The house-elf looked at him with childlike, clear eyes.
"Wade Grey is feeling sad?"
"Uh—" Wade paused, sighed, and fiddled with the magical bean in his hand. "Not exactly sad, I guess? I just suddenly realized that my thinking has been a bit too—"
Dark.
He swallowed the word and continued, "—paranoid, I suppose? I assud the worst about a professor who's been nothing but kind to ..."
"Wade Grey did nothing wrong!" Zoe suddenly exclaid loudly.
"—Zoe?"
"Professor Murray is a good person, but it's right for Wade Grey to stay cautious." Zoe nodded firmly. "Zoe knows of a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor who tried to do bad things with a third-year girl and ended up in Azkaban.
Zoe also knows another Defense Against the Dark Arts professor who used dark magic on students and went to Azkaban too.
And another one, who gained a student's trust, invited him to a party, and then arranged for dark wizards to kidnap the student for ransom."
Wade couldn't help but laugh. "Did he also end up in Azkaban?"
Zoe shook her head. "A miscast spell caused his wand to explode. He died."
"All of them were Defense Against the Dark Arts professors… that job really is cursed," Wade comnted sarcastically.
"Defense Against the Dark Arts professors are replaced often. Many are bad people. Quirrell is bad too. Wade Grey must always stay cautious," Zoe said seriously.
Wade sighed again. "I will."
...
The next morning, when Wade woke up, he waved his wand to check the ti.
Golden numbers appeared in the air: [07:00 AM]
It was Friday, and they had no classes in the morning, so most students wouldn't be getting up early. As Wade passed through the common room, only two fifth-year students were sitting by the fireplace, reading books.
— Poor seniors
Wade thought sympathetically.
He conjured a small blue fla with his wand, placing it inside a bottle. Carrying it around would keep him warm, even outdoors.
Wade would be leaving school by train tomorrow, so he decided to visit the library after breakfast and borrow a couple of extra books. That way, he wouldn't waste ti once he got ho.
After spending the morning in the library, Wade returned to the Great Hall, where he saw Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick busy putting up Christmas decorations. He imdiately went over to help.
"Ah, thank you, Wade," Professor Flitwick said cheerfully. "We need to hang those garlands on the walls."
Together, they worked with their wands.
Vibrant garlands of hanging flowers adorned the walls, twelve towering Christmas trees stood on either side, and hundreds of candles lined up, winding around the trees under Professor Flitwick's guidance, burning softly.
Golden bubbles floated from the tip of his wand, hanging on the branches like ornants.
anwhile, Professor McGonagall tapped the icicles hanging from the tree branches with her wand, transforming so of them into sparkling little animals or bells. Her effortless use of Transfiguration earned admiring gasps from the students in the hall.
More students ca to help, showcasing their creativity. So conjured golden stars, others proud-looking stags, and a few had sleighs running across the ceiling, displaying impressive magical skills that earned their houses extra points from the two professors.
Of course, not everyone succeeded. One Slytherin boy, who had only ant to conjure a few candles, misfired his spell, causing his wand to explode, leaving his face completely blackened, much to the amusent of the others.
Soon, the Great Hall was completely transford. As Michael ca down for lunch, he said, conflicted, "You know, Wade, I really miss my family. But—"
He poked a branch, causing the ice hamster hanging there to squeak.
"Christmas at Hogwarts seems pretty fun too..."
He looked as though he really wanted to stay.
"Wade, Michael, perfect timing. You're both here," said West, the sixth-year prefect, striding over and handing them each a sheet of paper. "Here, sign this."
Michael took a look at it. "A Notice of Prohibition on Magic Use During Holidays? Why do we have to sign this? I'm a wizard!"
"Yeah—underage wizard," West replied nonchalantly, nodding as he urged, "Hurry up, I still need to find Anthony and the others."
Wade glanced down at the notice—
[ Notice of Prohibition on Magic Use During Holidays
In accordance with the "Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery," underage wizards must adhere to the following prohibitions during the holidays:
1. Wizards under the age of seventeen are considered underage and are forbidden from using magic outside of school.
2. Underage wizards must abide by and uphold the "International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy." Any magical activities that may draw the attention of non-magical persons (Muggles) are considered serious violations.
3. Knowingly using magic in front of Muggles is a criminal offense and will result in a warning from the Ministry of Magic. Repeat offenders may face expulsion… ]
There were seven or eight more rules listed, but they all essentially boiled down to the sa thing: no magic use and no revealing anything about the wizarding world to Muggles.
Wade rembered reading in history books that, starting in the 15th century, Muggles began hunting down wizards on a large scale. Although wizards were often more powerful individually, their social structure was entirely decentralized.
Wizards relied on the Muggle world for everything except transportation, which often led to them being exposed.
For over two hundred years, many wizards were persecuted and killed by Muggles. Children, in particular, were at risk, as they couldn't control their magic and would easily draw attention, leading to their capture, imprisonnt, or even being burned at the stake.
To protect the wizarding community, the International Statute of Secrecy was officially established in 1692 and has been strictly upheld ever since, becoming a fundantal law in the wizarding world.
Of course, wizarding books only recorded the persecution of wizards by Muggles, without explaining what caused the sudden deterioration of relations or detailing the wizards' retaliation.
Perhaps to ease tensions between Muggles and wizards and prevent further conflict, the history textbooks, such as A History of Magic, were vague about this period, focusing instead on the eccentric witch Wendelin the Weird.
She was a powerful and bizarre witch who actually enjoyed being burned at the stake, deliberately changing her appearance so she could be caught forty-seven tis.
The book used her as an example to argue that burning witches was a futile endeavor, but in reality, many witches were burned at the stake. And even more, in fact, were innocent won who were mistakenly accused of being witches.
Wade looked at the notice—the seemingly ordinary parchnt was inscribed with complex magical runes. Pressed for ti by West's urging, he didn't have a chance to study it further and simply signed his na.
As soon as he signed, Wade felt sothing invisible, like a contract, binding itself to him.
"Don't think you can secretly use magic at ho," West warned one last ti.
"All underage wizards have a Trace on them. The mont you use magic, the Ministry will know. Every year, a couple of idiots receive warning letters from the Ministry. I hope you won't be one of them."
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