96

Chapter 97: Vanishing Cabinet [Revised Version]

It had taken Wade an entire day to reconstruct and organize his memories. When he finally emerged from the Room of Requirement, the sky had turned completely dark.

Despite both being located high up—the Room of Requirement in the main tower and the Ravenclaw Common Room at the pinnacle of Ravenclaw Tower—the distance between them was considerable. Normally, Wade would have summoned a broom with the accio Charm to traverse the gap quickly. But today, he walked slowly along the corridor, sorting through his thoughts and contemplating his next steps.

Footsteps echoed faintly in the long corridor. Suddenly, a voice shattered the silence—

"Haha... Surprise!"

Peeves materialized out of nowhere, clutching several ink-filled water balloons and hurling them at Wade. Swiftly, Wade drew his wand, casting a spell that reversed the trajectory of the ink, causing it to splatter all over Peeves.

"Bah, bah, bah!"

Peeves sputtered, spitting out the ink from his mouth in annoyance, before cursing and flying away, leaving a trail of dark ink in the corridor.

Wade was well-versed in cleaning spells. With a few flicks of his wand, he erased every trace of ink, restoring the corridor to its pristine condition.

Someone applauded nearby. "Impressive Charm!"

Wade turned around to see Griffiths.

"Griffiths?"

The red-haired wizard retreated back into his portrait, a mischievous smile lingering on his face.

Recalling Peeves' sudden appearance, Wade asked, "Did you put Peeves up to that?"

"Well, yes," Griffiths admitted candidly. "I noticed you seemed lost in thought, almost haunted, so I asked Peeves to give you a bit of a surprise—how are you feeling now?"

Wade wasn't sure what expression he'd worn earlier. He rubbed his face wearily. "Well, I appreciate it, I suppose."

"You're welcome, you're welcome. Always happy to assist the students," Griffiths replied with a smile, then changed the subject. "So, what were you thinking about before?"

Wade didn't wish to delve into that topic and diverted, "Has your rapport with the portraits in the foyer improved lately? They haven't complained about you for a while."

Griffiths hesitated. "Um, yes, of course, it's gotten better..."

Wade paused, noticing the guilty expression that briefly flashed across Griffiths' face. There seemed to be more to the story.

Back in his dormitory, Wade retrieved his enchanted parchment, first exchanging messages with his father, then switching to another contact.

[Wade: Remus?]

After a moment, a reply from Lupin appeared on the parchment:

[Lupin: Here.]

[Wade: I have a task for you—tomorrow morning, accompany my father to Gringotts to withdraw some funds, then proceed to Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley to purchase the Vanishing Cabinet from the store.]

[Lupin: Understood.]

Lupin agreed succinctly. Moments later, he added:

[Lupin: As far as I know, Borgin and Burkes only have one Vanishing Cabinet in stock; the other one is missing. If the other cabinet is damaged or located in an inaccessible place—such as the ocean floor or buried deep underground—then that cabinet would be useless, potentially hazardous to its user.]

[Wade: I'm aware—but there's also a Vanishing Cabinet here at Hogwarts.]

[Wade: It's worth a shot, isn't it?]

[Lupin: I understand. But promise me you won't attempt to use it yourself. We can experiment with rabbits or something first.]

[Wade: Of course, I won't be reckless.]

After ending the correspondence, Wade felt a glimmer of hope.

The thought of the enemy infiltrating Hogwarts at any moment was unnerving, eroding any sense of security. But the prospect of being able to depart the castle at will was liberating, opening up new possibilities.

Wade's mind was abuzz with myriad thoughts and potential plot developments—the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets, Peter Pettigrew concealed within Gryffindor, the Quidditch World Cup and the Triwizard Tournament, Barty Crouch's escape from Azkaban, Voldemort's return, the ineptitude of the Ministry of Magic...

And the Horcruxes scattered by Voldemort across various locations... and several methods to destroy Horcruxes—

The Sword of Gryffindor.

Basilisk fangs.

And Fiendfyre.

He still needed to master the Fiendfyre curse... Contemplating the inferno that had ravaged half of Paris under Grindelwald's hand, and Dumbledore wielding his wand like a god of fire...

With such power at his command, did he truly need to exercise caution?

Wade transcribed his thoughts onto parchment, reading them over before crumpling the paper into a ball and holding it close to the candle's flame, watching as it slowly turned to ash.

The flickering flames reflected in his eyes, conjuring another scene deep within—Hogwarts besieged by a mass of Death Eaters, trolls and acromantulas rampaging, lifeless bodies strewn across the cold ground.

In times of war, life felt fragile indeed.

And then there were the untold stories—following Dumbledore's demise, Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic nearly falling into the clutches of Voldemort's followers, the trio forced into hiding... During that tumultuous year, how many non-pure-blood wizards suffered persecution?

What about the Muggles? And the Squibs, neglected by all? Did they survive because they were insignificant, or did their deaths simply become cold statistics in the newspapers?

Wade suddenly recalled the smiles of Ferdinand and Fiona, and the faded faces of two others who had once attempted to smile amidst sorrow.

He covered his eyes with his hands, letting out a weary sigh.