Chapter 772
Companions
Chapter 772 Companions
With the puppet in hand, Vader felt more confident.
Before the competition, he opened up the wardrobe space in his room to continue repairing the previously damaged puppets, and also added some dangerous functions to them.
Moody and Lupin covered for him to prevent the secret in the room from being discovered.
When it was time to rest, Wade tidied up the wardrobe, stuffed his pencil case into his pocket, and prepared to go out for dinner.
As soon as Lupin broke the spell on the door, he heard several people talking outside—
"See? I told you! This place is much better than the Leaky Cauldron! At least the tables don't have decades of grime, and the floor won't stick to your shoes!"
A woman raised her voice, her tone one of relief.
Another deep male voice chimed in, “Indeed, the walls are spotless, as are the tableware and table. It seems we won’t have to worry about any vixens sneaking out from under the bed this time of night.”
If you ask me—
The woman's voice suddenly lowered: "Hotels run by ordinary people are more reliable... at least they look presentable, no matter how bad they are. Hotels run by you wizards are like gambling; if you lose, you'll be sleeping in a garbage dump!"
"Hahaha... It's not that bad, is it?" the man said weakly.
The footsteps stopped diagonally opposite Vader's room, and the voices of the guests became clearer:
"Okay, the room number is correct, right?"
A young boy's voice broke in, saying lazily, "Hurry up and go inside and rest! Flying is too tiring. Why can't the Ministry of Magic build some magic doors that everyone can use?"
"A good idea. Why don't you set your sights on magic and start researching it now?"
The man, who sounded like his father, said, "If I live to see your research spread all over the world like Wade Gray's inventions, I will have no regrets in this life!"
"What are you saying, Dad!" the boy said reproachfully. "This is my wish—so when are you going to try your best to let me experience the joy of being the son of a celebrity?"
As the family of three joked around, the room door opened, and the parents pushed their luggage in first.
At the same time, the boy noticed that the door behind him had been opened, and a long beam of light shone through the door frame.
He turned around as if sensing something, and saw Wade standing by the door, smiling at them.
"Ah, Wade! Our rooms are so close together!"
Michael was overjoyed. He dropped his luggage and rushed over, bumping shoulders with delight: "What a coincidence!"
“What a coincidence.” Wade was jolted by the bump and laughed, “I was just about to ask you when you’d be arriving!”
“Hey, I texted you as soon as I got on the plane!” Michael said. “If you check your friends list now, you’ll see I sent you at least thirty messages the whole way!”
The flight was incredibly boring, but thankfully Muggle planes didn't prohibit wizards from using the Book of Friends, so Michael chatted with his friends the whole way.
He would "tap" Wade's page roughly every half hour, but he knew that once Wade was immersed in studying or research, he wouldn't be distracted at all. Therefore, he didn't mind if he didn't receive a response. He would just frequently update his itinerary in real time, preparing to meet up with him after he arrived.
At that moment, Michael's parents also came out of the room, and Mr. Conner was the first to extend his hand to Wade: "Good evening, Mr. Wade Gray."
The middle-aged man smiled and said sincerely, "We didn't expect to meet you here. We were just about to thank you properly—"
"Thank you for inviting Michael to such an important opening ceremony. Michael has been incredibly excited ever since he received the news, and we've been talking about it so much we're sick of it."
“Yes,” Mrs. Corner nodded in agreement. “This is a rare learning opportunity for him, and we are all very grateful that you invited him.”
“Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Conner.” Wade responded politely, “You’re too kind. Michael is a friend of mine, and there’s no need to thank me for inviting him.”
“Yeah, yeah!” Michael put his arm around Wade’s shoulder and said to his parents, “Wade wasn’t planning on going. If I hadn’t insisted, his invitation would have been in the trash!”
Mrs. Conner's expression immediately changed, and she raised her eyebrows: "Michael, you mean... you forced your friend to accept an invitation he wasn't going to accept just to satisfy your own desire to watch the show?"
Seeing the storm brewing on his mother's face, Michael hurriedly said, "No, no! I was just kidding! Right, Wade?"
Wade explained, "It's not that I'm forcing myself; I just want to see the level of alchemy abroad."
"Oh..." Mrs. Conner didn't know whether she believed it or not, but she gave Michael a meaningful look, her eyes full of the implication of settling scores later.
Michael inwardly groaned and hurriedly pulled Vidra aside.
"Oh no, oh no, I shouldn't have said anything."
Michael spoke rapidly, "By the way, have you done the summer homework Professor Snape assigned? 'On the catalytic effect of moonstone powder in moderating agents.' Just this topic is making me sleepy! Do you have any clues? Help me!"
Seeing his pained expression, Wade couldn't help but chuckle, knowing that the guy was being lazy again.
So Wade temporarily put aside the atmosphere of the past few days in New York and said, "The moonstone powder in the moderating agent is essentially to provide a stable energy framework, allowing the chaotic energy to reach a harmonious and stable state during the stirring process. The paper can start by raising the point of contradiction..."
Michael nodded and asked his own question: "It transforms from an inert component to a catalytic component. Should we explain that?"
The two teenagers, oblivious to everyone else, began discussing their summer homework in the hotel corridor, as if the most important thing at that moment was not the upcoming international competition, but how to deal with the Potions teacher's demanding requirements.
As Lupin walked out of the room to greet the Conners, he couldn't help but glance at the two children. His face still held a gentle smile, but his mind wandered for a moment.
At that moment, Lupin seemed to suddenly realize that Wade was indeed a fifteen-year-old boy who was still studying.
Strangely enough, he actually reminded himself of this very often—
Wade is too young... He's still a child... He's not old enough to shoulder these responsibilities...
However, when actually standing in front of the other person, that clear understanding that lingers in one's mind always unconsciously blurs the lines.
Instead of guiding the other person as an elder, he subconsciously and almost dependently regarded the boy in front of him as the leader and core of his actions time and time again.
Just like he did in front of Dumbledore.
(End of this chapter)