The last week of the holiday passed by swiftly. Vid felt as though he'd barely read a few books before time had quietly slipped away.
Professor Morry left him with a small matchbox, inside which lay a small, curled blue-black sheet, resembling a dried caterpillar, or a wing membrane torn from a bat's wing.
Since he couldn't use a Magic Wand, Vid simply observed its appearance through a magnifying glass, avoiding more destructive monitoring methods. He planned to study it further once he arrived at school.
Machioni, as he had promised, indeed launched the Friendship Book on schedule. Vid also received an invitation for the release day from Aslan Magic Workshop, and an owl sent him samples—two sets of each style, with a note stating he could keep one set and give the other away.
Rather than joining the "launch day" hustle, Vid preferred reading at home. However, Fiona saw the Friendship Book advertisement in the Prophet Daily and eagerly wanted to go, so the father and son accompanied her.
The family drove to Charing Cross Road in the Westminster District, parked nearby, and then walked to the Leaky Cauldron. Recent snowfall had made the ground wet and slippery, and Fiona clung tightly to Ferdinand's arm, still slipping as she walked.
"I really wish I could fly straight to the Leaky Cauldron—to have some Butter Beer—no, Flaming Whiskey—" Fiona muttered nervously as she walked.
"We're almost there," Ferdinand reassured her; in fact, they could already see the sign for the Leaky Cauldron.
As Duds, the Greys were not accepted into the Magic School as students, but the Wizarding World hadn't completely closed its doors to them. Both Ferdinand and Fiona had Magic Power within them, albeit unused, which distinguished them from Muggles.
For instance, they could see places invisible to Muggle eyes, such as the Leaky Cauldron, and Magic Potion could affect them like normal.
For pure Muggles, some common magical potions might turn into lethal poisons if consumed, like the Bone Regeneration Potion; some injuries trivial to wizards could be irreparable severe injuries for Muggles.
While Vid attended Hogwarts, the Greys sometimes roamed Diagon Alley. Although they didn't have Magic Wands, they could enter Diagon Alley by following other wizards opening the entrance, and others generally didn't mind.
Vid now felt like his parents were back home once they entered Diagon Alley. They naturally stopped at the Leaky Cauldron for a beer (Fiona no longer complained about cleanliness here at some point), then followed the winding path to the entrance, watching Vid with anticipation.
Vid took out his Magic Wand, tapped a brick on the wall, and the familiar archway appeared, greeted immediately by a huge poster—
[Friendship Book, the Era-Defining Icon!]
[Haven't bought the Friendship Book for your child yet? Merlin, what will they do at school?]
[Peak Quality, Excellent and Affordable, an Unreplaceable New Era Enjoyment!]
[With Me by Your Side, the World Changes—Communicate Anytime, Anywhere, Friendship Book Changes Our World!]
"Oh my—" Fiona couldn't help but exclaim.
Brightly colored posters could be seen at almost every corner of one's vision, with various slogans rolling incessantly, urging people to purchase immediately. Diagon Alley was bustling with crowds, parents everywhere, and even many foreign wizards.
They didn't need to go to Machioni's shop anymore, as every ten meters along Diagon Alley was a selling point. Shop employees shouted loudly: "Limit one per person! One per person! Hey, sir, you've taken an extra one!"
"Don't worry! We'll soon produce more products! Don't worry, if you're willing to wait two days, you can sit in the shop and choose slowly! Various styles!"
But nobody listened to him; people continuously squeezed forward, clutching Galleons as they shouted loudly—
"Give me three! I have three kids!"
"Stop pushing from behind! Who stepped on my shoe?!"
"I want that red one, give me that red one!"
Suddenly, a shout erupted from the crowd, the throng parted with a rush, and two wizards rolled on the ground fighting, screams and shouts in chaos, but they quickly got pulled apart by people nearby.
Fiona swallowed hard: "Why don't we just take a look here—"
"—Wise choice."
Ferdinand bought ice cream, and the three sat at a small table outside the shop, watching the intimidating buying scene from afar.
Fosco, the owner in a vest, brought ice cream to the table and smiled: "You're here to buy the Friendship Book for your kid too?"
"Well—yeah—" Ferdinand mumbled.
"Then you better hurry up," Fosco adjusted his bowtie, saying, "I have inside information; the Friendship Books rushed out by Aslan Magic Workshop are only this batch right now. After they're sold out, their staff will take a few days off before continuing work. So, if you miss this, you'll have to wait at least a week to buy them."
Vid looked up at him—no wonder the shopkeepers maintaining order were ineffective, with these insider gossip spread by Diagon Alley owners creating anxiety. Of course, it would make everyone worry about not being able to buy.
"Your insider news is—" Ferdinand asked cautiously.
"Oh, a daughter of a distant aunt's neighbor works at Aslan Magic Workshop, responsible for Friendship Book production, so my news is absolutely real and reliable!" Fosco said proudly.
"Oh—" Ferdinand nodded skeptically.
Vid: ...
Could this "insider info" have been released by Machioni himself to provoke consumption, deliberately concocting rumors, while on one hand officially proclaiming "We have plenty in stock," and on the other hand letting people disclose insider information "Stock is tight," people will naturally tend to believe the latter.
"Waiting a week—isn't that fine? Didn't owls work perfectly before?" Fiona asked strangely.
"How can that be the same?" Fosco looked at Vid, saying, "Think about your son—madam—once he gets to school, classmates are all talking, exchanging Friendship Books, but he has nothing, won't he be isolated? At the very least, he'll feel inferior! Imagine that scene—wouldn't you feel bad as a parent?"
Fiona followed his words, imagining—the school students flock together, chatting merrily on the Friendship Books, sharing mutual laughter, but her Vid stands alone in the corner, pitiably watching—Fiona immediately felt bad, nodding repeatedly, "Yes! Definitely! Poor thing, can't let this happen!"
"Isn't it, everyone thinks so—a child should at least take a Friendship Book to school. This way, they won't be out of place with others—is there anyone who can resist buying?"
"Can't resist, certainly will buy!" Fiona said enthusiastically.
Fosco sighed and walked away, muttering about parental care for their children or similar. Fiona anxiously watched the buying crowd, suddenly stood up, but got pulled back by Ferdinand holding her arm, Vid staring at her in surprise.
"Ferdie—"
"Vid already has a Friendship Book, remember?" Ferdinand said helplessly, "He has plenty, can exchange with anyone he meets, not some pitiable child."
—he's even the inventor of the Friendship Book, what kind doesn't he have?
Fiona blinked, suddenly realizing: "Oh—right oh!"
Vid: ...
So, you really got stirred up, and weren't secretly promoting for me, right?