Lupin's return signaled that the rampaging mascots had all been brought under control. The other adult wizards also began returning to their tents.
Arthur Weasley followed Lupin inside. When he saw that his sons and daughter were all safe and sound, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness you're all okay. Otherwise, how would I explain this to your mother?"
"Dad, did they catch the wizard who cursed the mascots?" Ron asked.
"No, they didn't. In fact, we still haven't figured out who was behind it!" Mr. Weasley said.
"Where are Bill and Charlie?" Ginny stood on tiptoe to look behind them, then asked.
"Bill was injured, and Charlie is looking after him."
Mr. Weasley waved and said, "Come on, let's go back. Let's try to get a few hours of sleep. Tomorrow we'll grab a Portkey first thing and head home."
The Weasley kids quickly stood up and followed their father out. Just as they were leaving, George leaned in close to Wade, winked, and said:
"Don't worry, we've all agreed—we won't tell anyone about that wardrobe of yours."
The others also made a hand gesture as a vow. Wade smiled and nodded.
In fact, after his visit to Mr Flamel, Wade wasn't sure how Nicolas Flamel had contacted the Ministry of Magic, but somehow the wardrobe—enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm "for alchemical research purposes"—had already been officially registered with the magical authorities of several countries.
So, even if someone discovered the existence of the wardrobe space, it wouldn't be considered illegal.
Of course, the Ministry staff had no idea how large Wade's wardrobe actually was. Most likely, they assumed it was just a tiny storage space for materials.
Soon after, the other children's guardians also arrived one after another to take their kids home. The adults all wore anxious and exhausted expressions. Too weary for small talk, they simply gave a brief greeting and quietly left.
In the end, only Lupin, Wade, Harry, and Hermione remained.
Before going to bed, Harry asked, "When is Sirius coming back?"
"I don't know. Maybe he found another trail of a dark wizard and went chasing after him again."
Lupin looked a little worried. He said gently, "He hasn't contacted me yet. As soon as I hear from him, I'll let you all know right away."
Sirius did this kind of thing often. Harry couldn't help but sigh over his worrisome godfather and said, "Remus, you should get some rest too."
"Alright." Lupin smiled and watched the children return to their bedrooms.
That night, even though everyone was completely exhausted, few were able to fall asleep.
Wade lay on the bed fully clothed. As he turned over, he could still faintly hear the distant, indistinct sound of someone crying.
Not everyone had the chance to sleep peacefully—those violent leprechauns and Veela had been extremely brutal, and in the end, some people lost their loved ones.
The Ministry of Magic couldn't produce enough Portkeys on such short notice. There were very few wizards both capable of and authorized to make them, and the top priority was to get the injured to the hospital.
So those who were only lightly injured, those who had been frightened out of their wits, and some of the families of the deceased had to temporarily remain at this nightmare-like campsite, where Ministry officials arranged for them to rest.
The intermittent crying made Wade's head buzz.
He turned over several times in bed and, thinking that the others were probably already asleep, got up, went downstairs, and poured himself a glass of butterbeer.
After hesitating for a while, he didn't take a single sip. Instead, he reached for a can of coffee.
With the coffee in hand, he walked outside the tent and sat where he'd chatted with Bill earlier, looking up at the sky. A few dim stars were hidden between the clouds.
Hoo—hoo—hoo—
A low, slow owl call echoed from the distance. No other animal responded, making the sound seem especially bleak and lonely.
As if responding to that cry, a deep, indescribable melancholy welled up in his heart. It felt like it was gnawing inch by inch at his chest, leaving him cold.
Wade recalled this night in the original story... He couldn't remember if anyone had been killed—probably not. The most vivid image was the Dark Mark rising in the sky.
But now...
Just as Wade was lost in thought, something flickered in front of his eyes, catching his attention.
He focused and looked out over the overgrown land. A moment later, a squirrel poked its head out from the grass. Its round eyes cautiously watched Wade with its ears perked forward and tiny paws tucked against its chest.
Wade: "..."
He rubbed his eyes and looked again—this time the squirrel boldly ran right up to him with its fluffy tail held high, and it let out a series of sharp "squeak squeak" sounds with a serious expression on its face.
Wade slowly blinked, and one thought filled his mind: Should I pretend not to recognize who this is... and take the opportunity to catch it... maybe play a little prank?
Maybe give it to Harry as a pet... That would be hilarious...
As Wade's sense of morality wrestled with the temptation to prank, the squirrel gave up on squeaking and instead bent down to scratch out a line of text in the dirt with its tiny claws:
[I'm Sirius Black. Someone turned me into this. Take me to Dumbledore.]
Wade: "..."
He was briefly disappointed, then reached out and scooped the squirrel up into his hand. Looking into its dark eyes, he asked, "You're really Sirius?"
The squirrel nodded solemnly, with its big tail swaying behind it.
"All right. I'll go find Dumbledore right away."
As Wade spoke, he casually placed the squirrel on his shoulder and stuffed a communication bean into his ear. "Contact Albus Dumbledore."
Moments later, he heard the prompt sound of the communication being connected.
...
Bang!
"Look at what your Irish team's mascots did! Was that a performance—or an attempted murder?"
"They are beloved by everyone in our country, and they behaved perfectly during the match! The only reason they went berserk must be because someone tampered with our adorable mascots!"
"Exactly! It was the British Ministry of Magic's failure to maintain security that caused this incident! You owe us an explanation!"
"Our British mascots didn't go mad and attack the audience!"
"Yeah, because they didn't even qualify to participate in the match!"
"Gentlemen, gentlemen, this isn't the time to be assigning blame. We should be discussing how to resolve the situation and, more importantly, identifying the wizard who cursed the mascots."
"In my entire career, I've never encountered anything like this! We lost twelve Veela! Do you have any idea how great a loss that is?"
Wade hadn't even gotten close to the enormous and lavish tent before he heard the fierce argument going on inside.
Dumbledore quickly stepped out of the tent with a look of helplessness and exhaustion on his face.
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