Chapter 209: Do You Believe in Magic?
Wade didn't plan on going out for the remaining two weeks of the holiday.
He had copied over a dozen Magic Books from the Black Family, and Dumbledore had also generously lent Wade a trunk full of books, all carefully selected by him as worth reading.
Professor Flitwick suggested that occasionally putting down one's Wand to delve deep into the Theory of Magic would make it feel more intuitive when picked up again.
Learning magic was interesting, but theory, in any subject, was always dry and tedious.
Even though Wade was better at these things than most, he still had to eliminate all distractions and calm his mind to read through those abstruse Magic Books one by one.
Of course, he also had holiday homework. But that was the least of his worries; Wade had completed all of it the day before the break began.
Immersed in books, the Christmas holiday unknowingly drew to a close, and Fiona began preparing Wade's luggage for his return to school.
One day, when Wade came downstairs for breakfast, he found his father in excellent spirits; he had even taken a bottle of rum from the cellar.
—Normally, Fiona wouldn't allow him to drink before dinner.
"Get ready, your Uncle Johnson is coming," Ferdinand said happily. "Remember Carlyle, their youngest son? You used to play so well with him when you were little."
Wade skipped over the topic of that mischievous child and asked,
"Uncle Landon Johnson? I thought you said their family moved to America."
"They did. Before… oh, about half a month before you received your Hogwarts acceptance letter, their whole family moved to America, and we lost touch since then."
Ferdinand adjusted his tie in the mirror, saying,
"Landon even said he wanted Carlyle to go to the same school as you! I told him no, our Wade's grades are good enough for St. Paul's School, Carlyle might be a bit short…"
"A bit short? Carlyle is a lot short!"
Fiona came out with fried eggs, pursing her lips. "Good thing they moved. Otherwise, if Wade hadn't gone to St. Paul's School, Mrs. Johnson would definitely have been asking all sorts of questions."
"Don't say that, dear," Ferdinand said placatingly. "Mrs. Johnson doesn't mean any harm, she just likes to compare a little. And Landon is a generous and kind man, you know."
Fiona grunted a few times but said nothing.
Wade, of course, knew Landon Johnson; that man used to be his father's business partner.
Although they later went their separate ways, Landon proactively gave up a portion of his profits, and their relationship wasn't affected.
If anything, their friendship became purer once business interests were no longer involved.
But Carlyle Johnson, in Wade's opinion, was truly difficult to describe.
Perhaps because his mother was American, Carlyle also had distinct American traits—enthusiastic, open, boastful, and carefree.
Ferdinand always thought Wade and Carlyle were good friends, but in Wade's view, he was merely tolerating a mischievous child and helping to look after him when the adults couldn't.
The thought of Carlyle coming made Wade frown slightly.
Fiona knew Wade didn't have a high opinion of Carlyle, and seeing his reaction, she couldn't help but smile. "You don't need to be overly enthusiastic, just don't be rude."
After the Gray Family finished breakfast and tidied up the house, Wade put all the magic-related items into his Wardrobe Space and locked his bedroom.
Otherwise, given Carlyle's habit of rummaging through things, he might just find Magic Books or other items. Not only would Wade be in trouble, but the Johnson family might also receive a Memory Charm from the Ministry of Magic.
As Wade understood it, the Ministry of Magic only showed astonishing efficiency when enforcing the Statute of Secrecy.
Once everything was tidied up, Wade returned to the living room downstairs. Ferdinand was already resting on the sofa, tired, and soon they heard the sound of a car.
"That must be Landon and them."
Ferdinand immediately stood up to greet them, and as he looked up, he met a pair of pea-like green eyes.
"Dolls!" Ferdinand exclaimed. "Fiona, your dolls are still wandering around the living room!"
The doorbell rang.
"Oh no! I forgot about them!"
Fiona quickly grabbed Coco, who had poked its head out, and frantically stuffed it onto the bookshelf.
"Don't move, don't make a sound!" Fiona whispered, urging, "Got it? This is very important!"
Coco covered its mouth with both hands and nodded its tiny head seriously.
Fiona breathed a sigh of relief. Just as she straightened up, she saw two other small dolls wiping a vase nearby.
"Stop wiping," Wade tapped the shelf and said. "Stay put, don't move."
Ari and Lena, one holding a rag and the other a small broom, plumped down on the shelf, motionless, like two exquisite ornaments.
Ferdinand's warm voice was already coming from the entrance hall:
"Landon, long time no see… Are… are you doing well?"
Fiona and Wade also went to the door to greet them.
Ferdinand gave the person outside a strong hug, then patted his back before ushering him in.
Both mother and son Gray paused in surprise.
Landon Johnson used to be a chubby businessman with a delicate mustache, always wearing a gray hat regardless of the weather, and his face always held a lovely, cheerful smile.
But at this moment, he appeared so thin and haggard, the corners of his mouth downturned, with deep dark circles under his eyes, clearly having not slept for a long time.
Only his familiar gray hat remained on his head.
His wife, who was always chattering and whose smile was overly flamboyant, hadn't come with him, and Carlyle was nowhere to be seen.
"Good morning, Fiona, Wade."
Landon took off his hat, greeted them both, then handed over the item he was holding:
"Merry Christmas, Wade. This is your gift, sorry it's a few days late."
Wade took the old leather suitcase from him and said, bewildered, "Then... thank you?"
Only then did Landon notice what he had given Wade. He snatched the suitcase back, saying awkwardly,
"Sorry, I made a mistake."
He turned and left the room, opened the car door, leaned in and rummaged for a while, then pulled out a huge gift box and handed it to Wade.
"This... this is the actual gift." As if he had just remembered, he added, "Congratulations on getting into St. Paul's School. School life must be very enjoyable, right?"
Wade took the heavy gift and found it was a particularly expensive model car, but it wasn't suitable for him.
Wade suspected that Landon had probably only paid attention to the price when buying it, something akin to a nouveau riche saying, "Give me the most expensive one," without actually noticing what he was buying.
He politely thanked him, then said, "Actually, I attend another school. While my school isn't quite like St. Paul's, school life is indeed very interesting."
"Really?" Landon nodded distractedly. "St. Paul's School is great! You must be very excellent to go to that school. If only Carlyle could be like you."
Wade blinked.
Ferdinand placed a hand on Landon's shoulder and asked, "Landon, are you in some kind of trouble?"
Landon looked at him, and suddenly tears welled up.
"Ferdinand, my friend, do you believe in magic in the world?"
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