Chapter 134: Destroying the Diadem

Filch's eerie voice echoed from a nearby room: "Either get to work, or get expelled. You can choose." The voice came from an open room, and through the slightly ajar door, Wade saw Malfoy glaring furiously at Filch. After a moment of tense silence, Malfoy finally picked up a rag and started wiping down the seemingly endless number of candlesticks on the shelves. Filch continued to grumble beside him: "I'm telling you, Dumbledore is far too soft. Dealing with rule-breaking little brats like you, they should be strung up and given a good thrashing..." Wade walked away, passing through the dimly lit corridor. ... Saturday arrived quickly. Wade had already coordinated with Lupin in advance. Early in the morning, while the other students were still sleeping, he brought Michael to the Room of Requirement. Not long after, Theo and Ryan arrived as well. Then came Zoe. Michael and the others were quite surprised to see a house-elf there and couldn't help but curiously observe her. Zoe nervously fidgeted with her tea towel and bowed to each of them. "If you're ready, let's head out," Wade said as he opened the cabinet door. "Who's going first?" "I'll go!" Michael eagerly stepped in first. Then Theo and Ryan followed. Wade stayed behind for a moment and crouched down to talk to the house-elf. "Zoe, wait for my signal. When I contact you, open the cabinet door, okay?" The Vanishing Cabinet didn't require any extra spells—closing the door triggered the transport. However, to get out, someone had to open the door from the outside, as those inside couldn't open it themselves. So, using the cabinet meant having someone reliable on the other side, ready to open the door when needed. Zoe nodded and whispered softly, "Master Wade Grey can rest assured, Zoe will complete the task." Wade smiled and gently patted her head. "You don't have to stay here the whole time. If all goes as planned, we'll be back before curfew. I'll send you a message in the Book of Friends when we're about to return," Wade said. "Understood," Zoe nodded. Wade stepped into the cabinet and closed the door, plunging the surroundings into darkness. Almost instantly, the cabinet door opened again. And Lupin was standing outside the door, smiling at him. "Incredible!" Michael exclaimed. "We just left the school so easily." "Where are we?" Ryan asked as he looked around in confusion. "We're still in the Scottish Highlands, two mountains away from Hogwarts." Lupin said to Wade, "As you requested, there are no wizards, no Muggles nearby, and hardly any vegetation or wildlife." Wade surveyed the area and nodded slightly. It was a desolate and rugged mountain, littered with rocks and covered in sparse moss and weeds. "Wade, what are we here to do?" Michael asked. Everyone looked at Wade as they waited for his answer. "Tom... also known as the Dark Lord... he invaded the school last year, which you all know," Wade began. Seeing Theo and the others nod in silent acknowledgment, he continued, "I found something at the school... possibly a dark artifact he left behind." "We're here to destroy it." "Voldemort's secret weapon?" Lupin frowned. "He's still trying to meddle with Hogwarts?" Lupin didn't hesitate to say Voldemort's name, though the three young wizards visibly paled at the mention. "Why not leave this to Professor Dumbledore to handle, Wade?" Ryan asked. "Don't you... trust the headmaster?" "Of course I trust him. When it comes to fighting the dark arts, there's probably no one more reliable than Dumbledore," Wade replied. "But... guys, Dumbledore is over a hundred years old." "I'm not saying his reflexes have slowed or that his magic is any weaker. But... he's been fighting this battle for so many years, carrying countless burdens. Everyone has become so used to depending on him, placing all the responsibility on his shoulders." "But... Why should we dump something we can handle ourselves on an old man?" "We can rely on Dumbledore, but who does Dumbledore have to rely on?" Everyone was deeply moved, and even Lupin's face showed a trace of guilt. Dumbledore was like a symbol, a beacon of hope. When it came to Voldemort or dark wizards, everyone's first instinct was always the same: tell Dumbledore and let him handle it. Few seemed to realize that a man over a hundred years old, in any other context, should have been enjoying a peaceful retirement. Of course, there were additional reasons why Wade didn't want to involve Dumbledore. Besides wanting to act independently without needing the White Wizard's guidance, he had two more concerns. One reason was that he didn't want to face Dumbledore too early and end up as a pawn on his chessboard. The second reason was that Wade didn't want Dumbledore to confirm the existence of Horcruxes too soon and rush off to the Riddle house. In the original storyline, Dumbledore found the Resurrection Stone ring there and got cursed by Voldemort's magic because he put the ring on to see his sister Ariana once more, leading to his death a year later. If Wade's "butterfly effect" caused Dumbledore to die even earlier, he feared the following years would be even harder, and Voldemort might resurrect sooner than expected. There was no need to say more. Everyone was already in full agreement with Wade's reasoning. Lupin had already scouted a large cave nearby, and together they moved a large stone to completely block the entrance. Wade then explained why they were taking these precautions: "Tom's weapon contains immense magical power, and regular spells won't be effective. From what I've gathered, only Fiendfyre can completely destroy it." Wade had previously confirmed with Lupin that he knew the Fiendfyre curse. Wizards who had experienced war were often proficient in the three Unforgivable Curses, not to mention other dark magic. In fact, casting Fiendfyre wasn't the most difficult part—it was controlling it. Wizards who lacked the necessary skill could easily be consumed by their own spell, resulting in catastrophic consequences. Just like in the original story, when Crabbe cast Fiendfyre and ended up being burned to death by it. "We'd better clear the weeds around here," Theo suggested. "I've heard that Fiendfyre burns anything that can catch fire." So, they spent another hour meticulously clearing any combustible material inside and outside the cave. "That should do it," Wade said, choosing a bare stone inside the cave. They piled some wood on top of it. Wade took out the magic-sealing box from his bag and, using tongs, carefully placed the diadem on the stone. His cautious and solemn demeanor made it impossible for the others to view the situation lightly. The diadem appeared dull and gray, with its gemstones lacking any luster. Michael didn't recognize it as the legendary diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw. After all, that diadem had vanished over a thousand years ago along with its owner. Even though the statue in the Ravenclaw common room wore a replica of it, what difference did that make? For over a thousand years, every year there were students who made imitations of the diadem, pretending they too had attained supreme wisdom. The diadem sat quietly on the stone, showing no signs of any special power, nor did it emit any dark magic aura. Lupin motioned for the students to step behind him. He pointed his wand toward the diadem and said, "Fiendfyre!" A fierce flame shot out, igniting the pile of wood. The flames roared and grew larger in an instant. "Get out!" Lupin shouted. They hurried out of the cave, ready to lower the large stone to seal the entrance, and their eyes were fixed on the direction of the flames. Perhaps because there wasn't much to burn, the Fiendfyre wasn't enormous, but its twisting flames constantly morphed into various beasts—an erumpent, a dragon, a leopard... Suddenly, a massive black figure rose from the flames. It writhed and howled in a sharp, agonized scream and then it surged forward with the Fiendfyre, rushing at the group near the cave entrance! Boom! The boulder crashed down, sealing the entrance. A few sparks slipped through the cracks. "Wade..." After a long moment, Wade heard Michael, wide-eyed and dazed, whisper weakly: "Why did that shadow... look just like Tom himself?" "...Just a trick of the light, right?" Theo murmured. -------------------------------- ????????Please consider supporting this translation project by becoming a P@treon member!!! Your support is greatly appreciated! Available on my P@treon page for just $4!! 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