"Helora Paris? She's still alive?"
The Senior, who had seemed listless after being denied her freedom for so long, instantly perked up at the sound of that name.
"Yes... She said that once you saw this, you'd understand." Wade took a small golden box from his pocket.
"Yes... this belongs to her!" the Senior said excitedly as she looked at the little golden box. "She once said this box could hold a large amount of food, and anything placed inside would remain fresh indefinitely. You know, we always thought there was some kind of magic inside it that could stop or slow time... She treasured this thing very much. I never expected her to give it to you."
The Senior had believed all her close friends were already dead, so hearing that one of them was still alive filled her face with unmistakable joy.
"She's working as the castle caretaker at Hogwarts now. She told me she's old and no longer wants to wander, so she's returned to where she belongs," Wade said.
"I see... She must be very old now. She was already quite advanced in age when what happened to me took place." The Senior's eyes were filled with nostalgia.
Something occurred to Wade. "She was already old when you first knew her?"
"Yes..."
"She wasn't your classmate?"
"Classmate? Of course not. I only met her after I graduated, and she was already quite old then. That's why I'm so surprised. To be honest, after all these years, considering her age, I thought..."
Wade rubbed his chin, then drew his wand. White mist spread out and soon condensed in the air into the image of Helora Paris.
"Did she look like this when you knew her?"
"Yes. She must be very old now..." the Senior said nostalgically as she looked at Helora's image.
"No... this is what she looks like now," Wade said.
The Senior stared at him in shock. "You mean she's looked like this the entire time?"
"Seems that way..." Wade sighed. "Your friend doesn't appear to be so simple either."
"She was never simple... All right, I need to see her," the Senior suddenly said. "If what you're saying is true, then perhaps she can help you free me. You might have had to take some risks before, but with her here, you definitely won't need to anymore."
"Do you need me to show her the way?"
"She was the one who buried me. Why would she need you to show her the way? She'll probably come to see me before long. All right, I know what you're thinking, Wade. But this is a reunion between two women after many years. What would it look like if you stayed around to listen? I never knew you were this nosy."
Wade had already expected this, so he was not particularly disappointed.
Besides, it was not really gossip. He had simply wanted to gather more information from their conversation.
Still, if the Senior did not agree, then so be it. He had already learned plenty of useful information from these two conversations.
And he had other ways to find out what kind of person Helora Paris really was.
...
"Can you make equipment that meets these requirements?"
Inside the goblin workshop, Wade handed a sheet covered in requirements to one of the goblin craftsmen.
After quickly reading through it, the goblin nodded.
"It should be possible. What form would you like the equipment to take, my lord? A necklace? A pocket watch? Or something else?"
"Can you integrate all these functions into the ring I had you make last time?" Wade asked.
"It will be somewhat difficult, but it can be done. The cost may be rather high, however," the goblin craftsman replied honestly.
"Make one prototype for me first. And when it's finished, give me the blueprint and a list of the required materials as well," Wade said. "Also, if you need to buy any new materials, you can have those wizards who are like you go and purchase them."
By "wizards who were like them," Wade meant the Dark Wizards enslaved by the Senior. They were perfectly suited to buying materials on behalf of the goblins.
Otherwise, a group of strange goblins going around purchasing materials would attract far too much attention.
The goblin craftsman took Wade's ring and respectfully withdrew.
The advantage of having a goblin workshop was that Wade no longer had to personally handle every aspect of researching equipment.
He only needed to specify what he wanted, and they could help develop it.
...
The weather had turned cold unusually early that year.
It was only the end of September, yet the students already needed to take out all their thick clothes.
"I know a small Warming Charm that can keep you as comfortable as spring even in the middle of winter," Tom said.
"That would be wonderful! Then I wouldn't have to dress so bulky!" Anne said excitedly.
"Teach us quickly," Flitwick urged, rubbing his hands together.
Hagrid foolishly took a sip from his cup of pumpkin juice, then asked in confusion, "Is it really that cold?"
"Cold? It's freezing! Ah... I'm so jealous of your build, Hagrid. You're tall and strong, and you don't even seem to feel the cold!" Flitwick was standing on a chair, yet he still had to crane his neck to look up at Hagrid.
"Really... I don't actually want to be this big. People are always staring at me strangely." Hagrid bent down, picked Flitwick up, and set him on the table as though he were carrying a baby.
Flitwick laughed heartily and did not mind at all. He rather enjoyed the view from higher up.
"Haha, people already look at me strangely anyway, so I might as well be taller. At least I'd be happier..."
"Tom, did Wade teach you this little Warming Charm too?" Anne asked curiously.
"No! He didn't teach me this one." Tom inexplicably straightened his back. "I have my own foundation too, you know?"
The little Warming Charm was very simple. Even Hagrid, who was not particularly gifted at learning spells, managed to cast it successfully under Flitwick's careful guidance.
The four of them stood by the window of the club room, watching the snow drift outside.
After a while, Anne began taking off her thick clothes.
"Where did Wade go?"
Tom shrugged. "I saw him leave with Headmaster Dippet just now. No idea what they went to discuss."
Hagrid said enviously, "...He's amazing. He can always talk and laugh so naturally with important people like that. If I stood in front of them, my legs would probably start shaking."
"I don't really want to say it, but... he really is different from us," Tom said with a complicated expression.
Everyone fell silent again.
That was true.
What normal third-year student could kill so many Dark Wizards right after the start of term?
"Why are all of you gathered here?" Wade asked as he approached from a distance.
When Tom saw Wade wrapped up tightly and looking as though he were shivering, an inexplicable burst of joy rose in his heart.
Wade clearly did not know the Warming Charm!
This time, I, Tom, win!
Wade looked at the smug expression on Tom's face in confusion.
"Anne, aren't you cold dressed like that?" Wade asked.
"Not at all!" Anne puffed out her chest, trying to show off her still-developing figure. Admittedly, she did look better than when bundled up in bulky winter clothes. "Tom taught us a little Warming Charm! Do you want to try it?"
"Oh?" Wade now understood why Tom looked so proud. "Let me see..."
He moved closer and examined them for a moment before shaking his head.
"Anne, you'd better put your clothes back on. Tom barely learned this spell properly, and he still dared to teach it to you? And you actually learned it from him? Be careful or you'll freeze yourself sick."
"How could that happen? I don't feel cold at all..." Anne protested.
"If you don't believe me, put your hand against your face and see," Wade said.
Anne did as he said and immediately discovered, to her surprise, that her hand was as cold as ice.
"Tom's spell only stops you from feeling the cold. In reality, your body is still cold. So this spell should only be used when you're already wearing thick clothes but still feel chilly..."
"Achoo!"
Before Wade could finish, Anne let out a huge sneeze.
She pitifully put the winter clothes she had just removed back on.
Flitwick stared in astonishment. "Good thing I didn't get carried away just now..."
The pride on Tom's face had completely turned into frustration.
"The book didn't say..."
"You have to test things in practice first, Tom. It's better to have no books than to believe everything written in them without question." Wade took out a potion and handed it to Anne.
After Anne drank it, white steam began puffing from her nose and ears, making her look like the locomotive of the Hogwarts Express.
"What did you talk about with Headmaster Dippet just now?" Tom asked.
"I asked him who Ms Paris really is," Wade replied.
Since Headmaster Dippet had agreed to let Ms Paris become the castle caretaker, that meant he must already know who she was.
After all, he had investigated her before.
"What did the Headmaster say?"
Wade shrugged. "He told me she can be trusted completely and unconditionally. As for who she actually is, he wouldn't tell me."
The others were all surprised by that answer.
"Headmaster Dippet trusts Ms Paris that much? I remember you saying before that he investigated her because he suspected something was wrong with her," Tom said in surprise. "Could he have..."
"Headmaster Dippet isn't under the Imperius Curse," Wade said directly.
"All right..." Tom nodded.
If Wade said the Headmaster was not cursed, then he probably was not.
"Why are you so curious about Ms Paris's identity?" Anne asked. "How about... I ask that man?"
"No need. The only reason I'm curious about her identity is because the pastries she makes are unbelievably good."
Wade took out the golden box and shared some of Ms Paris's pastries with his companions.
Tom looked at Wade suspiciously.
He did not believe for a second that Wade had gone investigating Ms Paris just because her pastries tasted good.
"Oh, right... Professor Dumbledore is starting to crack under the pressure, so we'll probably begin learning dark magic in Defence Against the Dark Arts this week," Wade said. "Headmaster Dippet just told us about it and said we should be prepared."
"I don't like dark magic..." Flitwick frowned.
Tom scratched his cheek.
"I used to like it quite a lot... It's just that I really don't have much talent for dark magic. It's hard for me to learn, and even when I do, the power is pretty average..."
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Read 12 Advance Chapters—P@t- Captain69