Even though Wade quickly learned Apparition, Dumbledore didn't end their lessons there.
For the next two days, they continued practicing every afternoon in the forest clearing.
Of course, there was still a Wade attending classes at school at this time, so no one noticed his secret lessons.
No matter the Spell, the more proficient one became, the simpler it was. For instance, when Wade needed to transfigure a button into a beetle, he didn't need to visualize anything in his mind; a light flick of his Wand was enough to complete it.
Apparition was the same.
At first, Dumbledore greatly praised his diligence, then it turned into dissuasion, and finally, he said nothing at all, merely offering silent help and support.
But after Wade returned to school, Dumbledore couldn't help but sigh deeply.
Professor McGonagall, who was reporting on the holiday arrangements, paused and asked doubtfully, "Is there a problem with these procedures?"
"No, I was just thinking..." Dumbledore paused, then said with a wry smile, "When did... Hogwarts become a place where students feel unsafe?"
Professor McGonagall frowned and said seriously, "Who said that? Everyone knows Hogwarts is the safest place in the world."
Her expression practically screamed "Nonsense."
Dumbledore didn't explain. He picked up the list of students staying at school and, seeing Harry's name wasn't on it, casually asked, "Is Harry still going to Hogsmeade for the holidays?"
"I heard Wade invited him," Professor McGonagall said. "He should be at House Gray for the holidays."
"Hmm..."
Dumbledore thought for a moment, then put down the list and said with a smile, "Friendships made during school are always especially precious, but I rarely recall Gryffindor and Ravenclaw being this close."
"Yes, indeed," Professor McGonagall said with emotion. "Wade Gray's study group has been remarkably effective. Everyone is excellent; even Neville has improved significantly—I really wish other children would follow suit."
"You can't force these things. A good leader is very important."
Dumbledore took off his glasses and wiped them. He said, "I need to go to Wizengamot for the next few days. I'll leave the holiday arrangements to you."
"Alright... when will you be back?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"Christmas," Dumbledore smiled. "I wouldn't want to miss the school's Christmas feast."
...
On the last day before the holidays, the school also arranged a Hogsmeade Weekend.
But this time, the small Wizard village held little appeal for Wade. He needed to finalize the Anti-Curse Vest production with the Weasley Twins, then conserve his energy to practice Apparition in the afternoon.
That evening, an exhausted Wade was sitting at the dinner table. He had only just started eating when someone joined him.
He thought it was Michael, but then he heard the person ask, "Wade, why didn't you go to Hogsmeade today?"
Wade froze for a moment, then turned his head and saw the brightly smiling Carlyle.
Come to think of it, Dumbledore had even given Wade the task of looking after Carlyle!
But Wade was too busy. Even with a Time-Turner, he always felt short on time, let alone trying to look after Carlyle from a different house.
And Carlyle's attitude also struck Wade as a bit odd. He was very enthusiastic, very cheerful... but Wade felt as if the other person was intentionally or unintentionally avoiding him.
Was he afraid Wade would notice something was off about him, or was it...?
Many thoughts raced through Wade's mind, but on the surface, he merely paused slightly, then said:
"I've already bought everything I wanted, and Diagon Alley has a wider selection."
"Diagon Alley, huh..." Carlyle said longingly. "I've heard about that place for a long time, but I haven't had a chance to go yet!"
"If you stay at school, you won't get a chance until summer," Wade said.
"I'm not staying at school, I'm going home!" Carlyle said.
Wade was surprised: "Home?"
"Yeah!" Carlyle naturally grabbed a baked potato, happily peeling it as he said, "I'll be like you guys, take the train to King's Cross Station, and then my dad will pick me up!"
"Mr. Johnson... you've made contact?" Wade slowly asked.
He remembered Dumbledore saying that Landon Johnson was missing. How did that person get in touch with Carlyle at Hogwarts?
"Of course!" Carlyle then seemed to remember something, winked, and said, "Don't tell anyone else! You know, my parents don't like Wizards."
"Mmm... alright," Wade agreed.
After everything that had happened, it was understandable that Mr. Johnson disliked Wizards. The fact that he still allowed Carlyle to study at Hogwarts was already quite enlightened.
But Wade couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right... The strange sensation made his scalp prickle.
"Oh, right, come over to my place for the holidays!" Carlyle suddenly said. "My parents miss you a lot too; they even said they wanted to visit your family before!"
Before Wade could think clearly, he instinctively refused, "I probably can't. I'll be very busy this holiday... and my parents are planning a vacation to Australia."
"Oh... that's too bad. Then let's plan for summer, the holidays are longer then."
Carlyle didn't seem disappointed at all. He dipped his baked potato in ketchup, ate it in a few bites, and then returned to the Gryffindor long table.
Just then, Michael, who was late, sat down next to Wade.
"Was that Carlyle just now? Did he need something?"
"He was asking about holiday plans," Wade said. "What about you? Did your parents agree to you coming to my place for Christmas?"
"They're practically begging for it!" Michael scoffed, pouting. "My mom happily said she could finally have a relaxed Christmas! They're determined to have some alone time, and told me not to bother them."
He glanced over and saw several Muggle-born girls handing their phone numbers to Carlyle, reminding him, "Remember to call during the holidays, Carlyle."
"Of course!" Carlyle said with a smile, putting away the slips of paper.
"This guy's almost as popular as me!" Michael snorted.
This time, however, Wade didn't respond. His fork paused mid-air, and a shiver ran down his spine.
He finally realized what felt so off.
Carlyle kept talking about "my parents," as if Mrs. Johnson were still alive.
But this... it was too strange!
Hadn't Mrs. Johnson passed away a long time ago?
Could Mr. Johnson have concealed the news of his wife's death when he contacted Carlyle?
But the way Carlyle spoke, it sounded as if his mother was still personally in touch with him... Even though he was a bit careless, he would surely notice if his mother was always "invisible" when they communicated, right?
Wade put down his fork, feeling as if he'd swallowed a piece of ice, heavy in his chest, completely losing his appetite.
"Hey, look at Professor Abigail!" Michael suddenly exclaimed. "Haha, she's already wearing her Christmas outfit!"
Wade turned his head and saw Professor Abigail dressed in a rather cartoonish Christmas Robes. The red Robes had fluffy white trim, adorned with patterns of Christmas trees, bells, and stars.
She even wore a pointy red hat, just like Santa Claus's.
Professor McGonagall looked at her in surprise, while Hagrid had a dazed expression, hesitating whether to remind his colleague that Christmas was still a few days away.
Dumbledore greatly admired her outfit and even transfigured a pointy Christmas hat for himself, with a sparkling star hanging at the very top.
Over at Gryffindor, Fred whistled loudly, exclaiming, "Professor, your outfit is brilliant!"
"Haha, not bad, right?" Professor Abigail proudly put her hands on her hips, showing off her unique attire. "Even though I won't be staying at school for the holidays, for me, today is my Christmas at Hogwarts!"
"Yes! That's it! Today is our Christmas!"
"Merry Christmas, Fred!"
"Merry Christmas, George!"
The Gryffindors joined in the commotion, some banging on tables and stamping their feet, others clapping, and some even singing Christmas carols.
The previously somewhat dull atmosphere instantly became lively. Professor Flitwick pointed his Wand upwards, and large white snowflakes drifted down, while some little fairies carrying flower baskets flew around above the Great Hall.
Lee Jordan of Gryffindor jumped up and shouted towards the teachers' table, "Professor, can we have some mead? Professor!"
Dumbledore readily replied, "Why not?"
He waved his Wand, and suddenly, golden mead appeared on every table. Although the quantity wasn't large, the students were almost ecstatic.
Only Wade's expression remained unchanged; he silently moved his apple juice closer to himself.
"Don't get too drunk, children."
Amidst the cheers, Dumbledore happily said, "Lest you all oversleep and miss tomorrow morning's train."
But no one was listening anymore. They joyfully began pouring drinks, and House-elves timely delivered some special Christmas candies to the long tables. The air was filled with sweetness and joy.
They all said—
"Merry Christmas, Hogwarts!"
*"Buzz——————"*
Wade vaguely felt as if he heard a long, drawn-out sound. He instinctively activated his other vision and saw that the protective Magic flowing throughout the castle remained unchanged.
It was just that... the golden runic characters seemed more active, and the delicate Magical Power patterns became clearer, as if the castle itself was cheering along with the students.
...
The next morning, students who couldn't hold their liquor were still groaning in bed, but Wade had already packed his belongings and left the dormitory.
He first went to the Library and used a Duplicating Charm to make copies of the books he planned to read during the holidays, thus bypassing the Library's borrowing limit.
Unfortunately, many books with powerful protective Magic couldn't be duplicated, otherwise Wade would have built another Library eventually.
There were many books to copy, but Wade could reverse time. By the time he finished, Hermione also arrived at the Library.
She borrowed several large tomes for herself, all stuffed into her bag, which had been enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm.
"Let's go, Wade." Hermione checked the time, urging, "Everyone's about to leave."
"Alright."
Wade slung on his backpack, and the two walked together toward Professor McGonagall's office.
On the way, Hermione suddenly said, "Wade, will you be like Percy, taking all these classes until you get all twelve O.W.L.s?"
"Hmm, that's the plan," Wade said.
He glanced at Hermione, who looked troubled, and said, "You don't need to consider my opinion; follow your own ideas and pace."
"I also hope to get all the certificates, but..."
Hermione frowned, showing a hint of subtle annoyance. "Professor Trelawney's Divination Class is completely pointless. She always encourages students to spout nonsense. Honestly, Arithmancy is much more interesting."
"Every class has a purpose… but for now, Divination really isn't necessary," Wade agreed.
All the useful knowledge was in books; Professor Trelawney's supposed profound pronouncements were just for listening to.
Although Wade felt he might have some talent in Divination, he had always approached it with extreme caution.
According to historical legends, those who believed in divination rarely came to a good end, and almost no one could change their so-called "bad" fate.
Rather than struggling endlessly only to be unable to change the outcome, or even having one's own decisions become a catalyst for fate, it was better to walk forward in ignorance.
"So you're still going to keep taking it?" Hermione asked.
"Well… let's just say I have a habit of collecting all achievements," Wade said.
Hermione was speechless for a moment, then said, "Actually, Muggle Studies isn't much help to me either… I'm thinking of discussing it with my parents this holiday, and maybe dropping two classes afterward."
"That's good. You've been overworking yourself lately," Wade agreed. "It's more beneficial to excel in the subjects you're good at."
Hermione shot Wade a resentful look.
He didn't seem to notice that it was precisely because there was another student in their year, Wade, who took every single class, that Hermione felt even greater pressure. Even though she hated Divination Class, she always gritted her teeth and attended.
Her indecision was also due to this reason—as a Muggle-born student, Hermione harbored a slight sense of inferiority and unease.
So she constantly pushed herself to be the best, terrified of doing poorly on exams, of not having prepared for questions professors might ask, and of being surpassed by others.
But to Wade, the problems she hesitated over seemed so simple—suitable, or not suitable.
Hermione secretly let out a breath, and suddenly made a decision—
She would stick with it for another half-semester. If she truly couldn't gain any matching benefit from those two classes, then… then she'd just drop them.
As they spoke, they had already arrived at Professor McGonagall's office.
Wade knocked on the door, then heard Professor McGonagall's voice: "Come in!"
They walked into the office and took off the Time-Turners hanging around their necks. As Hermione handed hers over, she unconsciously sighed with relief, but Wade was very reluctant.
Professor McGonagall couldn't help but smile when she saw this. "Don't worry, you'll get it back in three weeks."
She locked the Time-Turners in a box, then put them back on the shelf, telling the two, "Go on… the carriages are waiting for you."
Wade and Hermione said their goodbyes and left. As they walked out of the castle, they saw students from several houses preparing to depart. Hagrid, with the Thestral carriage team, was already waiting outside the castle.
This short yet long semester was finally over.
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