fine, golden light emanated from the tip of the wand, transforming into a thin, pale golden mist that spread outwards.
Lucas quickly led his children back a few steps, but Maurice struggled to peek forward, shouting, "Let me see! I want to see!"
The mist quickly dissipated, leaving behind a string of tiny footprints on the ground—the marks left by a toad crawling on all fours.
Wade smiled and said, "Thanks for your help, Lucas, Rosa, and Morris. I'll go find that guy myself from now on."
“Okay.” Lucas pinched the back of Morris’s neck—the kid was still trying to pounce on Wade—and nodded, saying, “Be careful.”
"Ah."
Wade watched the group leave, and just as the werewolf's figure was about to be completely obscured by the trees, he suddenly called out, "Lucas!"
The werewolf turned around and looked at him with a questioning look in his eyes.
Under the shade of the leaves, a large wolf and two smaller wolves, their six eyes seemingly glowing green, were quite eerie.
But Wade knew their peaceful and simple nature, so he smiled, waved his hand, and loudly reminded them:
"Don't underestimate your intuition, Lucas!"
"Since you feel this place is dangerous, take your family and leave as soon as possible, and find a safe place to live."
"Don't wait until danger actually strikes, then it will be too late to regret it!"
Lucas was somewhat surprised, then nodded vigorously and quickly left with his two children.
Wade's smile faded, and his gaze became somewhat heavy.
Over millions of years of evolution, organisms have developed a very subtle survival early warning system within their bodies. Before reason can detect it, some people's brains and bodily senses can detect faint threat signals.
All wizards know that when intuition warns someone, it's better to err on the side of caution than to dismiss it entirely. Even an overreaction is better than being a lamb to the slaughter.
Werewolves also possess magic within them. Even if they cannot perform divination or prophecy like Wade, this magic gives them a greater sensitivity to unusual signals.
But... what made him feel threatened?
Will that crisis affect Hogwarts?
Looking at the desolate swamp, Wade pondered for a moment, and when the golden footprints on the ground were about to disappear, he finally followed the trail.
The Forbidden Forest is always dark, even in broad daylight, the light is hardly bright.
Vader shook his wand, and a ball of light slowly emerged, floating in front of him and illuminating the tangled tree roots beneath his feet.
He followed the footprints for an unknown amount of time when suddenly a rapid cry came from ahead:
"Coo coo coo coo—coo coo coo coo—"
Immediately afterwards, a piercing, eerie laugh echoed through the forest—
"Croak, croak! Hahaha... This is so much fun..."
Wade quickened his pace and walked over, only to see a grayish-brown toad being held in the hand of Pippi the Ghost, its plump belly facing the sky, croaking in fear. Pippi the Ghost's eyes gleamed with glee; it held a twig, poking the toad's belly while laughing heartily.
Wade frowned and said, "Pee-pee, can you put it down?"
Mischievous Ghost turned around and asked with a grin, "What? You want to play with this ugly thing too? I was just about to pop his belly—don't you think his belly looks like a balloon?"
“Playing with life is no good habit, Pipi,” Wade said.
Peeves glanced at him sideways and snorted, "How come you look so much like Dumbledore? What a pity... you're starting to become boring too."
Seeing that the troublemaker not only didn't stop, but instead exerted even more force, Vader raised his wand:
"Would you like to try my magic, Peeves?"
Peeves' expression changed. He tilted his head and looked at Wade, then suddenly grinned mischievously and said, "You know what? Dumbledore can sneak into the Forbidden Forest, but you can't!"
It suddenly threw the toad at Wade, turned and flew away, shouting as it went, "Students have entered the Forbidden Forest! Students have entered the Forbidden Forest!"
Wade ignored it and didn't catch the toad. Instead, he waved his wand, making the ugly, fat thing float in the air, frowning as he looked him over.
The toad's eyes were indeed gray, which is quite rare among its kind.
On its head is a string of tiny names, which, from a distance, look like a dark spot on its head.
Only when he got closer did Wade realize that the text was indeed "Lucius Malfoy".
—His intuition was right!
Wade himself was also surprised. The feeling of a mixture of chance and destiny was churning in his heart, making him feel complicated for a moment.
Under the boy's seemingly cold yet insightful gaze, the fat toad helplessly looked up at the sky, its two front claws outstretched like human hands, trembling incessantly with its body.
He tried his best to look like an innocent and helpless little animal, his belly trembling and constantly making noises.
With a flick of his wrist, Vader's wand traced an arc in the air, the light emanating from its tip striking a withered branch at his feet.
The gray branches suddenly began to twist, split, extend, and cross, weaving themselves into a small birdcage, which also encased the toad inside.
Then, a few tender green leaves sprouted near the handle, and two fern decorations popped up, instantly making the cage look more exquisite.
The woods not far away suddenly fell silent—after Pippi the Ghost let out a cry, his singing stopped.
A few seconds later, a withered ghost covered in silver blood passed through the oak tree and floated straight toward Vader.
Wade instinctively took a step back: "Blood Man Barrow?"
The ghost glanced at him with its eyes downcast, made no move to speak, and drifted past the path that Vader had cleared for it, its face expressionless.
Wade: "..."
He suddenly felt a chill beside him. He turned his head and saw that just as Barrow the Blood Man left, the Ravenclaw ghost—Ms. Grey—had reappeared.
Is there some kind of ghost party tonight?
Ms. Grey was very beautiful, with long hair that reached her waist, and even though her face was completely pale, it could not diminish her beauty.
She was also a very arrogant ghost, always looking down on others and rarely paying attention to anyone. However, perhaps because they shared the same surname, she would occasionally exchange a few words with Wade.
At this moment, the ghost stopped and turned its gaze to Wade... and the birdcage in his hand.
“You caught that toad, Wade Gray.”
Ms. Gray spoke in a ethereal voice.
"Yes."
Wade raised the birdcage, showing the toad inside, and tentatively asked, "Is there anything special about this guy? You seem to care about him."
—Could ghosts recognize humans inside animal skins?
Ms. Grey turned her gaze to the gaps between the trees and said coldly, "He is an uninvited guest."
"Guests?" Wade repeated.
Lady Grey drifted into the depths of the forest, leaving behind the words: "Go back to school, hand him over to Dumbledore, and don't wander off."
Wade quickly followed, asking curiously, "Why are you all in the Forbidden Forest tonight? Is there something here?"
Ms. Gray: "Not tonight."
Wade didn't react for a moment: "What?"
The ghost moved through the bushes like mist, saying softly, "Not tonight... We've been patrolling the Forbidden Forest every day for quite some time now."
Wade frowned slightly, and asked in a somewhat serious tone, "Is there really some dangerous fellow in the Forbidden Forest? Does Dumbledore know about it?"
“Dumbledore?” Mrs. Grey scoffed. “Who cares if he knows or not? We’re not out on patrol because of the headmaster’s orders!”
After a slight pause, she added, "Also, it's not 'coming'."
Wade: "What?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Wade suddenly realized that he seemed to have turned into a silly repeating machine, and quickly added, "You mean...?"
Ms. Gray glanced at the toad and said, “Apart from this fellow, there are no other intruders in the Forbidden Forest.”
"That……"
"follow me."
Ms. Grey led Wade deeper into the woods.
As a ghost, she could pass through any obstacle. Vader waved his wand repeatedly, making the vines, branches, and bushes blocking his way make way for him.
Whenever he had to stop to cast a spell or take a detour, Mrs. Grey stood by and waited patiently.
When they stopped for the third time, Vader noticed that the Blood Man Barrow seemed to be lingering nearby, but every time Ms. Grey looked over, the indifferent ghost would hurriedly avoid her gaze.
Wade: "..."
After walking for a while, the soil underfoot gradually became soft and damp, and the air was filled with the smell of decay.
Ms. Gray stopped, her pale fingertips pointing ahead to the base of a tree, where several translucent lilies of the valley were growing.
"Do you see those lilies of the valley?"
Ms. Gray said in a light voice, "I haven't seen this lily of the valley for hundreds of years. A herbalist listed thousands of extinct plants, and this lily of the valley was one of them."
"But now, it's back in this place."
She looked at Wade meaningfully, and after a moment she slowly said, "Do you know? Some ancient things are gradually awakening, just like this lily of the valley."
(End of this chapter)