"Thump—thump—thump—"
His heart was pounding violently, his soaked clothes clinging to him. A blast of cold wind sent a shiver deep into his bones.
This was the closest Wade had come to death since his rebirth.
It might seem like first-year Harry Potter dealt with the pendant-version of Voldemort as easily as playing a game in the story, but that was because he was protected by the magic his mother left behind. If it were the current Wade, even if he knew ten times more spells than Harry Potter, he would surely die if Voldemort discovered him.
Born again, Wade wasn't particularly afraid of death. But he could accept dying for some grand purpose, or to protect those he loved. He couldn't accept dying for such a ridiculous reason—being silenced because he accidentally overheard the villain's secret, dying like a silent cannon fodder.
Worried about running into Quirrell again after leaving, Wade hid on this secluded platform for a long time. Unconsciously, he leaned against the wall and fell asleep. When he suddenly woke up, he realized it was almost dawn and still very dark.
The Quidditch pitch had long been empty. In the vast campus, only one adult wizard with silver-white hair was strolling by the Black Lake—probably a professor, but not Dumbledore, because Dumbledore also had a long white beard.
Wade didn't get a clear look at the person's face, nor did he care, as long as it wasn't Quirrell. He supported himself against the wall and stood up, feeling light-headed and wobbly, almost losing his balance.
Oh no.
Wade thought to himself, reaching up to touch his forehead—it didn't feel particularly hot, because his palm was astonishingly warm now. With every breath, the heat scorched his nostrils, giving Wade the illusion that if he placed an egg nearby, he could boil it with his own body heat.
Wade climbed through the window into an empty classroom, dragging his weak body towards the Hospital Wing. Most of the portraits in the corridor were asleep, but one young red-haired wizard was idly lounging on a picture frame, staring blankly. When he saw Wade, his eyes lit up, and he asked curiously, "What's wrong with you? Are you sick?"
"Why aren't you back in your common room tonight?"
"Madam Pomfrey probably isn't up yet! Do you need me to wake her up for you?"
"Haha, just kidding! My portrait isn't in her bedroom."
"Why aren't you talking? Talk to me! I'm so bored being awake by myself."
Wade had no energy to bother with him, but this red-haired wizard persistently followed him through several picture frames, chattering incessantly. He didn't seem embarrassed by the lack of response, which showed his true self must be an incurable chatterbox.
It wasn't until a long stretch of corridor ahead had no portraits that the red-haired wizard reluctantly gave up. He still shouted loudly from a distance, "You must not have many friends with that personality, huh? Come find me when you're better! I can chat with you!"
Wade's head was throbbing from the fever, almost making him want to pry open his skull. The wizard's incessant nagging annoyed him even more, distracting him significantly. By the time Wade noticed another set of footsteps in the corridor besides his own, the sound was already very close!
—Almost just around the corner!!!
Wade instantly froze.
He instinctively wanted to dodge, but his sluggish body didn't react in time.
"Thump!"
The footsteps drew closer…
"Thump!"
The world seemed to shrink before his eyes, his vision blurring, but his hearing remained sharp.
"Thump!"
A figure appeared from around the corner.
"What's wrong, child?" Someone asked him.
But Wade's mind was like rusty gears, and he didn't answer for a long time.
"Oh, you have a rather high fever." The person gently pushed him. "Come with me, child—come this way—luckily, my office is nearby."
Silver-white hair swayed before his eyes, looking somewhat like Dumbledore, and Wade lowered his guard.
…
A few minutes later, Wade held an empty cup, steam continuously rising from his ears, his eyes staring blankly at the wizard in front of him, making him look rather foolish.
The person who suddenly appeared in the corridor was not Quirrell, whom he had feared, nor Dumbledore, whom he had assumed it would be, but a strange male wizard. He appeared to be at least eighty years old, wearing deep blue robes, with neatly combed short silver-white hair and no beard. What was noteworthy was that he wore a Muggle shirt and trousers under his robes, and his tie was perfectly tied—something wizards usually struggled with. A strangely styled gold-rimmed pair of glasses hung from his chest pocket.
When this wizard appeared in the corridor, he found Wade in a bad state and took him to his office, even offering his own pick-me-up potion. It was undeniably much more effective than the potions from the Hospital Wing. After Wade drank it, his muddled head immediately cleared significantly. Aside from his ears still steaming, everything else was fine, and he could clearly see his surroundings.
It was a circular room, illuminated as brightly as day by a dozen magical lamps of various sizes. Shelves and tables were filled with many strange and interesting trinkets. A golden hourglass slowly rotated; a dozen small crystal balls were strung on silver wire, their colorful light pulsing like breathing, alternately bright and dim; on a nearby cabinet was a highly realistic miniature manor, where thumb-sized people and an even smaller dog lived, even fetching water and cooking.
The room also contained some Muggle technology—a refrigerator, oven, television, computer, washing machine, and even a disassembled car engine.
This was truly the strangest room Wade had ever seen.
The wizard who brought him was fiddling with a radio. Moments later, a woman's enthusiastic voice emerged from it—
"Good morning, dear listeners, busy wizards! A wonderful day begins with 'Magical Time.' Today, your beloved Glenda Chittock is still hosting the show. First, let's enjoy the new song released by Celestina Warbeck—'You Stole My Cauldron, But You Can't Have My Heart'…"
"Oh, good thing I didn't miss it, this is my favorite radio show." The wizard mumbled, then turned and asked with a kindly smile, "Feeling better, child?"
"Yes, much better, thank you for your help, sir." Wade asked cautiously, "May I ask who you are—"
"I am the Alchemy professor, Terence Murray." Professor Murray chuckled. "If you can achieve 'Outstanding' in Charms, Transfiguration, and Ancient Runes in your fifth-year O.W.L.s, and at least 'Exceeds Expectations' in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, and Potions, then you can take my class in sixth year. You're very interested in Alchemy, aren't you, child?"
He looked down, and Wade noticed a small portion of On the Diversity of Species peeking out of his bag. He stuffed the book back and said, "Yes, Professor, I'm self-studying Alchemy."
"This material might be a bit too advanced for you. You should start with the basics, like Magical Phonetic Chart."
"I've already memorized the entire Magical Phonetic Chart, sir. And Collection of Magical Glyphs, Runic Dictionary, and Basic Introduction to Ancient Runes. I've also read Mr. Nicolas Flamel's Basic Alchemy and Analyzing Alchemy."
Professor Murray was stunned.
Hogwarts offers Alchemy courses for sixth-year students and above, but the author could not find the name of the Alchemy professor. The character of Terence Murray and the elective conditions for the Alchemy course are the author's private settings.
-----------
Machine Translation by: https:// randomtranslator.com/
Read ***+ original & fanfic translations in English, Español, Português, Deutsch, Français, or Русский
Or Translate for free at : https:// randomtranslator.com/translate
Join our Discord: https:// discord.com/invite/XXUR9nkjwa
-----------