"Yes.. you are right. If my mother's family had truly been kind and worthy... then how could she have ended up at the orphanage, in rags, dying while pregnant..? I can't believe she was a witch with Salazar Slytherin's blood in her veins and yet.."
"Life is unpredictable, Tom. It is what it is." Wade placed a hand on Tom's shoulder.
"Yes, I still have to face it..." Tom said with conviction. "It was one thing not knowing before, but now that I finally have a lead, I can't just do nothing."
Wade smiled. "That's why I support you going. I'm just reminding you to be mentally prepared. Quite a few fallen pure-blood families live worse than beggars—even if they're descendants of Slytherin."
Tom nodded, then asked, "Enough about me. What about you—did you find what you were looking for?"
Wade's smile faded. "Something unexpected happened..."
Tom was a little surprised. It was the first time he'd seen Wade come up empty after making such a thorough plan.
Wade glanced toward the door and suddenly said, "Actually, I should've brought Nagini with me..."
"Why?" Tom asked in confusion.
"Sometimes, things invisible to humans... snakes might be able to sense," Wade spoke with meaning.
Tom looked at Wade again, puzzled. This guy always had a way of saying cryptic things at the strangest times.
"It's time to go," Wade said.
Tom gave a small response, put the books on the table back where they belonged, and followed Wade out.
The same Disillusionment Charm, the same mysterious magic, the same route.
The return trip went much more smoothly than the way there.
They didn't run into any patrolling professors, nor did they encounter Peeves.
By the time they quietly returned to the dormitory, it was already past four in the morning. Alphard and Henry were fast asleep.
Wade said good night to Tom, tapped his wand against his own head, and instantly fell asleep.
"..."
Tom was dumbfounded—this guy was really something. In order to fall asleep quickly, he actually cast a spell on himself!
Hiss~<
Nagini, who was coiled at the head of the bed, flicked her tongue, looked at the now-sleeping Wade, and gently pulled the blanket over him with her mouth.
Tom sighed, lay down, and after a long moment, sat up again in frustration. "Can't you give me one of those spells first? I can't sleep either!"
…
"Senior, your notebook is gone."
Wade had fallen asleep so quickly precisely so he could discuss this matter with the senior.
Because the timing of it was just too suspicious—he had just planned to retrieve it, and it had already been taken.
To think—aside from the two of them, no one else knew about this matter!
And when they discussed it, it was within a dream!
The senior's Nightmare Magic was terrifying—she had always been the one invading other people's dreams. No one had ever managed to invade hers.
If someone really did exist who could enter her dream and overhear their plans, why would they stop at just taking a notebook?
Wouldn't it be far easier to simply capture the both of them? After all, one was currently only at the strength level of an average adult wizard, and the other was still half-frozen in place. With that kind of power, taking them down would be effortless.
The whole thing reeked of strangeness—none of it made any logical sense!
"Wow.. That notebook… I placed it in the Restricted Section on a whim. I never told anyone," the senior's voice was laced with exhaustion.
"Could it be that someone learned its location from the fragment of your consciousness that was lost?" Wade asked.
"No... that doesn't make sense either. That fragment of mine functions more like an insect's antennae—it's a web I cast out to observe the world, not something that carries memories," she shook her head, rejecting Wade's theory.
"Then this is getting really strange… how could someone have known ahead of time… wait. Ahead of time…" Wade suddenly thought of something.
"'Ahead of time'... you're thinking, prophecy? That someone saw something in a prophecy?"
"Exactly. Otherwise, there's just no way to explain it!"
"Hmm.." The senior nodded. "That's true... Divination can indeed glimpse fragmented images of the future… Maybe he only saw the location of my notebook and nothing else yet."
"Divination..." Wade let out a sigh. "As far as I know, there's only one person currently capable of making predictions to that extent."
"Who?"
"Gellert Grindelwald… From what I've gathered, he once publicly predicted the impending war between Muggles—and it turns out, the Muggle world really is on the brink of war."
"Gellert Grindelwald. I know that name... You've crossed paths with him?"
"Unfortunately, yes. We had a run-in not long ago, and it seems he's particularly interested in me and Tom..."
"He's probably the most influential Dark wizard in the world right now. I know people like him well—they never take interest in others without a reason. Be careful!" the senior warned, her tone serious.
"You mean... he might have seen something in a prophecy, and that's why he came to Britain to find us?" Wade said thoughtfully. "It does make sense… someone like him wouldn't go to such lengths just out of curiosity about Dumbledore's motives, not just to mess with two underage wizards..."
The senior added, "If it's only Grindelwald, that might actually be the good news. At least you haven't yet caught the attention of the one who ambushed me..."
Wade said quietly, "I will find out who took that notebook."
"Do you have a plan?" the senior asked.
Wade smiled. "If I were the one who took the notebook, I'd definitely want to check out the locations written in it. And the only people who could get into the Restricted Section like that… are people inside Hogwarts."
"I see," the senior replied. "But the notebook had a lot of locations. I don't remember all of them anymore..."
Wade grinned. "Do you remember the first few locations at the beginning?"
"Of course. That was the first time I explored ancient magic—it's etched into my memory."
"Good. I figure most people read a book from the beginning. If he starts from the middle, well… I guess I'll just have to be unlucky."
"You're planning to wait and catch him in the act? But didn't you say the notebook's already been taken? He might've already visited those places."
"Unlikely. The mark left behind by the notebook was still fresh. It couldn't have been taken more than three days ago. And we've only just started school—less than two days in. He probably hasn't had time to explore any of the locations yet. Which means, I still have a chance to catch him!"
"Alright then, be careful."
"Don't worry. Unless Grindelwald himself sneaks in using a disguise, I should be fine—Ugh, I shouldn't raise red flags like that."
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Now I'm gonna go and sleep! Bye~♥
Read two weeks ahead: P^treon: Captain69
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