The dark gray, slimy body squirmed its way through the damp, gloomy farmland. The spinach and cabbages, which he was used to seeing, looked as huge as castles.
He crawled slowly through them.
The sun was about to rise, and he didn't want to get scorched.
Suddenly, the leaves blocking the sun were pushed aside, and a giant child leaned down to look at him, shouting, "Look, a snail!"
"No, that's not a snail, that's a slug," said another even taller giant. He picked up the slug's soft body with a pair of pincers.
"A slug with antennae can be used to make medicine for scabies," the giant said. "But we have to dry it first."
The giant placed him in the sun. The scorching sunlight baked his back, and he felt like he was about to be burned to death. He twisted and struggled desperately, gasping in pain...
Wade woke up with a start, ripped the blankets off himself, and waved his hand, lighting the candle by his bed. He felt his forehead; it was slick with cold sweat. His mouth tasted terribly bitter. He spit out a Mandrake leaf, and sure enough, the third one had a missing corner.
Although Wade knew that "slug" was just a joke Professor Moriarty had made, he actually dreamed of turning into a slug while he was sleeping, and that was just too awful.
Could it be... a premonition dream?
Wade immediately got up and pulled the curtains open. He looked at his dormitory and waved his wand—
A dozen parchment scrolls flew up, enlarged, and stuck to the walls. Blank at first, the papers gradually revealed images of eagles soaring in various poses.
Snap!
The candle holder turned into an eagle perched on a branch.
Snap!
The wardrobe was adorned with a relief of an eagle.
Snap!
The legs of the desk were carved with swirling cloud patterns, and the desktop was covered with a dozen eagles with spread wings, swooping down.
Everything he could see was now filled with images of eagles.
Wade let out a huff in his mind.
Be gone, slug!
He was a Ravenclaw. If he were to transform, he would become an eagle!
After hypnotizing himself like this for over ten minutes, Wade finally lay back down.
The weekend was when Wade had arranged to meet with Marchioni.
The weather was unusually nice that day. Most people couldn't wait to rush to the dueling pitch, and someone even shouted, "Wade, let your insect army loose too!"
"Yeah, yeah! We've prepared several strategies and are just waiting to defeat them!"
"Let me tell you, I'm used to the ugly sight of spiders and cockroaches now, and I'm not afraid anymore!"
Wade looked at the time. He still had a little while before his appointment, so he made an "OK" gesture.
This time, it was Professor Flitwick who had snagged the referee's high chair. He was also very happy to see Wade. "Oh, oh, I haven't seen the insect army since I've been a referee! Everyone says this is the most interesting part of 'Battle Royale'!"
Wade was surprised. Who spread these rumors? Did they really think this was all fun when they were so scared they wet themselves?
He was curious but didn't hesitate in his actions. Just as he was about to find some insects from the cabbage leaves, Fred handed him a glass jar.
"I had it ready for you a long time ago!" Fred said with a mischievous grin. "Give those ignorant kids a taste of a monster's terror!"
Wade looked inside the jar and was speechless. Besides the usual ants and spiders, there were also flying moths, a hideous Devil's Flower Mantis, plump silkworm larvae, a long centipede, and... a gray-black slug.
A slug?
Wade silently stared at Fred.
The red-headed Weasley twin winked at him and said, "What do you think? Not bad, right? It took a lot of effort to find this."
Professor Flitwick leaned in for a look and nodded. "It's quite good! It would be a waste to have only a few students."
He stood up, waved his wand, and expanded the dueling pitch's fence several times over. Many students who were watching from the outside also became participants, including the Weasley twins.
"Huh? Huh!" Fred was dumbfounded.
"Wait, I want out," several Gryffindor students who had also been in on the prank yelled as they tried to run away.
Crack!
The glass jar shattered, and the insects expanded, expanded, expanded...
A three-meter-tall Devil's Flower Mantis tapped its forelimbs, letting out a weird cry.
The slug squirmed, immediately pinning a stunned student under its body and covering them with slime.
"Ahhhhhhh—"
Terrified screams echoed throughout the school.
Wade felt his mood lighten.
When the second round of the game began, the number of participating students was unprecedentedly low.
The insects had turned back to their original forms and hidden themselves. Several Hufflepuff students repeatedly asked Wade to confirm that the insect army wouldn't attack again before they cautiously ventured inside together.
Many students who had been too shaken to continue were lying on the field, trying to recover. Some were even quietly crying. Wade walked through the crowd without a shred of guilt and returned to the castle.
He needed to go to Hogsmeade, but he guessed the others wouldn't have the energy to sneak out of school for a while.
When he arrived on the eighth floor, only Harry was in the Room of Requirement. Wade was a little surprised.
Harry knew what he was wondering about and said, "I wanted to ask about the progress of Lupin's case, so I didn't go to the dueling pitch... Luckily, I didn't." He said with a lingering fear.
Wade smiled.
The two of them used the Vanishing Cabinet and instantly appeared at Lupin's house. Marchioni was already there, sitting on the living room sofa, chatting with Lupin over a cup of tea.
"Remus! Mr. Marchioni!" Harry greeted them warmly. "Is there any progress in the case?"
"It will be publicly tried next Friday," Lupin said with a smile. "Mr. Marchioni brought the materials... The chances of winning are high."
"That's great!" Harry cheered, then hesitated and said, "I... um... that... can I..."
"I'll ask Dumbledore if you can be excused from class that day so you can attend."
Lupin knew why he was stumbling over his words and said gently, "I think Dumbledore will understand the significance of that day for you. It's much more important than a class."
Harry was ecstatic.
Marchioni smiled cunningly.
The Boy Who Lived, the Savior of the Wizarding World, a boy who lost his parents because of that betrayal, will be sitting in the audience.
His support, his feelings, and his clear green eyes would undoubtedly have an invisible influence on those who would be making the judgment.
This was a perfectly open-and-aboveboard strategy.
He just wondered how the legendary "godfather," Sirius Black, who was rumored to have gone mad, would feel when he saw that scene.
While Harry and Lupin discussed the details of his attendance, Marchioni nodded at Wade, and the two of them went into the study.
Marchioni asked curiously, "Wade, what was that alchemy work you said you wanted to show me last time? It should be finished now, right?"