Mabel rode on her broom, watching the city lights gradually turn on below, feeling an exceptional sense of freedom and exhilaration.
As this journey was nearing its end, a deep reluctance welled up within her. She truly wished she could continue adventuring with these lovable Magic Golems forever, without end.
But the Magic Golems were already impatient to return to their master.
"Fly faster! Fly faster!"
The Cloak urged them on intermittently.
The Broom was furious. "Stop rushing! This is as fast as I can go! Do you know how heavy you guys are? Why don't you fly yourselves?"
"I don't fly fast!" the Cloak retorted righteously.
"We're almost there," Peter Two said calmly, hoping to end the argument this way.
Mabel forced herself to perk up and asked, "Is Wade's house just ahead? Will he be home?"
"Probably not," the Rubik's Cube Golem said. "School has started, so Master will be at school, or perhaps visiting his parents."
"Why didn't you say so earlier! I flew the wrong way."
The Broom immediately tried to turn around, but the Cloak slapped it.
"Are you stupid! Bell is still over here!" the Cloak said. "Without Wardrobe Space, how can we stay with Master?"
The Broom: "..."
It said nothing, and silently turned back in the correct direction amidst Mihail's "cheep cheep cheep" laughter.
"Huh?" the Rubik's Cube Golem suddenly exclaimed in surprise. The optical tubes around its "eyeball" retracted and extended twice, and it said in a deep voice, "The bedroom light is on."
"What? A thief!" The Broom's spirits lifted, and its flying speed abruptly increased.
"No, Master must be back," Peter Two said.
"Oh no!" the Broom exclaimed. "If Master finds out we snuck out, will we get scolded?"
The Cloak said with extreme pessimism, "We might get beaten."
"I'm not afraid of being beaten," the Broom said. "Anyway, I don't feel pain."
"The consequences might be worse," the Rubik's Cube Golem said ominously, seizing the opportunity to speak. "Perhaps Master will decide he needs more obedient Magic Golems, and we'll have our consciousnesses erased and new thoughts implanted."
"What? How is that different from dying?" The Cloak was startled, then looked enviously at Mihail and said, "This big bird has it good; it doesn't have to worry about such problems at all."
Mihail gave it a wing-pat, but the Broom below suddenly swerved, making its attack miss.
Mabel cried out, then realized the Broom was flying erratically, as if terrified.
Her heart softened, and she said, "How about... how about you hide first? I'll go ask Mr. Gray. If he really intends to... I'll help you escape."
"No, no, no... that won't work... I can't leave Master behind..."
The Broom shivered but steadfastly flew towards the window.
Mabel looked around, but when Magic Golems didn't want to show emotion, they naturally had no expressions, and it was impossible for others to discern their thoughts.
But neither of them brought up the topic of escape again.
Mabel had originally been debating whether or not to see Wade, but now she had forgotten her own nervousness, only worrying about her Magic Golem friends.
She thought: What if... what if Wade really gets angry? I'll help stop him; I absolutely can't let the Magic Golems really have their consciousnesses erased...
The cold wind whistled past, and the small window rapidly grew larger in their vision. The bright light illuminated the figures inside, but the people in the room had difficulty seeing the scene outside.
Peter Two saw that Sirius and Lupin were also inside, and his heart suddenly jumped. He grabbed the Cloak and draped it over himself, then tugged at his mask twice. After thinking for a moment, he also silently increased his height by a few centimeters.
It was a Magic Golem after all, made entirely of Alchemy materials. After several adjustments, its appearance was completely distinct from Peter Pettigrew.
Peter Two secretly breathed a sigh of relief, glad that he had reacted quickly.
By now, they were outside the window. Under the watchful eyes of the three Wizards in the room, they passed through the window one by one and landed on the floor.
Mabel had decided to take responsibility before entering. The moment her gaze met Wade's, she voluntarily stepped forward two paces and said, "Mr. Gray, please don't blame them for acting without your orders; it's all because of me..."
"I understand." Wade's smile was warm. He said, "I've heard everything, Mabel, thank you for coming to rescue me. And thank you all—guys, you're even more outstanding than I expected."
Mabel was momentarily stunned, then her eyes curved into a smile, and the heavy weight in her heart lifted.
Some of the Magic Golems nearby were already floating with pride. The Cloak twisted and turned, saying, "Hahaha... actually, I didn't do much... Master, you're too kind..."
"Even though you didn't help much, we all know you did your best."
The Broom "comforted" it, then added, "Unlike me... I flew back and forth constantly, with almost no rest, but it was all worth it."
The Cloak: "...?"
The Cloak: "#!"
Without a word, it abruptly wrapped around the Broom and began hitting it repeatedly.
The Broom was startled, demanding, "What are you doing?" while struggling fiercely, making the Cloak fly wildly around the room with it.
Wade sighed helplessly, opened Wardrobe Space, and tossed both Magic Golems inside. Then the other Magic Golems greeted him and obediently entered the space.
The room immediately fell silent.
Sirius burst out laughing. "Wade, your Magic Golems have such interesting personalities."
Remus had just been secretly observing Peter Two closely, confirming it wasn't the escaped Wormtail. Hearing Wade's words, he also smiled. "You made all of these yourself, didn't you?"
"I did," Wade sighed. "When I first instilled them with personalities, I thought they'd all be serious and well-behaved. I never expected them to be so lively, each one more so than the last."
"That's the interesting thing about Magic Golems; each one can have a different personality," Sirius said with a laugh. "I know a guy at the Ministry of Magic who's shy and avoids arguments. He bought a Magic Golem specifically to curse people out for him."
Wade looked at him, feeling a little surprised.
It wasn't his imagination. Sirius seemed less bitter and grief-stricken than before, vaguely regaining some of his youthful swagger.
He silently filed that observation away and turned to Mabel. "Where have you been hiding all this time? Professor Dumbledore has actually been very worried about you."
Mabel, who had been observing the two adult Wizards' attitudes, was startled by the question and unconsciously started drawing circles on the ground with her foot.
"I... I've been hiding and living in attics where hardly anyone goes."
"That must have been very hard," Remus said gently. "It's truly remarkable that you've managed to persevere until now."
Mabel's eyes reddened, but she forced herself to say, "It's nothing... Most people aren't a match for me anyway."
"Since we've met now, why don't you come with us to Hogwarts?" Wade invited. "Don't worry about Dementors finding you; they're not allowed to linger near the school."
Unlike the original plot, Dumbledore's stance was now a bit stronger than it had been. Since the train attack, Dementors had not been allowed anywhere near the school.
And Fudge was like a spring; once Dumbledore stopped yielding, Fudge became much more amenable.
Mabel looked up at him, then quickly lowered her gaze, shaking her head stubbornly. "No! I know you mean well, but I can't cause you trouble... I'm not a Hogwarts student, and hiding there would make me easy to discover."
"Then why don't you stay in Hogsmeade?" Remus suggested. "There are no Dementors there either, and Hogwarts students often visit. You could stay at my place..."
He paused, suddenly remembering that the girl in front of him was thirteen or fourteen and shouldn't live with a single adult man. He quickly pointed to Sirius and added,
"—I live with this guy. We're all neighbors, so it's good to help each other out if anything happens."
"That's right," Sirius said, seeing her still hesitate. He persuaded, "Since you were willing to cross the strait to an unfamiliar country to rescue Wade, that makes us friends! Accepting help from friends openly is also a form of giving, not a burden."
Mabel hesitated for a moment, looked at Wade, and saw him nod with a smile. Finally, she managed a slightly awkward smile herself and whispered, "Thank you."
Dumbledore and Wade were both people who had helped her greatly. Thinking that she would now be living not far from them both, Mabel felt much more at ease.
Wade accompanied Mabel as they first Apparated with Remus to Hogsmeade. After a quick tidy-up of the room, Remus moved his own belongings to Sirius's place and prepared some daily necessities for Mabel.
"It's too late today; we'll buy more supplies tomorrow."
Wade said, taking out a large bag of Galleons and handing it to Mabel.
With Wardrobe Space back, his supplies and money were suddenly abundant. Wade also left Mabel a few bottles of Polyjuice Potion and a small handful of hair Ferdinand had helped him collect previously.
"This potion can turn you into someone else, so you won't be recognized. If you go out, remember to drink a sip every hour."
The abundance of gifts made the girl feel apprehensive, and she tried to refuse them. Wade looked into her eyes and said,
"I know you're strong, but everyone needs help sometimes. Since you didn't hesitate to save me, why do you consider my help a burden?"
Mabel had no choice but to accept, thanking him awkwardly, her eyes slightly red, and lowering her head, not daring to let anyone see her expression.
"Don't be so polite," Wade said, shaking his head. "I'll send you my study notes later. Since Obscurus is born from Magical Power being suppressed and unable to be released, then accepting one's Magical Power and using Magic correctly might effectively control its power."
Mabel had once deeply resented the fact that she possessed Magical Power, because this power had forced her to lose her parents and endure endless suffering.
But at this moment, the girl's view of Wizards and Magic had quietly shifted. She was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "I'll study hard."
"Good," Wade smiled. "Let's work hard together."
...
Afterward, Sirius stayed home, and Remus Apparated, taking Wade home.
The street was very quiet. Remus walked with Wade towards House Gray, speaking softly, "Wade, once an Obscurus forms... it's probably not that easy to get rid of."
"I know, but we have to have hope, don't we?"
Wade looked at the road ahead, also speaking softly. "An Obscurus is a Magical creature, also a manifestation of the dark side of the mind. If she can receive enough care and a sense of security, and proper Magic education, it will at least help mitigate Obscurus outbreaks."
"As long as you know," Remus sighed. "If she stays in Hogsmeade, and the Obscurus's power erupts, we can find a way to control it in time, so it doesn't cause massive destruction like Credence did back then, almost completely exposing the secret of Magic to Muggles."
Wade nodded slightly.
When the two adult Wizards had enthusiastically and strongly urged Mabel to stay in Hogsmeade earlier, he had already thought that their purpose wasn't just to simply help a poor young girl, but also to contain the crisis in the most manageable place.
Even if there were some cold calculations involved, the help they gave Mabel was genuine. And if an Obscurus outbreak did occur, Sirius and Remus would be the first to face the crisis.
"There's another point, which I think you also know, Wade..."
Remus said with pity, "An Obscurus causes great harm to both the host's body and mind. It's said that Obscurials rarely live past ten."
"Credence, decades ago, was an exception, but I heard that although he was once very powerful, he quickly became extremely weak... This might be the result of the Obscurus harming him."
Remus had recently researched a lot of old documents and learned much about histories that had almost been buried in dust.
Mabel seemed fine for now, but who knew when her life force would be completely worn away by the Obscurus?
Though cruel, Remus didn't want Wade to face a friend's death unprepared. It was better to maintain a proper distance from now on, so as not to be too sad when the time came.
"I know, Remus," Wade said softly.
Seeing that they had arrived at the House Gray doorstep, Remus stopped, watched Wade walk in, and let out an almost inaudible sigh.
...
Wade wasn't as burdened as Lupin thought.
He knew just as much about Obscurus as Lupin did. The first time he saw Mabel unleash its power, Wade immediately recalled all the relevant information.
Moreover, Wade had "foreseen" far more deaths than Lupin realized. If he were to internalize every "death notice" from the future, he'd be saddened by everyone he met, and life would become unbearable.
So, Wade's current mindset was quite optimistic—both Dumbledore and Scamander had tried to save Obscurials. While they had both failed, past experiences weren't necessarily useless. This time... it might not end in failure either.
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