After the dinner, the first thing Wade did was, as expected, find Professor McGonagall to retrieve his Time-Turner.
The flames in the fireplace flickered softly. Professor McGonagall sat in her chair, her expression much gentler than it had been in the Great Hall.
"Have a seat, Wade."
Professor McGonagall took the box containing the Time-Turner from a cabinet. She opened it but didn't immediately hand it to him.
"I know your class schedule is much more flexible now, and you can manage even without a Time-Turner... but I still applied for this one for you."
Professor McGonagall looked into Wade's eyes and said in a serious, earnest voice, "Because I also know you've set yourself many tasks, and even if your time doubled, it wouldn't be enough. That's why you really need a Time-Turner."
Wade smiled and said, "That's certainly true. Thank you very much for your help, Professor."
"Then you must still remember the taboos of using a Time-Turner?" Professor McGonagall asked.
Wade nodded. "You can't directly interfere with past events, you can't go back more than five hours, you can't use it frequently at the same time, it can only be used for study, not for other gains, and... you absolutely cannot tell anyone else."
Professor McGonagall's lips curved slightly upward, then quickly returned to a serious expression. She pushed the box toward Wade and said, "Very good. Remember to strictly follow the rules."
"I will."
Wade said, taking out the Time-Turner and hanging the long golden chain around his neck, tucking the hourglass into his collar.
"One more thing," Professor McGonagall added. "If you plan to participate in the league, remember – you absolutely cannot use the Time-Turner to influence the outcome of the matches, understand?"
"Of course," Wade said. "If I have to cheat to win, I'd rather honestly admit I lost."
Professor McGonagall revealed a nearly imperceptible smile. "Very good, Wade. You may go back."
...
Watching her rather proud student leave the office, Professor McGonagall untied her tight bun and tapped her left ear.
Then, she heard Flitwick's impatient voice: "Well, well? Minerva, did Wade go to get the Time-Turner? What did he say?"
"Wade just left." Professor McGonagall poured herself a Butterbeer, stood by the window, and looked at the Black Lake in the distance. "You guessed wrong. He's already prepared to participate in this league."
Two seconds later, Flitwick shrieked, "Are you sure? He's really going to participate?"
"Yes, I've already spoken with him," Professor McGonagall said with conviction.
"That's fantastic!"
Flitwick, on the other end of the call, joyfully jumped up. "I thought he definitely wouldn't like this kind of showy event! I've been trying to figure out how to persuade him to join for days!"
Professor McGonagall chuckled. "It seems this boy is a bit more eager and ambitious than you thought..."
"Haha... Or maybe he decided to compete for the honor of Hogwarts." Professor Flitwick excitedly shook his head. "If you ask me, as long as Wade participates, the trophy will definitely belong to Hogwarts!"
Professor McGonagall, however, was not so optimistic. She took a sip of her drink, a hint of worry in her eyes.
"I naturally trust his abilities, but compared to adults, Wade's Magical Power is still somewhat insufficient, and other schools certainly have very outstanding students."
She sighed. "And the scale of this league is unprecedented, with eleven schools participating... The danger level will certainly far exceed previous years, and anything could happen during the competition..."
"Dumbledore will be watching! The Ministry of Magic, having learned from the previous World Cup, will certainly also place immense importance on the safety of the competition."
Professor Flitwick said optimistically, "Minerva, you really should see the Spells Wade showed me... They're absolutely perfect! He's completely qualified to get his Charms Class NEWTs certificate now!"
"The same goes for my Transfiguration Class, but the competition requires more than just perfect Spells; it needs other things too..."
Professor McGonagall said softly, "Like trusting your teammates, like seeking help when appropriate. And also... being wary of tactics outside the arena."
Flitwick stroked his chin, thoughtfully saying, "I understand... I'll talk to him again. Thank you for the reminder, Minerva! That's a huge help!"
The communication ended, and Professor McGonagall heard two "beep-beep" sounds by her ear, blinking blankly.
Filius... what exactly does he understand?
...
When Wade returned to the common room, he saw that everyone else had already gone to bed. Only Anthony Goldstein was sitting in front of the fireplace, reading a book titled Practical Defensive Magic.
A cat, presumably someone's pet, lay on the mantelpiece above the fireplace, its tail hanging down and swaying.
Wade glanced at the cat, confirmed it was just an ordinary pet, then walked over and sat opposite Anthony, asking, "Anthony, is there anything I can help you with?"
Anthony put down his book, hesitated, then asked, "Wade, are you going to participate in this league?"
Wade nodded and said, "Of course."
Anthony exhaled, a relieved smile appearing on his face. "That puts my mind at ease then."
"At ease?" Wade said, puzzled. "Why?"
"Because this way, I won't have to stay awake anymore, fantasizing about winning the championship and then wondering how I should reply if a lot of fans write to me," Anthony said earnestly.
Wade was speechless. "You came to me for that?"
"Hahaha... Of course not."
Anthony laughed, then put down his book, wiped his face, and sighed. "I have an aunt who married into Russia. She told me that Koldovstoretz students received the news months ago. They selected a group of their best students and have been training for at least two months specifically for the competition."
Wade didn't speak; he already knew about these things.
"And Mahoutokoro, Ilvermorny, Durmstrang... almost all other schools are training their students in advance, especially Durmstrang. Did you know that school teaches students Dark Magic?"
"I've heard," Wade said.
"So I'm a bit worried... I went to ask Professor Flitwick earlier if Hogwarts had a training plan, and he said no..."
Anthony said helplessly, "But Professor Flitwick also said that if we organize ourselves to train and study, the school wouldn't forbid it..."
With the conversation at this point, Wade already knew what his purpose was in seeking him out.
Sure enough, Anthony then said, "Wade, I know your time is tight, but... if we want to avoid embarrassing Hogwarts in the league, someone needs to lead everyone in training... and that person can only be you!"
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