Chapter 1043
Christmas Gifts
Chapter 1043 Christmas Gifts
On Christmas morning, Wade woke up from his dream. As soon as he sat up, he saw that the floor at the foot of his bed was piled up like a small mountain of gift boxes.
He yawned, got out of bed, waved his wand to arrange them neatly, and then took them apart one by one.
Hermione's gift was a set of "Amendments to the International Law of Magic," Theo gave her a leather notebook, and Ryan gave her a "Chart of the Development of Astrology."
Michael sent a copy of "A Collection of Jokes," and wrote on the title page:
In case your puppets need to learn a sense of humor (or you need to be amused).
Harry also gave him a book—"The Secrets of Flight." It detailed the history of flying broomsticks, the evolution of rune engraving, and the "sky vehicles" that were once popular in the Middle Ages.
The same sentence is attached above: "It is said that this book contains secrets that even the wind cannot catch. If anyone in the world can find them, that person will be you."
Through the words, Vader seemed to see that the person who gave him the gift was secretly hoping that Vader would become more interested in flying and then create a faster and stronger flying broom.
He smiled, put the book aside, and a little crab picked it up and patted it back into the wardrobe space.
Just as Vader was about to throw away the wrapping paper, he suddenly noticed a handwritten note inside:
[Wade,
We're planning to visit Mr. Weasley at St. Mungo's around noon. Would that be convenient for you?
If you would like to go, please message me before 10:00 AM.
I hope you can come.
—Harry
Wade, also wanting to know if Mr. Weasley had awakened, opened the Book of Friends and replied briefly:
[Shall I come along and meet you in the Hall of St. Mungo's?]
Almost two seconds later, the Book of Friends page flickered slightly, and Harry's somewhat messy handwriting appeared on it:
【Great! You can wait at home, Sirius and I will pick you up. See you at ten o'clock.】
Wade replied with an "okay," then put down the friend's book and went to open the other gifts.
Compared to previous years when the gifts were almost entirely books, this year's gifts are more varied.
For example, Fred and George gave him a box of Honeydukes' most luxurious sweets, Neville gave him a pot of fragrant moss, and Professor Snape gave him a small bottle of Felix Felicis—a truly unexpected delight.
There were far fewer gifts from former Muggle elementary school teachers and classmates, after all, many of them hadn't seen each other for three or four years, and it was only natural that their relationships had gradually drifted apart.
In contrast, the number of gifts from the magical world is increasing every year, even though a considerable number of these gifts from strangers have already been moved to the wardrobe space by the puppets for unpacking and inspection.
Teachers and classmates at Hogwarts, house-elves at the school, some acquaintances from the Vigilante Party, some contestants from the Magical Schools Tournament, several contestants and judges I met at the Alchemy Tournament, and some people I met in America...
All sorts of gifts were piled up in the room, and for some of the gift-givers, Wade only vaguely remembered their names.
Even the puppets in America sent gifts, including dazzling and expensive jewels, priceless antiques, and even some legendary treasures with magical powers—but Vader didn't find any strange power in the latter.
Braun sent him a red meteorite with a unique texture from Africa, thinking he could use it for his alchemy.
Dumbledore's gift was very light; it was a small silver box.
Inside was a silver pocket watch. The dial had no numbers, only star patterns. The hands were also different from those of a normal watch; they rotated slowly counter-clockwise.
There was a small mirror embedded in the watch cover, but when Wade held it up to his face, he couldn't see his own face in it.
The pocket watch had an uneven surface. Wade turned it around and looked at it, discovering a line of small characters engraved on the edge:
"Time is not a river."
He pondered for a moment and then put the pocket watch away.
Wade checked the time; it was already breakfast time. He brushed the scraps of paper off his clothes and had the puppets move the remaining gift boxes to the wardrobe space, where he could open them when he had time.
Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly felt something tug at his trouser leg.
Wade looked down and saw a goblin crab tugging at his trouser leg, its forelegs holding up a small paper bag.
"What's so special about this gift?" Wade took the paper bag and asked, "What's so special about it?"
As he spoke, he turned the bag over, then paused slightly in surprise. The signature on it was a handwriting he recognized very well—[Terrence Morey].
The alchemy professor, whom he hadn't seen for over six months, also sent him a gift today. However, the bag was too small and was buried at the bottom. Wade had just turned it over and thought there wouldn't be a gift from Professor Morrie this year.
Professor Morrie's son, Steven, gave him a small bag of feathers from a bird of prey, which were very precious.
Thinking of Professor Morrie, whom he hadn't heard from in a long time, Wade opened the paper bag with mixed feelings. Inside was an inconspicuous little sphere, about the size of a pigeon's egg, with gray spots on it and a warm, smooth feel to the touch.
Wade recognized it at a glance; it was a trigger-type door key, the same kind of brooch that Vovilette had given him before.
Inside the bag was a card with elegant yet sharp handwriting that read:
When you are ready, hold it, and it will take you to where I am.
This is the cause I have pursued all my life, and I hope it will become your dream as well.
But if... you choose a different path from mine, I will still congratulate you. Wade, you will always be my proudest student.
—Terrence Morey
Following the signature is a hand-drawn symbol.
Triangle, vertical line, circle.
This is Grindelwald's logo.
Wade lowered his eyes and gently stroked the symbol. In that instant, he thought of many things, yet it seemed like he thought of nothing at all.
"Wade, honey, it's time to come down for breakfast!"
Fiona's cheerful voice came from downstairs.
Wade blinked, put away the spherical door key, rubbed his face, changed into the Christmas sweater his mother had given him, and walked out of the bedroom.
As soon as he came down the stairs, a figure carrying the aroma of bread rushed over and gave him a loud kiss on the cheek.
Merry Christmas, my love!
Fiona looked particularly radiant today, wearing a sweater embroidered with gold bells.
She said happily, "I love your gift so much! Wearing that necklace, I don't feel cold at all even when I go out in my pajamas! And it's so beautiful! Did you make it yourself?"
“Yes!” Wade smiled. “I’m glad you like it.”
"What's wrong?" Fiona sensed something was wrong, cupped his face in her hands, and asked carefully, "Is something bothering you? Did you receive a gift you don't like?"
“No.” Wade breathed a soft sigh of relief and said, “It’s just… Professor Morrie said he won’t be able to continue teaching me next year either, and he’s a little disappointed.”
“Oh, that’s such a shame,” Fiona asked. “Is Professor Morrie busy with something else?”
“Yes.” Wade lowered his head, as if to compose himself, before whispering, “He said… that was the cause he had pursued all his life.”
"In that case, there's nothing we can do!"
Fiona patted Wade on the back and comforted him, "That's such a shame. I know how much you like and value Professor Morrie's class. He's such a wonderful teacher."
"But think about it carefully, maybe this is God giving you an opportunity to come into contact with more different ideas and methods? And once Professor Morrie is done with his work, you will definitely have another chance to ask him about alchemy, right?"
Wade paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "Yes. There will be opportunities later..."
One update tonight
(End of this chapter)