Wade didn't comment much on what kind of punishment Caryll would face.
Caryll's greatest shield was his age.
Just like when he was still a Hogwarts student, Dumbledore had been willing to wait patiently, hoping he would come to his senses and turn back. Similarly, the Ministry of Magic, seeing that he is only thirteen, wouldn't easily throw him into Azkaban.
For a wizard, being expelled from school and having one's wand broken was already an extremely severe punishment.
Of course, buying a second-hand wand wasn't difficult, but the punishment also meant that the Ministry officially forbade Caryll from using magic again, and banned him from owning a wand. If he were caught with a second-hand wand, he would face further penalties.
Just like Hagrid—he could have easily afforded to buy a hundred wands, but in the past, he could only hide his wand inside a ridiculous pink umbrella.
Wade didn't pay any more attention to Caryll. He pocketed his wand and walked down the stairs. In the busy hall, wizards kept glancing up at him, and some even walked over to shake his hand and introduce themselves.
Before long, Wade was holding several long, pod-shaped objects—these were the wizarding world's equivalent of business cards, containing a wizard's name and a unique magic communication signal linked to their Communication Bean.
All Wade had to do was hold one of the pods next to his own Communication Bean for three seconds, and it would record the information. In the future, he could simply press his communicator, say the person's name, and it would automatically initiate a magic call.
After spending about ten minutes exchanging pleasantries, Wade finally left the dimly lit wooden house and stepped outside.
Near a scraggly vegetable patch, Kingsley was speaking with one of his Aurors.
"…Lock them up. No bail. We need to gather more evidence. We also need to confirm the identities of these vampires and find their nest…"
When Kingsley saw Wade, he patted his subordinate on the back and sent him off, then walked over.
"Hello, Wade," Kingsley said as his usually stern face softened into a faint smile. "That Sunlight Charm was excellent."
"Thank you," Wade replied. "That vampire who escaped…"
"He matches the information you passed on. He is indeed Gale Troka, an escapee from Azkaban," Kingsley said.
"And the person he took from the storage room—though his appearance has changed quite a bit—it's almost certain that he's the other fugitive, Gilderoy Lockhart."
"I didn't expect the two of them to still be sticking together," Wade said seriously. "That means Peter Pettigrew might still be with them… or at least maintaining some kind of contact."
Kingsley nodded. "That rat vanished without a trace after escaping. These two are the only leads we have… But if Peter is cautious enough, he may ditch the other two and go into hiding alone."
—No, Wade thought silently. Peter Pettigrew would go to Voldemort… if he's still alive.
The thought flashed through Wade's mind. Then he smiled and said, "If they turn out to be of no further use, we can always capture them later—as long as the tracking spell hasn't worn off or been discovered."
"Don't worry, it won't be discovered," Kingsley assured him.
"Hyssia used a very obscure spell. Lockhart would never know about it. I asked a few of his former professors—they all said his obsession with fame far outweighed his interest in actually learning magic. He only ever studied the parts he personally liked."
After Kingsley left, Wade pressed the Communication Bean in his left ear and whispered, "Delaine?"
After a moment, he heard a voice: "Wade Grey."
"Number 25 Mill Town. They want to take me there."
"Understood."
"Thanks."
"No need to thank me. Mr. Grindelwald is also very interested in these guys."
The call ended. Wade removed the communicator and glanced back at the magic doll that followed him like a shadow.
That face, which he saw every day in the mirror, now appeared as an independent entity behind him, which felt somewhat strange.
Wade said, "Change your appearance. Haven't you noticed how weird people look at you?"
The doll shrugged, saying, "External gazes mean nothing to me."
Still, its appearance subtly changed—a bit shorter, its body under the robe became sturdier, the black hair turned brown, and its gray eyes became deep blue.
After a few steps, the doll looked like an ordinary student, completely different from Wade.
The road to the village remained as desolate as when they came, but without Caryll beside him, Wade's doll no longer needed to watch its words.
"Lockhart and Gale Troka have finally shown themselves. It's also time for you—the Peter Pettigrew—to resurrect," Wade whispered. "As long as you three stick together, no one will suspect that one of you is fake."
The Doll, who was actually Peter II, nodded and said, "I will find the right moment to join them."
"Did you bring that rat?" Wade asked.
Peter II nodded and put his hand in his pocket, actually reaching into his belly, then pulled out a hairless gray rat missing a toe.
The rat looked alert, glanced around, pressed its ears, and lay still in Peter II's palm.
This rat was also one of Wade's alchemical creations—small body, great intelligence, as clever as the real Peter Pettigrew.
Peter Pettigrew was a world-renowned Animagus, but Peter II couldn't truly transform into a rat because the magical materials Wade used on it far exceeded the rat's natural size.
Peter II could change his appearance and grow larger and more imposing—simply changing from solid to hollow—but could only shrink to the size of a seven- or eight-year-old child, not as small as a rat that fits in the palm of a hand.
So when needing to become an Animagus, this rat must be used, while Peter II hides or uses an invisibility spell.
"This trick will fool only Lockhart and Troka, not truly powerful wizards. Be cautious when using it," Wade warned.
"Yes," Peter II replied.
"Also—" Wade opened his palm, revealing two dull black eyes. "These are the eyes I recently made for you. They can't change color but might come in handy in critical moments."
Peter II took the two eyes, lowered his head, and plucked out his original eyes, then inserted the new ones.
These eyes, like Moody's magic eye, spun several times in their sockets, each in a different direction. It took a while before they settled into place properly.
Peter II looked up at Wade, his gaze was noticeably duller than before—even though they looked a little cold, they were still quite lively.
Ahead was a bustling street; passing through the alley, many students could be seen coming and going.
Wade stopped and looked at Peter II. "Go. I hope everything goes well for you."
But Peter II did not leave immediately. He whispered, "Master, I have a request."
Wade was a bit surprised, then said, "Go ahead."
"I want you to give me a new name," the doll said. "Peter Pettigrew was a despicable and cowardly man. I don't want to keep being called Peter II. Even if no one ever knows, I want a name that truly belongs to me."
Wade was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Is this something you've thought about for a long time, or just now?"
The Doll was puzzled by the question but answered honestly, "I've never liked being called Peter II, but it was only when preparing to leave that I found the courage to ask you."
Wade looked into those eyes made of inanimate materials yet revealing a sincere honesty, and smiled. "Indeed… 'Peter II' is a bit casual. Let me think…"
His gaze swept over the doll, then to the distant mountains and forests, then to the gray-white rocks and earth.
"…How about 'Locke'? It means 'rock,' symbolizing resilience and toughness," Wade suggested.
"Locke?" The doll's otherwise plain face broke into a smile. "I like it very much."
…
Number 25 Mill Town was actually an abandoned villa in the suburbs. The villa's owners all died over ten years ago—no wounds, no fatal disease—and the mysterious circumstances behind their deaths were widely rumored and baffling.
Rumor had it that restless ghosts still wandered the villa, so the townsfolk never dared approach.
But in recent days, strange figures had been seen near the villa, suddenly appearing and disappearing inside; bats circled nearby. The town quietly grew with several exaggerated ghost stories.
The protagonists of the ghost stories had spent the night planting bombs and heavy weapons inside and outside the building, aimed at a blazing fireplace, and they waited for an entire day.
"What's wrong with Baird?" someone asked anxiously. "Could the mission have failed?"
The leader checked his watch and said, "Wait five more minutes. If they don't show, we leave immediately!"
No sooner had he spoken than the villa's door exploded open. Several figures stood in the doorway. Before anyone could clearly see their faces, the crowd shouted together:
"Solaris Arkaion!"
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⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- +235 Chapters
⭐MCU: Druid's Adventures (MCUDA)(⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 460
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