Chapter 277: The Three

In the azure sea, a few sharks thrashed and rolled as they fought over food, churning up waves in their frenzy.

Leaning against the ship's railing, some fishermen watched with amused curiosity, guessing which unlucky fish had fallen prey to the sharks.

They were oblivious to the two terrified pairs of eyes watching them from within the ship's cabin.

In the skies above, Wade had resumed his peregrine falcon form. 

He circled for a while, ensuring Peter Pettigrew's corpse was completely consumed by the sharks below. Only then did he feel reassured and turn back toward the Hogwarts Express.

Wade held Peter Pettigrew in deep contempt, but he also regarded him with caution.

During the Wizarding War, each side had its own spy.

On Voldemort's side, it was Professor Snape, of course. On the Order of the Phoenix's side, the mole was none other than Peter Pettigrew.

For over a year before Voldemort's downfall, Peter secretly passed information to the Dark Lord without ever being exposed.

Those closest to him considered him a trusted ally, and even someone as brilliant as Dumbledore never suspected him to be the betrayer.

—Just as Voldemort never suspected that Snape had long since betrayed him.

But Peter could never have anticipated that the master he chose would be defeated by an infant, forcing him to fake his own death and live in hiding as a rat for over a decade.

Later, when Peter was exposed once again, he single-handedly located the weakened Voldemort and played a crucial role in his resurrection, ultimately sparking the Second Wizarding War.

For this reason, Wade would never allow Peter to escape and gain another chance.

He had come prepared to kill.

Fortunately, the ocean provided a natural graveyard. Once Wade inflicted severe enough injuries on Peter Pettigrew, nature took care of the rest as marine predators consumed him.

The peregrine falcon once again cut swiftly through the clouds, racing against time. Before the train reached the station, Wade flew through the window and returned to the compartment.

A gust of wind accompanied his entry, and Michael squinted as he pressed down his tousled hair. When he looked up, Wade was standing before him.

Wade's clothes were slightly disheveled, and his entire body was damp with water droplets clinging to his hair and eyebrows.

"Did you fall into the sea?" Michael asked, astonished.

"Pretty much," Wade replied with a smile.

He muttered a few incantations under his breath, drying his clothes and hair instantly. Although his outfit remained a bit wrinkled, he didn't seem to care.

"What happened?" Theo asked. After a pause, he added, "If it's inconvenient to talk about, then forget it."

"It's nothing much."

Wade sat down, gulping down an entire bottle of water. After a moment's thought, he said, "You'll probably read about it in the papers soon—Peter Pettigrew escaped from prison."

"What?!"

The group was startled, immediately thinking of the man who had disguised himself as a schoolmate's pet.

"This happened this morning?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah," Wade replied. "I'd left a tracking signal on him. As soon as he escaped, I was alerted."

"So…" Theo swallowed hard. "You just now… went to…"

"Don't worry… I didn't kill anyone…"

—Not directly.

"But that guy won't be showing up again," Wade said calmly.

The other three stared at him blankly, as if they suddenly couldn't understand English.

"The train is about to arrive at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters in London. Please make sure to take all your belongings with you…"

The announcement echoed through the train.

They turned to look outside and saw the train slowing down. 

On the platform, parents were waiting to pick up their children. Some impatient students were already leaning halfway out of the windows, vigorously waving to greet their families.

Wade spotted the Grey couple, standing with a man who looked quite intimidating. He leaned on a pair of crutches, with one of his peculiar eyes spinning around unnervingly.

Wade couldn't help but smile.

Peace is the most precious thing ordinary people possess.

Without peace, everything else—like smoke—can be blown away by the winds of war, leaving nothing but chaos behind.

…

On the grimy fishing boat, the fishermen lay sprawled about, snoring loudly.

Two figures emerged from the cabin and leaned over the railing to peer below.

Naturally, they saw nothing.

Peter Pettigrew had already met his end in the belly of a shark… Even if he had survived, the boat had sailed several nautical miles away by now.

"Did… did you see that?" one of them stammered.

"No kidding!" snapped the other, fumbling for a cheap cigarette he'd found in the cabin. He tried to light it but realized his hand was trembling uncontrollably.

He clasped his right hand with his other hand, then turned his head to look to the side.

The light of the setting sun reflected on their faces, painting them a warm red.

If not for the glow, they might have noticed that their faces were equally pale and filled with terror.

One of them had golden hair and a strikingly handsome appearance. Even though he was now haggard and disheveled, he still carried the air of a prince in distress.

It was none other than Gilderoy Lockhart, who had been sent to Azkaban not long ago.

The man beside him had sunken eyes, a gaunt frame, and long, matted hair. His ten fingernails were blackened with dirt, and his entire body was caked with filth that had accumulated over countless years.

He looked eerily similar to Sirius Black when he had first been brought out of Azkaban.

They were comrades who had escaped from Azkaban together.

Azkaban, a natural fortress, had never experienced a successful prison break before.

Recently, Lockhart had been sentenced, and Ministry officials had been tasked with escorting him to Azkaban.

However, the officials underestimated Lockhart's skill with spells—after all, by all accounts, he appeared to be nothing more than an inept fraud, and in many ways, he was.

Yet, despite his incompetence, there was one spell Lockhart had mastered to perfection: the Memory Charm.

Previously, he had relied on a wand to cast the Memory Charm. But after his wand was broken and he endured the torment of the Dementors in Azkaban, something extraordinary happened: the ordeal awakened an inner resolve and strength that Lockhart had never possessed before.

Through sheer determination, he managed to learn how to perform the Memory Charm without a wand.

Not all Azkaban guards were Dementors. After all, the prison also housed inmates guilty of lesser crimes, and at times, individuals awaiting trial were also detained there.

Thus, in addition to the Dementors, Ministry officials often patrolled the prison. Lockhart seized the opportunity to cast a Memory Charm, overpowering one of the officials, taking his wand and the keys in his possession.

He later encountered the man beside him and helped him escape along with Peter Pettigrew.

The three of them had grand plans following their escape... but fate had other ideas. Before they could even reach the mainland, one of them—Peter—was already dead.

"Gale, did you see who killed Peter?" Lockhart asked.

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