Penelope explained the origins and dangers of an Obscurus, and the room fell into silence.
Perhaps because their lives had always been relatively peaceful and free from major dangers, the young wizards had a very different perspective from adults.
While most adult wizards worried about an out-of-control Obscurus causing massive casualties or exposing the magical world, the young wizards were more concerned with what the child who had become an Obscurus must have gone through.
"That's so sad," Wade heard someone murmuring. "She must have suffered a lot."
"What will happen if she gets caught? Will she be killed?"
"Probably… I heard she killed a lot of Muggles."
"But those Muggles were terrible people. They deserved it!"
"The Wizengamot might not see it that way…"
As the discussions grew louder, Percy cleared his throat forcefully. When everyone turned their attention back to him, he straightened up and said in a formal tone:
"So now you all understand—there are certain people among Muggles who specifically target young wizards. Those who are taken by them… can only describe their fate as worse than death."
A student raised their hand and asked, "How do these people choose their targets?"
Percy explained:
"It's said that almost all of the young wizards who were captured had Muggle heritage. Before they entered school, they accidentally revealed their magical abilities, attracting the attention of certain Muggle groups—then they were taken."
Another student asked, "Didn't they fight back? They have magic, don't they?"
"Yeah," a girl added in confusion. "Even if they hadn't learned spells yet, wouldn't a surge of uncontrolled magic when they were taken forcefully attract the Ministry's attention?"
"They weren't taken by force!"
Percy was eager to show off his knowledge. He addressed the group:
"Those people might have claimed—'You're possessed by a demon,' or 'You're sick,' or 'You have awakened a special ability.' Using all sorts of absurd excuses, they lure children away from their families."
"Muggles have no ability to discern the truth. They are easily deceived by lies. And once the child is taken, those people cast Memory Charms on the parents, making them forget their own child ever existed. From then on, the child becomes nothing more than a tragic test subject."
"Memory Charms?" A Ravenclaw student frowned. "But you said it was a Muggle organization. Can Muggles cast Memory Charms?"
"That's right," Percy confirmed. "It's certain that at least a small number of wizards are working with them."
He then shared his theory:
"Maybe some young wizards were raised under their control since childhood. Even after learning magic, they became nothing more than puppets manipulated by those people."
Seeing the pale and somewhat frightened expressions on everyone's faces, Percy quickly added:
"Of course, those of you who have already entered school don't need to worry about encountering such things. In fact, the number of children harmed across all of Britain is extremely, extremely small—probably just a few cases."
Puffing out his chest, Percy proudly declared:
"Even You-Know-Who feared Dumbledore—let alone some Muggle crime syndicate."
A few students let out quiet sighs of relief, and some of the more frightened children began to look a little better.
—That's right… We are protected. We're not like those children who were taken away…
In truth, Percy himself didn't feel much of a sense of crisis. He hadn't personally witnessed the horrors of that island, nor had he experienced anything too traumatic.
To him, it was just a distant story, a set of numbers—nothing that felt truly real.
Just as he was about to emphasize his concern for everyone and his own contributions, he suddenly met Penelope's gaze and was jolted into remembering her earlier reminder.
Right—the real reason we gathered the students.
"But remember, if we want to maintain our safety, we must strictly follow the Statute of Secrecy! Only by keeping the wizarding world completely hidden can we avoid persecution from Muggles."
"Most of you here have Muggle relatives or Muggle friends, and some of you even like to show off magic in front of Muggles—"
As Percy spoke, he shot a pointed glare at his twin brothers.
Even though students weren't allowed to perform magic outside of school, the twins sometimes used small magical props to "perform tricks" in front of Muggles, under the guise of doing stage magic.
Their intent was merely to make more friends and bask in admiration and applause, but Percy despised such rule-breaking behavior.
Under his stern gaze, the twins—surprisingly—didn't cause trouble. Instead, they looked unusually thoughtful.
Percy continued:
"—This is a very, very, very dangerous thing to do. Maybe your trusting aunt or distant cousin will casually mention your magic to someone, and that conversation could reach the ears of some very dangerous people."
"You are certainly safe while at school, but what about when you go home for the holidays? What about when you travel? What about when you visit relatives? If someone has set their sights on doing something terrible, danger could strike at any time!"
"So following the Statute of Secrecy isn't about taking away your freedom—it's about protecting ourselves!"
…
Lunch breaks were actually quite short, and just as Percy felt like he hadn't even fully gotten into his speech, the gathering had to come to an end.
The young wizards left the Student Head's lounge in small groups, chattering about what they had just heard.
"It just doesn't feel real," someone murmured to their friend. "Look, the newspapers haven't said anything, and the professors haven't mentioned it either. Who knows if this news is even true?"
"It is true—Susan's aunt works at the Ministry, and she's heard about it too," their friend replied. "But as for that many people being killed… that part might be exaggerated."
"Yeah, it's like one of my grandmother's fairy tales—if Little Red Riding Hood doesn't behave, the big bad wolf will eat her up."
The two laughed dismissively.
"If they ever run into those people, they'll see how serious it is!" Ron fumed, glaring at their backs. "My dad would never lie about something like this!"
"You just need to know in your heart, little Ronnie, but it's best if no one ever encounters them."
Fred walked up from behind and ruffled Ron's hair.
"But that guy really is a nuisance!" George nodded at their younger brother and said with certainty, "You're not wrong about that."
Ron slapped Fred's hand away. He hadn't yet decided whether to be angry or pleased with his brothers' words when he saw them quickly catching up to Wade ahead.
"Hey, Wade, we have an idea…"
"And we might need your support…"
"After dinner—do you have time?"
"Yeah," Wade agreed without hesitation. "Same place as always."
"Great."
The twins walked away with their shoulders brushing while speaking in hushed voices.
They showed not even a hint of stress about their upcoming OWL exams. Instead, their eyes gleamed with excitement—it was clear they had come up with yet another wild scheme.
Michael turned to Wade and asked, "Do you think Percy was telling the truth? Were that many people really killed?"
Wade was silent for a moment before replying, "The actual number of victims is probably even higher… That so-called 'island' may just be a small part of something much darker."
Several images flashed quickly through his mind.
At first, Wade had assumed that the island had been deliberately hidden from maps, but his research in the archives revealed that wasn't the case.
The location is officially owned by a private company, supposedly engaged in processing fish and other meats. It is registered with the Muggle government and even has normal tax records.
Fishing boats regularly set out from the island and trawled the surrounding waters, making the constant movement of ships seem completely ordinary.
The records they had managed to uncover were only a fraction of the whole picture. The remains they had found were only a fraction, too.
The ocean is a natural graveyard—capable of burying anything that is never meant to see the light of day.
Hearing this, Michael gave Wade a serious look, then nudged him with his elbow.
"I knew it—you definitely know some inside information. So tell me, what were you really doing during the Quidditch match that day? And where did you get that weird cloak?"
"Sorry, I can't say."
Wade answered bluntly, without the slightest hint of guilt about keeping secrets from his friend.
Both Dumbledore and Professor Snape had gone to great lengths to keep his involvement on the island a secret for his own safety. Snape had even returned to the school with injuries after ensuring his escape.
There was no way Wade would carelessly reveal the truth and undermine all their efforts.
"Alright… I get it… Actually, I more or less figured it out already," Michael nodded and said.
Wade smiled slightly. Michael is incredibly smart—he never had to worry about being misunderstood by him.
Perhaps that was why Michael had so many friends.
That afternoon, they had a double Herbology class, so the two of them quickened their pace and headed downstairs toward Professor Sprout's greenhouse.
Behind them, Ron slowed his steps and watched their figures disappear at the stairway's exit.
"Back to the common room or the library?" Harry asked.
They also had Herbology in the afternoon, but not for another two hours. This rare two-hour break was a much-needed moment of relaxation in their week.
As for Hermione, she had already rushed off to class the moment they stepped out the door.
Ron hesitated for a moment before saying, "Let's find an empty spot… and practice some spells."
Harry was surprised.
Among their group, Ron was usually the least motivated. For a while, he had followed Harry's lead in practicing spells, but it hadn't taken long for him to get distracted by other things.
Ron had always approached homework and studying with a "just getting by" attitude—not exactly slacking off, but certainly not putting in much effort either.
He often rushed to finish his essays the night before they were due. Yet, his grades remained decent, which only made him more content with his laid-back approach.
In truth, Harry also wished he could take things easy and live a more relaxed life. But every time he went to the SSC meetings, the atmosphere there pushed him to work harder.
Even so, he often felt inadequate—his notes are always messy, and he frequently worries that he remembered things incorrectly.
Fortunately, Defense Against the Dark Arts always managed to restore his confidence.
Now, seeing Ron suddenly motivated again, Harry was naturally happy. The two of them found an empty classroom and began practicing spells.
But mastering magic isn't something that happens overnight.
Take the Levitation Charm, for example. They had learned it in their first year, and now, in their third year, they were still reviewing it and writing essays about it.
By the time they graduate, some students would be able to use the charm to lift cars, while others would barely be able to move a desk.
Most of their classes followed a similar pattern—it sometimes took two or three lessons, or even half a month, to fully learn a single spell.
However, at SSC meetings, Harry found that learning spells seemed incredibly easy. Most of the time, he could master a new spell within ten minutes. Even the particularly difficult ones only took a day or two.
Most of their practice time was spent on familiarizing themselves with spells and improving their power.
At this moment, Ron was progressing at the typical pace of a normal student during regular learning—just like the last time he studied with Harry.
They spent over an hour practicing the barrier spell, but Ron's "barrier" was so weak that Harry easily broke through it with a simple Knockback Jinx.
"That was good practice!" Harry tried his best to hide any disappointment and said, "You're already really impressive! Your spell did slow me down for a second!"
But after spending so much time together, Ron could tell when Harry wasn't being entirely sincere. A strong sense of frustration hit him.
"Don't try to comfort me—I know I'm still far from good enough." Ron looked down at his wand and felt a bit discouraged.
"You're actually doing really well!" Harry tried to reassure him. "Honestly, it's probably my fault… I'm not as good at teaching as Wade. He always seems to know exactly where someone's problem is right away…"
"Wade Grey, huh…"
Ron hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but held back.
Harry didn't notice. He checked the time and urged, "We need to get to Herbology class! Let's go!"
…
Wade's Herbology class had just ended.
The students put away their dragon-hide gloves and trowels, leaving the greenhouse exhausted and carrying the distinct smell of dragon dung. Wade stayed behind.
"Wait a second," he said to Michael. "I have something to ask Professor Sprout."
"I'll wait for you at the entrance," Michael said, patting the dirt off his clothes. "I need to breathe some fresh air that doesn't smell like fertilizer."
Wade walked to the other end of the greenhouse, where Professor Sprout was inspecting the transplanted plants.
The weather was getting colder, and even inside the greenhouse, some plants were struggling.
Professor Sprout tended to them with the utmost care, as if they were her own children.
"Professor," Wade said as he approached.
"Oh, Wade." Professor Sprout wiped her hands on her apron and greeted him with a warm smile. "Do you have a question?"
"I wanted to ask… Has headmaster Dumbledore not returned yet?" Wade asked. "I haven't seen him at all."
Professor Sprout sighed. "Dumbledore has been very busy lately, working on…"
She hesitated for a moment, but then, remembering that Wade had been involved in that matter, she continued, "…arranging a safe place for those children."
"Those children?" Wade paused, then asked, "I heard that Mabel… I mean, the Obscurial, escaped?"
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⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- +235 Chapters
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