Although Rosa was the one leading the way, Morris still insisted on tagging along with Wade. Soon after, Lucas slung a bow over his shoulder and slid a dagger into the strap on his thigh.
"I'll go with you," he said solemnly. "The dangers in the Forbidden Forest are more than you children can imagine."
"Why?" Morris protested. "We used to play everywhere! The marsh isn't even that far."
"The past is the past. Now is different."
Lucas made the decision firmly, leaving no room for debate. He turned to bid farewell to the white wolf.
Wade saw the man and wolf rub their noses together in deep affection. Then Lucas patted the heads of the other pups and reminded them, "While I'm away, watch the den and don't wander off."
"Yes, Father."
The cubs lowered their heads and answered obediently.
"Let's go."
Lucas walked to Wade's side, but before leaving, he turned back for one last glance—the white wolf stood with her forepaws on a tree trunk, watching them depart. And the pups had already flopped down at her feet, playing noisily.
He couldn't help but smile, gave a wave, and finally turned to go.
Of course, the werewolf wasn't simply there to guide the way. After they had walked some distance, he pushed aside a curtain of vines and asked in a low voice:
"Why are you looking for a toad? What's so special about it?"
"I'm not certain yet."
Following behind, Wade tilted his head to avoid a branch dangling from above before continuing: "But I suspect… it's actually a wizard I know, who was transformed."
"A wizard?" Lucas frowned. "An illegal Animagus?"
The real "illegal Animagus" Wade Grey shook his head. "Not quite… More likely he was cursed or tricked by someone else."
In any case, Wade couldn't imagine Lucius Malfoy voluntarily turning himself into a toad. For that proud peacock, such a fate would be worse than death.
"Then his opponent must be powerful. You should be careful," Lucas said after a pause. Then he asked, "Do you think… that dangerous wizard is still in the Forbidden Forest?"
"The one who turned him into a toad?" Wade shook his head. "If I'm guessing right, that happened over half a year ago. That's why the victim has been missing so long… hm, about seven months now."
"That's a relief…" Lucas exhaled, sounding eased. "I thought—"
"Thought what?" Wade asked cautiously. "You seem especially wary now. Has something new turned up in the forest?"
Among Hogwarts students, the Forbidden Forest had always carried a reputation as a deadly place, as though every dark creature in the world lurked within.
But in truth, for the forest's own denizens, that castle might well be the most terrifying place of all.
Thus, near the school, the ecosystem had always been stable. Aside from the Acromantulas Hagrid had introduced, most of the inhabitants were magical creatures relatively friendly toward wizards.
Hearing Wade's question, Lucas hesitated for a while before shaking his head.
"I can't say for sure. It's just… a feeling."
The werewolf furrowed his brow, struggling to put his unease into words. After another two or three minutes, he finally said:
"It's like… someone sneaked into your house without you knowing. Even if nothing has been moved, you can just feel that something is different… there's a strange scent lingering in the air…"
"You didn't notice anything unusual?" Wade asked.
"No… which makes me feel the danger even more."
As Lucas spoke, he came to a halt.
The light drizzle had stopped. Damp air swirled around the werewolf's heavy breath. In a hoarse voice, he said, "This is the marsh."
Rosa took the lead, stepping forward a few paces. She looked around and shook her head from side to side, then wove her way between mud and stagnant puddles until she stood atop a fallen, half-rotted tree trunk.
"Right here!" she said firmly. "This is where I saw the toad!"
Looking closely, there was a muddy hole nearby, with faint traces of something crawling along its edges. A small pool of murky water had collected inside.
The toad hadn't left long ago. Few people or animals came by this place, so the trail had lasted.
Wade lifted his wand and made a circular motion:
"Appare Vestigium!" (tracking spell)
A spray of fine, golden sparks shot from the tip of his wand, spreading outward in a haze of pale golden mist.
Lucas quickly drew his children back a few steps, while Morris strained forward eagerly, crying, "Let me see! I want to see!"
When the mist faded, a series of tiny footprints appeared on the ground—the marks of a toad crawling along on all fours.
Wade smiled. "Thank you, Lucas, Rosa, and Morris. From here, I'll track it on my own."
"Alright." Lucas grabbed Morris by the scruff—just as the boy was about to leap onto Wade—and nodded. "Be careful."
"Mm."
Wade watched them depart. Just as Lucas's figure was about to vanish behind the trees, he suddenly called out:
"Lucas!"
The werewolf turned, looking at him inquiringly.
Beneath the shadows of the leaves, one large and two small wolves gazed back at him, their six eyes seemed to glow green in the dark, a truly eerie and unsettling sight.
But Wade knew their hearts were peaceful and pure. Smiling, he waved and raised his voice in reminder:
"Don't underestimate your instincts, Lucas!"
"If this place feels dangerous to you, then take your family and leave as soon as possible. Find somewhere safe to live."
"Don't wait until danger truly arrives—by then, regret will be too late!"
Lucas looked startled, then nodded firmly, gathered his two children, and left quickly.
Wade's smile faded, his expression turning slightly grave.
Over millions of years of evolution, creatures have developed a subtle survival warning system. Before the mind even recognizes it, the brain and senses can already pick up faint signals of threat.
All wizards knew: when instinct raises an alarm, it's better to believe it than to dismiss it. Overreacting is far safer than dull-wittedly becoming a lamb to the slaughter.
And with magic in their blood, werewolves were even more attuned to such signals. Even if Lucas couldn't divine or prophesy like Wade, his magic granted him sharper sensitivity to anomalies.
But… What was it that made him feel danger?
Would that threat also affect Hogwarts?
Wade stared at the desolate marshland. After thinking for a moment, he finally chose to follow the trail just before the golden footprints on the ground faded completely.
The Forbidden Forest was always dark. Even in broad daylight, the light could hardly be called bright.
Wade flicked his wand, and a glowing orb slowly emerged, drifting ahead of him to illuminate the twisted tree roots underfoot.
He followed the footprints for who knows how long, when suddenly a series of frantic cries came from ahead:
"Gu-gu-gu-gu—gu-gu-gu-gu—"
Immediately after, a shrill, bizarre laughter echoed through the forest—
"Gua-gua-gua, gua-gua-gua! Hahahaha… so much fun…"
Wade quickened his pace and saw a grayish-brown toad clutched in Peeves's hand, its plump belly facing the sky as it croaked in terror.
Delight shone in Peeves's eyes. Holding a twig, he jabbed at the toad's belly while laughing wildly.
Wade frowned. "Peeves, put it down, will you?"
Peeves turned his head with a grin. "What's this? You want to play with this ugly thing too? I was just about to pop its belly—don't you think it looks like a balloon?"
"Toying with life is not a good habit, Peeves," Wade said evenly.
Peeves squinted at him and snorted. "Why do you sound so much like Dumbledore? What a pity, what a pity… You're starting to become boring too."
Seeing the prankster not only refuse to stop but poke harder, Wade raised his wand.
"Do you want to try my magic, Peeves?"
Peeves's expression shifted. Tilting his head at Wade, he suddenly sneered. "You know, Dumbledore can sneak into the Forbidden Forest—but you can't!"
He hurled the toad at Wade and turned to fly off, yelling as he drifted away: "A student's gone into the Forbidden Forest! A student's gone into the Forbidden Forest!"
Wade ignored him. He didn't catch the toad, either, but instead flicked his wand, making the ugly, pudgy creature float in midair. Frowning, he studied it closely.
The toad's eyes were indeed gray, which must have been rare among its kind.
And on its head was a tiny string of letters. From a distance it might look like a dark blotch, but up close, Wade could clearly read: [Lucius Malfoy].
—My intuition was right!
Even Wade himself was astonished. A tangled feeling of coincidence and inevitability surged inside him, leaving his heart heavy and conflicted.
Under the boy's gaze—cold, yet almost piercingly clear—the fat toad helplessly lifted its head toward the sky, its two front legs spread out like human palms, trembling along with its body.
It struggled to put on the appearance of a small, innocent, defenseless creature, its belly quivering as it croaked again and again.
With a flick of Wade's wrist, his wand traced an arc through the air, and the light bursting from its tip struck a dead branch at his feet.
The gray branch immediately writhed, it split, stretched, and intertwined as it weaved into a small, delicate birdcage that wrapped around the toad.
Then, near the handle, a few tender green leaves sprouted, and two fern fronds unfurled as decoration, instantly giving the cage a refined look.
The forest not far away suddenly fell silent—after a startled cry, Peeves's singing vanished.
A few seconds later, a ghost drifted straight through an oak tree toward Wade, his face was gaunt and his form was streaked with silver blood.
Wade instinctively took a step back. "The Bloody Baron?"
The ghost lowered his eyes to glance at him but said nothing. Expressionless, he simply floated past, taking the path Wade had opened for him.
Wade: "…"
Then, from his side, came another chill. Turning his head, he saw that just as the Bloody Baron had left, another spirit emerged—Ravenclaw's ghost, the Grey Lady.
—is there some kind of ghost party tonight?
The Grey Lady was beautiful, with hair cascading down to her waist. Even though her face was utterly devoid of color, her beauty was undiminished.
She was also very proud, often aloof, rarely deigning to acknowledge others. But perhaps because of their shared surname, she occasionally spoke a word or two with Wade.
Now, the ghost paused, her gaze shifted toward Wade… and the birdcage in his hand.
"You've caught the toad, Wade Grey," the Grey Lady said in her drifting voice.
"Yes."
Wade lifted the cage, showing her the toad inside, and probed: "Is there something special about this creature? You seem to care."
—Could ghosts recognize the human soul inside an animal's shell?
The Grey Lady turned her gaze toward the gaps between the trees and said with a cool and distant voice: "He is an uninvited guest."
"Uninvited Guest?" Wade echoed.
The Grey Lady floated deeper into the forest, leaving behind a single remark: "Go back to the castle. Hand him over to Dumbledore. And don't wander here again."
Wade quickly followed, and asked with curiosity in his voice: "Why are you all in the Forbidden Forest tonight? Is there something here?"
The Grey Lady: "Not tonight."
Wade didn't understand at first. "What?"
Like mist, the ghost slipped through the undergrowth with her soft voice trailing behind: "Not tonight… Lately, we've been patrolling the Forbidden Forest every day. It's been going on for quite some time."
Wade frowned slightly, then asked with a heavy tone: "Has something truly dangerous entered the Forbidden Forest? Does Dumbledore know?"
"Dumbledore?" The Grey Lady gave a cold snort. "Who cares whether he knows or not? We're not patrolling because of the headmaster's orders!"
After a brief pause, she added: "And besides, not 'entered.'"
Wade: "What?"
The moment the word left his mouth, Wade suddenly realized he sounded like a silly parrot, repeating the same phrase. He quickly rephrased: "You mean…?"
The Grey Lady cast a glance at the toad and said: "Aside from this creature, there are no other intruders in the Forbidden Forest."
"Then…"
"Come with me."
The Grey Lady led Wade deeper into the woods.
As a ghost, she could pass through any obstacle. Wade, however, had to keep waving his wand so that vines, branches, and undergrowth moved aside to clear him a path.
Whenever he was forced to stop to cast a spell or find a way around, the Grey Lady would wait patiently at his side.
On the third pause, Wade noticed that the Bloody Baron seemed to be lingering nearby. Yet every time the Grey Lady's gaze shifted toward him, the cold ghost hastily averted his eyes and avoided her.
Wade: "…"
As they went on, the soil beneath their feet gradually turned soft and damp, and the air grew heavy with the smell of rot.
The Grey Lady stopped, and her pale fingertip pointed toward a spot under a tree root where several semi-transparent lilies of the valley were growing.
"Do you see those lilies of the valley?"
Her airy voice drifted: "I have not seen this kind of flower for hundreds of years. A wizard who studied herbs once cataloged thousands of extinct plants, and these lilies of the valley were among them."
"But now, they've appeared here once again."
She gave Wade a long, meaningful look before slowly speaking: "Do you know? Some ancient things are beginning to awaken again—just like these lilies of the valley."
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⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- 200+ Chapters
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