Chapter 375: Mist
Wade’s eyes narrowed slightly.
The Magic Puppet was shaped like a soldier—only a few inches tall, clad in faded greenish uniform, its face blurred and indistinct, with thick legs and long, thin arms. To any Wizard, the crude craftsmanship was laughable. But Wade’s first reaction wasn’t amusement. It was a quiet certainty: This was designed for a specific purpose.
He didn’t voice his suspicion. Instead, he blinked once, watching Machionni continue his demonstration.
The Magic Puppet dropped onto the table and scrambled to its feet with surprising speed, its sturdy legs keeping it upright. Its head turned slowly—then fixed on Wade.
It had no real eyes, only two painted black dots. It couldn’t swivel like a proper puppet, yet Wade felt certain it was looking at him.
“Idiot! Your master’s right here!” Machionni grabbed the puppet by the head and twisted it half a turn toward himself. Then, with theatrical seriousness, he cleared his throat and said, “Get me a glass of water.”
Magic Puppet: …
“I said—g-i-v-e—m-e—a—g-l-a-s-s—o-f—w-a-t-e-r!” Machionni enunciated each word slowly, deliberately.
This time, the puppet seemed to finally register. It spun in place twice, then shuffled—clunk-clunk—toward the water jug.
“Boom!”
It kicked over the glass.
Then, with both hands, it gripped the jug’s handle and dragged it toward Machionni.
“Thud!”
The jug toppled onto the table. The lid flew off. Water spilled everywhere.
But the table was surrounded by wizards with strong abilities. One flick of a wand cleared the mess instantly.
The puppet, undeterred, kept dragging the jug toward its master.
Machionni watched the two, then said, “See? Just a little imbecile. That’s why most imitation Magic Puppets are a total flop…”
“Boom!”
The jug nearly hit Machionni in the face. He dodged, but still got splattered with tea. Two leaves clung to his cheek.
Wade and Remus Lupin had been trying to stay polite, but they couldn’t hold back. They burst into laughter.
The puppet, meanwhile, stood perfectly still, as if its task were complete—waiting for the next command.
Machionni wiped water from his face, took a deep breath, and tapped the puppet with his wand. Instantly, it vanished from existence.
“That’s it!” Machionni pressed on, utterly unfazed by their laughter. “The imitation puppets are even less agile than Wizard’s Chess pieces. So Magic Puppets remain our core product.”
“But I heard the British Ministry of Magic is planning a major event—Fudge called it unprecedented. This is our golden opportunity. But if we only have one or two flagship items, we’ll fall behind fast…”
“I’ve actually been pushing for a law to ban counterfeit Books of Friends from entering Britain. Haven’t had much luck… If we miss this chance, I don’t know when another one will come.”
Machionni muttered on, clearly worn down by the same frustration for far too long.
“But now we’ve got the Communication Bean—this changes everything. We’ll catch those scammers completely off guard!”
“Still, to avoid copycats, we might need to delay the release… at least six months. Maybe a year.”
“Well…” Wade spoke up. “The design includes a feature: a Vanishing Charm embedded in the seal. If someone inside tries to decipher it, the spell activates.”
“Vanishing Charm?” Machionni’s eyes lit up. He leaned forward, eager. “Can it be added? Will it conflict with anything? Could it be triggered by accident?”
Wade simply handed him the design sketch.
He never worried about Machionni leaking secrets. The man’s protection of intellectual property was meticulous—far more thorough than Wade had expected.
The Book of Friends had been on the market for nearly two years. Yet, outside of the finished product, no one had figured out the exact method. The entire industry still relied on crude knockoffs. Machionni’s protection was legendary.
And Machionni had once been Professor Mor’s student. His skill in Alchemy Water was on par with any true Alchemist. Deciphering the design was no challenge.
After a long glance, he grinned. “Professor Mor helped you revise it?”
“Yes,” Wade said.
They exchanged a silent, knowing look.
“Then I’d better get production started right away,” Machionni said, standing abruptly, a mischievous glint in his eye. “I can’t wait to see those fools get burned.”
“It’s a chain spell,” Wade explained. “A regular Decipher spell only makes the bean vanish. But if they try to remove the Vanishing Charm, that’s when the counterattack triggers.”
“I get it,” Machionni nodded. “Don’t worry. I’ll handle it. So, about the Covenant—shall I deal with Remus?”
“Of course,” Wade said.
Signing a Magical Covenant wasn’t just about writing a name. There were countless details to negotiate. Over the years, Machionni’s Magical Workshop had grown increasingly professional—so much so that it now adopted management practices from Muggle corporations.
Wade had no patience for such matters.
But Remus Lupin was meticulous, diligent, and deeply committed. Trusting him with the follow-up was easy.
Remus walked Wade all the way to the door of The Hog’s Head before returning to his room upstairs.
Machionni chuckled. “Remus, when you’re with Wade, do you play the role of the ‘mom’ figure?”
Remus didn’t react with anger. He simply said, “The Hog’s Head has some dangerous guests. I don’t want Wade exposed to them.”
“I know,” Machionni said, smiling. “I’m not mocking you. In fact, I think you’re doing a fantastic job.”
He sobered. “Remus, since you’re in Hogsmeade, you must protect Wade. Recently, several renowned Alchemists from France, Germany, and Italy have vanished.”
Wade left The Hog’s Head and headed straight toward the Three Broomsticks to meet his friends.
As he approached, he saw someone swaying unsteadily toward him—dazed, pale, looking unwell.
It was Kariel.
He stumbled into a girl, who shoved him hard. Kariel collapsed, but just sat there, staring blankly into space, unresponsive.
The girl stormed off in annoyance.
Wade watched for a moment, then sighed, crouched down, and grabbed Kariel’s shoulders.
“Hey, Kariel. What’s wrong?”
“Sea…” Kariel mumbled.
“See?” Wade frowned. “You saw something?”
He glanced around, searching.
Kariel forced himself to rub his face, then managed a weak smile. “The Halloween decorations in that shop were terrifying. I saw something… startled me.”
“Really? Then I’ll have to check them out later.”
He pulled Kariel up. “But I thought you weren’t the nervous type. You’re a Gryffindor, right?”
“Honestly…” Kariel said, “I’ve never seen magical things that move before. I’m just… a Vampire.”
—Really?
A sudden, heavy doubt crashed into Kariel’s mind, like a thick fog blurring everything. Was it true?
—If they’re all vampires… why do I remember only ordinary food? No blood?
Could it be… they all follow the rules?
(End of Chapter)
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