The celebration in the Ravenclaw Common Room lasted a long time. It was Sunday the next day anyway, so everyone danced and laughed freely all night, eventually forgetting what they were even celebrating.
Wade didn't stay long. When it was his usual bedtime, he quietly returned to his dormitory, leaving only his Magic Golem in the Common Room to handle the endless toasts.
Before bed, Wade didn't forget to use a Communication Pea to "call" his parents and tell them the news of his selection.
The family had already discussed the tournament beforehand. Mr. and Mrs. Gray knew Wade's plans, so they weren't surprised by the news. They just reminded him again to "be careful" and "don't focus too much on winning or losing."
The Ravenclaw Common Room gradually quieted down close to dawn. Most people couldn't stay awake and went back to their dorms to sleep. Some who had passed out simply slept on the sofas or carpet in the Common Room.
By the time it was almost light, there were no more conscious people in the Common Room. The House-elves finally emerged and began to quietly tidy up.
A figure on the sofa suddenly moved, startling Zoe, who was cleaning wine bottles. She turned around, saw the familiar figure, and immediately ran over happily.
"Mr. Wade Gray... huh?"
The familiar build and appearance were there, but there was a strange aura about him. The House-elf stopped, looking at "Wade Gray" with suspicion and wariness.
"Wade Gray" smiled and said softly, "You're right, I'm not him."
The other two House-elves cleaning the room—Hobby and Fiel—immediately came to Zoe's side, staring at the fake Wade with full vigilance. But perhaps because the other party was so composed, they only asked in low voices:
"Who are you? What do you want? Where is Mr. Gray?"
The fake Wade pointed to his ear and said, "Can't you hear everything in all the dorms? Why don't you listen for yourselves?"
Then, he stood up, brushed the food crumbs off his robes, left the Common Room, and walked up the spiral staircase towards the dormitory.
This "Wade," who had drunk dozens of bottles of beer all night, seemed completely unaffected by the alcohol. The spacing and frequency of each step he took were almost perfectly identical.
The House-elves' large ears trembled slightly. They heard the "fake Wade" walk all the way to Wade Gray's dormitory, where the previously steady breathing stopped.
Then, Wade himself asked indistinctly, "Is the party finally over?"
"Yes, Master," the "fake Wade" said.
"What time is it?" Wade grumbled, glancing at the time, then flopped back onto his bed and said, "You should go back and rest too, Wither..."
The House-elves exchanged glances.
"A Magic Golem?"
"It must be a Magic Golem."
"As expected of Mr. Gray."
Only then did they relax and continue cleaning. Zoe carefully moved a sleeping student sprawled on the ground to the side and pulled an empty wine bottle from his arms.
...
The Magic Golem Wither received his orders. He passed through the wardrobe door and entered the vast space within.
There was always endless work in the Wardrobe Space. At this moment, there were seven or eight tall, thin figures in the space. Some were crafting items, some were studying with books, and others were assembling machinery.
These were the smartest of the Magic Golems, capable of even learning new knowledge and mastering new skills on their own.
Each of them wore a badge on their chest with names like Widas, Widel, Wilan, Wito, and Wien. They seemed fine individually, but together, it was immediately clear that these were all arbitrary names.
The Magic Golem Wither also pulled a badge with his own name from his pocket, pinned it to his chest, and casually took the tools from Widel's hand, tapping and banging on several metal tubes.
"Wither, will Master let you take his place in the competition?" the Magic Golem Widel asked.
"Impossible," Wito said. "If the Headmasters found out, it would definitely be considered cheating and lead to disqualification."
"There's no need," Wither also said. "Master can win the competition himself."
"Except for you, we'll all be leaving soon," Wien sighed, a hint of reluctance on his face.
The other Magic Golems emotionlessly made "ooh" sounds.
"Don't put on an act in front of us, Wien," Wito said expressionlessly. "Go fool the people outside."
"Haha, just getting used to it!" Wien said with a grin, running his fingers through his brown hair. "After all, soon I'll be Braun, the heir to the Alliance in the eyes of the world!"
...
The next morning, countless owls carrying the Daily Prophet dropped newspapers and feathers onto the students' breakfast tables.
Wade heard Fleur Delacour let out a very loud "tsk" and then complain to her companions about Hogwarts' hygiene—
"Oh my goodness, can't these owls deliver mail at a different time? Does it have to be in the morning? Does it have to be during breakfast? I can't eat another bite! Just thinking that there might be bird droppings in the pumpkin juice makes me sick!"
Several Beauxbatons girls frowned and put down their spoons.
The Ravenclaws around them were pretty much used to the French young lady's behavior. Everyone pretended not to hear, though a few girls secretly curled their lips, exchanged glances, and showed slightly mocking expressions.
Of course, Wade paid no attention to these silent exchanges. He simply unfolded the newspaper and saw that the front-page headline was the selection list for the tournament.
"That was fast, the newspaper must have worked overtime all night," Michael said, leaning over to look and pointing. "Your three names are right at the top... oh, and photos."
Harry's photo captured the moment he attacked the Basilisk, likely shot from previous Streaming Mirror news. Cedric's was a perfectly proper photo of him standing in front of the school castle.
As for Wade's photo, it was taken previously in Marchioni's magic workshop, surrounded by alchemical tools, fully showcasing his identity as an alchemist, and even subtly conveying a sense of "this is a bookworm."
Wade sighed—from now on, he couldn't expect people not to recognize him completely when he went out.
He looked at the report. Probably to save time, the content was extremely brief and objective, with no unnecessary introductions for the Champions from each school.
At the end of the report, the author's name was Rita Skeeter, which surprised Wade somewhat.
—So that woman could write normal reports after all! He had thought Rita only wrote sensationalized, rumor-mongering pieces!
Then, Wade turned a page. After seeing the title of the next report, his gaze sharpened slightly.
Mysterious Deaths Occur Near Glennaff Forest, Suspected Dark Magic Experiment.
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