Chapter 212: Can Your Headmaster Read Minds?
Only then did Fiona understand her husband's concerns, and a shiver of fear ran down her spine.
"Thank goodness you thought of everything... I almost blurted it out..."
Ferdinand comforted her, "It's not necessarily dangerous; I'm just preventing the possibility of danger... And, Wade..."
Wade, who had remained silent, nodded. "I understand. I'll contact the school professors first and ask about the situation."
"Thank you."
Ferdinand sincerely thanked his son, then couldn't help but remind him:
"Caryll's disappearance isn't just our family's concern; it's Hogwarts' and the British Ministry of Magic's. You're only responsible for making contact and communicating. Leave the rest to the adults. Don't go running off trying to be a hero."
Wade couldn't help but smile. "Got it... I'm not a Gryffindor."
...
Ten minutes later, Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall, having received the message, appeared outside the Grays' home.
Dumbledore wore a wizard-style pointed hat adorned with symbols of wind and water. While it looked mysterious, it didn't change the fact that his attire resembled a bathrobe.
Fiona couldn't help but glance at the sky... She didn't understand, but she still showed respect.
Perhaps all great wizards are like this? Fiona thought with admiration.
Although Mr. and Mrs. Gray were meeting Dumbledore for the first time, the moment they saw him, they immediately connected him to the headmaster Dumbledore that Wade had spoken of.
It's safe to say that no one fit the traditional image of a wizard better than the man standing before them.
As for Professor McGonagall, she looked much more normal. Her dark green robes wouldn't seem out of place even in the Muggle world, and her fingers bore traces of ink, as if she had been writing something before she arrived.
Professor McGonagall held a rolled parchment in her hand, its yellowed pages slightly curled.
Seeing the two from the window, Wade didn't wait for them to knock and immediately opened the door.
"Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall."
"Good afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Gray, and Wade," Dumbledore said unhurriedly. "I hope we haven't interrupted your lunch."
The Headmaster always seemed composed, no matter the situation, and his calm demeanor effectively eased the Grays' anxiety.
"I checked the enrollment list," Professor McGonagall said sternly.
"In September 1991, there was indeed supposed to be a student named Caryll Johnson enrolled. However, because he himself wrote a letter saying he was going to Ilvermorny, the school didn't contact him further. All of this is well-documented."
"Didn't you contact Ilvermorny?" Fiona asked. When Professor McGonagall looked at her, she quickly added, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to accuse..."
"It was indeed an oversight on our part," Professor McGonagall pursed her lips and said.
"However, Hogwarts doesn't force all students to attend. Many young wizards choose to study magic at home or with a mentor, or attend other magic schools, and Hogwarts doesn't prevent them from doing so."
"It's a pity Landon didn't know this," Ferdinand said in a low voice. "He thought Hogwarts would forcibly take his son, which is why he rushed to flee England, only to walk right into a trap..."
"Where is Mr. Johnson?" Professor McGonagall asked sternly. "We need to understand the situation in more detail."
"He had a bit of a traffic accident," Ferdinand said. "I think he's already told us everything he can remember..."
"Magic can help us uncover details that he himself might have forgotten," Dumbledore said politely.
Ferdinand's face changed.
He immediately thought of the Soul-Sucking Charm but didn't voice it.
Dumbledore seemed to know what he was thinking and said gently, "Of course, rest assured... it won't cause him any harm."
Ferdinand looked at Wade, wanting to ask—Can your headmaster read minds?
Wade blinked, then turned to Professor McGonagall and asked,
"Professor, besides Caryll, have any other students missed school for similar reasons?"
Professor McGonagall's expression was grim. She said, "Every year."
As the Grays' faces turned pale, Dumbledore said,
"Of course, not every child who refuses to attend school has disappeared like Mr. Johnson. Apprenticeship is still a relatively common teaching method in the Wizarding World."
But this offered little comfort to Ferdinand and Fiona. Because it was obvious that the person could take Caryll so easily, proving they had certainly done this before.
Perhaps the parents of the children who disappeared before believed the lies concocted by the imposters, or perhaps they couldn't access the Wizarding World. More likely, they either died or forgot their children, which is why it didn't attract attention.
Afterward, Ferdinand drove the two professors to see Landon Johnson, who was still being detained by the traffic police.
With Landon's consent, Professor Dumbledore extracted some of his memories, proving that Landon hadn't lied. In those memories, the image of Major Baird was clearly seen.
But this didn't provide much to go on.
Because his name could be fake, his identity could be fake, and his appearance could also be fake.
Even his gender and age might not be what he presented himself as.
However, if Major Baird, like many arrogant wizards, didn't pay any mind to Muggles, then he might not have gone to great lengths to hide his true appearance.
Next, Dumbledore contacted the British Ministry of Magic and planned to visit Mrs. Johnson at the sanatorium.
"Lost memories are very difficult to retrieve, and we can't cruelly torment her to make her recall her memory fragments."
Dumbledore said, "But magic itself expresses. Especially for wizards who haven't received formal schooling, each of their magical abilities is unique."
However, adults didn't involve Wade in these subsequent processes.
He only heard a partial account from his father; Wade had no idea how Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic would investigate next or if they had found any clues.
As a student, the most important thing before him was still attending school.
The brief Christmas holiday quickly ended, and students returned to school, with catching up on and copying homework becoming the trend for the past few days.
Wade had thought it would be a long time before he could hear any updates about this matter, but to his surprise, on the third day of school, he got a lead from the Weasley Twins.
"...Apparently, someone sold a Magical Necklace to a Muggle, which led to the woman at that sanatorium being strangled to death by the necklace."
Fred said, "My dad rushed off to deal with it and has been working overtime ever since, he hasn't even come home yet."
"...Dead?"
Wade was stunned for a long time, and an idea suddenly popped into his head—
Annie Johnson lost her memory and was then killed... Why was Landon still running around, perfectly fine, asking for help?
-----------
Machine Translation by: https:// randomtranslator.com/
Read ***+ original & fanfic translations in English, Español, Português, Deutsch, Français, or Русский
Or Translate for free at : https:// randomtranslator.com/translate
Join our Discord: https:// discord.com/invite/XXUR9nkjwa
-----------