Chương 40: 40
Chapter 40: The Weasleys
In addition to spells and Transfiguration, Wade devoted most of his time to Alchemy. Delving into the subject deepened his understanding across various courses.
The book "Crafting Magical Artifacts from Scratch," lent by Professor Murray, differed markedly from other alchemy texts. They eschewed tedious history and theory, avoiding extensive discourse on elemental relationships. Instead, it dove straight into practical guides on crafting magical items.
From common items like self-refilling quills, moving photographs, and flying brooms, to more exclusive ones like the Pensieve, magic mirrors, invisibility cloaks, and guardian armors—virtually every magical artifact Wade had heard of found mention. Even the Sorting Hat and the Time-Turner were touched upon, though only with speculative construction methods.
The complexity and peril of these artifacts paralleled that of modern technology; without a solid grasp of the basics, even the simplest procedures remained elusive.
Under Professor Murray's tutelage, Wade spent weeks studying and receiving feedback on assignments and upper-year students' projects. As his assistant, Wade aided in creating instructional aids for the class. After rigorous training, Professor Murray suggested he attempt creating simpler magical items independently—requiring just three to five properly sequenced spells to achieve remarkable effects, such as the self-refilling quill and the howling letter.
Inspired ideas flooded Wade's mind: a quill changing ink colors, glasses with distance-measuring capabilities, or a dancing puppet. Simultaneously, incantations and specific steps materialized in his thoughts.
Having mastered the requisite spells and magical runes, Wade felt confident—yet, was he truly ready for this?
What set his work apart from Professor Murray's scathing reviews of "garbage" student projects? They all replicated existing ideas, rushing through assignments with little creative merit.
That night, Wade wrestled with his thoughts, unable to sleep. Half-awake, he heard a faint rustling.
Drawing his wand, Wade sat up, casting a silent Lumos to illuminate the dormitory in warm, orange light.
Inside and outside, the dormitory lay eerily quiet, save for a faint noise by the window.
Dressing quickly, Wade approached and saw snow gently falling outside.
Goose feathers of snow blanketed the castle in pristine white, masking disorder and lending an ethereal tranquility.
A thought struck Wade—suddenly, his other ideas seemed trivial and fleeting.
Content with his revelation, Wade returned to bed and slept deeply until morning.
...
Wade had thought his earlier encounter with Quirrell, causing his face to bleed, daring. Yet, the Weasley twins soon outdid him, bewitching snowballs to pursue Quirrell, finally striking him squarely on the back of his head.
Professor McGonagall stormed out of the Great Hall, deducting a hefty thirty points from her own house—the twins! They also received a month of detention—half before Christmas break and the remainder after.
The twins feigned remorse and apologized profusely. Once out of sight, however, their smug grins returned.
"Why target Quirrell?" Wade asked curiously from the corridor. Knowing the truth, their actions seemed reckless.
Despite their love for pranks, targeting a professor seemed senseless. Gryffindors valued House Cup points (and falling behind Slytherin meant ridicule), even after Quirrell docked them two hundred points.
Wade was bewildered—when had they become so reckless?
The twins scrutinized him, recalling something. "Ah, you're—"
"The library—"
"What's your name?" They chorused.
"Wade Grey, Ravenclaw," Wade replied.
The twins exchanged glances, realization dawning. Their younger brother Ron had often mentioned Wade, the Ravenclaw in his year, admired by professors as the next Percy.
But Wade Grey seemed nothing like Percy or them—an alchemy enthusiast, endearing him to the twins.
"So, curious?" Fred asked eagerly.
"Quirrell's always in that huge scarf—"
"Never takes it off, no matter the weather—"
"We asked the house-elves, not even they've cleaned it—"
"There must be some secret beneath that scarf! Something he won't let anyone see!" Fred asserted, "Maybe it's a dark magic weapon frying his brain."
"Or he's just incredibly ugly with constant diarrhea—" George chuckled, "Imagine that, it'd be hilarious."
"Don't mock Quirrell just because he's an easy target!" Wade admonished, his tone resembling Hermione's. "Would you dare untie Professor McGonagall's bun?"
"Don't say such terrifying things," Fred said, slinging an arm around Wade's shoulder in familiarity. "Also, we noticed something odd. Care to guess?"
"What?" George chimed in.
"I've noticed—" Fred studied Wade, his voice trailing off. "We've all speculated about Quirrell's scarf, yet you don't seem the least bit curious."
Wade's heart skipped—he realized beneath their levity lay sharp intuition.
George noticed Wade's reaction. Raising an eyebrow, he asked, "So, you know?"
Crossing his arms, Wade leaned against the wall. "Are we playing a game of interrogation?"
George and Fred exchanged amused glances. "Of course not!"
"You figured out the answer before we did. We're conceding defeat," Fred admitted earnestly.
"But no interrogating allowed. We'll uncover the truth on our own!" George grinned widely.
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