Chapter 833
The Administrator's Request
Chapter 833 The Administrator's Request
Wade turned around and saw Dumbledore in a long silence, the old man's long fingers unconsciously stroking his wand, his eyes revealing a complex emotion that was hard to describe.
He waited a moment, then said softly, "Professor Dumbledore?"
Dumbledore raised his eyes, sighed deeply, and his voice was so low it was almost a whisper:
“If necessary, Wade… you can contact any ‘helpers’ you can reach… don’t worry about any political stance…”
He emphasized the word "helper" subtly and indirectly.
Wade's eyes widened instantly. When he saw the helpless yet clear-headed determination in the old man's eyes, his surprise turned into understanding.
"I see, Professor."
Wade nodded solemnly, without asking a single question, and readily accepted this trust and understanding that transcended their respective positions.
After leaving the principal's office, Wade raised his hand to rub his face, still unable to believe what he had just heard.
He knew better than anyone the century-long feud between Dumbledore and Grindelwald. He had thought that Dumbledore's limit was that he could watch him stand beside Grindelwald, unleashing flames to stop the enchanted forest without saying a word.
did not expect……
It's unknown what kind of struggle and compromises Dumbledore went through before he took the initiative to suggest that they could rely on the power of their arch-enemy.
Undoubtedly, in the principal's eyes, Wade's safety was more important than his personal grudges, which is why he took the initiative to make this suggestion.
When he lowered his hand, Wade's eyes regained their clarity from the shock and confusion.
On the surface, he has the support of the Aurors led by Moody; secretly, he can utilize the power of the Majussi Party; in addition, he has house-elves and goblins that he arranged in advance...
If this investigation still yields no results, and he ends up slinking back to England, even Wade himself will despise himself.
……
In the dimly lit corner of the corridor, Filch paced anxiously back and forth, his eyes glancing frequently toward the headmaster's office. The oil lamp flickered in his hands, casting distorted and leaping shadows on the stone wall.
Mrs. Lorris's tail tip curled gracefully, moving back and forth closely following Filch's steps, as if she were just as anxious as he was.
Filch said in a hoarse voice:
"Don't worry, old lady, he'll be here soon... Just wait patiently, it'll only take a few minutes..."
He bent down and stroked the cat's thin back, then began pacing back and forth, his shoes making a rapid rustling sound as they scraped against the ground.
Suddenly, Filch's keen ears picked up the sound of footsteps coming from the stairs.
At this time, there was no one else in the castle.
He turned his head sharply and saw that the person who came was indeed Wade. His usually gloomy face instantly burst into uncontrollable ecstasy, and he almost ran over.
“Mr. Filch?” Wade said, somewhat surprised. “I thought you would be waiting for me in your office.”
"Ah...this..."
Filch stopped, a forced smile spreading across his face, and rubbed his hands together, muttering something indistinctly:
"I... I just happened to be free... so I thought I'd stop by and take a look..."
Actually, he was afraid that Wade would have too many important things to do and forget their promise.
“Oh.” Wade assumed he was just passing by and asked gently, “What did you need me for?” “It’s about…it’s about those little crabs…”
Filch's face turned red, and he spoke with some difficulty:
"They were ruined by that bastard Barty Crouch Jr.! After I recovered from my injury, I tried to fix them myself, and I managed to get most of them moving, but... but there are still some minor problems. And two of the little guys are still not fully recovered..."
He looked at Wade with his slightly cloudy eyes and pleaded, "Wade, could you please fix it for me again?"
“Of course,” Wade readily agreed. “Let’s go take a look.”
The two arrived at Filch's dimly lit, cramped office. The chair that had been broken during the fight with Barty hadn't been replaced; the broken chair legs had simply been secured with nails and wire.
Vader casually cast a spell to restore the stool to its original state, then walked to the table and saw that the dirty wooden table was piled with various repair tools such as gears, screws, and wrenches, and even a well-worn copy of "Introduction to Basic Alchemy".
Filch rushed over, swept his hand across the table, and hid the book "Introduction to Basic Alchemy" to one side. Turning around, he said somewhat awkwardly:
"I'm just... flipping through... just browsing..."
Vader nodded and said, "That's good. With some knowledge of alchemy, you can perform some simple routine repairs on your own—in fact, many alchemical procedures don't require the involvement of magic."
Filch's almost explosive sense of shame slowly subsided. He scratched his face awkwardly and asked nervously:
"Really? Such profound knowledge... Is there any chance for someone like me to learn it?"
“Why not?” Wade said. “Alchemy is essentially a skill that requires practice to master, and what it needs most is patience and meticulousness. You’ve managed the castle for so many years, and those are the two things you have in abundance.”
He put his hand into his pocket and tapped it lightly.
The puppets in the wardrobe space immediately became busy. The puppets of all sizes took only a few seconds to pull out a book and pass it around like a game of musical chairs.
A moment later, Wade took a book out of his pocket, glanced at it, and handed it to Filch.
"The book you're reading isn't detailed enough and is more suitable for alchemy apprentices with some basic knowledge. Why don't you take a look at this one... The first half covers the basic properties of materials and processing methods, and the second half covers the repair methods for magical tools."
This book is a learning manual provided by Marchionni's company for new employees. When Vader visited once, he found it very interesting and asked for a copy to keep.
Most of the repair processes in the book do not require the use of magic. Even ordinary people with no alchemy background can become qualified assembly line workers after reading this book.
Filch almost held his breath as he took the book as if it were a priceless treasure.
After thanking Wade, he didn't look at it immediately. Instead, he carefully put it into the inner pocket of his coat and even patted it unconsciously.
Then, Filch carefully opened the cabinet door, revealing a dozen or so cleaned crabs inside.
Wade then realized that what he meant by "getting it moving" was really just getting the crab to move a little.
Most of them, like lucky cats, could only wiggle their pincers or legs slightly; two others were more severely damaged, their bodies wrapped in layers of beige burlap sacks, almost thicker than their original bodies, making them unable to move.
In addition, Filch also tried to bandage their "wounds", replace new parts, and tie the broken pliers to his body with wire, etc.
The administrator tried all sorts of methods to save his little crab, from the initial rough approach to the later slightly more professional welding. Wede could almost see the traces of the countless nights he stayed up learning repair techniques.
Every repair was so crude and appalling, yet it revealed an unmistakable, persistent seriousness.
However, despite his efforts, the crabs' condition worsened, and the magic runes on them were completely destroyed, leaving no hope of recovery.
Vader sighed silently, said nothing more, drew his wand, and waved it gently!
(End of this chapter)