Chapter 940
Heart to Heart
Chapter 940 Heart to Heart
As Hawthorne stepped out of the heavy, ornate iron gate of Picqueli Manor, he didn't Apparate. He stood still, taking a deep breath of the crisp air outside the manor. The weariness and dejection that had clung to his brow these past few days seemed to dissipate considerably with that breath.
A long-lost, sharp, eagle-like light rekindled in his eyes.
"Walk with me, Ezra."
He spoke to Hughes, who was silent beside him.
The two strolled slowly along the secluded, tree-lined path outside the manor. The soft light of the setting sun filtered through the leaves, casting long shadows, and the only sounds were the rustling of their shoes on the fallen leaves and the occasional chirping of birds.
After walking for about ten minutes, Hawthorne confirmed that there were no more eyes or ears around him before stopping and lowering his voice to an extremely low whisper:
"Mrs. Picqueli told me..."
He spoke steadily, yet clearly relayed to Hughes everything he had just heard in the living room—the manipulation of Lyra, the higher-ups' conspiracy, and the horrifying secrets about time particles.
After listening, Hughes did not show the shock that Hawthorne had expected. Instead, he twitched the corners of his mouth and revealed a complex smile that was a mixture of understanding and bitterness.
He lowered his voice as well, his gaze fixed on the faint outline of the manor at the end of the road: "Stella told me the same secret in the garden just now."
Hawthorne raised his eyebrows and looked at Hughes with some surprise.
After a moment, the tense lines on his face relaxed, and he even let out a low laugh, tinged with self-mockery and relief.
"How can you still laugh?" Hughes said helplessly, his voice heavy with anxiety. "I feel like I'm about to be crushed by this secret, by this hopeless situation."
Hawthorne's smile faded, but the light in his eyes shone even brighter. He shook his head:
“I just find it… a little ironic, Ezra.”
"I racked my brains and used every trick in the book, practically tearing my heart out, just to barely touch the edge of the truth. And you..."
He looked at Hughes, a strange smile playing on his lips.
"Just because you've built trust with a young girl, you let her hand over her most crucial secret to you."
He took two steps forward, his steps seeming lighter.
"What does this show? It shows that for any seemingly unsolvable problem, there may actually be different solutions, or even 'shortcuts.' The key is not how much effort we put in, but whether we use the right methods and find the right people."
"Found the right person?"
Hughes's voice was somewhat hoarse: "How many people in the Magic Congress are still 'right' now? Lyra has practically turned it into her private domain..."
"Speaking of which, Nicolo, do you remember just two hours ago that you only planned to retire with dignity?"
Hawthorne ignored what he said next, as if he hadn't heard it at all.
If we can't find it in the Magic Council, then we'll look outside.
He stopped and turned around, saying:
“This is no longer a power struggle within the Magical Congress of the United States, Ezra. This is a crisis that affects the balance of the entire wizarding world, and even the Muggle world.”
"There's no reason for us to be the only ones who have a headache, or for the United States to be the only ones who have a headache."
Hawthorne paused, and that meaningful smile reappeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Moreover, perhaps... we don't even need to bother looking for it."
"...No need?" Hughes frowned.
Hawthorne nodded and said, "Because those people... have probably already arrived."
Hughes pondered for a moment, then hesitated before asking, "You mean... Kingsley Shackles and his people at the British Ministry of Magic?"
He shook his head and said, "Excuse me for speaking frankly, Nicholas, these people are just for show, and their leader Kingsley has already returned home. The rest of them won't be here for more than a few days."
Hawthorne lowered his voice, almost whispering, "No, not those Aurors."
“Ezra, the person Seraphina is protecting… the only one who saw the complete key memory and brought it to Dumbledore… combined with a series of recent 'accidents' that we cannot fully explain, yet which precisely struck the Purge and certain hidden forces…”
His eyes gleamed, and the smile on his lips even seemed somewhat strange. "I have reason to believe that person is Wade Gray! And he's currently in the United States. The series of deaths in New York, and Lyra's ability to completely eradicate the Purifiers... are probably all related to him."
Hughes turned sharply to look at him, a look of shock in his eyes. But he didn't question him; he simply listened quietly.
Hawthorne continued, "Ah... I hadn't thought of that at all, because he's still so young... I can't imagine that Dumbledore would entrust him with something so important..."
"But only this can explain it! No matter what that person looks like now, his wisdom and abilities are unchanging—there are some things only he can do!"
"I can't believe... how could I have been so stupid! It's only today that I've come to my senses."
He was somewhat annoyed, but more than that, he was exhilarated.
“Ezra, it’s foolish to cling to sectarianism when the Magic Council has already been infiltrated and sidelined by Lyra and those behind her. We must… seek help from outside. Real, powerful, and aligned help.”
“Dumbledore is certainly an option; his wisdom and influence are beyond question.”
“But Wade Gray… Ezra, I think this young man’s potential is far greater than any of us can imagine right now. And those little guys he’s created are far more powerful… and dangerous than we thought.”
Hughes walked several steps in silence, digesting the enormous amount of information. At the same time, he also grasped the almost desperate meaning implied in Hawthorne's words.
Finally, Hughes nodded solemnly and slowly.
“I understand, Nicolo,” he said calmly. “I know what to do.”
He organized all the clues in his mind, connecting many previously scattered points of doubt based on the premise that Wade Gray was secretly involved in the United States.
Suddenly, everything became traceable, and many questions that I couldn't understand at the time seemed to have answers.
Hughes suddenly recalled the pumpkin carriage that had exploded at the banquet, and the spray of gold dust. He raised an eyebrow and said:
"Could it be... that the gold dust that suddenly appeared at the banquet... wasn't a prank, but rather an imitation of the effect of 'time particles'?"
“That must be it,” Hawthorne sighed. “Time…time…Wade Grey was the first person to come into contact with time particles, but none of us remembered it at the time…”
The main reason is that it was just a competition between students in the UK, and all of Ilfamoni's contestants were eliminated.
For Hawthorne and Hughes, watching the game live wasn't worth the time—they had too many other things to worry about.
It was only after learning that Voldemort had appeared in the live broadcast of the match that the two of them took the time to watch the ending. At that time, their main focus was on Voldemort, the Vicious Party, and Dumbledore.
—As for the contestants being shrunk?
Isn't that just reducing the effect of the potion? And some curses can do something similar. Voldemort's abilities are comparable to Dumbledore's, and his curse skills are even better. What's so surprising about him mastering similar magic?
Who would have thought that would be the most mysterious and unpredictable time?
Just as Hawthorne was feeling sentimental, a sudden flash of inspiration struck him, and a chill seeped out from the cracks in his memory, making him feel as if he could hear the hum of his own blood.
He remembered watching the dinner video with Hughes, the frames on the screen, and... the person standing in the corner after Lyra led the team to eliminate the Purgers.
The scene in my mind seemed to be replaying automatically, zooming in, and slowing down, with every detail flashing through my mind: everyone's eyes, expressions, and body postures...
“Something’s not right,” Hawthorne murmured, stopping in his tracks. “Ezra, I know… who’s been working with the Muggles…”
Hughes paused, then instinctively asked, "Isn't it Lyra and her people?"
“No, no…” Hawthorne said in a tense voice, “Lyra and the others want the power of the Magical Congress, but the Muggles are different; they want magic and wizards themselves!”
"The one who sees us all as prey... the one filled with a lust for time particles, is..."
Before he could finish speaking, a voice filled with disdain and hostility interrupted:
"It's me... right?"
Reginald Perez, the director of the FlooNet Authority, walked out leisurely.
(End of this chapter)