Five thousand Merit points for stopping Nagini from falling to darkness?
How exactly did I do that?
Wade was a bit confused. As far as he remembered, all he did was cast a Transfiguration spell to shrink Nagini.
Everything after that was handled by Dumbledore…
Could it be that Dumbledore… offed her?
But that didn't seem likely. Dumbledore wouldn't do something like that, would he?
Wade fell into thought.
Over on the other bed, Tom was already bracing himself, ready for Wade to resume his usual "bullying."
But, for some reason, Wade suddenly went silent.
Still, Wade not speaking was exactly what Tom wanted, so he stayed quiet too, hoping Wade would just never speak again.
Since he couldn't figure it out, Wade decided not to dwell on it. In any case, getting a huge chunk of merit points meant he had done something good.
As for what became of Nagini, he could always ask Dumbledore later. No need to overthink it now.
After Wade stopped overthinking it, his mood lightened, and as a result, he decided to let the still-nervous Tom off the hook for now.
"It's already past ten—why are you still lying there? Shouldn't you be up early reading? This is the age to be working hard—how can you sleep so soundly?"
Tom looked at Wade in utter confusion. "Wait… weren't you the one who said I wasn't allowed to read spellbooks for today?"
"Eh? If you're too lazy to study, you should reflect on yourself. How can you blame me? I said no spellbooks, but couldn't you have read something else? Like Transfiguration, Potions, Herbology? Sigh… kids these days…" Wade lectured while shaking his head and strolling out of the room.
"..."
Tom stared dumbfounded at Wade's retreating back.
That bastard… You're the one who banned me from reading!
And if not for your Stunner, how would I have slept until after ten?
How did this suddenly turn into me being lazy? You shameless dog! Hmph!
Still, Tom only opened his mouth a little, then ultimately said nothing.
Forget it… At least with that dog Wade saying this, it meant he was allowed to study again now.
I may have lost to you now… but one day, I'll make you feel this pain too!
…
Wade had just stepped out with his toiletries when he ran into Dumbledore—who was carrying a familiar cage.
"Professor?"
Wade glanced at the cage in surprise. Wasn't that Nagini? Why had Dumbledore brought her back?
"I came to see you. There are two matters I need to speak with you about." Dumbledore's expression was unusually serious.
In fact, Wade had never seen such a solemn look on Dumbledore's face before.
"Professor… what's going on?" Wade asked in confusion.
Dumbledore looked around, then pulled Wade into an empty guest room nearby. He drew his wand and carefully cast several spells, sealing the room off from all outside sound.
"The first matter… must be kept strictly confidential. No one else can hear about this." Dumbledore sat down and said urgently, "As for that senior's name, do not inquire any further. And don't seek out her records either. I will personally guide you in learning Ancient Magic—but unless absolutely necessary, you must hide the fact that you can use it. Do you understand?"
"This… what happened exactly?" Wade asked aloud, though in his heart, he already had a few guesses.
This must be related to the letter he sent Dumbledore that morning! He just hadn't expected Dumbledore to return so quickly…
Judging by the timing, Dumbledore must have Apparated straight back after receiving the letter.
"It's hard for me to explain…" Dumbledore said with a frown—he truly didn't know how to put it into words.
Someone's name disappearing from the world, so completely that even he hadn't noticed… it was utterly inconceivable!
"Is it because… you can't remember her name anymore?" Wade asked cautiously.
"How did you know that?" Dumbledore asked in surprise.
He was supposed to know the senior's name—that's why he could realize something was wrong when it vanished from his mind.
But Wade had never known her name in the first place—so how did he know that Dumbledore couldn't remember it either?
"Because last night, I couldn't remember to ask you her name at all. And when you were talking about her life, you never mentioned her name either… It was only after I woke up this morning that I started feeling something was off. So I wrote you that letter," Wade explained.
Hearing Wade's explanation, Dumbledore—who already trusted him—felt his doubts vanish.
"You're very observant, Wade. That's exactly it. In fact, if I hadn't received your letter, I never would've realized anything was wrong! This whole situation reeks of something strange."
Dumbledore looked up at Wade and said gravely, "Her name is gone… not just from the memories of people who knew her, but also from the records kept at Hogwarts… even the Book of Admittance, which records the name of every student who's ever enrolled—her name is now a blank space."
"Has she… completely disappeared?" Wade asked.
"No. It's more accurate to say part of her has disappeared," said Dumbledore. "It's incredibly bizarre… I just went to speak with Headmaster Dippet, and he couldn't remember her name either."
"Then he checked the Book of Admittance, and sure enough—her name was missing, replaced with a blank space. But her date of birth is still listed! The documents detailing her accomplishments are also still there… but the name is gone."
"What the.. So everything about her is still intact—except her name?" Wade asked in astonishment.
"Exactly. It's strange. Very strange. Anyone capable of manipulating memories and records so subtly and thoroughly… is someone not to be trifled with," Dumbledore said with a sigh. "I'll do my best to investigate this matter. But as for you—for your own safety, don't pursue this any further. And it's best to keep your ability regarding the Ancient Magic a secret for now."
The only known connection between the senior and Wade… was that they both had the rare ability to use Ancient Magic.
Now that her name had mysteriously vanished—and considering how she had disappeared shortly after graduating—Dumbledore was deeply worried. If someone out there was targeting users of Ancient Magic, then she may have already met a grim fate… and Wade might be their next target.
__________
Second update of the day is here!
Read ahead: P^treon: Captain69
__________
Every 200 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter
Every 6 Reviews = 1 extra chapter