Chapter 661
The Escapee
Chapter 661 The Escapee
Saturday was a rare sunny day; the sunlight, like melted butter, bathed the castle's stone walls and steps in a golden glow.
Students, feeling stifled by the recent rainy weather, emerged from the castle, lying on the grass or leaning against the corridor, leisurely basking in the sunshine.
Fred and George even set up a stall by the Black Lake to sell their latest "underwater competition souvenirs"—mostly small statues, perhaps inspired by the merchants at Hogsmeade.
Grindylo brandished his claws on the sheepskin rug, and the mermaid statues perfectly recreated the original's bizarre appearance. When held in someone's hand, some would suddenly fart loudly, some would suddenly emit a foul odor, and some would suddenly sprout two thin legs and run around wildly, screaming—"Don't touch me! Help!"
A large number of students stopped to watch, and gasps of surprise rang out from time to time. Many students even emptied their pockets in excitement.
"One Silver Sike each! Limited edition, first come, first served!"
"I want that runaway Grindelwald!"
A gentle breeze rustled through the grass as Wade and his friends sat under a beech tree, away from the noise, still faintly hearing the Weasley brothers' calls coming from the other side.
Harry, who was playing with a flying broomstick model, turned his head and asked curiously, "Are Fred and George short of money lately? I always see them selling things in the common room."
“They don’t lack any,” Hermione said without looking up from her book. “But they plan to open a shop as soon as they graduate, so the more funds they raise, the better.”
"That's great. They planned out what they wanted to do in the future long ago and are realizing their dreams step by step."
Michael lay on the grass, his hands behind his head, looking at the clear blue sky, and said with some melancholy, "I just don't know what I'm going to do after I graduate? Try to get into the Ministry of Magic? It doesn't seem very interesting."
"Aren't you thinking about this too early?" Harry said in surprise. "We still have years before we graduate!"
Hermione frowned immediately upon hearing this: "No, actually, it's too late to start thinking about this now... there's only one year left."
"What?" Harry asked, puzzled.
Hermione said seriously, "If you want to become an Auror, Harry, you need to pass at least five NEWTs, and your grades can't be lower than 'Beyond Expectations.' So in the OWLs exams a year from now, you need to get certificates in at least five courses, and you need to be at a very high level to continue your studies."
Michael added, "For example, Professor McGonagall requires a grade of 'Good' or above in Transfiguration; Professor Snape only allows students who achieve 'Excellent' grades in Potions to take his NEWT level courses."
Harry's face paled slightly: "Potentially excellent in Potions?"
Harry's potion-making skills weren't actually that bad, but getting Snape to admit that he had reached an "excellent" level would be harder than climbing to heaven.
Moreover, the professor's intentional or unintentional targeting, while not causing Harry to hate school yet, certainly made Potions class a torment for him, and he always lacked some basic knowledge.
"If you want to join the Ministry of Magic or become a healer, there are quite a few academic requirements for NEWT."
Theo sighed: "So... even though Harry doesn't have to take final exams this semester, you really need to start preparing a long time from now on."
Ryan nodded silently. As he spoke, a slight bitterness appeared on his face, and the relaxation and ease he had felt due to the good weather vanished.
Compared to their peers, their grades are actually quite good. But before the results are actually released, who can guarantee they will receive the best evaluation?
Harry: "..."
Because he was going to participate in the Magic League, he knew he wouldn't have to take final exams, so he had indeed, intentionally or unintentionally, relaxed his academic standards this school year. At this moment, however, an indescribable sense of urgency and panic suddenly arose within him.
At times like this, Harry envied Wade—he knew that even if Wade took the NEWT exam now, he could probably get an "excellent" grade, which was completely different from those of them who were still anxious about their final exams.
It was then that he realized that Wade hadn't joined in the discussion at all... Did he think they were too naive?
Harry turned his head and looked around, only to find that wasn't the case—Wade was resting his chin on his hand, squinting slightly, staring blankly at the students playing on the lawn, seemingly oblivious to what they were saying.
“Wade, what are you thinking about?” Harry asked curiously.
The black-haired boy turned his head, blinked his gray eyes, and seemed to still be lost in thought.
Theo suddenly remembered something and said, "By the way, Wade, the night before last, didn't you go back to the castle with Rolf? Someone saw you two walking through the hall together, and they said Rolf was pale. The boy has been acting strange these past two days, like he has something on his mind... Do you know what's going on?"
Because they were all familiar with Wade, Theo, Ryan, and the younger Rolf all got along well in Hufflepuff.
Wade recalled that the professors did not seem to have said anything about keeping it a secret, so he recounted what happened that night.
He wasn't actually a good storyteller; his voice was flat, without much variation or any deliberate attempt to create mystery, as if he were reading a report on a magic potion.
Unfortunately, this story is not a dry research report, but a real event that happened right around them, shrouded in the scent of death, and that continues to threaten everyone's safety even now.
A few seconds of silence fell beneath the tree; the air seemed to freeze.
Hermione unconsciously crumpled the book in her hand, her knuckles turning slightly white; Michael sat up from the ground, feeling a tingling sensation on his scalp; Theo quietly swallowed, his voice unusually clear in the silence.
"This is terrifying... If the killer really is impersonating someone else, then who can we trust in school now?"
Hermione couldn't help but rub her arms, then looked at Wade reproachfully: "You shouldn't have told us, Wade... If anyone is here... this could be dangerous for you!"
Wade said calmly, "Transfiguration can disguise appearance and personality, but can it also disguise every detail of how you get along with your friends? Of course, I only told you this after I confirmed that you were all still your true selves."
His gaze swept over the heads of the crowd before shifting away.
Once you get used to it, Wade's ability to "see other people's names" becomes like an unnecessary decoration.
Who can keep staring at the top of someone else's head all day?
Moreover, unlike in games where characters are small and their names are easily noticeable, in modeled characters, their appearances are not very different, and their clothing is often exactly the same, with only their unique names distinguishing them.
In real life, the name on the top of someone's head is just a string of barely visible characters, and its color is similar to their hair color, making it difficult to see from a distance. In comparison, judging by their face and figure is a much simpler approach.
Over time, Wade sometimes forgot he had this useless ability. He would only check it when he encountered strangers or had doubts about the identities of certain people.
From yesterday to today, he had actually been "watching." But apart from making his eyes swell and dry, he didn't find anyone whose name on their head didn't match their appearance.
—There are only so many people in the school. After spending several years together, even if Wade wasn't familiar with some students from other grades, he at least had some impression of their names.
Perhaps this should be considered good news, because it proves that most people are still safe, and the murderer may not even be at Hogwarts.
"Why do you think the murderer hid the body under the bushes?" Theo rubbed the leaves in his hands and said, "If he had thrown it into Black Lake, it wouldn't have been dug up, right?"
“You’re wrong, Theo. The killer would never do that.”
Michael shook his head and said, "Didn't you notice during the second match? After the match, the mermaids in the Black Lake surfaced and talked to Dumbledore for quite a while. If the body had been thrown into the Black Lake, do you think they would have told Dumbledore?" "So the remains weren't thrown into the Forbidden Forest either, because...it's said the Headmaster is quite familiar with the centaur tribe in the Forbidden Forest, and Hagrid often patrols there..."
Ryan said thoughtfully, "But why not just destroy it? Is it because we can't... or is there some other reason?"
Hermione guessed: "Like some kind of ritual?"
“Maybe they just didn’t expect it,” Harry muttered. “Who would have thought that a few students would go and dig up a bush out of nowhere?”
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
Of course... that's also... very possible...
How to perfectly conceal a skeleton is a topic that is somewhat beyond the scope of what students are studying in school; and they cannot draw a conclusion about what the method of burying the skeleton represents in a short time.
The only thing that's clear is that from this moment on, you must be careful of those around you who are behaving strangely.
Hermione scratched her head in frustration: "I think I'll go to the library and check... I remember there are several dark spells that seem to involve skeletons..."
Harry cautioned, "But Hermione, no professor will sign your borrowing slip!"
Hermione whirled around, her eyes fixed sharply on Harry. Harry, flustered, asked, "Wh...what's wrong...did I say something wrong?"
Hermione asked, "You still have your Invisibility Cloak, right?"
“In… do you want to…” Harry realized.
“We’ll act tonight!” Hermione declared decisively.
Harry paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay... shall we move at midnight? Everyone else should be fast asleep by then..."
Hermione.
Michael suddenly called Hermione's name, and when the girl turned her head, he raised his chin in a gesture.
—Not far away, Krum was striding towards them. This Durmstrang warrior had a furrowed brow and a clear goal in mind.
Since the Christmas ball, Krum had been making frequent attempts to chat with Hermione. Although the girl was mostly focused on her studies, Krum's intentions were all too clear—he was behaving like an awkward shoebill stork courting a mate.
As Krum approached, he greeted Hermione first, then turned to Wade.
“Wade Gray, can I talk to you?”
He had a somber face, a very serious and solemn expression, and deep black eyes. His aura made the others subconsciously refrain from speaking.
"it is good."
Wade gestured to his friends, stood up, brushed the grass off his robe, and the two walked together to a quiet clearing.
Krum stopped and looked at Wade, saying in a low voice, "Principal Karkaroff is missing."
Wade: "...Hmm?"
He was still preoccupied with Krum's pursuit of Hermione, and assumed that the talented Seeker had come to inquire about the boys' relationship with Hermione.
The words "we're just friends" were already on his tongue, but Wade swallowed them back. His pupils contracted slightly, and his expression turned serious.
How can you be sure he's really 'missing'?
Wade carefully chose his words and asked slowly, "Perhaps he's just leaving temporarily? Maybe he'll stay at Hogsmeade for a couple of days, have a butterbeer; or go back to Durmstrang to handle some urgent business?"
Krum shook his head: "If he goes back to school, he'll definitely tell us. And..."
He paused, then said somewhat awkwardly, "He took all his valuables with him—including several magical items belonging to Durmstrang, and even two bottles of fine wine that he had always been reluctant to drink."
Ah, this...
Wade was speechless for a moment, and after the initial surprise, he felt a sense of taking it for granted.
Given that Karkaroff is opportunistic, bullies the weak and fears the strong, and given the bizarre changes in the Black Mark... it seems quite normal that he couldn't withstand the pressure and secretly slipped away.
If the murderer is caught afterward and Voldemort falls silent again, Karkaroff might reappear, shamelessly returning under the pretext of "chasing down suspicious persons."
After a moment of silence, Wade said, "We found a skeleton near the maze."
Krum's black beetle-like eyes widened suddenly, his thick, dark eyebrows shot up, and he asked bluntly, "Who died?"
"—That's the problem. The body is just a skeleton, and no one can identify it. Perhaps that's why Principal Karkarov ran away."
Wade paused for a moment and said, "If you want to know more details, you can ask Professor Dumbledore."
Krum's shoulders tensed slightly, and the veins at his temples throbbed. After a moment, he said, "I will."
Wade looked at him and asked, "Without the principal, what will you do for the rest of the competition? Will Durmstrang send a new professor?"
Krum shook his head and said, "The competition will proceed as usual. We don't need a babysitter. Even when Karkarov was still around, he always stayed in his cabin... He's not like your principal."
The morning light fell on his high cheekbones, outlining his resolute features.
Wade nodded and said, "I see. That person leaving might be a good thing for you."
Otherwise, if Voldemort were to come knocking on their door on the way back to Durmstrang, it wouldn't be a pleasant experience.
Krum's expression became even more somber and stiff.
Although none of them liked Karkaroff, he was actually a little unhappy to hear students from other schools say that—especially since they were his rivals.
But he could sense the sincerity in the Wedeh's tone, and coupled with his own vague suspicions, Krum ultimately said nothing.
(End of this chapter)