"—Crying?"
Harry suddenly felt unfamiliar with the word.
He leaned out and saw, by the wall next to the supermarket, a group of familiar boys helping each other as they emerged from around the corner. Some of them—like Pete—were indeed crying.
Behind him, Wade pulled down his sleeve and said to the cashier, whose expression was a bit blank, "Please give me the change."
"Oh... okay," the cashier stammered, flustered.
As they walked out of the supermarket carrying their groceries, Harry still looked utterly incredulous.
"How did you do that?" he whispered to Wade. "Did you use magic?"
"I've learned some combat techniques from Professor Abigail. And, well... magic too," Wade replied in a similarly hushed tone. "Here's a tip for you—try using the Heightened Sensory Charm on yourself. It boosts your awareness, which makes you more agile in a fight."
"But doesn't using the Heightened Sensory Charm trigger the Trace?" Harry asked curiously.
Wade smiled and said, "Who said I just used the charm now?"
This seemingly inconspicuous yet highly practical spell was something Wade had been maintaining for a long time.
And there was one thing he didn't tell Harry—
After mastering Animagus transformations, Wade discovered that making small changes to his own body didn't trigger the Trace.
Magic that flowed within and affected only himself wasn't released externally, so it wasn't monitored.
He flexed his fingers a few times. His previously large, knuckle-heavy hands gradually returned to the form of a 13-year-old boy's slender fingers.
Behind them, Pete, clutching his injured nose, sobbed uncontrollably. One of his friends complained, "What's the deal with that guy? His fists feel like rocks!"
"And his insults were terrifying," another boy said, patting Pete's shoulder with lingering fear. "It's okay, Pete. Cry if you need to—I get it. I almost started crying myself just from listening to him."
"Looks like Potter's found himself a bodyguard," another boy grumbled and glared at Dudley. "Dudley, did you already know that guy was so strong? Why didn't you do anything earlier?"
The only one uninjured, Dudley, stammered, "I... I ate something bad today and wasn't feeling well... so..."
In truth, he was just worried about growing a pig's tail again.
Ever since Vernon Dursley found out Harry couldn't use magic outside school, he'd reverted to his old behavior—often shouting at Harry and sometimes threatening him with a cane.
But Dudley had been far more cautious on this front.
His reasoning was simple—Harry was only prohibited from using magic, not incapable of using it.
After all, the law forbids hitting people, but that never stopped Dudley from beating up other kids!
So every time Harry pretended to use magic, Dudley would get scared.
But Dudley's predicament was something his friends, who didn't know about magic, couldn't understand.
They were angry at Dudley for his earlier "self-preservation," and Dudley, feeling guilty, sheepishly followed them from behind.
The group of kids—some crying, others cursing—noisily made their way along the street.
Meanwhile, two men crouching by the roadside, as if they were trimming bushes, turned to glance at them, then looked in the other direction.
Wade and Harry were already far off.
The dark-haired man spoke softly, "Harry Potter? I didn't expect him to live here... Who's that boy next to him?"
"You must've heard of his name—Wade Grey," the brown-haired man said, with a hint of pride. "My student. Back at school, he absolutely idolized me."
The dark-haired man gave him a peculiar look and bluntly exposed him: "So... why are you hiding from your admirer, Lockhart?"
Lockhart's expression changed, and he urgently whispered, "Don't say my name, Gale! What if someone hears us?"
"We need to leave this area immediately!" Gale said to himself. "If Harry Potter is here, there are bound to be Ministry protectors nearby. If we stay, we'll be found soon enough."
"We finally got a job with high pay and little work…" Lockhart said begrudgingly.
"If you want to go back to Azkaban, feel free to stay! But I'm leaving," Gale said decisively before heading down a narrow path.
"Wait for me!" Lockhart hurriedly followed, saying, "How long are we going to keep hiding like this? Why don't you come with me to Telford? I've got a devoted fan there who'd definitely be willing to help us."
"Don't forget your fraud has already been exposed!" Gale retorted sharply. "Those who once idolized you now probably hate you more than anyone else!"
Lockhart fell silent, then asked, "So what do you think we should do?"
"Well… I know a vampire—my uncle, actually," Gale said thoughtfully. "Maybe we could seek refuge with him…"
…
Wade had no idea he had just crossed paths with the two fugitives he was looking for.
The two returned to Sirius's house. Since someone he disliked had been beaten up, Harry was obviously in a great mood. He recounted some of his past experiences with a tone that mixed bitterness and nostalgia.
"One time, they chased me until I jumped onto the school chimney... I've never jumped that high before!"
Harry added regretfully, "Why is it that I could jump over ten meters high before I knew I had magic, but after learning magic, I can't do it anymore?"
"Because children who know nothing are more likely to create miracles, probably because their minds are unrestrained," Sirius, who had just come down the stairs, answered after overhearing him. "But as grown-up wizards, we learn to control our powers."
He still had traces of soot on him, indicating he had just traveled via the Floo Network to 12 Grimmauld Place to return Regulus's portrait.
Wade pondered for a moment before asking, "If an adult were to completely lose their memory, leaving their mind as blank as a child's, could they possess both traits? That is, the ability to achieve extraordinary things with pure intent like a child and the capacity to control their powers like an adult?"
Sirius blinked a few times and only replied after a long pause, "Interesting thought... but you'd have to find an amnesiac adult to test that theory first, wouldn't you?"
"Actually, there is such a person," Lupin said as he emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray. "Someone who possessed those dual traits."
"Really? Who?" Harry asked curiously.
"Credence Barebone, an Obscurial who lived to adulthood. Many years ago, he caused massive destruction in New York, though he later died," Lupin explained. "I read about him in old newspapers. I think he fits the description of what you're talking about."
"What's an Obscurial? What kind of person is that?" Harry pressed.
"It's a long story, and now's lunchtime," Lupin replied with a smile. "Who's going to help set the table?"
All three sitting on the couch stood up together.
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⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- +235 Chapters
⭐MCU: Druid's Adventures (MCUDA)(⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 460
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