A cold wind swept across the plains, like a faint whimper. The campfire had long since gone cold, charred stones scattered everywhere.
Looking around, trampled tents were everywhere, their torn canvases rustling in the wind. All sorts of odds and ends lay strewn about, but their owners were nowhere to be seen.
A broken pine trunk lay fallen, a tin kettle crushed beneath it. Someone's pajamas, stained with large patches of blood, were draped over a branch.
The only moving object was a figurine of Viktor Krum, a thumb-sized figure tirelessly pacing back and forth on the grass, its pigeon-toed gait remarkably lifelike.
Wade looked at the tiny figurine, thinking, It looks so silly. My Magic Golem is much smarter.
...
Wade opened his eyes as the morning light streamed through the small window of the tent.
He stared at the crisscrossing patterns of the canvas above his head, lost in thought for a long moment.
This was the third time he'd had a similar dream in as many days.
The first was a killer forest, the second a battlefield strewn with corpses, and the third a deserted camp.
It wasn't strange to dream occasionally; Wade was a man of vivid imagination. He had even dreamed of being chased by soldiers who were transformed pandas, and of Giants as tall as mountains being sealed away.
But to dream of similar scenes three times in a row...
Wade thought for a while before getting out of bed. Just as he pulled open his bedroom door, he saw Harry rushing over to knock.
"Wade, the Weasley Family is here! Let's go play with Fred and the others!" Harry said excitedly.
"You go ahead, I haven't had breakfast yet," Wade said lazily.
The Weasley Family had arrived at the campsite very early to catch the timed Portkey, so the sky was still only dimly lit, and the morning mist hadn't even dispersed yet.
Harry didn't press the issue and clattered down the stairs.
After breakfast, Wade opened his Wardrobe Space, retrieved a bottle of Polyjuice Potion from the Potions shelf, and then dropped in a strand of hair, stirring it a few times. The liquid turned a sea-like blue, like a brightly colored cocktail.
He tilted his head back and took a sip. A violent burning sensation spread from his stomach throughout his body. His bones and muscles felt as if they were melting, then were reshaped at will by an invisible pair of hands.
A few seconds later, Wade saw himself in the mirror transformed into a young man in his early twenties with stubble, of average height and slightly plump build, with an ordinary face—just a random passerby.
He changed into suitable clothes and swapped out his Wand for a spare. Just as he finished getting ready to go downstairs, he saw someone emerge from the kitchen with a chicken leg in their mouth, a plate of sandwiches in their left hand, and a hot coffee in their right.
The two bumped into each other and stared blankly.
Wade raised a smile, about to say hello, when Sirius suddenly dropped the things in his hands, recoiled, and swiftly drew his Wand, shouting, "*Expelliarmus!*"
The red beam hit a transparent barrier, bounced off, and shattered the living room chandelier with a loud clang.
Sirius was about to continue casting when he saw all the things he had dropped floating around him; even the coffee had only spilled a few drops.
"It's me, Sirius," the stranger opposite him said in a helpless tone. "I'm Wade Gray."
"Wade?" Sirius looked at him in surprise. "How did you... Polyjuice Potion?"
"Yes." Wade waved his Wand, making the coffee, chicken leg, and other items gently settle onto the table. "I need to go out for a bit. Please just pretend you didn't see me."
He hadn't seen Sirius or Lupin at breakfast and had asked Kreacher, who told him they had gone out on business. He had assumed they had both gone to protect Harry and that was why they weren't in the tent.
Now, bumping into him, Wade simply found it a bit troublesome but wasn't panicked.
He wasn't actually going to do anything bad... or rather, it would be somewhat illegal in some ways, but by Sirius's standards, it wasn't too serious.
Wade quickened his pace, ready to leave, but Sirius grabbed his arm. "Wait a moment! I'll come with you!"
Wade: "Do you know what I'm going to do?"
"Whatever it is, it's more interesting than fetching water with a bucket! Besides, you're not going to commit murder or arson."
Sirius said without hesitation, stuffing an entire sandwich into his mouth in two or three bites, choking and stretching his neck, then hastily gulping down a large mouthful of coffee.
I knew it.
Wade thought.
I thought I could just leave before he reacted!
He stopped and said, "Don't rush, eat slowly. I can wait."
In less than three minutes, Sirius finished his breakfast, wiped his mouth, and said, "Let's go... Where are we going? What are we doing?"
"Something that can't be known by others... You drink this first."
Wade pulled out a bottle of Polyjuice Potion and dropped in another strand of hair. The liquid turned a cement-like Gray.
Sirius tilted his head back and took a sip, making a grimace. Soon, he transformed into an old man with thinning hair, looking to be in his sixties or seventies.
Sirius touched his face, then extended his hand to look at the wrinkles on the back of it, saying, "What's this guy's name?"
"Call him whatever, it doesn't matter anyway," Wade said. "You can pick one yourself."
The two left one after the other. Sirius thought seriously for a moment, then said, "Then from now on, I'll be Patroclus Ohannesyan."
What kind of weird name is that?
Wade muttered in his mind, then said, "Alright, Pat. You can call me Redd."
"So Redd, what are we going to do?" Sirius asked.
"I heard there are Muggle administrators near the camp. Do you know where they are?" Wade asked.
"Of course, follow me."
Sirius seemed to have a built-in GPS in his head as he led Wade through the labyrinth of tents. One moment, Wade felt lost in a sea of canvas, unable to tell which way was up, and the next, the path opened up to reveal a desolate swamp in the distance.
Next to the camp entrance stood a small stone house. In front of it, a man with a dazed, vacant look mechanically handed out tickets to two elderly individuals in long nightgowns, accepting the money they offered him.
Not far away, a wizard in breeches, wearing a Ministry of Magic badge, stood by.
Wade pulled Sirius back a few steps, using a nearby tent to block the wizard's view, then quietly raised his Wand, pointing it at the Muggle.
Sirius suddenly seized the other end of the Wand, his expression uncharacteristically serious.
"Even though I've done far worse in my youth, I still have to tell you—cursing Muggles indiscriminately is illegal, Wade. If that guy offended you, tell me, and I'll deal with him."
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