"—Crying?"
Harry suddenly felt like he didn't recognize the word.
He peered out and saw a few familiar boys helping each other around the corner by the wall next to the supermarket. Some of them—like Pete—were actually crying.
Behind him, Wade lowered his sleeve and said to the somewhat dazed cashier, "Change, please."
"Oh… right," the cashier stammered nervously.
As they left the supermarket with their groceries, Harry still looked incredulous.
"How did you do that?" he whispered to Wade. "Did you use magic?"
"I learned some combat techniques from Professor Abigail, and of course… magic too."
Wade whispered back, "Here's a little trick for you—you can use the Supersensory Charm on yourself to enhance your senses. It'll make you much more agile in a fight."
"But when you use the Supersensory Charm, doesn't it trigger the Trace?" Harry asked, confused.
Wade chuckled, "Who said I just used the Supersensory Charm?"
Of course, he maintained that inconspicuous yet very useful spell for extended periods.
And there was one more thing Wade hadn't told Harry—
After learning Animagus, Wade discovered that using a small self-transfiguration wouldn't trigger the Trace.
Magic flowing within oneself, acting upon oneself, without being released at all, meant it wouldn't be monitored.
He opened and closed his palm a few times, and his originally large-knuckled fingers gradually returned to how they should look on a thirteen-year-old boy.
Behind them, Pete, whose nose had been hit, was sobbing. His friend beside him complained, "What was that guy's deal? His punch was hard as a rock!"
"And he was terrifying when he cursed us out," another boy said, still shaken, patting Pete's shoulder. "It's okay, cry it out, Pete, I understand… I almost cried just listening in."
"Potter really found himself some backup," another person grumbled, glaring at Dudley. "Dudley, did you know that guy was tough all along? Why didn't you do anything just now?"
Dudley, the only one unharmed, stammered, "I… I ate something bad today, I'm not feeling too well… so…"
In reality, he was just worried about growing a pig's tail again.
Ever since his father, Vernon, found out Harry couldn't use magic outside of school, he had largely reverted to his old attitude, often yelling at Harry and sometimes even trying to hit him with his cane.
But Dudley was much more cautious in this regard.
His reasoning was simple—Harry was only forbidden from using magic, not truly incapable of using it.
The law also forbids hitting people! Dudley didn't stop beating up other kids just because it was against the law!
So, every time Harry pretended to use magic, Dudley would jump.
But his companions, who didn't know magic existed, couldn't understand his predicament.
They were angry at Dudley for his "self-preservation" earlier, and Dudley felt a little guilty, so he could only trail behind awkwardly.
A group of children, some crying, some cursing, walked noisily down the street.
Then, two men crouching by the roadside, as if pruning bushes, turned to look at them, then looked the other way.
Wade and Harry had already gone far.
One of the black-haired men murmured, "Harry Potter? I didn't expect him to live here… Who's the boy next to him?"
"You've definitely heard his name—Wade Gray," the other brown-haired man said with a hint of pride. "My student. He greatly admired me when he was at school."
The black-haired man gave him a strange look and bluntly exposed him, "So… why are you hiding from your admirer, Lockhart?"
Lockhart's expression changed, and he lowered his voice, speaking quickly, "Don't say my name, Garr! What if someone hears us?"
"We need to leave this area as soon as possible!" Garr said to himself. "Harry Potter must have Ministry of Magic protectors nearby. If we stay here, we might be discovered very quickly."
"We finally found a job with good pay and little work…" Lockhart said reluctantly.
"If you want to go back to Azkaban, then stay! I'm leaving anyway."
Garr finished speaking and decisively left along a small path.
"Wait for me!" Lockhart hurried to catch up, saying, "How long are we going to keep hiding like this? Why don't you come with me to Telford? There's a fan there who deeply admires me; she'll definitely be willing to help us."
"Don't forget your scam has been exposed!" Garr said unceremoniously. "Everyone who used to admire you had their feelings deceived by you. They probably hate you more than anyone now!"
Lockhart was speechless, then asked, "Then what do you suggest… we do?"
"Speaking of which… I also know a vampire; he's like my uncle," Garr said thoughtfully. "Maybe we can go stay with him…"
...
Wade didn't know that he had just crossed paths with the two fugitives he was looking for.
The two of them returned to Sirius's house. Harry was clearly very happy that someone he disliked had gotten beaten up, and he recounted his past experiences in a tone of reminiscing about past hardships.
"One time, they chased me, and I jumped onto the school chimney… I'd never jumped that high before!"
Harry said with regret, "Why could I jump over ten meters high when I didn't know I had magic, but now that I've learned magic, I can't jump that high anymore?"
"Because children who are unaware are more likely to create miracles, probably because their minds are unconstrained?"
Sirius, who had just come downstairs, heard him and added, "But adult wizards can control their powers."
He still had a bit of soot on him, clearly having just traveled to and from Grimmauld Place Number 12 via the Floo Network to return Regulus's portrait.
Wade thought for a moment and said, "If an adult completely loses their memory and their mind is like a blank slate, like a baby's, can they possess two qualities simultaneously? Both being able to do remarkable things based on their will, like a child, and quickly mastering their powers?"
Sirius blinked, and after a while, said, "An interesting thought... but you'd have to find an amnesiac adult to test it, wouldn't you?"
"Actually, there is one," Lupin said, coming out of the kitchen with a plate. "—The kind of person you're talking about, who possesses both qualities."
"Really? Who?" Harry asked curiously.
"Credence Barebone, an Obscurial who lived to adulthood and caused immense destruction in New York, America, many years ago, then died."
Lupin said, "I once read his story in old newspapers. I think he's the kind of person you're talking about."
"What's an Obscurial? What kind of person is that?" Harry pressed.
"That story is far too long to tell now, but it's lunchtime," Lupin said. "Who wants to help set the table?"
The three people on the sofa stood up together.
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