Chapter 217: Harry: Hope They’re Okay

At night, Harry and Wade returned to Hogwarts through the Vanishing Cabinet.

Most of their other classmates would at most spend an hour or two in the wizarding village during Hogsmeade weekends, then make sure to return before all the students headed back to school.

Michael and the others were sometimes recognized by students above third year who had the privilege of going to Hogsmeade. Everyone assumed they had found a secret passage that Filch hadn't discovered.

Considering their connection with the Weasley twins, this wasn't surprising at all—

That pair of brothers had pulled off feats like sneaking into the Forbidden Forest as first years and wandering around Hogsmeade before they reached the age standard..

Most of the older students would either smile indulgently or tease them kindly. Occasionally, they'd even advise them to avoid the Three Broomsticks for a while, as a few professors were inside, drinking and chatting.

But there were also students who didn't get along with them and would secretly report them to Filch—everyone believed it was certainly the work of Slytherins.

On the last Hogsmeade weekend, Michael and Padma had gone on a date at Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop and were almost caught by Filch—

The caretaker had actually gone to Hogsmeade on the weekend!

It was well-known that he normally didn't like going near the wizarding village, but to catch a few sneaky students, Filch had checked every single shop one by one.

Luckily, Michael was well-liked. When a student spotted Filch, they hurried over to warn them. They scrambled back to school just in time to avoid punishment.

Filch was furious but powerless.

As everyone knows, at Hogwarts, breaking school rules isn't considered breaking the rules—as long as you don't get caught.

However, ever since that incident, they made sure to return an hour earlier.

Today, only Wade and Harry were running late because they had been practicing magic.

When there were no classes, the main castle always seemed more desolate. And the hallways were completely empty close to curfew.

Even Filch and Mrs. Norris wouldn't come around here. 

On weekend nights, they were either busy keeping track of which students hadn't returned to their common rooms on time or guarding the entrance hall to prevent students from tracking mud into the castle.

After leaving the Room of Requirement, Wade habitually glanced at Barnabas the Barmy's painting. Then he heard Harry say:

"Once the bait operation yields results, Sirius should inform us, right?"

The young savior said sincerely, "I just hope those missing kids are okay."

Wade shook his head. "This kind of operation won't yield results in the short term… it might not work at all."

"Why?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Because for wizards to disguise themselves as Muggles, especially as Muggle children, is like a husky sneaking into a pack of wolves. No matter how much they look the part, anyone paying attention can spot the difference," Wade explained. 

"Do they know local slang and dialects? Are they familiar with the latest video games? Can they navigate buses and subways?"

Harry was momentarily speechless, thinking of Mr. Weasley, who had once asked him about the purpose of a plug.

Then he retorted, "But they could use Muggle-born wizards… or wizards married to Muggles. They wouldn't make those basic mistakes."

"They might be able to disguise themselves as Muggles, but playing the role of Muggle children is much harder," Wade said. 

"The ones best suited for the bait operation are kids like you and me, who still maintain close ties with the Muggle world."

Harry felt a spark of interest and enthusiasm at these words.

"Do you think, if we suggested this to Professor Dumbledore…"

"Not a chance, forget about it! Unless every adult wizard is dead, they'd never send twelve-year-old kids into the field," Wade said decisively.

If Dumbledore alone were in charge of the operation, Harry's idea might have a slim chance. But with more decision-makers involved, risky strategies were even less likely to be approved.

Harry felt a wave of disappointment.

The two reached the corridor's corner and stopped simultaneously.

Though Gryffindor and Ravenclaw were both located in towers, the two were far apart. Besides the courtyard, the only connection was a corridor on the third floor.

So, they would have to part ways at the end of the hall.

Harry tried to cheer himself up.

"The issues you mentioned, Dumbledore and the others have surely thought of them and will refine the plan. So, the bait operation might still work, right?"

Wade hesitated for a moment before nodding.

Harry smiled.

"Think positively, Wade. Who knows? By tomorrow morning, we might wake up to good news!"

He waved, pushed open a door, and stepped onto a moving staircase. The staircase slowly turned, carrying Harry in another direction.

Behind him, Wade stepped out onto a balcony, raised his wand, and summoned his broom with the Summoning Charm.

The old broom flew through the Ravenclaw tower with a whoosh and stopped in front of Wade. Over time, the broom had grown increasingly responsive to him.

Mounting the broom, Wade didn't head straight back to his dormitory but first flew two laps above Hogwarts.

The castle looked even more majestic and magnificent under the night sky, with the spire housing the Headmaster's office resembling a little strawberry atop a cake.

Tonight, the Headmaster's office still emitted a soft glow—magic candles never had to worry about electricity bills. However, Dumbledore himself was certainly not in his office at this moment.

Thinking about Harry's earlier optimism, Wade silently dismissed it once again.

When more participants and stakeholders are involved, not only does the response become slower, but the process also becomes more cumbersome, and the person chosen for execution is often not the most suitable one.

It wasn't that Dumbledore couldn't see the issues—rather, the Headmaster never sought to consolidate power. This often meant he had to endure watching some fools grandstand before him, only to proceed to do even more foolish things.

Thus, in Wade's view, it would actually be best if the bait plan ended in failure.

If it succeeded… he would only suspect it might signify the beginning of a plan to hunt wizards.

His broom sliced through the night wind and landed on the rooftop terrace of the Ravenclaw Tower. Wade smoothed his wind-tousled hair, carried his broom, answered the eagle-shaped door knocker's question, and entered the common room.

Michael was sitting in the common room reading a book. When he saw Wade come in, he immediately waved.

"How did it go?" he asked, winking and carefully avoiding mentioning the name of the Patronus Charm in front of the others in the room.

"Very well," Wade replied.

"How long did it take you to succeed?" Michael asked with great interest.

Wade didn't hide the truth and answered directly, "Once."

"Cool!" Michael exclaimed enthusiastically. "If I didn't know how hard that spell is, I'd probably think it was as easy as a Cleaning Charm! They really should give you a Merlin Medal for this!"

He was as excited as if he had mastered the spell himself.

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