Chapter 216: The De-Ageing Potion 【2in1】

Harry stood frozen in place with his mouth slightly agape, and his eyes followed the eagle as it soared gracefully around the room. For a moment, his mind couldn't quite process what he was seeing. —Isn't Remus's Patronus a wolf? How did it become an eagle? Could Patronuses actually change shape...? It wasn't until the eagle landed lightly on Wade's shoulder and dissolved into silvery mist that the truth dawned on him. "Outstanding! Wade, absolutely outstanding!" Lupin clapped his hands in delight. "I've never seen anyone succeed on their first try—not even heard of it!" Wade smiled modestly, and lowered his gaze to his wand while savoring the lingering sensations from just moments ago. The Patronus Charm... What an extraordinary piece of magic. It felt as if the spell had transported him back to that cherished memory. Even though the Patronus had vanished, the joy and happiness it embodied still lingered warmly within him. Lupin noticed Harry's expression and immediately added, "Of course, Harry, you were excellent too! I saw the silver mist forming at the tip of your wand—that's an exceptional achievement." Harry suddenly felt a bit embarrassed. He instinctively tucked his wand behind his back and enthusiastically chimed in, "That was incredible, Wade, really impressive!" His compliment sounded awkward and forced, like a bad actor reading off a script. Realizing this, he quickly adjusted and said, "Seriously, it's so cool!" This time, his tone was much more genuine. "A Patronus in the form of an eagle—that's just so cool! Absolutely amazing, Wade!" Wade couldn't help but smile broadly. The success of the Patronus Charm was one reason for his delight. But another, more personal one lay hidden: both Animagi forms and Patronuses reflect the inner strength of the wizard who casts them, and they often share the same or similar shape. Now, he could finally set aside some of his lingering worries. Overwhelmed with happiness, Wade was more than willing to share his experience with Harry. "In addition to channeling happy emotions, the mechanics of casting this spell are no different from any other," Wade explained. "Confidence and a strong sense of purpose are crucial. You need to understand what brings you happiness and why you're casting the spell. That clarity makes all the difference." Encouraged by Wade's advice, Harry raised his wand again with renewed determination. Harry racked his brain for happy memories, but everything before he turned eleven was utterly devoid of joy. After starting school, he realized he had been happy at times, but now, as he searched for pure moments of joy, he found they were surprisingly few. He recalled the first time he rode a broomstick, the thrill of catching the Golden Snitch for the first time, and winning the decisive points for Gryffindor in a Quidditch match... "Expecto Patronum!" Silvery mist billowed from the tip of his wand, and it faintly took the shape of a large animal. Harry gripped his wand tightly with both hands, and felt utterly exhausted. "Faith!" Wade emphasized. "A Patronus isn't just a showpiece. What do you want it to protect? That conviction is the source of your strength." ... They practiced sporadically until evening. Although Harry's Patronus hadn't fully formed yet, its shape was becoming clearer: a tall, majestic animal resembling a horse. Its powerful, well-defined body, four hooves, and flowing tail were now distinguishable. Lupin showered Harry with praise, even mentioning that his father, James, had taken an entire week of practice to reach the level Harry had achieved in one day. This bolstered Harry's spirits, and he resolved to practice more when they returned to school. Meanwhile, as Harry worked on his spell, Wade became more adept at controlling his own Patronus. He even managed to send Lupin a short message through it, which was surprisingly successful. However, the effort of maintaining the spell over long distances quickly drained his magical reserves, causing the Patronus to dissipate mid-way. This made it clear that the spell wasn't as practical as something like a telephone for communication. Still, sending messages was one of the Patronus's least important uses. Its primary purpose was to repel dark magic and creatures. It wasn't just Dementors that feared the Patronus; other creatures, like Acromantulas, were also wary of it. However, wizards rarely used such advanced magic to deal with them. ... After dinner, Sirius returned home. "That was rough!" he exclaimed as soon as he entered, directing his complaints at Lupin. "The more we investigate, the worse it gets! That official sent by MACUSA doesn't even care about the missing Muggle students—" "Sirius!" Lupin interrupted him urgently. It was only then that Sirius noticed the two young wizards sitting at the dining table. "Oh! Harry, Wade! How's your Patronus practice going?" Sirius greeted them with a wave. "Not bad," Harry replied quickly, then asked, "Sirius, have you been investigating the Caryll disappearance?" "Of course!" Sirius, who looked travel-worn, initially intended to head upstairs to change, but upon hearing the question, he paused and pulled out a chair to sit near the dining table. "You wouldn't believe it until you dig into it. It turns out this situation is much bigger than we thought. At Hogwarts, at most, one or two Muggle-born students are abducted each year, but in other countries..." "Sirius!" Lupin interjected disapprovingly. "The kids don't need to know about this!" "Don't be so rigid, Remus," Sirius waved him off. "Wade and Harry aren't just ordinary kids. They've faced Voldemort already—there's no need to hide this from them." Lupin sighed, clearly exasperated, and reluctantly relented. "Fine. You can share the basics of your findings, but don't forget the parts Dumbledore specifically told you to keep secret." A flicker of discomfort crossed Sirius's face; it was clear he had momentarily forgotten that detail. However, he casually replied, "Of course! I haven't forgotten at all!" Lupin: "..." Lupin's expression said otherwise, but he decided to drop the matter. He abandoned his plans to tidy up the room and sat quietly nearby to watch Sirius closely. Under Lupin's scrutiny, Sirius seemed to lose his train of thought. After a moment of recollection, he spoke, but his words veered into a seemingly unrelated topic. "Harry's name was recorded in the Hogwarts roster the moment he was born, but Wade..." He glanced at the quiet boy beside him and asked: "It's said that you never displayed any magical abilities before receiving your letter. How did Hogwarts even know you had wizarding talent?" "Yeah, why?" Harry couldn't help but ask and turned to Wade. "Didn't anything unusual ever happen to you? Like your hair suddenly growing back, or you finding yourself on a rooftop without knowing how you got there?" Wade shook his head. "No." Lupin explained: "Some young wizards who are naturally calm and whose magic is relatively stable might not display accidental magic. Wade's lack of incidents suggests his life never presented situations where magic was needed, so he lived much like an ordinary person." "But how did Hogwarts manage to pick him out of so many people?" Harry asked curiously. Wade, though already aware of the answer, also turned his attention to Sirius, and waited for him to elaborate. Sirius grinned and said, "I only learned this recently—Hogwarts has something called the Book of Admittance and the Quill of Acceptance. They've existed even longer than the castle itself." "The Quill of Acceptance detects the birth of every child with magical potential and writes their name in the Book of Admittance. The book is incredibly strict in its judgment of talent, ensuring that no Squib is ever admitted by mistake." "The Book and Quill have never made a mistake, ensuring that every magically gifted child on this land is recorded. That's why the number of young wizards taken from Britain is so small." "But other magical schools have different methods of selecting students," Sirius continued. "Some rely on divination or dreams, which can lead to errors or omissions." "Some magical schools use detection networks similar to those of the Ministry of Magic. If there's a notable surge of magical energy, they'll investigate immediately. But children like Wade can easily slip through the cracks," Sirius explained. "Others, like Durmstrang, only accept young witches and wizards from pure wizarding families. Even if a Muggle-born child exhibits magical abilities, no one accepts them, nor explains magic to them." "Dumbledore suspects that the number of missing Muggle-born wizards is likely highest in regions like Durmstrang's territory. But Karkaroff—ugh, that man! He claims, 'What do missing Muggle-born wizards have to do with me?' He won't cooperate at all!" Sirius's voice grew heated as he continued, and his anger boiled over into a curse: "I hope those dark wizards abduct Karkaroff himself! An iron lump in his position would show more compassion than that man..." "Igor Karkaroff is the headmaster of Durmstrang," Lupin explained to Harry and Wade while Sirius ranted. "If you ever come across him, be cautious. Igor Karkaroff was once a Death Eater. He escaped punishment by selling out the names of other Death Eaters." "That man can't be trusted," Sirius interjected. "Durmstrang is doomed with him in charge." Sirius took a deep breath and continued, "Most of the missing children are like that Caryll kid. They accidentally display their magical abilities, and shortly after, dark-robed wizards approach them. "Through a mix of deceit and persuasion, these wizards convince the family to move to a 'better place.' But on the way, the parents forget about their child entirely. Where the supposedly 'moved' children end up, no one knows." "Dumbledore has reached out to every magical school—Durmstrang in Northern Europe, Beauxbatons in France, Ilvermorny in the U.S., Castelobruxo in Brazil, Mahoutokoro in Japan, and Koldovstoretz in Russia..." "No results. None of them report any unexpected extra students. In fact, most of them are missing a few themselves. A joint investigation between the schools and several Ministries of Magic is underway to catch those behind the abductions of these young witches and wizards!" Sirius finished his tirade, drained a glass of water in one go, then asked, "So, what do you make of all this?" "Could the missing kids have been taken by governments or big corporations?" Harry speculated as he recalled similar plotlines from television shows. "Maybe someone is using underage wizards for cruel experiments." "As much as I hope that's not the case, it's entirely possible," Sirius admitted grimly. "Those people could be rooted within Muggle governments or might have bribed high-ranking Muggle officials." "They must have a vast intelligence network to find these young wizards," Wade said. "The local governments would be the most convenient source for such information." At this time, the internet had not yet developed into the pervasive tool it would become, and people didn't constantly carry cameras to capture and share unusual or interesting events online. Therefore, keeping track of such "strange incidents" relied heavily on word of mouth. "Very likely," Sirius said, and his expression showed appreciation. "But we can't determine who exactly is involved yet, because there are just too many Muggles. So, the Aurors have come up with a plan..." "Knock, knock!" Lupin gave the table a firm tap. Sirius immediately realized he had said too much and quickly shut his mouth. "What plan?" Harry asked. "Alright, alright, you two should get to bed!" Sirius said, rudely ushering them out. "You've got classes tomorrow, don't you remember?" The two of them had no choice but to head upstairs to the bedroom where the Vanishing Cabinet was. As they returned to Hogwarts, Harry continued to mutter: "I wonder what the plan is..." "...A Bait?" Wade suddenly said. "What?" Harry asked. "Find a wizard to impersonate an underage Muggle girl, create a magical disturbance, make some noise, and see if anyone shows up." Harry was silent for a moment before asking, "What wizard can pretend to be an eleven-year-old girl?" "Did you forget about De-Ageing Potion?" Wade replied. "And Polyjuice Potion... Magic always finds a way." ... Several wizards lifted their cups and drank deeply from the strange-colored liquid inside. "How do you feel?" the young wizard who had distributed the potion asked. The others couldn't speak. Soon, their faces contorted in pain as their bodies began to shrink like deflating balloons. "Plop!" Their eyeballs shrank back into their skulls, followed by their noses, mouths, and ears. Their hands and feet drew in suddenly, becoming small and chubby. The clothes then slid off and were pushed up like a tent. A tiny hand emerged from the pile of clothes, feeling left and right. After some effort, it grabbed a wand and pulled it back in. Not long after, the wand reappeared, poking out from the clothes to tap on them. The clothes immediately shrank and became unnoticeable. In what seemed like an instant, several small children appeared on the floor, and their faces expressed either distaste or innocence. One of them, confused, said, "Are we the bait now?" "Looks like it," a girl with violet hair said enthusiastically, and she took the bottled potion and handed out a bottle to everyone. "Wait until the potion's effect is about to wear off before using it again," the Auror who had brewed the potion stood by and said in a raspy voice. "If you drink it repeatedly, you'll shrink back into the fetal shape." But from the way everyone was laughing and joking, it seemed they didn't really take his warning seriously. Then, they scattered in all directions. -------------------------------- ????????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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