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Chapter 209: Do You Believe in Magic?
Chapter 209: Do You Believe in Magic?
For the remaining two weeks of the holidays, Weed had no intention of going out.
He had copied over a dozen magic books from the Blacks, and Dumbledore had also generously lent him a box of books that he deemed worthwhile reads.
Professor Flitwick suggested that occasionally setting aside his wand to delve into the theory of magic would make him find it more handy when he picked it up again.
Learning magic was fun, but the theory behind it, no matter the subject, tended to be dry and tedious.
Even for Weed, who was more adept at such things than the average person, he had to eliminate all distractions and focus to get through those abstruse magic books one by one.
Of course, he still had his holiday homework. But that was the least of his worries, as he had finished it all the day before the vacation started.
As he immersed himself in his books, the Christmas break unknowingly drew to a close, and Fiona began preparing Weed's luggage for his return to school.
One day, when Weed came downstairs for breakfast, he found his father in a cheerful mood, even bringing out a bottle of rum from the cellar.
—After all, Fiona usually didn't allow him to drink before dinner.
"Get ready; your Uncle Johnson is coming over," Ferdinand said happily. "Remember their youngest son, Carr? You used to play with him a lot when you were little."
Weed skipped the topic about that unruly child and asked,
"Uncle Landon Johnson? I remember you saying they moved to America."
"Yes. Before... oh, about half a month before you received your letter from Hogwarts, their whole family moved to America, and we lost touch after that."
Ferdinand adjusted his tie in front of the mirror as he spoke.
"Landon used to say that he wanted Carr to go to the same school as you! I said no, as your grades were good enough to get into St. Paul's, but Carr might fall a bit short..."
"Carr falls far more than a bit short!"
Fiona, who was carrying a plate of fried eggs, snorted and said, "It's a good thing they moved. Otherwise, if Mrs. Johnson saw that Weed didn't go to St. Paul's, she would definitely ask a lot of questions."
"Now, now, dear," Ferdinand said soothingly. "Mrs. Johnson meant no harm. She just likes to compare a bit. And Landon is a generous and kind person, you know."
Fiona hummed a few times without saying anything.
Weed certainly knew Landon Johnson; that man used to be his father's business partner.
Later, although they parted ways and developed their own businesses, Landon gave up part of his interests, and their relationship was not affected because of it.
Rather, their friendship became purer after removing the entanglement of interests.
But Carr Johnson, in Weed's opinion, was a difficult topic.
Perhaps due to his mother's American heritage, Carr also exhibited distinct American qualities—passionate, open, and verbose, with a carefree attitude.
Ferdinand always thought that Weed and Carr were good friends, but in Weed's opinion, he was merely tolerating a rowdy child and occasionally babysitting when the adults were busy.
The thought of Carr coming over made Weed frown slightly.
Fiona knew that Weed didn't have a high opinion of Carr, and seeing his expression, she couldn't help but smile and say, "You don't have to be overly enthusiastic. Just be polite."
After the Grey family finished breakfast and tidied up the house, Weed put away all the magic-related items into his wardrobe space and locked his bedroom door.
Otherwise, with Carr's habit of rummaging through things, he might stumble upon the magic books, which could not only cause trouble for Weed but also result in the Johnson family receiving a Memory Charm from the Ministry of Magic.
In Weed's understanding, the Ministry of Magic only displayed astonishing efficiency when it came to enforcing the Statute of Secrecy.
After they finished cleaning up and returned to the first-floor living room, Ferdinand sat down on the sofa to rest. Soon enough, the sound of a car could be heard.
"It must be Landon and his family arriving."
Ferdinand immediately stood up to greet them and, as he looked up, he found himself face-to-face with a pair of bean-like green eyes.
"Puppet!" Ferdinand exclaimed. "Fiona, your puppet is still wandering around in the living room!"
The doorbell rang.
"Heavens! I completely forgot about them!"
Fiona hurriedly grabbed Coco, who was poking her head out, and hastily stuffed her back onto the bookshelf.
"Don't move around, and don't make a sound!" Fiona whispered. "Understand? This is important!"
Coco covered her mouth with her hands and nodded her tiny head earnestly.
Fiona breathed a sigh of relief and was just about to straighten up when she noticed that the other two puppets were polishing the vase next to the bookshelf.
"Stop wiping," Weed knocked on the shelf and said, "Be good and stay still, don't move around."
Ali and Lena, one holding a dust cloth and the other a small broom, plopped down on the shelf, motionless, like two exquisite ornaments.
From the entrance hall came Ferdinand's enthusiastic voice: "Landon, it's been a long time... Are... are you doing well?"
Fiona and Weed also headed towards the entrance to greet their guests.
Ferdinand hugged the person outside the door tightly, patted his back, and then welcomed him inside.
The Grey mother and son duo were both taken aback.
Landon Johnson used to be a chubby businessman with a carefully groomed little goatee and a dapper gray hat that he wore regardless of the weather. He always had a delightful, endearing smile on his face.
But now, he looked gaunt and haggard, his mouth downturned, and deep, dark shadows under his eyes, clearly indicating that he hadn't slept in a long time.
Only the familiar gray hat remained on his head.
His wife, who was always chatty and overly expressive with her smiles, was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Carr.
"Good morning, Fiona, Weed," Landon said as he removed his hat and greeted them. He then handed over what he was holding. "Merry Christmas, Weed. This is a gift for you, and I apologize that it's a few days late."
Weed took the old leather suitcase from him and said, bewildered, "Then... thank you?"
Only then did Landon notice what he had given to Weed. He quickly snatched the suitcase back and said awkwardly, "Sorry, I got it wrong."
He turned and went out the door, sticking his body into the car to rummage around for a while before finding a huge gift box, which he brought back and handed to Weed.
"This... this is the real gift," he said, as if he had just remembered. "Congratulations on your admission to St. Paul's College. I'm sure you're enjoying your time there."
Weed took the heavy gift and found that it was an expensive model car, although not quite to his taste.
Weed suspected that Landon had probably only paid attention to the price when buying it, with a request like, "Give me the most expensive one," typical of a nouveau riche, without actually considering what he was buying.
He thanked him politely and then said, "Actually, I'm attending a different school. Although it's quite different from St. Paul's, the school life there is indeed very interesting."
"Is that so?" Landon nodded absentmindedly. "St. Paul's College is an excellent school! You must be very talented to get into that school. I wish Carr could be more like you."
Weed blinked.
Ferdinand patted Landon on the shoulder and asked, "Landon, have you encountered some difficulties?"
Landon looked at him, and tears suddenly fell from his eyes.
"Ferdinand, my friend, do you believe in magic in this world?"
(End of Chapter)
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