"By the way, during the Christmas holiday, are you two both leaving school?" Anne asked.
"Yes, I promised Tom I'd go with him to take care of something," Wade said casually.
Tom was slightly taken aback. "You're coming with me?"
"Of course. Didn't we already agree on this?" Wade replied.
Tom fell silent.
He had planned to visit his mother's side of the family during the Christmas break.
But Wade had always said that his mother's family might not be as wonderful as he imagined…
Could it really be as bad as Wade claimed?
But then again, Wade had a point… If his mother's family was truly so good, then why would a witch rather die at the door of a Muggle orphanage than go home?
For a moment, Tom just felt his mind was in complete turmoil...
Suddenly, a hand rested on his shoulder.
"No matter what, you have to face it eventually. Besides, with me there, you don't need to worry about your safety," Wade said gently.
"Why do I feel like the biggest danger comes from you?" Tom muttered.
"Sigh, you say things like that—it really breaks my heart."
Since they weren't using the Whispering Charm for this exchange, Anne heard everything clearly.
"So, what are you two doing over the break? Why would it be dangerous?" Anne asked in confusion.
"It's nothing, just some personal business… But I noticed you filled out the stay-behind form earlier. What, you're not planning to go back for the holidays?" Wade casually changed the subject.
Sure enough, the guilty Anne immediately forgot to pursue what their personal business was.
"I just… my aunt and the others don't have time, so I had no choice but to stay at school," Anne replied vaguely.
"Oh… I see…"
...
After breakfast, Anne left first. She was a little afraid that Wade and Tom would keep asking why she was staying at school over the holidays.
And… what if Wade and Tom invited her to spend Christmas at their place?
In theory, she shouldn't refuse.
But she really couldn't go!
Otherwise, wouldn't her reason for telling Nurmengard she was staying at school be completely wasted?
After returning to her dormitory, Anne took out the notebook used for communication, intending to inform Nurmengard that she wouldn't be going back over the break.
However, as soon as she opened the notebook in the specific way required, she saw a message left on the page.
[Over the holiday, Wade and Tom won't be at school. Staying there is pointless, so come back to Nurmengard for the holiday—I still have many questions to ask you...]
This message made Anne feel like she'd fallen into an icy pit.
She had just been planning to lie and say that Wade and Tom would be staying at school over the break, so she needed to stay too…
After all, she had long known from Wade that Dumbledore valued Wade and Tom highly—he had even arranged a house protected by the Fidelius Charm for them.
In other words, whether Wade and Tom stayed or left during the break, Grindelwald shouldn't have known.
And yet… just a few minutes of delay—thankfully, only a few minutes late…
Because at that moment, the order actually came!
From the contents of the order, it was clear that Grindelwald was fully aware of Wade and Tom's whereabouts!
If she had reported back with that lie just a few minutes earlier—before this message arrived—wouldn't she have been completely exposed by now?
Thinking of this, Anne was overcome with fear. She collapsed onto the bed alone, sitting there in a daze for a long time before she finally recovered...
Grindelwald now knew about Wade and Tom's movements, which meant she had lost her excuse to stay at school.
And right now, her power had increased so dramatically that even ordinary classmates had noticed.
Everyone thought it was because Wade had taught her a lot, that that's why she had grown so much stronger in such a short time.
If Grindelwald saw her, how could he possibly not notice?
In other words... that once-exclusive secret could no longer be kept to herself!
Anne picked up her quill and, with trembling hands, wrote in the notebook:
[Understood. However, Wade plans to visit the Forbidden Forest again tonight—one final effort before the holiday begins. I think he's very confident about this one!]
A moment later, a reply appeared from the other side of the notebook.
[Understood. Tonight we'll suspend all operations. Also, be careful. There's a strange presence in the Forbidden Forest. It may only target adult wizards or goblins—after all, you've been going there for quite some time without any issues. But still, stay alert! One of our goblin master craftsmen vanished without reason, and everyone in the camp fell asleep at the same time!]
Seeing this message, Anne once again felt a wave of lingering fear!
After all, she had been going into the Forbidden Forest alone these past few days!
If that strange presence had set its sights on her… wouldn't she already be dead?
With that thought, Anne immediately gave up on the idea of making one last trip tonight!
[Understood. I'll be careful.]
After closing the notebook, Anne took a deep breath, then locked it back in the cabinet.
There was no more time to stall… Tonight at midnight, she would pretend she had just returned from an expedition and report her "findings" to Nurmengard…
...
Evening.
In the corner of the common room,
Wade sat by the window with the cat in his arms, reading a book.
Suddenly, he felt the cat Tom in his arms tense up, then leap onto the table.
A familiar voice sounded in Wade's ear.
—"All those 'residues' you told me to place have been put in position, and in the exact manner you specified."—
It turned out that Tom the cat had once again been taken over by his senior—he had become Cat-Senior again...
Wade glanced at Nagini coiled nearby, then used the Whispering Charm to say, "Good, just in time. If I'm not mistaken, then either tonight or by Christmas Eve at the latest, Grindelwald's people will definitely start becoming active…"
"By the way, how did you manage to place those powers in the Forbidden Forest according to my specifications? I was surprised when you said you wanted to go—after all, you can only move around using your consciousness," Wade asked curiously.
"Did you forget? You still have a controlled goblin in your wizard tower. As long as I attach my consciousness to him, I can move around freely. It was just a matter of placing things in a few more locations. That old goblin may not be in great shape, but it wasn't a big problem."
Hearing this, Wade once again marveled at how terrifying his senior's nightmare magic was…
In other words, if she ever had malicious intentions toward him, she could very easily perform something like possession!
"Hmm… This little whispering spell of yours is quite interesting. Are you using it to guard against that little snake?" the senior asked.
Wade pretended to flip through his book casually, without glancing at her.
"Yes. She's a pitiful one—a Maledictus. Right now, she can only barely stay conscious using my ancient magic transfiguration."
The senior stared at Nagini with her feline eyes, studying her closely.
Nagini didn't find anything unusual, since this cat had always been wary of her, afraid she might harm its master.
"Not bad. Your command of ancient magic is becoming more and more refined. But if my research goes well... maybe you won't need to take risks anymore!"
"You've made progress?" Wade asked excitedly.
"A bit… Based on the emotional ratios you gave me last time, I had an idea… And that old goblin craftsman really is quite skilled. He seems capable of using goblin metal to forge tools that can compress those 'residues'!"
_________
o(*￣▽￣*)ブSupport and read 13 Chapters ahead of WN at-
Patreon/Captain69