Space modification is no easy task.
The wardrobe space was built upon the Undetectable Extension Charm, layered with various other spells that interweaved and influenced one another.
Changing it wasn't as simple as peeling a poster off a wall—it was more like stripping away the wall itself to extract a specific wire from within.
Just clearing out the excess clutter took Wade an entire day. Fortunately, the Room of Requirement's hidden storage chamber accepted anything, no matter how much he needed to store.
Magical materials, construction supplies, various minerals, and plants that could still be useful were temporarily sorted and placed in designated areas.
For the magical creatures inside the space, Wade released those capable of surviving in the wild. However, some had to stay behind—
Orphaned younglings, injured or disabled animals, and magical creatures that had lost their habitats due to human activities. Releasing them into the outside world would be the same as sending them to their deaths.
Due to the influence of Scamander and Steven, Wade had also grown fond of magical creatures. So, he set aside half of the space for them to live in.
In the other half, Wade planned to build his own magical research lab and a library. It was a significant project that he intended to complete gradually over time.
For now, his main focus was on mastering Apparition and Portkey magic.
However, after returning to school, he waited several days without any sign of Dumbledore, nor did the incident with the island make it into the newspapers.
Instead, he occasionally overheard hushed conversations between students during his free time—
"Have you heard about that incident?" Ernie Macmillan of Hufflepuff whispered to Hannah Abbott. "I never would've imagined they had the guts to do something like that."
Hannah Abbott frowned in frustration. "My mom wants me to apply to stay at school for Christmas this year. I think she's overreacting—would there really be danger on the way home?"
"A Obscurus disappeared. Do you realize how serious that is?" Blaise Zabini of Slytherin spoke gravely to his friends. "Only a handful of wizards can handle such a creature."
"It wouldn't attack the Hogwarts Express, would it?" Pansy Parkinson scoffed. "Even you-know-who never targeted the school train."
"An Obscurus is a mindless monster. Who knows what it might do?" Theodore Nott said grimly.
Rumors quietly spread throughout the school, mostly among pureblood students. They spoke in hushed tones, and the moment a half-blood or Muggle-born approached, they would immediately fall silent.
At times like these, bloodline differences seemed to overshadow house rivalries.
On Friday, using the Time-Turner, Wade attended an Ancient Runes class before going to Muggle Studies.
After class, just as Wade and a visibly exhausted Hermione finished packing their bags and were about to head to the Great Hall for dinner, Theo suddenly appeared from around the corner. His eyes lit up upon seeing them.
"Finally found you two! Wade, Hermione," Theo said, grabbing Wade's arm. "Come with me quickly, we're just waiting on you two."
"What?" Wade was confused.
He glanced at Hermione, who also looked completely lost.
"What's going on? Can't it wait until after we eat? I'm starving!" Hermione asked.
"Don't worry, we've already brought food over!" Theo assured them. "This is important. Everyone needs to know—especially you two. Besides meal times, you're both so busy that it's impossible to find you."
As he spoke, he waved his wand, and a burst of red fireworks shot into the sky and exploded with a loud bang.
Theo explained, "That's to let everyone know I've found you. It's the signal to gather."
Hermione felt even more bewildered, but seeing the serious expression on Theo's face, an uneasy feeling crept into her heart.
Wade had a vague idea of what was happening. He turned to Hermione and said, "Let's go. Theo wouldn't act like this unless it was really important."
Still full of doubt, Hermione followed them. As they made their way through the castle, they happened to cross paths with a group of Slytherin students.
The group had been engaged in an intense discussion, but upon spotting them, they abruptly fell silent, staring at Wade and Hermione with strange expressions.
That was unusual.
Although everyone in the school knew that the two of them were "Muggle-born," most Slytherins—aside from a select few—still treated Wade with a degree of respect.
As for Hermione, she was well-known as a top student and a close friend of both Harry and Wade. While Malfoy and his usual crowd frequently clashed with them, most upper-year students didn't openly show hostility.
A shiver ran down Hermione's spine, but she quickly steeled herself and glared back.
The Slytherins in question were mostly younger students. Some instinctively averted their gazes under the fierce stare of the "Gryffindor lioness," while others continued watching them with a challenging look.
Theo's expression grew tense, and he quickened his pace.
Wade, on the other hand, remained completely indifferent. He didn't even notice the stares, his mind still occupied by the Portkey thesis he had read in class.
To him, unimportant people were no different from potted plants by the roadside—if they were in the way, he'd simply walk around them and move on, not sparing them a second thought.
After the two groups passed each other, Hermione glanced back after they had walked some distance. A few younger Slytherins were still watching them from behind.
It felt eerie.
For some reason, their silent stares unsettled her more than Malfoy's taunts ever had.
They continued climbing until they reached the sixth floor, weaving through corridors until they arrived at a place they had never been before.
It was an ordinary-looking wooden door, beside which stood a proud-looking wizard statue. The statue was posed as if giving a grand speech with a wide cloak billowing behind him.
"What is this place?" Wade asked.
"The Student Head's lounge."
After saying that, Theo knocked three times. The door opened, revealing a room packed with people—all of whom turned to look at them.
The room was lavishly decorated. A grand chandelier with twenty or thirty candles bathed the space in a warm, golden glow.
The walls and floors were made of pristine white marble, adorned with enormous gilded landscape paintings. Heavy, deep-blue curtains were drawn shut, but if opened, they would likely offer a clear view of the Black Lake in the distance.
Under everyone's watchful gaze, Theo quickly pulled Wade and Hermione inside. Luckily, Harry and the others had saved them seats—some cushions on the floor, which seemed to have been conjured by magic.
The soft sofas and cushioned chairs, however, had already been claimed by older female students who had arrived earlier.
Wade also spotted Ravenclaw's female prefect, Penelope Clearwater. She smiled and waved at him, looking completely at ease.
Hermione let out a breath of relief.
The students here behaved like the peers she was familiar with—unlike those strange Slytherins from earlier.
As soon as Wade and Hermione sat down, they immediately noticed that most of the students gathered in the room were either Muggle-born or half-bloods, with only a handful of pure-bloods present.
Among them were the Weasley siblings.
"What's going on?" Hermione whispered to Harry.
Harry looked just as confused. "I have no idea."
Ron leaned in and said, "Percy got a letter from my dad. He wouldn't tell me what it was about, but I think it has something to do with you two."
He gestured toward Wade and Hermione. "Fred and George had a huge argument with him over it. I overheard Percy mention your names."
Hermione frowned. "…Mr. Weasley's letter? And it mentioned us?"
She turned to Wade, as if expecting him to have some kind of explanation.
Then she shifted her gaze to Theo, realizing he was probably the one who actually knew what was going on.
"I have heard a few things," Theo admitted, "but Percy Weasley definitely knows more. After all, Mr. Weasley works at the Ministry of Magic as the Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office."
"Either way, let's eat first," Michael said from the other side, passing over a plate full of sandwiches. "Want some carrot juice?"
"Yes, thanks," Hermione replied quickly, grabbing a sandwich. Wade took one as well.
As food and drinks were passed around, everyone sat in a loose circle and ate casually.
After a little while, Percy Weasley entered the room, holding a long roll of parchment.
"Apologies, everyone," he said, "but before I explain the severity of the situation, I need to confirm that everyone is present."
He split the parchment into several sections and handed them to the students sitting in the front.
Penelope received one as well. She took the list and got up to check on the Ravenclaw students.
"Wait," Mandy Brocklehurst whispered, "Lisa isn't here yet, is she?"
"She's pure-blood," Penelope replied. "She's probably already been informed."
"Oh… oh," Mandy murmured, looking a little confused.
Before long, the prefects finished checking attendance and returned the lists.
Percy cleared his throat and said, "I'm sure you're all wondering why I've gathered you here today."
"Why not the Great Hall? Why not a classroom? Why not the courtyard? Why here, in my Student Head's lounge?"
As he spoke, he straightened his posture slightly, and the Head Boy's badge on his chest gleamed even more brightly under the light.
"—Because this matter concerns the safety of every single one of you!"
The atmosphere immediately turned serious, and some students looked visibly frightened.
Everyone had noticed the change in attitude among the pure-blood students.
At that moment, Percy saw dozens of students looking up at him attentively, saw Penelope listening carefully, and even noticed that Fred and George, for once, weren't causing trouble. A great, swelling sense of satisfaction filled his chest.
—Originally, he hadn't wanted to gather so many students and bring unnecessary trouble upon himself. He worried that taking part in something like this might hurt his future career at the Ministry of Magic, making him seem like a troublemaker.
But when the twins said they weren't afraid of offending people and were willing to take the lead, Percy suddenly didn't want to hand over control of the situation.
Because this wasn't just a responsibility—it was also an honor. It would earn him the goodwill and support of many Muggle-born students.
Which side has greater benefits? Which has greater risks?
Even as Percy made the decision to step forward, he had still been torn.
But at this moment, all his doubts had vanished. His face flushed slightly with excitement.
"Everyone, this morning, I received a letter from my father with some truly shocking news. Some of you may have already heard—"
"Not long ago, the Ministry of Magic raided an island hiding countless atrocities and corpses. And you, my friends—you almost became victims as well…"
Percy Weasley paused dramatically.
As the students began showing signs of impatience, he finally pulled a folded stack of letters from his pocket and read out the key points.
The Ministry had sent many wizards to the island for cleanup, so it was impossible to keep the entire operation secret. Arthur Weasley had received the news relatively late compared to others.
However, since his job involved Muggle-related affairs, even after most Ministry officials had withdrawn, Arthur Weasley remained responsible for sorting through the artifacts and documents left behind on the island.
As a result, he had access to more detailed information than most.
He wrote Percy a long letter, discreetly hinting at his findings. He also mentioned that he would be busy throughout the Christmas holidays and advised his children to stay at school.
Mr. Weasley specifically instructed Percy to look after his younger siblings, especially the twins, and ensure they didn't try sneaking out of Hogwarts. He also asked Percy to warn Harry Potter—just in case returning to his Muggle relatives put him in danger.
Of course, as Percy read the letter aloud, he skipped over the parental advice and focused only on what Mr. Weasley had discovered on the island.
"A Muggle criminal organization carried out unspeakable atrocities there… truly horrifying acts. I can't describe everything in detail, but I can tell you this—so far, nearly a hundred bodies have been found on the island. The oldest victim was no more than twenty-five years old…"
"Most of them were Muggles, but young wizards were the most highly sought-after targets… Those used in live experiments were subjected to unimaginable torment… They called it 'experimentation,' but in my opinion, there's no doubt—it was pure crime."
After Percy finished, other students chimed in with the news they had heard.
"I heard that one of the young wizards was forced into becoming an Obscurus and managed to escape," Penelope said. "And she fled toward Britain. You all know what that means—Hogwarts may still be safe for now, but other places may not be."
A shiver ran through several students, and one small hand suddenly shot up in the air.
"Excuse me," Colin Creevey asked hesitantly, "but… what exactly is an Obscurus? Is it some kind of mute magical creature?"
Harry gave a silent nod.
Colin had voiced the very question Harry wanted to ask, though Harry had planned to ask Ron in private later.
Several students shot Colin incredulous looks, making him shift uncomfortably and lower his hand awkwardly.
Penelope, however, didn't mock him. Instead, she patiently explained, "An Obscurus is a magical entity, but unlike creatures such as Hippogriffs, it is something that manifests within a wizard—a force born from pain and hatred…"
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⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- +235 Chapters
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