"Thank you, Professor."
"Are you sure everything's alright? You know, if you run into any trouble, you can always tell me."
"No, Mr. Filch just bought a few cleaning crabs from me, and everyone misunderstood."
Wade explained the situation with a hint of helplessness, and only then did Professor Flitwick relax.
"I hope you won't be so reckless in the future," Professor Flitwick told Padma and the others. "Observe calmly before you act."
"Sorry, Professor."
Padma lowered its head, embarrassed.
After the commotion ended, everyone haphazardly moved their belongings back. The girls felt a sense of relief, as if something lost had been found, when they saw the first crab, the one that liked to blow bubbles, was still there.
"Why did you sell the Cleaning Crab to Filch?" Harry asked, puzzled. "No one likes him, and you're not short on Galleons."
"While annoying him is certainly satisfying, wouldn't it be better to be on good terms with the caretaker?"
Michael retorted, "Think about it, you're out past curfew, but Filch just pretends not to see you."
"Really?" Harry asked, his eyes suddenly full of longing.
"Fake!"
Hermione smacked him on the head with a book on school rules.
"Even if Filch pretends not to see, that's for Wade. He'll still catch you!"
Harry's eyebrows immediately drooped in disappointment.
Wade smiled, offering no further explanation.
...
After that, whenever students saw Filch, he was always followed by a few crabs—sometimes two, sometimes as many as six—lined up neatly, like a flock following its leader.
When a student accidentally got mud or other dirt on the floor, Filch no longer screamed and yelled hysterically at them.
Instead, he seemed quite pleased. With a flick of his hand, the crab soldiers scuttled forward, and in no time, the floor was sparkling clean.
Sometimes students accidentally squashed a slug or blew up a Cauldron, and the elderly caretaker no longer needed to climb ladders to clean up.
For the Cleaning Crab, there was no difference between the ceiling and the floor; it didn't add any extra workload.
Filch used to detest rainy days because they often meant he'd be cleaning all day long.
But now, he even wished for more rain, then leisurely stood by the window, enjoying the feeling of the mist on his face.
The caretaker's temper seemed to have suddenly improved significantly, leaving the students a bit unaccustomed to it.
When they accidentally made the entrance hall muddy, and instead of anger and insults, they received a smile from the caretaker, the eerie feeling was downright chilling.
Some slovenly students' bad habits were suddenly corrected.
"I used to think there was nothing worse than Filch's shouting, but now I've found I was wrong—"
A Gryffindor student said to his companion in a deep tone, "What's worse is Filch's smile."
His companion nodded in strong agreement: "When he smiled at me, I got goosebumps."
...
Filch paid no mind to the students' discussions.
He proudly paraded his crabs through every corner of Hogwarts, watching with satisfaction as everywhere they went became spotless and gleaming.
However, while the Cleaning Crab was useful, as a semi-finished product, it sometimes had minor malfunctions, and Filch would have to go to Wade for help with repairs.
Over time, the two became truly familiar. Filch even entertained Wade in his office, treating him like a guest.
It was well known that even Dumbledore had never received an unsolicited invitation from the caretaker.
Filch's office was quite dim, with only an oil lamp hanging from the ceiling providing a dim yellow light to the room.
Many filing cabinets stood along the walls; it was said that Filch's disciplinary records filled over a thousand boxes, but no student had ever had the chance to truly see them.
On another wall hung things like hinges and handcuffs, glinting with a cold metallic sheen in the light. Even if they couldn't be used, their mere presence was enough to intimidate timid students.
An orange-yellow crab flipped back and forth in Wade's hand.
"The Magic Pattern Circuit is a bit worn, nothing major."
Wade repaired the crab in just a few minutes. He put it down on the floor, and it immediately scurried off, wiping up a few drops of ink on the ground along the way.
The crabs had a built-in Scouring Charm effect; even though they cleaned all day, they themselves remained spotless.
Filch watched it work with affection, saying emotionally, "Thank you, Wade. Earlier, Oma was hit by a student's Spell and just stopped moving... I almost thought it was dead..."
He sniffled, still seemingly caught in his sadness.
Wade hesitated: "...Oma?"
"Yes, that's the name I gave it."
Filch happily introduced the other crabs: "This is Redd, Peg, Ruby, and also Stella and Thomas."
"Meow~" Mrs. Norris let out an affectionate sound.
"Of course, of course, Mrs. Norris is the most important to me," Filch said hastily, reaching out to stroke the cat's arching back.
Wade was silent for a moment, deciding not to comment on that, and instead asked, "Why is Mrs. Norris so thin? Is she sick or…?"
"…She's just old," Filch said sadly as he picked up the cat. "She's old, just like me, and her appetite isn't what it used to be."
"Meow," Mrs. Norris purred softly.
"Of course, even with her age, Mrs. Norris is still just as smart and capable as ever, far better than many humans."
Filch skillfully stroked the cat's ears and chin, then suddenly seemed to remember something and looked up, asking, "Oh, by the way, Wade, would you like some fresh flowers?"
"…Flowers?" Wade asked.
"Yes."
Filch placed the cat on a chair and walked into the inner room. Wade guessed it might be his bedroom.
Soon, Filch emerged carrying several potted flowers. The vibrant blossoms were in full bloom, making the narrow little room look like a painting.
"You've been helping me repair the Cleaning Crab often lately, and I haven't had a chance to repay you… Professor Lockhart recently got a large batch of flowers from somewhere, and he agreed to let me keep a few pots as payment for helping him organize them."
Filch placed the flowerpots on the table in front of Wade and said, "Take them… you can use them to decorate your room."
"Thank you." Wade didn't refuse him, smiling as he said, "I'll put them in the Umbrella Room. Padma and Michael will definitely love them."
"Hmm…"
Hearing those two familiar names, which had once been reported, Filch hesitated, then said,
"Recently, tell your friends not to run outside the school, especially those not yet in their third year… There are rumors that a few days ago, some people who looked very much like Dark Wizards were seen lurking in Hogsmeade."
Wade's expression turned slightly serious. "When?"
"Just two days ago… was it Friday or Saturday? Someone said they saw two shady characters. And a few people wearing black cloaks who felt very dangerous."
Filch tried to recall the snippets of conversation he'd overheard in the pub. At the time, he'd thought it had nothing to do with him and hadn't paid much attention.
Finally, he said, "If you want to know, I can go ask around."
Wade watched him for a moment, then shook his head with a smile.
"No need… it wouldn't be good if it put you in any danger."
He paused, then added, "Even if there are Dark Wizards, they can't get into Hogwarts… I'll tell everyone not to wander off."
Filch nodded in strong agreement. "That's right. Stick to the school rules and you won't go wrong, and there'll be no danger. With Dumbledore at Hogwarts, even… even the one whose name cannot be mentioned, can't harm you."
Filch didn't like Dumbledore's overly lenient management style, but he had never doubted the headmaster's power.
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