"He's still a child," Dumbledore said with a slight nod. "Even if he's done some wrong, I believe he deserves a chance to correct himself… and besides, he was always meant to be a Hogwarts student."
Wade had already guessed the Headmaster would say that.
Carlyle was only thirteen, after all. Dumbledore had given Voldemort chance after chance, so it was only natural he wouldn't simply turn away a child who had been led astray.
"But…"
Wade frowned slightly. "Mr. Johnson has been looking for him. Perhaps they should be reunited first? I suspect Mr. Johnson might not want Carlyle to attend any magic school again."
"That's another piece of bad news, Wade," Dumbledore said. "Mr. Landon Johnson's whereabouts are unknown. I checked his last known residence, and it appears to have been empty for a long time."
Wade was taken aback. "He… you don't mean he's already…?"
Dumbledore slowly shook his head. "I don't know. But young Mr. Johnson has nowhere else to go but Hogwarts."
"Over the past two years, he's received some unsavory education within that organization, Wade. I hope you can help me keep an eye on him, and guide him to distinguish right from wrong."
…
Leaving the Headmaster's Office, Wade felt a bit troubled.
He hadn't refused Dumbledore's request; after all, the Headmaster had made the plea looking utterly exhausted. But the thought of seeing that annoying Carlyle again made Wade unconsciously frown.
Wade's friends were always mindful of personal boundaries. When he wanted to be alone, no one would intrude and try to pull him into their circle.
But Carlyle?
He seemed completely oblivious to the concept of "boundaries."
However, no matter how reluctant Wade was, Carlyle still appeared before him in broad daylight.
At dinner, when Wade entered the Great Hall, he saw students from all four houses had almost completely filled the four long tables—a rare sight.
"Why are there so many people?" Wade asked casually as he sat down.
Michael, who had saved him a seat, replied, "I don't know… Professor Flitwick told the prefects to inform everyone to be on time for dinner tonight."
Several older students first glanced towards the staff table.
"Professor Abigail is still here," Penelope sighed in relief. "Thank goodness, it's not the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor who's in trouble."
"She'd be the last one to be in trouble; haven't you forgotten how strong Professor Abigail is? I bet she could even defeat a Troll without a Wand!" Marietta blurted out.
"Who knows?" Penelope said. "The Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is a high-risk job at our school."
Everyone discussed animatedly, as more late students trickled in.
Suddenly, someone came up behind Wade and tapped him on the shoulder.
He turned around, surprised to find it was Percy Weasley—they rarely spoke to each other.
Percy's demeanor was quite good. Although his tone still carried a hint of bossiness, he tried his best to smile.
"Gray, I heard you've also chosen twelve classes?"
"Yes," Wade replied, wondering what his intention was.
"So, you also got—that?" Percy gestured with his fingers.
"Of course," Wade said.
"Use it carefully, and always remember the professors' warnings. Don't violate any rules." Percy, as if possessed by Professor McGonagall, spoke in an elder-like tone: "It's all for your own safety."
"Uh… thanks?" Wade replied, utterly bewildered, while Michael rolled his eyes beside him.
Then, Percy continued to walk forward, his steps slow, before being called out by some girls: "Weasley, what were you talking to Gray about? Is it a secret?"
The girls around him giggled, and Percy's freckled face flushed slightly, but he feigned a profound expression.
"Just some… necessary guidance on how to manage time when taking multiple courses…"
Marietta realized. "Right, you got twelve O.W.L.s…"
Cho Chang, sitting next to her, smiled without speaking.
Percy cleared his throat and adjusted the Head Boy Badge on his chest, tilting it so it caught the light and shone brighter.
"Ahem, I certainly don't mean to show off, but very few students can achieve this. I just hope Gray can persevere like me, and not give up halfway…"
Feeling as if he'd been stepped on again, Wade looked incredulously at Percy, then at Michael. "What does he mean by that? Does he have a problem with me?"
"What else could he mean?" Michael said disdainfully. "He's just looking for an excuse to talk to Penelope—you're just a stepping stone for their romance. Whatever he says, just treat it as nonsense."
Wade looked again, and sure enough—when Penelope started talking to Percy as well, his expression visibly brightened, almost completely ignoring everyone else around him.
"They're being so secretive just to talk… Do they really think their romance is hidden?" Wade asked, surprised.
"Not everyone has eyes as sharp as ours," Michael said, tilting his chin to indicate. "Look, some people over there haven't noticed."
He was talking about Marietta.
Marietta always interjected a few words when Percy was chatting with Penelope, and even after Cho Chang tried to interrupt her several times, she still didn't get the hint.
But Percy didn't talk for long before he had to walk towards the front row of the Gryffindor table, keeping a wary eye on what his twin brothers were up to.
Fred and George weren't causing trouble; they were eagerly anticipating something unusual and interesting happening that evening.
The teachers' table was also gradually filling up, with only the seat next to Dumbledore remaining empty—that was Professor McGonagall's seat.
Seeing that almost all the students had arrived, Dumbledore picked up a fork and tapped his cup.
Clink—clink—
The clear sound echoed throughout the Great Hall, and everyone fell silent.
"Good evening, students—" Dumbledore stood up and said with a smile, "I hope you all had a pleasant weekend."
"Today, we are gathered here to welcome a transfer student—Carlyle Johnson!"
A buzz of discussion immediately erupted in the Great Hall—
"Who is that? Have you heard of him?"
"Johnson? Is there a Pure-blood family by that name?"
"Hey, Angelina, is this a relative of your family?"
"No, I've never heard of him."
"The Avery Family used to have a marriage alliance with someone named Johnson… I wonder if it's the same family…"
The doors of the Great Hall suddenly opened, and Professor McGonagall stood at the entrance with a boy completely unfamiliar to everyone, glaring sternly at the whispering students.
But no one paid attention to their fear; they were all scrutinizing the unfamiliar student.
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