As the sole heir of the Black family, Sirius was young, wealthy, handsome, highly skilled, loyal, and brave. Even though he always wore an impatient expression, people still flocked to him constantly.
Wade and Harry quickly finished lunch and left the tent. Lupin immediately caught up with them.
"Where are you heading, boys?" Lupin asked.
"To chat with Michael," Harry said. "I remember Michael and his family came too, right?"
He turned to Wade and asked.
"Yes," Wade replied. "He told me their tent is in the northwest corner, near the water supply."
"I know the place," Lupin said with a smile. "I'll go with you, just in case you get lost."
That was clearly just an excuse. There were plenty of younger kids running all over the campgrounds, and their parents seemed perfectly relaxed—after all, there were magical ways to quickly find someone if they wandered off.
But Harry figured Lupin probably didn't want to just stand around next to Sirius like a prop, so he used them as a reason to leave.
Kindly, Harry didn't expose Lupin's motive. Instead, he pretended to be a child who still needed adult supervision and said with a smile, "Sure, saves me from having to go back for the map."
Wade looked up and happened to catch a glance exchanged between Lupin and Sirius, followed by a subtle nod.
He understood. Since the two of them knew Harry was once again being targeted by Voldemort, they were clearly uneasy letting him wander off alone.
The three of them made their way toward the water source. Along the way, Wade saw many wizards carrying water bottles and buckets. Some were even queuing at the faucet.
Even though a simple Aguamenti spell could solve all water needs, many wizards seemed to be fully immersed in this "role-playing" experience and eagerly joined the line.
But their immersion wasn't exactly complete—Wade noticed quite a few of them secretly using Featherweight Charms to lighten their loads after filling their buckets, then walking away briskly.
Even though they were already in the northwest corner near the water, the tents still stretched far into the distance. The three of them strolled slowly among them, scanning the crowd for familiar faces.
Wade didn't spot Michael, but he did see Cho Chang. She was with her parents—a family of three, East Asian features, gentle and elegant in appearance, and carrying a particularly refined air.
Wade couldn't help but glance a couple more times. When he finally looked away, he noticed Harry's face had turned red, and he was wearing a slightly goofy, unconscious smile.
"Ahem!" Wade coughed into his fist.
Harry jumped in surprise, nearly tripping. Flustered, he scratched his hair and tugged at his collar in a poor attempt to cover up his embarrassment. "Y-You were staring at Cho Chang… do you… do you like her or something?"
"No," Wade replied casually. "I was going to ask her if she knew where Michael's tent was, but then I thought it might be rude to interrupt."
As Harry let out a breath of relief, Wade added, "Also, I think Cho Chang already has a boyfriend."
"What? How? Really?" Harry fired off three questions in a row, then looked away and rubbed his nose. "I-I didn't mean anything by it… I was just curious…"
"I heard it's Cedric from Hufflepuff," Wade said.
He actually isn't the gossipy type—but unfortunately, he has a gossipy friend who gets along well with the girls. And Cho Chang, being beautiful and gentle, is somewhat of a celebrity in Ravenclaw. News about her love life easily becomes the talk of the house.
When Harry heard Cedric's name, his heart suddenly sank.
Just thinking of that tall, handsome boy—who could win over many Gryffindor girls with just his looks—left Harry feeling weighed down, as if a heavy lump of lead sat in his chest. He lowered his head, not wanting to speak.
Wade turned back and shrugged, while Lupin gave a helpless smile and shook his head.
"Mr. Crouch! The delegation from the Egyptian Ministry of Magic has arrived—Minister Fudge is asking you to help translate!"
A young voice called from nearby. Lupin froze for a moment, and before his brain could fully process it, his instincts took over—he reached out and pushed both Wade and Harry over to a nearby blue-green tent.
Harry was about to let out a surprised sound, but Lupin quickly covered his mouth. Then he raised a finger to his lips, signaling them to stay quiet. The two boys nodded.
Moments later, a few people walked past the front of the tent. Wade blinked and glanced toward them.
Barty Crouch Senior was dressed in a full suit, but his hair looked slightly messy and his eyes had dark circles—he looked utterly exhausted.
The speaker was a young Ministry employee wearing glasses, his expressions were slightly anxious.
Beside him was a round-faced young woman who looked entirely out of it. Her wide blue eyes were vacant, and though she wore the Ministry uniform, she seemed completely detached.
"The Egyptian Ministry of Magic?" Crouch asked. "Weren't they supposed to arrive tomorrow?"
"No, it's today, Mr. Crouch," said the man with glasses, surprised. "You confirmed it with me again just yesterday. Don't you remember?"
"Oh… right… yes, that's right." An awkward look flashed across Crouch's face. He said, "I've been so busy lately—I must've forgotten. Where are they?"
The glasses-wearing clerk pointed the way, and Crouch hurried off. As he disappeared into the distance, the clerk shook his head and sighed:
"Mr. Crouch may know over 200 languages, but age catches up with everyone. Bertha, have you passed your scatterbrain onto him?"
He cracked a joke that wasn't very funny, and the round-faced girl gave only one reaction: "…Huh?"
"Forget it, forget it. I need to go register the wizards using Portkeys. You can wander the campgrounds and keep an eye out—if anyone's misusing magic, stop them. Be firm, understand?"
"Oh, okay," Bertha said, flustered. She picked a random direction and wandered off.
The glasses-wearing clerk sighed and shook his head. "Why are all my colleagues like this? Even the dependable Mr. Crouch is starting to slip…"
Once they had all walked away, Lupin, Harry, and Wade finally stepped out of hiding.
Wade watched Bertha wander off. She seemed to quickly forget her assignment—when she saw a little boy's toy broom stuck in a tree, she waved her wand to retrieve it and earned a wet kiss on the cheek from the grateful child.
"So forgetful… she must be the first to die in the resurrection plot in the original story… Bertha Jorkins…"
Wade thought to himself. Watching her wander aimlessly, he felt as though he was witnessing the tiny ripple of a butterfly effect nudging fate ever so slightly.
"Who were those people?" Harry asked Lupin, curious. "Why did we have to hide from them?"
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⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- 200+ Chapters
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