[Maggie: Maggie! Maggie has time!]
[Zoe: Maggie is lying! Maggie hasn't finished cleaning the Slytherin common room yet! Zoe has time.]
[Phil: Phil is here!]
[Happy: Happy is more than willing to help Mr. Wade Grey. What does Mr. Wade Grey need?]
A flurry of messages popped up, and then Maggie and Zoe began arguing through the parchment.
Wade's message interrupted their quarrel.
[Wade: Does anyone know where Dumbledore has gone?]
The chat fell silent for a moment.
After a brief pause, Wade finally received a reply:
[Maggie: Maggie cannot tell Mr. Wade Grey where the Headmaster has gone. But Maggie heard that there's a trial in the Wizengamot today.]
—So Dumbledore won't have time until the trial is over?
Wade thought to himself.
In the original storyline, it seemed like every time Harry Potter encountered trouble or danger, Dumbledore was always absent.
Or, one could also say—if not for Dumbledore being preoccupied, Fudge wouldn't have dared to come knocking to arrest someone.
If Sirius were truly taken away by them, even Dumbledore wouldn't be able to break into the Ministry of Magic or Azkaban to rescue him.
At that point, they would have no choice but to go through the lengthy legal process or catch Peter Pettigrew to prove that Sirius's escape had nothing to do with him.
But Wade knew the latter was impossible—Peter Pettigrew is already buried at sea, with no remains left.
And the laws of the British Ministry of Magic were far from perfect, with some regulations even contradicting each other.
Counting on those laws to prove Sirius's capture was unjust would be as pointless as expecting Fudge to suddenly lose interest in the Minister of Magic position and let Dumbledore take over.
Just then, Harry sent another message—
[Harry: Sirius is currently in his Animagus form. If the Ministry of Magic can't find him, will they give up?]
[Wade: They must have confirmed Sirius is at home before coming to search. If they don't find him in the house, they'll definitely suspect that distinctly large black dog.]
[Wade: The Animagus form bears a resemblance to the wizard themselves. As long as the wizard is observant, they can identify it. We can't rely on luck. That's why Remus is trying to stop them from searching.]
Wade wrote these messages while pondering in his mind—
Mice and beetles are easy to hide, but the chances of hiding a large black dog are far smaller.
It is a pity we had left the Vanishing Cabinet in the house at Hogsmeade… No, that Vanishing Cabinet is too conspicuous. It will attract attention immediately...
We can't have Zoe and the others take Sirius away either... Sirius can Apparate himself, but such magic will create a commotion that would be noticed instantly.
If Sirius escaped on his own, then Remus Lupin, who is stalling the Ministry officials, would have to take responsibility for it.
Moreover, if Fudge and his group are smart enough, they might have already set up Anti-Apparition Charms in the area by now.
After pondering for a long time, Wade gradually came up with an idea.
[Wade: Harry, tell Sirius...]
The words unfolded on the parchment one by one. Harry's eyes gradually widened, as if a door to a new world had opened.
The black dog was glaring at Fudge with a deathly stare when something moved out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head and saw Harry hiding around the corridor's corner, urgently motioning for him to come over.
Sirius hesitated for a moment, but finally, under Harry's pleading gaze, he walked over.
As Sirius stood up, a bald man among the Aurors twitched his fingers, as if he wanted to raise his wand. However, after a moment's hesitation, he ultimately did nothing.
Sirius entered the room, and Harry handed him the parchment with the words that had yet to vanish.
...
Meanwhile, Wade returned to the page where he communicated with the house-elves.
[Wade: Can any of you Apparate from the UK to the US? I need to return to the UK as soon as possible.]
The risks of such magic were immense. Although Wade had studied a lot of theory, he had not yet begun formal practice.
The adult wizards around him had all been intentionally or unintentionally delaying his learning progress, as if worried he might recklessly decapitate himself.
The farther the Apparition distance, the greater the difficulty. A single misstep could result in dismemberment, severe injuries, or even death.
Highly skilled wizards could even Apparate across continents. But apart from Dumbledore, Wade didn't know anyone capable of such a feat.
The shortest distance between the UK and the US was still three to four thousand kilometers, a distance beyond the reach of Apparition for most wizards.
Portkeys, of course, were very convenient, and the spell to create them was simple. However, crafting a Portkey also required advanced magical expertise.
[Zoe: Zoe has never tried moving such a long distance. Even if Zoe could do it... Zoe wouldn't dare to move with Wade Gray. Without enough skill, it could cause serious harm.]
The other house-elves also expressed that this was beyond their abilities.
Just as Wade thought he'd have no choice but to take a plane an hour later, Maggie sent another message—
[Maggie: But Maggie knows someone who can… Ralph can definitely do it.]
[Happy: That's right, Ralph can! Go ask Ralph for help!]
They didn't write anything further, likely because they all went off to find the house-elf said to be the oldest among them—Ralph.
Wade felt a bit uneasy. Not every house-elf was willing to help, and this clearly fell outside their responsibilities.
He worried that not only might Ralph refuse, but he might even reprimand Zoe and the others for breaking the rules of Hogwarts' house-elves.
Fortunately, a few minutes later, Wade received a reply.
[Zoe: This is Ralph. Ralph can help. Where is Mr. Wade Grey currently?]
...
Fudge was growing increasingly impatient with Lupin's obstruction, and his tone became sharper.
"Remus, I'm saying this as a friend—if you keep interfering with official business, I'll have to wonder if you have some... unusual connections with certain individuals."
"I heard you were close friends with Peter Pettigrew back in school?"
"They've all been to Azkaban. Do you want to give it a try too?"
Lupin's face turned slightly pale, but he still firmly replied, "If you think Sirius has something to do with the escape, then show me the evidence! Don't just throw baseless accusations!"
"That's what I'm trying to do! If it weren't for you, we might already have the evidence!"
Fudge snorted coldly, shoved Lupin aside, and was about to head further inside when his eyes suddenly lit up.
A tall man in black robes stepped out of the bedroom behind Lupin, his expression one of annoyance.
"Sirius Black!"
Fudge called out in surprise, then quickly regained his composure. "We need your cooperation to investigate the escape of Peter Pettigrew. Of course, if it's proven you have nothing to do with this matter, we'll release you and offer a full apology..."
"Sirius!" Lupin said in a low, distressed voice.
"Relax, mate!"
Sirius patted Lupin on the back, walked over to Fudge, and appeared ready to surrender. Then, lowered his voice and said:
"I'll come with you, Minister. But someone asked me to pass along a message—"
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⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- +235 Chapters
⭐MCU: Druid's Adventures (MCUDA)(⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 460
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