Self-sacrifice for the sake of others?
Exactly right.
The purpose of Wade putting on this entire act was precisely to earn that reputation of self-sacrifice.
And since Nagini had said such words, it proved that she had completely placed her trust in him and no longer harbored any wariness toward him. That was very good.
"As long as he's fine, that's enough. Thinking back on it now, I really was a bit careless at the time. I didn't expect my magic to lose control and make me pass out. How long was I unconscious?" Wade asked.
Nagini's expression turned a little strange when she heard that. "You… after you collapsed, you were sent to the hospital wing. It's only been one night."
"That's not right… you're not telling the truth." Wade frowned as he studied Nagini's expression, then said.
Suddenly, as if he had realized something, Wade Reynolds jolted upright in bed. "That's not right! Last night, did I… did I do something I shouldn't have?"
Nagini thought to herself that there really wasn't anything he shouldn't have done, aside from throwing a Killing Curse at Professor Dumbledore…
"It's already over. Other than you, no one was hurt because of it. Wade, don't ask anymore," Nagini said gently.
She did not dare tell him what had happened last night, afraid it would only worry him.
Wade lay back down weakly and murmured, "That power was so violent, so bloodthirsty… how could I have just slept peacefully? It's over… I must have done many things I shouldn't have… really, no one was hurt? I… I really deserve to die…"
Hearing Wade Reynolds' words, Nagini felt a sharp pang in her heart.
Wade really is kind-hearted… after losing control, he is feeling such deep remorse…
"No one is blaming you, Wade. Everyone knows it wasn't your intention. And truly, no one was hurt. You can rest assured," Nagini said softly.
"As long as everyone's fine…" Wade let out a sigh of relief.
He was about to continue speaking when suddenly…
"Tsk tsk tsk…"
A smacking sound came from the doorway.
Wade looked over and saw Tom standing there, holding a huge pile of gifts, gazing at him with a meaningful expression.
It was as if he were saying, Bro, putting on another act?
Wade shot him a death glare.
Just try saying something stupid and ruining my plans, see what happens.
Tom walked in and placed the large stack of get-well gifts onto the bedside table.
"Everyone heard that you were injured and wanted to come see you, but Professor Dumbledore wouldn't allow so many people to come at once. So they asked me to check on you and bring their gifts along," Tom said.
"Help me thank everyone… actually, never mind. I'll go thank them myself. I should be discharged today anyway," Wade said.
"I don't think you'll be leaving today. Professor Dumbledore told me you're to stay in the hospital wing for observation for three more days," Tom paused, then added meaningfully, "I also heard you attacked a professor last night. And with the Killing Curse, no less?"
"Tom!" Nagini cut him off.
Tom glanced at Nagini and sighed. Well… he should have known. How could Nagini possibly not be taken in by this guy?
Of course, he also lacked the courage to expose Wade Reynolds' true nature.
"How did you know about that?" Wade asked.
"Professor Dumbledore told everyone else that you were injured while assisting with a patrol of the Forbidden Forest last night. But he told the truth to those of us in your dormitory, since we saw you leave with them," Tom said. "The excuse was pretty flimsy, but somehow a lot of people believed it."
"Then how do you know I used the Killing Curse? I doubt Professor Dumbledore would tell you that," Wade said.
Tom shrugged. "Grindelwald told me. I ran into him on the way here today."
Nagini frowned. "Tom, stay away from Grindelwald. It's best not to have any contact with him. He's not a good person."
Tom hesitated, as if wanting to say something, but in the end he gave up resisting. "Right. Grindelwald is a bad person. Not like someone else, who's practically as pure as a white lotus…"
However, at this moment, Wade had little reaction to Tom's sarcastic remark, because his thoughts were focused on Grindelwald.
Grindelwald's appearance last night had truly been beyond Wade Reynolds' expectations.
No one had anticipated that the old man would secretly follow them…
If that was the case, then he must have seen the "residue" Wade absorbed. In other words…
Grindelwald had almost certainly already figured out who had set that trap for him back then.
Fine.
After this unexpected incident, there was no choice but to deal with Grindelwald openly from now on.
It was a bit earlier than planned, but the impact was not significant…
Compared to that, last night's gains were enormous.
First, he had obtained a huge amount of residue.
Once converted and absorbed, even with considerable losses in the process, his magical power would still increase significantly.
Second, he had gained Nagini's complete trust.
Although Nagini's blood curse had not been fully removed, thanks to his and the senior's treatment, her body was now in a very peculiar state.
That meant she possessed the powerful magic she had in her serpent form while still being able to maintain a human shape.
In other words, Nagini was now essentially a humanoid magical creature, with magical power far surpassing that of most wizards.
With just a bit more training, Nagini would soon grow into a very powerful ally.
There was one final benefit as well. Wade Reynolds had once again earned a massive amount of trust from Dumbledore and the others, firmly reinforcing his image as a kind, self-sacrificing person, and even leaving Dumbledore feeling guilty toward him.
With that, if Wade needed to do something sensitive in the future, Dumbledore would be far less likely to grow suspicious.
As for Aberforth's and Aurelius' gratitude, those were merely minor bonuses.
In summary, this was an enormous win.
…
Dumbledore did not appear in the hospital wing again until noon.
"It's truly a relief to see that you're alright. Otherwise, I…" Dumbledore's face was filled with exhaustion.
Wade's sudden loss of control had kept him awake all night.
Dumbledore placed all the blame on himself.
"I'm sorry, Professor. If I hadn't been so arrogant and overconfident, I wouldn't have nearly hurt you," Wade said first, slipping smoothly into a posture of remorse.
Seeing this, Dumbledore felt even more guilty.
Even in a situation like this, the child was still blaming himself, while he had previously harbored a trace of needless suspicion toward him. That really should not have happened.
"Don't think like that, Wade. Although this may sound a bit like self-praise, I still want to say that it wouldn't be so easy for you to hurt me," Dumbledore said, trying to comfort him and keep him from dwelling on it.
After that, Wade briefly explained to Dumbledore how he had treated Aurelius.
Ancient magic was still ancient magic. Just like when he had explained how he treated Nagini, any parts that were hard to explain could simply be attributed to ancient magic.
"In fact, the Obscurus doesn't have a true sense of self, only an instinct for destruction… just like when Nagini transforms. All of that comes from negative emotions. I only needed to use ancient magic to extract all those negative emotions. Once they were gone, the Obscurus lost its destructive instinct, became docile, and could then be extracted smoothly," Wade explained.
"Ancient magic extracting negative emotions…" Dumbledore pondered this, then asked, "When did you discover that you could do this?"
"When I was treating Nagini," Wade said. "To be honest, I was also startled back then when I discovered that extracting negative emotions would actually generate that kind of magical power we had seen before."
Hearing this, a relieved smile appeared on Dumbledore's face. "But you resisted the temptation and did not absorb large amounts of that magical power, even though it could make you stronger."
"No, it's not that I resisted temptation. It's simply that this kind of magical power is extracted from negative emotions and carries extremely severe side effects. What happened to me last night proves that even more clearly," Wade said honestly.
"Believe me, if many people had this ability, even knowing about the side effects, they would still absorb it willingly to grow stronger… yet you resisted that temptation. Just like Professor Morganach back then," Dumbledore said with a smile.
"Professor Morganach? You mean…"
"Yes. I believe the magical power left behind in the Chamber was left there by Professor Morgana back then. I think she must have discovered the extraordinary nature of that magic as well, which is why she recklessly absorbed students' negative emotions, hoping to create more magical power and make herself stronger. That was how she committed such grave mistakes and ultimately met her end…"
"So that's how it was…" Hearing this, Wade knew that Dumbledore had not compared notes with Grindelwald.
Of course, it was only natural that Grindelwald would not tell Dumbledore these things. Dumbledore would never believe him if he tried to "slander" Wade.
Wade continued, "I don't absorb that kind of magic because I believe that a clear and intelligent mind is the most important thing. If your mind becomes dull, then no matter how powerful you are, it's useless. I don't want to become a madman who only knows destruction and slaughter."
Hearing this, the look of appreciation on Dumbledore's face grew even more pronounced.
"A good child… no matter what, the outcome is good. Because of you, my nephew was able to survive. I don't even know how to properly thank you," Dumbledore said with emotion.
"How is Aurelius now? Does he still feel any discomfort?" Wade asked.
"The Obscurus has already been extracted from him. He's recuperating now and there's nothing seriously wrong anymore. Over the years, the Obscurus truly put his body through hell," Dumbledore said with relief. "Thankfully, your method worked… you should know, Aberforth had even prepared a grave for him in advance…"
Wade blinked, then suddenly asked, "The Obscurus that was extracted… does it still exist?"
A smile appeared on Dumbledore's face. "It's still there… you want to study it again?"
"Yes. It's an extremely rare specimen. I'm sure I can discover many secrets that the wizarding world has yet to uncover. Who knows, I might even find a way to treat an Obscurial without relying on ancient magic," Wade said righteously.
"I knew you would think that way. So… I brought it with me," Dumbledore said, taking out a pouch and handing it to Wade Reynolds.
An Obscurus without consciousness posed no threat at all. Even if left unattended, it would eventually dissipate on its own after some time.
Dumbledore had long guessed that, given Wade Reynolds' nature, he would definitely ask for it, so he had simply prepared it in advance.
Wade happily put the pouch away.
Keke~ Excellent.
Last night's massive haul had just gained another bonus.
___
Urg.. I vow on my non-existent magic that I'll start uploading at least 6 chapters/week from today!! If I failed, then I'm gay!
o(*￣▽￣*)ブSupport and read 12 Chapters ahead of WN at-
Patreon/Captain69