After Fawkes had escorted Wade away, Dumbledore sat in his office with Tom Riddle's diary under his hand.
At this moment, the diary was indistinguishable from any ordinary one you'd find in a Muggle shop. It looked plain and unremarkable, yet Dumbledore could sense the evil power of the Horcrux emanating from it.
The locket was one of Voldemort's more refined creations. It could penetrate the weaknesses and darkness in a person's heart, but it contained relatively little of its creator's "imprint."
The diary, however, was different. When Voldemort created it, his skills were far less developed, and it was likely that he left too much of his "mind" within it.
For now, Dumbledore had no interest in delving into it. He merely stared at the diary absentmindedly, his thoughts drifted back to the shadow that had appeared when dealing with the locket.
Ariana…
Even though he knew it was an illusion, seeing her again felt as though his heart was being torn apart.
The weakest, darkest, and most remorseful parts of his soul had been laid bare so suddenly and without warning.
So much so that when Wade mentioned he had another Horcrux, Dumbledore's first thought was that he was referring to the Resurrection Stone.
That black stone was what he desired most—and what he feared most.
The legends made it clear that the dead could never truly return.
But if Ariana's soul did come back…
What would she say?
…
Wade stayed for lunch at Sirius' house on Privet Drive. After the meal, they planned to head to Diagon Alley to shop for some items.
Lupin was planning to prepare a French dish but found himself short on ingredients. Wade and Harry volunteered to go out and buy what was needed.
"Beef, eggs, scallions, cabbage…"
Wade read the list Lupin had written, while Harry casually picked up a carton of eggs and placed it in their cart.
As they were selecting items, they heard a burst of loud, rude laughter nearby.
A group of teenagers was hanging out in the sports equipment section, trying on boxing gloves and showing off to each other. One tall, burly boy had his arm around a friend's neck, boasting about how he had taken someone down.
Harry frowned. "Oh, it's Dudley and his gang."
"Your cousin?" Wade asked.
He had also recognized Dudley—there was no mistaking him. The tallest, fattest blond boy in the group was unmistakably Dudley Dursley, and he seemed even fatter than the previous year.
"Yeah." Harry looked annoyed. "Let's avoid them."
He pushed the cart in the opposite direction, but before they could turn away, one of Dudley's friends spotted them.
"Look over there! Who's that?" a skinny boy shouted loudly. "That filthy Potter kid!"
A group of boys gathered around. Dudley, however, hung back and looked uncomfortable.
It wasn't that he didn't want to bully Harry anymore—it was more that Dudley was wary of the strange tricks wizards could pull.
At the same time, he didn't want to lose face in front of his friends by showing he was actually a little scared of "Potter boy."
He hesitated, shuffling to the rear of the group.
"Well, well, Potter, made a new friend, have you?"
A lanky boy swaggered to the front. He glanced at Wade, intending to bully him as well. But the moment their eyes met, he instantly realized this person wasn't someone to mess with.
So the skinny boy stuck to mocking Harry. He sneered, "Mate, maybe you don't know since you're new, but this Potter kid here is a disaster—no school would take him, so he had to go to some juvenile delinquent school!"
"Shut your filthy mouth, Pete! Stop squealing like a pig!"
Harry snapped back immediately, and his face turned red with anger.
Although Wade knew the "juvenile delinquent school" claim was untrue, Harry still felt humiliated.
"Hey, wanna try our fists, Potter?"
Pete and the other boys clenched their fists and closed in, one of them shouting to Dudley at the back, "Dudley, we need to teach your annoying cousin a lesson!"
Harry gripped his wand tightly, conflicted—he still remembered he couldn't use magic here.
Noticing Harry's movement, Dudley immediately took two steps back.
"Come on, boys, don't make trouble here!!" a supermarket cashier shouted loudly.
Wade tilted his head and said, "Step outside for a moment?"
"Step outside? Who do you think you are?" Pete taunted.
"I'm Harry's friend," Wade replied. "Or, if you'd rather admit you just had a meal in the toilet and that's why you're spewing nonsense, we'll let your comments slide."
"Or maybe it's because you think Harry's easygoing and patient, so you dare to provoke him? Honestly, the way you act, you're no better than a Chihuahua marking its territory, thinking it's powerful."
"Oh, but there's a difference. At least Chihuahuas are cute. If you lot go outside, you'll just drag down Britain's attractiveness rankings."
Pete's eyes widened, his jaw dropping as he struggled to find a comeback. Even Harry was staring at Wade in astonishment.
To be fair, their usual insults didn't go beyond things like "damn it," "bloody hell," or "go to hell."
'Mudblood' was the worst insult Harry had ever heard, but he never imagined that Wade was truly savage when it came to insulting others.
Pete pointed at Wade, letting out an unintelligible 'ahhhhh' for a moment before shouting, "Get outside! I'm going to beat you half to death today!"
"Wow... so scary…"
Wade deadpanned the line and his emotionless face further enraged the group to the point of hopping mad. They yelled furiously, "Get out! Get out!"
Wade handed the cart to Harry and said, "You go pay."
Then he followed the group outside.
"Wait, Wade!"
Harry quickly pushed the cart to follow but was stopped at the door by the cashier.
"Pay up, kid!"
Harry hastily grabbed a handful of money and threw it on the counter, intending to leave, but the cashier caught his arm.
"Wait, I haven't given you your change!"
"I'm in a hurry! I'll come back later for it!" Harry said hurriedly.
But the cashier wouldn't let go, stubbornly saying, "And if you don't come back, then what? Should I just put all the items back?"
Even if Harry wasn't the sharpest, he realized the cashier was deliberately holding him up. Angry and anxious, he snapped, "Why are you stopping me? My friend is about to fight those guys!"
"Don't you get chased and beaten up all the time?" the cashier bluntly said. "Even if you go, you can't help. It's better if you stay out of it!"
"Wade only got into this because of me!"
Harry yanked his arm free and ran out the door, nearly colliding with someone.
"Slow down," Wade said, steadying him. He walked back into the store and asked,
"Why didn't you grab the groceries?"
"Wade? Wait... you're already back?" Harry asked in shock. "What about Pete and Dudley?"
"Crying their eyes out. Don't worry about them," Wade replied nonchalantly.
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⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- +235 Chapters
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