Chapter 798
Elijah Watkins
Chapter 798 Elijah Watkins
Looking into her eyes, filled with trembling, grief, and determination, Wade was completely certain of his guess.
Stella is the one who took a huge risk to extract Jason's memories and then handed those precious memories over to Ms. Picqueli!
The timing... if Wade isn't mistaken, it should be when she was eliminated from the magic school league and returned to America from Hogwarts early, right?
She personally witnessed the end of that tragedy, and may have even lent a hand to Jason, who was trying to go to England... Judging from their last conversation, the wizard with the ponytail must also be an important person to Stella.
She and Jason, two complete strangers, quickly built a deep trust in each other because of the determined young wizard, becoming comrades who could entrust their lives to each other.
All her previous behavior—panic, arrogance, and tyranny—was a masterful performance to fulfill her mission.
Wade looked into her eyes and said solemnly, "We will...of course we will!"
Stella choked back a sob, tears welling in her eyes. She covered her mouth and said repeatedly, "Thank you... really... thank you all..."
“Ding—dong!”
Just then, the doorbell suddenly rang.
The two of them turned around and looked towards the gate.
A brown-haired man carrying a briefcase stood outside the door. He was about thirty-five or thirty-six years old, of medium height, thin, and slightly hunched over.
At that moment, the man's gaze was fixed on the two of them. After their eyes met, he took out an ID card and unfolded it.
Elijah Watkins.
The man said, "The Department of Magical Accidents and Disasters has come to visit Ms. Piqueli. I have an appointment."
"Ah, Mr. Watkins!"
Stella reacted quickly, instantly wiping away her tears and reverting to an impatient expression. She said to Wade:
"Please, Mr. Gray. I think this is enough!"
After saying that, Stella left Wade aside, quickly went to open the door, and said in a very fast voice:
“Mr. Watkins? You’re here so quickly… But I must say, it’s not entirely my fault. Of course, I may not have managed my pet well; I might have spoiled it too much…”
“I will investigate this matter thoroughly, Miss Picqueri.”
Elijah Watkins spoke calmly, his gaze passing over Stella's shoulder and settling on Wade—
"Mr. Wade Gray?"
Wade also composed himself, taking a step back as he walked towards the door. Hearing this, he nodded slightly and said:
“It’s me. Hello, Mr. Watkins.”
Elijah Watkins asked, "How is Mr. Gray's trip in the United States going? When do you expect to return home?"
Stella looked at him with some surprise; the way he asked the question didn't sound very polite.
Wade replied flawlessly, "It went very smoothly, thank you for your concern. The match is over, and I've finished taking care of my affairs in the United States. I should be returning home soon."
Upon hearing this reply, Elijah Watkins' tense expression seemed to relax somewhat, and a faint, satisfied look flashed across his gray-blue eyes.
He nodded and said politely, "Very good... Have a safe journey."
Wade: "..."
That expression makes it seem like he's in some big trouble.
"Thank you."
Wade nodded politely again, then turned to Stella and said, "Well then, Miss Stella Picqueli, I'll take my leave now... and thank you again for your invitation, Ms. Picqueli."
Stella forced a fake smile that was obvious at a glance and waved her hand dismissively.
Elijah Watkins' gaze lingered subtly over Stella's slightly reddened eyes, thoughtful but not particularly concerned. He had seen far too many love-hate, noisy, and tumultuous relationships between teenagers; he was neither curious nor interested, only hoping that some potential risk factor would soon leave his territory.
"Could I see the swallowtail dog first, Miss Piccolo?"
"Of course, please follow me..."
Stella was much more obedient now, leading the brown-haired wizard into the mansion, where a maid took over her duty of seeing the guests off.
As Wade watched Stella's slender back, he recalled the gentle yet strong voice from Jason's dark memories.
He didn't press Stella for details about the incident, nor did he try to find out the identity of the ponytail wizard—
Some wounds don't need to be exposed and examined; some sacrifices only need to be silently remembered.
All he needs to know is what he needs to do now.
……
Wader waited briefly at the door before seeing Moody and Lupin hurrying around the garden path on the side of the mansion.
Moody's face was even uglier than when he went in, his demonic eyes darting around wildly as he impatiently complained:
"...That's enough! Drinking a cup of tea feels like sitting in an interrogation room, with rules bigger than the Ministry of Magic! So much trouble!"
Lupin gave a wry smile, his face bearing his usual gentleness and a hint of helplessness.
He gave Wade a reassuring smile and asked, "How are things, Wade? Is everything alright?"
Moody lowered his voice and said, "How come you got out before us?"
Wade nodded and said, "It went very smoothly. Ms. Picqueli is very knowledgeable. I learned a lot from talking with her."
Such an official statement...
Lupin vaguely understood something. He glanced quickly toward the mansion and laughed, "That's good. I was worried you'd be harassed by them!"
"No, not at all. Ms. Picqueli is very gentle, but her niece, Miss Stella, has some issues with me."
Wade shrugged helplessly: "You know, I was the one who eliminated her before..."
"In short, she was very rude when she saw you off, and she chased away all the maids. I was distracted and forgot to send someone to inform you."
Moody snorted, pulled off his bow tie and grabbed it in his hand, urging in a gruff voice:
"As long as we get out alive, that's all that matters! Let's get going after we're done talking. There are eyes all over this place; it makes me feel really uneasy!"
“Let’s go,” Lupin said with a smile. “Harry and the others seem to be planning to go back to England tomorrow; they’ve already bought their plane tickets. Wade, you haven’t really explored America properly yet, have you?”
He suggested, "Why don't we relax for a few days and then go back?"
If Elijah Watkins heard Lupin say that, he would definitely furrow his brow like a rope.
But Wade knew that Lupin was not really interested in joking around. He asked the question because he wanted to know if Wade had any other travel plans.
This trip abroad was entirely based on Wade's opinion, as Dumbledore had instructed them before their departure.
At that time, Lupin and Moody understood that Wade's trip to the United States was not just for a game... he and Dumbledore had other purposes.
Despite disliking Dumbledore's secretive ways and even more so his entrusting of such an important task to the boy Wade, Lupin had no choice but to endure it and try his best to cooperate since Wade had already chosen to accept it.
Moody, who had been behaving like a manic person the whole time, looked at Wade with a calm yet questioning gaze.
After thinking for a moment, Wade laughed and said, "I think I'll pass... I can come to America again in the future, but school starts soon and I haven't finished my summer homework yet!"
Lupin smiled and said, "Alright... let's go back."
(End of this chapter)