Wade didn't always go to Hogsmeade to train along with Harry.
He had too many classes—even with a Time-Turner, even though many courses didn't require him to hand in homework—he still had to study and research alchemy, create magic dolls, train, and keep in frequent contact with quite a few people…
His time always seemed insufficient. Sometimes he wished he had three heads and six arms just to squeeze out a little more of it.
As a result, while Harry would go off to train whenever he had the time, Wade could only manage about once a week.
The second time he went to Hogsmeade, half of his wardrobe space was empty—aside from the Doll Visser, which looked exactly like him, all the other humanoid dolls had been sent out.
Since the dolls couldn't Apparate, each one had been equipped with the latest model of flying broom for convenience. To let them carry the brooms around, Wade had cast an Undetectable Extension Charm on all of their pockets.
Disillusionment Charms, Shielding Charms, and Notice-Me-Not Charms were essential, but in case those spells failed after the dolls were attacked, Wade had also purchased a batch of Invisibility Cloaks.
Then came all kinds of potions, self-defense items, communication tools…
As he prepared everything, Wade couldn't help feeling as if he were sending children off to university.
In terms of independent personality, the dolls were even less so than house-elves—they existed as tools from the moment of their creation, like computers or mobile phones.
There was no flesh and blood in their bodies, only various alchemical materials and the enchantments Wade had imbued them with. Their thoughts, emotions, and anything else that seemed human all originated from their creator.
Still, watching those figures—born from clay and metal—soar into the sky, gradually fade into transparency, and soon merge with the night, Wade felt an emptiness in his chest, a faint melancholy.
He certainly never felt like this when replacing a computer.
"They're all gone. Cube and the others haven't come back, and now our new companions are gone too," said Cloak, poking the doll Visser beside him with the corner of his garment. "Looks like from now on, it'll just be the two of us relying on each other."
Visser smiled. "Isn't Mikael still here?"
"Mikael hit me yesterday, so that doesn't count!" Cloak said angrily. "Will you help me beat him up?"
"…Then I'd get melted too," Visser replied.
"What's there to be afraid of? He's not actually going to burn you!" Cloak coaxed. "We can provoke him and then run away. How about it? I can cover you!"
"Hey, hey, hey—why does it sound like I'm suddenly the main attacker?" Visser raised a brow. "I'm not the one who got beaten up, right?"
The two's muttering drifted into Wade's ears, scattering the lump of emotion caught in his throat into a tangled mess.
"All right, hurry back," Wade urged. "I need to get back to school early."
After sending the dolls back into the wardrobe space, Wade packed away his pen case and walked toward the brightly lit Hogsmeade. The lights stretched his shadow long, and under the illumination of different sources, three or four faint shadows were cast beside him.
All the headmasters of the various wizarding schools were at Hogwarts. Even if their skills couldn't match Dumbledore's, they were far stronger than most people.
At a time like this, if Wade kept turning into a peregrine falcon to come and go from Hogwarts, a few times might pass as being mistaken for a student's pet—but if it happened often, sooner or later someone would notice that there was an unregistered Animagus in the school.
Likewise, flying out of the school on a broom and then Apparating from beyond the range of the protective enchantments was not advisable. The Vanishing Cabinet remained the most reliable way in and out of the school.
As for Hogwarts' secret passages, they were rarely in Wade's plans. Not only were they long and time-consuming, but their entrances and exits were often far from discreet.
Becoming a champion, for Wade, brought with it one major annoyance—the level of attention he was getting had skyrocketed.
He had clearly been at the school for over three years already, yet overnight, it felt as if he had turned into a unicorn who had just arrived. Everywhere he went, he would run into people wanting to shake his hand or ask for his autograph.
Students from other wizarding schools also attended classes at Hogwarts, but they were rarely in the same year. Aside from the Great Hall and the library, Wade hardly ever encountered them.
…
"Look at this rune shaped like the letter F—Ansuz. It represents divine wisdom and revelation, and is also connected to prophecy and communication… Take notes, Mr. Malfoy, there are no runes on my face… Ansuz is often used in rituals for education and learning, as it helps clear the mind and enhance memory…"
Professor Bathsheda Babbling was in the middle of her lecture when a sudden knock on the door interrupted her.
Frowning, she waved her wand, and the door swung open. She glanced at the student standing outside, panting and sweating, and her tone softened slightly. "What is it?"
The student outside was none other than Anthony Goldstein. He first scanned the room until his eyes landed on Wade, then let out a sigh of relief.
"Sorry to interrupt, Professor," he said between breaths. "Mr. Bagman is requesting all the champions for a group photo, and I need to take Wade Grey with me."
The classroom filled with murmurs, and all eyes turned toward Wade.
Professor Babbling's brow furrowed slightly. Clearly displeased that Ministry officials had chosen class time for this, she nonetheless lifted her gaze and said, "In that case, off you go, Mr. Grey… And take your things with you—I doubt you'll have time to return for the rest of the lesson."
Wade packed up his bag and stepped out of the classroom.
"I checked three classrooms, Wade—three whole classrooms! How on earth is your schedule arranged?"
The moment they were outside, Anthony couldn't help complaining with a pained expression.
"If I hadn't run into Professor McGonagall, who said you were probably here, I'd have had to get Professor Dumbledore himself to help find you… Now we're definitely going to be late."
"Don't worry," Wade said calmly. "Thirty-three champions—just lining them up will take at least ten minutes."
"You've got a point," Anthony admitted, relaxing slightly. "Just fitting that many people into one frame isn't exactly easy."
When they finally arrived at the classroom for the photo, they were indeed the last to show up—but no one scolded Wade for it.
Everyone was idly milling around, with no one actually organizing the photo. Ludo Bagman, who had summoned them all, was instead chatting with Rita Skeeter.
Seraphina greeted Wade warmly, then said, "We'll have to wait a bit longer. The other judges aren't here yet."
"We're taking the picture with the judges?" Wade asked.
"Maybe," Seraphina replied. "They also said they're going to inspect our wands."
"Hello, Mr. Grey." Natalia, who had been chatting with her companions in a corner, walked over. "When the photo's done, would you mind if I asked you some questions about alchemy?"
"—Alchemy?"
The Salem Institute's champions nearby exchanged glances and turned to look in their direction.
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