Invitation

## 133. Invitation

News came from the Book of Friends. Theo opened the door to the Vanishing Cabinet and saw a disheveled Wade, his hair plastered to his forehead with sweat, looking incredibly exhausted.

"What happened?" Theo reached out to help him. "You look like you wrestled a Dragon."

"Honestly, I'd rather have faced a Dragon," Wade said.

Legilimency seemed like magic purely related to consciousness or the brain, but resisting it made Wade feel like every muscle in his body was straining.

By the time the practice ended, there wasn't a single spot on him that didn't ache.

Theo asked in astonishment, "You can handle a Dragon now?"

"No, I mean... if I were facing a Dragon, I'd run away as fast as I could."

Wade said, exasperated, "But this suffering... I brought it on myself."

As the two of them packed up to leave, Wade inadvertently noticed the parchment Theo used for his notes.

After the Vanishing Cabinet was completely perfected, they had naturally experimented with it, and each time had been a success.

Even though this time, the experimental results didn't require comparison or analysis, Theo still meticulously recorded everything, seemingly with no intention of discarding the notes anytime soon.

It was just like his performance in Potions Class.

Even though Theo wasn't particularly skilled in Potions, his meticulousness and diligence were unparalleled.

After more than a year, Wade had come to understand his companions very well.

Michael was quick-witted and empathetic. He appeared frivolous but was actually shrewd and farsighted.

Many times, Wade felt that Michael was actually very clever, but he rarely showed it.

Ryan didn't talk much, but he always meticulously paid attention to everyone, quietly solving problems without ever boasting.

For example, when the target in the Umbrella Room broke, or when the little crab malfunctioned, it was always Ryan who quietly fixed them.

Michael's words echoed in Wade's mind.

"Theo."

As they were leaving, Wade said, "Starting tomorrow, we'll begin learning the Stunning Spell."

"Alright!" Theo smiled. "Finally, a new spell! Everyone has already mastered the Shield Charm and the Disarming Charm; we've been looking forward to learning powerful new spells for ages."

"Mastering doesn't mean proficient use, but once you've got these three spells down, you can pretty much consider yourself a Wizard capable of practical combat."

Wade hesitated for a moment, then said, "If we can successfully learn the Stunning Spell before next Friday, then you and I, plus Michael and Ryan, the four of us will have a... well, a club activity this Saturday."

Theo asked in surprise, "Just the four of us?"

"Yes, just the four of us."

Wade affirmed, then added, "The activity won't be anything pleasant... you don't have to come if you don't want to."

"...I understand."

Theo's expression grew more serious; he sensed Wade's hesitation.

He both wanted them to come along and wanted to exclude them.

Theo smiled easily. "No matter what those two say, I'm definitely going... Will it be dangerous?"

"The danger isn't now," Wade said. "It's in the future... and it's connected to the one whose name cannot be spoken."

Theo gasped. "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named... has he snuck into the school again?"

"Not exactly," Wade said. "If all goes well, we might not have to do anything at all."

"You've made me far too curious... Can't you tell me more?"

"Some secrets cannot be spoken, not now... nor in the future..."

...

Back in the dormitory, Wade saw a whole coconut on his desk and immediately burst out laughing.

Coconut water was sweet, refreshing, and nutritious. Zoe and the others probably thought he needed a quick nutrient boost right now.

He drank the water, washed up, and went to bed, his exhaustion quickly pulling him into a deep sleep.

In the following days, SSC began learning the Stunning Spell. Theo and the others worked exceptionally hard, and Harry always stayed until the very end.

However, his reason for doing so was that only in the Umbrella Room could he guarantee not running into Lockhart and Colin Creevey.

The new professor, Gilderoy Lockhart, always unilaterally believed that Harry craved attention just as much as he did, and every word he spoke made Harry so embarrassed he wanted to crawl into a hole.

And Colin Creevey "coincidentally" met Harry several times a day, always wanting to take his picture. This almost stalker-like flattery made Harry deeply uncomfortable.

Because of this, he always spent most of his time in the Umbrella Room to find some peace.

Michael privately asked Wade, "Aren't you going to invite Harry? You know, he... well... he easily burned He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named to a crisp."

"No need. Even if he is The Boy Who Lived, frequent contact with that guy isn't a good thing."

Wade vaguely brushed off the question, then added, "If you're afraid to say the name, how about a code name?"

"—A code name?"

"How about Tom?" Wade asked.

"Tom? The owner of The Leaky Cauldron?"

Michael had a sudden realization. "Actually, you mean Tom from that Muggle cartoon, Tom and Jerry, right? I've secretly watched some..."

He elaborated on his association.

"That person is like Tom; though strong, he always gets played by the little mouse. And we are Jerry... Uh... Jerry?"

Michael paused, a bit conflicted.

Ravenclaws referred to themselves as "eagles," and wouldn't consider themselves little mice.

But then, thinking that Voldemort was merely equivalent to a constantly failing blue cat, Michael decided the Jerry mouse analogy wasn't so bad after all.

He superimposed the terrifying image of the Dark Lord from his imagination onto Tom the cat, and recalling the plot, burst out laughing.

Wade smiled too.

He had excluded Harry from the start.

After all, this time, they weren't facing Voldemort himself, but merely a Horcrux.

Such things were best handled quietly.

If Harry were also involved, a resurrected Voldemort might later extract this information from Harry's mind, adding fatal risk to everyone for no reason.

He just wanted his friends to know what he was doing and to provide some help if necessary, not to lead them to their deaths.

...

A week passed quickly. On Monday and Wednesday, Wade was confined for detention twice more by Professor Sprout.

Detention was a punishment for breaking school rules, not a reward.

So, during the latter two detentions, Professor Sprout spent one hour teaching him knowledge and the other hour having him do chores.

Fertilizing, transplanting, pest control, pollination...

After each detention, Wade benefited greatly but was also left with a sore back and aching muscles.

On his way back to the castle, he heard Malfoy's voice: "I'm not a servant! If my father knew you dared to make me do this, he'd make you get out of this school!"

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