The weather in June was already scorching hot, but Professor Trelawney still had the fireplace lit and even kept the curtains drawn. The tower room was stuffy, sweltering, and filled with smoke.
Professor Trelawney sat in front of a massive crystal ball, wearing her usual dazed expression, as if she had just woken up.
"Oh, Wade, dear, I've never once worried about your exam," she said.
She pointed at the crystal ball with a smile and said, "Take a look inside and tell me what you can see."
While Wade observed the crystal ball, Professor Trelawney got up to pour herself a glass of gin, took a sip, and closed her eyes in bliss.
"No wonder it's imported… so intoxicating. Those house-elves really know how to shop—just too expensive…"
She opened her eyes and asked with a breath tinged with alcohol, "Wade, what did you see?"
After a moment, Wade looked up and said, "I saw an oval-shaped stadium… very large, packed with people… it looked like a grand match was happening."
"A match?" Professor Trelawney put down her glass and jotted a few lines on the parchment. She pressed further, "And then? What else did you see? Did you see the result of the match?"
"I saw someone in red raising their fist… but I also saw people in green cheering," Wade replied.
"Raising a fist? That must mean they caught the Snitch? But cheering…"
Professor Trelawney mused aloud, and her eyes lit up slightly as if she had thought of something. She said absentmindedly, "Alright, dear, that's it for your exam. You may go."
"Okay. Goodbye, Professor."
As Wade got up to leave, he hadn't even made it past the trapdoor when he saw Professor Trelawney hastily rummaging through her cupboard, pulling out her piggy bank. With a clatter, she poured all her coins onto the table and began counting them with glee.
Wade felt as if he could literally hear the beads of an abacus clicking in her mind, and couldn't help but smile. He even felt a little envious of Professor Trelawney's simple kind of happiness.
While descending the staircase, he recalled what he had actually seen in the crystal ball—
A snake-faced infant curled up tightly.
A grown wizard cradling the infant, his eyes were cold as ice.
A towering Dementor clutching a person, leaning in as if to kiss them.
And finally—a long, seemingly endless corridor, with tightly closed doors lining both sides.
His gaze swept rapidly through the corridor and finally stopped in front of a locked door, which bore a shell-like symbol.
The swirling white mist inside the crystal ball had briefly revealed a few images to Wade. Except for the last image—whose meaning he still didn't understand—the earlier ones all seemed to depict scenes of the coming war.
Wade took a deep breath, and found it hard to believe he had neglected Voldemort's situation for so long. With the real Wormtail dead, he had subconsciously assumed that man wouldn't be a threat again anytime soon.
Especially that man holding the baby...
Wade furrowed his brow, and the memories of his previous life retrieved from the Pensieve replayed in his mind.
The movies he'd seen in his past life weren't much help—people in this world looked quite different from those actors.
But by comparing age, temperament, and facial features, Wade gradually locked in on a suspect.
He strode quickly to the library, tossed his backpack onto a chair, and headed straight into the periodicals section.
Madam Pince was tidying books. Seeing Wade rushing in, she called out, "The library's closing soon, Grey!"
"I know! I just need to look something up!"
His voice came from behind the shelves. Madam Pince frowned at his volume but, realizing there were no other students left, shook her head and let it go.
Wade flicked his wand, and several old newspapers flew off the shelves and laid themselves open in front of him. He searched through them one by one, and finally, in one issue, found the image he was looking for.
A boy who looked only seventeen or eighteen was being dragged away by Dementors. He struggled desperately with his mouth wide open in a silent scream, his face was full of terror.
There were two smaller images on the same page: one showed a group of other convicted prisoners, and the other depicted a cold, hateful-looking man. The caption beneath the latter identified him as Barty Crouch, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and presiding judge at the trial.
Wade's gaze moved back to the top image.
The paper-white-faced boy was Barty Crouch Jr. His features closely resembled his father's, but he looked younger and frailer.
If he were a little taller, with more mature facial features, and if his panic-stricken expression were replaced with his father's stern one—he would look exactly like the man Wade had seen in the crystal ball.
Wade couldn't understand how he had forgotten how dangerous this man could be.
Of course, in Wade's original plan, Barty Crouch Jr. wasn't a top priority. The young man was supposed to remain under his father's control through the Imperius Curse—harmless, like a pet hamster.
But once Peter Pettigrew escaped and the Death Eaters caused chaos at the Quidditch World Cup, Barty Crouch Jr. finally found the chance to break free of his father's control and reveal his true fangs.
And given Barty Crouch Sr.'s high-ranking position as Head of International Magical Cooperation—and his reputation for fiercely resisting the Death Eaters—it was nearly impossible for an ordinary student to get close to him or "discredit" him.
In Wade's plan, before the Quidditch World Cup took place, he would have his fake Peter expose the fact that Barty Crouch Jr. was still alive. Then, both of them would be taken away by Crouch Sr. or by Dementors.
This way, "Peter" could die a proper death, Crouch Jr.—a fanatical Voldemort supporter—would vanish for good, and Voldemort's resurrection might be delayed by several years.
Ideally, it would have been postponed until after Wade graduated. By then, his knowledge, magical power, and training would all be at a much higher level. With the freedom to act outside of school, his adaptability and ability to respond to emergencies would be greatly improved.
What a pity… due to a moment of negligence, things seem to be slipping back toward the original timeline.
Wade felt a flash of frustration, then cast a duplication charm on the newspaper, folded the copy, and tucked it into his pocket. After giving Madam Pince a quick goodbye, he turned and left the library, heading toward the Headmaster's office.
Dumbledore needs to know what I have seen in the crystal ball. If we are lucky, Barty Crouch Jr. might be still under his father's control. In that case, we could stage a joint raid on the Crouch household and capture him.
Although, in the original story, that man had dutifully served as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for a year, who could say what he might do the same this time? In terms of capability, he was far stronger than most Death Eaters—and in some ways, even more dangerous than Voldemort himself.
Among all the Death Eaters, there isn't another like Barty Crouch Jr.—brave, cunning, patient, a master of deception, and absolutely loyal.
Most Death Eaters have either gone mad in Azkaban or slipped through punishment by sweet-talking their way out, now living comfortably and with no desire to see their "master" return.
But if what I saw in the crystal ball is real—Crouch Jr. cradling a baby Voldemort—then it might already be too late to stop him…
Wade was so deep in thought that he missed the entrance to the Headmaster's office. It wasn't until he had climbed the stairs toward the Ravenclaw Tower that he realized he had walked past it.
He turned back and knocked on the stone gargoyle. "Peppermint humbug."
The statue leapt aside, and Wade stepped onto the spiral staircase, which carried him upward automatically. In a moment, he was standing at the office door. He knocked on the brass knocker, and Dumbledore's voice called out, "Come in."
Wade entered. Dumbledore was sitting by the window reading a letter. Upon seeing Wade, he smiled. "I was just about to look for you, Wade. Newt has returned. Ask Mabel to prepare herself—we'll begin treatment for the Obscurus next week."
"Mr. Scamander?" Wade blinked, then said with surprise and delight, "He already has a treatment plan?"
"Yes. Though we haven't met in a while, he's been working on it all this time."
Dumbledore pulled a sheet from the letter and gestured for Wade to read it.
On the slightly yellowed parchment, Scamander had written in delicate script the proposed treatment method for Obscurus and the magic involved. It was clear he had put a lot of thought into it.
At the end, however, Scamander cautiously noted that everything remained theoretical, and whether it would succeed was still uncertain.
"Just having a plan is great news," Wade said with relief. "I've got some gold dust from the organization. Even if the treatment doesn't work immediately, we should be able to slow down Mabel's deterioration."
"Excellent," Dumbledore smiled. "We must always hold onto hope and believe that everything has a solution. Now, Wade, what brought you here today?"
"I…"
Wade opened his mouth, only to suddenly forget why he had come. He stammered, and after a pause, the reason finally surfaced in his mind.
"Mr. Broderick Bode from the Department of Mysteries commissioned a humanoid doll from me—for conducting dangerous magical experiments," Wade said. "I've finished the core structure, but I still wanted to ask your opinion about it."
"Broderick Bode?" Dumbledore chuckled. "He's a focused and sincere man—was in Ravenclaw. Has no interests besides magical research. You don't need to worry about him using the doll for anything improper."
"That puts my mind at ease," Wade said.
Wade smiled and stood up to take his leave from the Headmaster. His heart was full of joy at the thought that Mabel might finally be freed from the Obscurus. It wasn't until he absentmindedly slipped his hand into his pocket that he felt something off.
He pulled out the newspaper and saw Barty Crouch Jr.'s pale face staring back at him. With a helpless sigh, he smacked his forehead.
—Does this guy come with some kind of "-10 Presence" debuff or something? Why do I keep forgetting to mention him?
Though Wade joked to himself, he didn't really believe that. He figured he had simply been distracted by the news about Scamander, which made him momentarily forget his original purpose.
It was like how, when deeply engrossed in magical research, he'd often forget if he'd eaten, or how he might be in the middle of writing a paper only to have an alchemy idea strike—prompting him to abandon the paper entirely to go tinker with alchemy.
Still holding the newspaper, Wade headed once again toward the Headmaster's office.
"Peppermint humbug!"
The stone gargoyle lazily jumped aside, and Wade stepped onto the ascending spiral staircase.
Dumbledore looked up in mild surprise at Wade's return and asked, "Is there something else, Wade?"
"Yeah… I forgot to mention earlier…"
Wade's eyes drifted across the portraits of Hogwarts' past headmasters on the wall. With a trace of hesitation, he asked, "Mr. Nicolas Flamel invited me to visit his estate in July, but I don't know the exact location or time… Should I send him another letter to ask?"
"Nicolas's address is a secret—very few people in the world know it, so he certainly hasn't forgotten that."
Dumbledore reassured him with a smile, "You don't need to worry. Flamel will arrange everything. You'll probably receive a letter from him in a few days."
Wade actually already knew that, but hearing Dumbledore say it still gave him peace of mind.
Then, realizing he had come back just to ask something so trivial, he felt a bit embarrassed. He quickly said goodbye and left.
The spiral staircase brought Wade back down. As the door closed behind him, he stood there for a moment in thought, then reached out and patted the stone gargoyle on the head.
"Compared to a stone lion, gargoyles are seriously ugly…"
He muttered, slapping the paper in his hand with a loud smack smack.
Absentmindedly thinking it was just some homework, Wade shoved the paper back into his pocket and made his way to the Ravenclaw common room.
The room was nearly empty—final exams had just ended, and with a Hogsmeade trip scheduled for tomorrow, most students had turned in early after days of late-night studying. Only one slender figure remained curled up on a sofa reading a book.
"Luna?" Wade noticed her and walked over with a bit of concern. "Why haven't you gone back to your dorm to rest?"
Is this socially awkward girl bullied by her roommates again?
Luna took off her oddly shaped glasses and said, "The dorm's full of Wrackspurts. I can't concentrate on reading in there. Besides, it's easier to spot Nocturn Sprites when the night is quiet."
"…What sprites?" Wade asked reflexively.
"Nocturn Sprites," Luna repeated seriously. "They like to flit around under oak trees at night and sometimes fly into people's dreams."
"Oh… I see." Wade realized a beat later that this was probably another one of those magical creatures that only Luna seemed to believe existed.
He was just about to say goodnight and head to his room when Luna added, "You know the newspaper in your pocket is about to fall out, right?"
"Newspaper?"
Wade blinked, then slowly pulled out the paper. As he stared at the person in the photo, his face twisted into an expression like he'd just seen a ghost.
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