The space inside the wardrobe was far from the small world that Wade had envisioned. It was only slightly larger than the Umbrella Room, and the room itself was rather empty, with no decorations.
What Professor Murray wanted to see was, of course, not these superficial things.
Although he did not have the same vision as Wade, he had his own way of examining the magical rune circuits within—
Layers of ancient runes were embedded, forming a structure as intricate and perfectly balanced as a beehive;
The interlocking, seamless Extension Charms were complex yet orderly, simple yet precise;
Hundreds, even thousands, of spells acted like whirlpools, not only ensuring the stability of the structure but also leaving plenty of room for expansion.
And this is just a prototype.
Yet it has taken root and begun to sprout in the most perfect form, with delicate leaves growing. Professor Murray scrutinized its veins, almost able to see the moment when it would grow into a towering tree.
After stepping out from inside, Professor Murray looked at Wade and smiled with admiration. "Regarding the Extension Charm, there's nothing more I can teach you, Wade."
Wade didn't hide his joy and flashed a happy smile.
This made him look more in line with his actual age.
"Any plans for the summer?" Professor Murray asked.
"Reading and studying, nothing else," Wade replied.
Professor Murray pondered for a moment, and then frowned slightly as he said:
"Students aren't allowed to use magic during the summer, which is inconvenient for your studies. And since you live in a Muggle neighborhood, any spellcasting would immediately be detected by the Ministry of Magic..."
"Actually—" Wade explained, "I plan to stay at home for a few days, then rent a room at the Leaky Cauldron. That way, I can bypass the Ministry's Trace."
Professor Murray nodded slightly and said, "That's one solution... but not a good one. Old Tom is decent enough, but that place often attracts shady characters. It's not safe for a child to live in a bar, and the environment isn't good either."
"Mr. Lupin can stay with me; he's going to teach me Defense Against the Dark Arts!" Wade said.
"Lupin?" Professor Murray snorted, "That's exactly what worries me!"
His opinion of werewolves was deeply ingrained, and he would never truly place his trust in them.
"How about this—you go home first," Professor Murray thought for a moment and then said, "I'll talk to Mr. Scamander and see if he'd be willing to let you visit."
"Mr. Newt Scamander?" Wade's eyes lit up. "You mean—"
"Yes, I figured you'd be excited to see his magical suitcase," Professor Murray smiled. "When it comes to the use of space and weather charms, no one is more skilled than him."
Seeing Wade's excitement, Professor Murray added, "It's perfect timing. He's quite fond of Steven, and Steven has mentioned you to him—yes, several times—Mr. Scamander has a favorable impression of you."
As Wade left Professor Murray's office, his heart was still racing, his eyes were bright with enthusiasm, and even his steps were lighter.
Newt Scamander.
To Wade, this man had once just been the protagonist of the Fantastic Beasts film series—kind, gentle, and somewhat shy, almost never looking people in the eye. He loved magical creatures and was loyal to Dumbledore, willing to face danger for the old headmaster.
Since entering the magical world, Wade had learned that Newt had also made significant contributions to modern wizarding history.
His magical suitcase, his remarkable role in the two Wizarding Wars, and his lifelong dedication to protecting magical creatures were all recorded in history books.
It even included the fact that he had once captured Gellert Grindelwald.
He was a man full of legend, though Newt himself probably didn't seek such fame.
...
As Wade left the Astronomy Tower, he finally opened his Book of friends.
The earlier messages had disappeared—naturally, since he had been in class with Professor Murray for nearly two hours.
The most recent message was from Padma.
[Padma: They went to the Forbidden Corridor on the Third floor.]
[Wade: Padma? Where are you?]
[Padma: Merlin! You finally saw my messages!]
[Padma: I'm outside the corridor on the Third floor.]
[Padma: It's almost curfew, and Filch's cat has been watching me. I think I just saw Peeves too... What should I do? Dumbledore's not here... no one has come back yet...]
From the disjointed text, Wade could sense the girl's fear and worry.
[Wade: Wait for me.]
Wade quickly headed toward the main tower. As he passed the entrance hall, he made a quick detour to the Great Hall and packed some bread and roast meat. Filch was standing by the entrance, watching the students still having dinner with a disgruntled expression.
Wade nodded at him and said, "Good afternoon, Mr. Filch."
Filch looked slightly surprised and eyed Wade suspiciously, as if trying to figure out if he was up to something.
But Wade had already walked past him at a brisk pace.
When he reached the Third-floor corridor, he found Padma pacing nervously just outside the restricted area, occasionally peeking in, as if afraid of drawing too much attention.
At the far end of the hall, Mrs. Norris, the scrawny cat, was crouched on the floor, staring at her. Hearing Wade's footsteps, the cat turned her head to look in his direction.
Wade tossed two small fish treats to Mrs. Norris and walked over to Padma.
"Wade!" Padma looked like she was about to burst into tears, and her clothes were wrinkled from clutching them in her hands.
"Don't worry," Wade said, handing her a sandwich. "Here, have something to eat... Did you notify any professors?"
"Michael went to Professor Flitwick. He said the Philosopher's Stone is perfectly safe and told us to relax and enjoy the days without exams."
Padma's tone carried a hint of resentment toward the professors.
"Professor McGonagall told Harry the same thing. She warned us not to get into any trouble, or else we'd lose a bunch of house points. Professor Sprout is teaching the fifth year, so we didn't get a chance to talk to her."
Padma spoke quickly, holding the sandwich but unable to eat.
"What about Professor Dumbledore?"
"He received an urgent letter from the Ministry of Magic and went to London."
Tears welled up in Padma's eyes. "We don't have his Book of friends, so we could only send a message by owl. Who knows when he'll get it... By the time he comes back, it might be too late."
"Don't worry, remember what we talked about before—Dumbledore knows everything that happens at Hogwarts," Wade reassured her.
After retrieving his past memories through the Pensieve, Wade was even more certain that during Harry's first year, Dumbledore had complete control over the school.
What Quirrell thought was an opportunity was merely a flaw Dumbledore had intentionally allowed to appear.
—The underground "challenge" was Dumbledore's way of giving Harry and his friends their true "final exam."
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