In the distant Hogwarts, Harry's scar suddenly throbbed with intense pain, as if a terrible scream echoed from far away.
He was training on the Quidditch pitch when the pain made him suddenly dizzy and disoriented, causing him to involuntarily fall from his broom.
"Harry—"
A gasp went up from the team. Fred was nearby. He flew over at top speed, finally catching Harry's ankle just before he hit the ground.
Outside the cave, everyone looked at Wade, waiting for an answer.
Wade calmly said, "You know, when some magical items are created, the creators often infuse their thoughts into them."
"No wonder that shadow was so evil just now," Michael sighed in relief. "It was infused with evil thoughts by the mysterious… Tom, right?"
The young wizards accepted this explanation, but Lupin gave Wade a deep look.
When he was in school, he, along with James Potter and others, had created the Marauder's Map, which could display the real-time locations of everyone in the school. They also emulated the Four Founders, each infusing their thoughts into the map.
Therefore, while Michael and the others believed it, Lupin remained skeptical, because he also knew what a magical item infused with thoughts looked like.
The Fiendfyre burned for a long time, only gradually extinguishing when there was absolutely nothing left to burn.
They pushed aside the boulder and saw that the entire cave had been scorched, not even sparing the spiders in the corners or the grass roots in the crevices of the rocks.
On the cracked, burned stone, the blackened diadem still rested. Wade was satisfied to see that the added name on it had disappeared.
Ryan wanted to go in and retrieve the diadem, but Wade pulled him back.
"Don't go in," Wade said. "There might still be residual embers. Be careful you don't get burned."
He raised his wand: "Accio Diadem!"
Even if it originally had an anti-Accio charm, it must have been burned away by the Fiendfyre.
So the diadem immediately flew towards him, caught by Lupin mid-air.
He turned the diadem over, examining it.
All the magic attached to it had been destroyed; now only an ordinary metal object remained.
Some black, sticky residue still clung to the surface, baked dry by the fire, flaking off like ash when rubbed with a finger.
"Aguamenti!"
Wade summoned a stream of water to clean the diadem, then placed it back into its box.
"Is this thing still useful?" Lupin asked.
"Not really," Wade said. "But I promised someone that after removing the dark magic from it, I'd return it to its original place."
Michael, recalling the diadem's true colors revealed by the flowing water, asked, "Wade, don't you think… it looks a bit like the one on the Ravenclaw statue?"
"Perhaps it's Tom's imitation," Wade said calmly. "If he also studied at Hogwarts, perhaps he mimicked the Four Founders and created something similar."
Michael nodded.
In the original plot, Dumbledore only told the golden trio about the Horcruxes, but not the members of the Order of the Phoenix who had followed him through thick and thin.
Wade used to not understand why, but living in this world, Wade gradually began to comprehend his actions.
In the wizarding world, everyone carried a wand, which was equivalent to everyone carrying a gun.
Originally, they would only use it for cleaning, brewing potions, or self-defence, but what if someone told them that this "gun" could also kill people, and after killing, they could live forever…
Even if some people could uphold their stance and morals today, how could one know they wouldn't change in the future?
Even if he himself disdained Voldemort's "resurrection," what if it were his parents, his loved ones, or his children?
So it had nothing to do with trust, nor with character.
Some evil things should remain a permanent secret.
With the Horcrux destroyed, the club activity was successfully completed.
But they didn't return immediately. At Lupin's invitation, they decided to first rest at his home in Hogsmeade for a while, then play around in Hogsmeade in the afternoon, and finally return to school in the evening.
Lupin's house was in a rather secluded location, very close to the Shrieking Shack. Due to the local ghost legends, the house sold very cheaply.
It was a three-story house, plus a top-floor attic, looking like a slender chicken drumstick mushroom. Next to it was a fence enclosing about a dozen chickens and a goat.
Further beyond was a rectangular vegetable patch, where lettuce, mustard greens, tomatoes, strawberries, and other plants grew. The area was sectioned off with vibrant flowers like cornflowers, dahlias, and peonies.
Wizards generally had a habit of self-sufficiency. Lupin hadn't had this opportunity before, but once he had a stable place to settle, he learned to manage his home properly, just like others.
With the help of magic, planting and raising animals were much simpler than for ordinary people.
Upon entering, one found a spacious living room, where the fire in the fireplace automatically lit up. The coat rack by the door bent down, making it easy for the young wizards to hang their coats.
There was also a small door to the side, revealing that it led to the kitchen.
"It's really nice, isn't it?" Ryan said, examining the room. "It's much more spacious inside than it looks from the outside."
Lupin conjured teapots and teacups to fly out of the kitchen, pouring hot tea for everyone, and then brought out cookies and cake to entertain his young guests.
Michael leaned against the fireplace, looking at the photos on the wall.
There were pictures of Lupin and Harry standing together, of Wade and Harry, and of Harry holding a goat.
One of the photos clearly showed Lupin in his youth. His face bore the same gentle smile he had now.
In the photo, there was also a dark-haired boy who looked very much like Harry, wearing glasses and with messy hair; he must have been Harry Potter's father.
Next to him was a chubby, short boy with round, small eyes and a pointy nose, his smile a bit shy.
His appearance and gaze made Michael instinctively associate him with a rat.
There was another person in the photo, barely discernible as dark-haired. He was very close to James Potter, but his face was obscured.
"Who is this person?" Michael couldn't help but ask.
"Someone insignificant."
Lupin quickly walked over, took that photo off the wall: "I forgot to put this away."
He placed the photo face down on the table, then smiled and asked the others, "What would you like for lunch?"
While Lupin was in the kitchen, directing pots and pans to clang as he made lunch, Michael quietly said to Wade, "His expression completely changed... it definitely wasn't someone insignificant."
"Don't go prying, you might get hurt."
Theo whispered, "I've heard of that person… Sirius Black, the most notorious Death Eater, and the one who betrayed Harry's father."