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Chapter 47 – Gift – Book of Friends
Time at school had been heartbreakingly short, vanishing almost before it began. As the First Years filed out behind Hagrid, the few students who had chosen to stay behind stood by the window, watching enviously. But Wade, too, felt a pang of longing — he wished he could stay, too.
For two whole weeks, they’d have the entire school to themselves: the Library all to themselves, the Potions classroom untouched, and professors available at any hour. It would be like having one-on-one tutoring with the best minds in the school.
Wade sighed.
If it weren’t for Fiona’s constant anticipation of his return — she’d been counting the days for a whole month — he might have stayed.
Still, coming home was wonderful.
After being away for half a year, the love and longing his parents had stored up exploded the moment they saw him. Fiona wrapped him in at least ten hugs a day, and every so often, she’d press a tender kiss to his forehead. Ferdinand, more reserved, still reached out now and then to ruffle Wade’s hair or give his shoulder a reassuring pat.
During his time at Hogwarts, Wade had grown three centimeters taller. The constant climbing of staircases, plus regular ten- to thirty-minute workouts after sitting for long stretches, had made his body stronger — even visible abs had begun to form.
But to Fiona, all of this progress came down to just two words: “You’re too thin.”
She gently stroked his face. “Did you eat enough at school? Wait till I cook you a feast today!” She dashed off, already rubbing her hands together in excitement.
Wade glanced at the mirror.
The boy staring back was eleven, still carrying a faint baby roundness in his cheeks. His skin was pale with a healthy flush, glowing with good health.
Ferdinand sat beside him, his expression serious. “Wade, in your letters, you’ve always only told me the good news. Now tell me the truth — did anyone give you trouble at school?”
Wade met his gaze evenly. “No. Not really. Ravenclaw is a peaceful House. Most of us care only about ability, not bloodline. I’ve been top of the year in several classes. Professor Flitwick really likes me. And Professor Mor — he even dedicates two hours every week to teach me Alchemy. He invited me to his private party before the holidays.”
“That’s wonderful,” Ferdinand smiled. “So you’ve had good teachers.” He paused. “Are you happy at school?”
“Of course,” Wade said, grinning. “I’m really happy.”
---
Before Christmas, Wade had sent out all his gifts.
The next morning, when he came downstairs, he found the base of the Christmas tree piled high with gift boxes.
Fiona rushed over, wrapped her arms around his head, and planted a firm kiss on his forehead. “Thank you, my sweet love! I absolutely adore your gift!”
He had given her a bottle of Beauty Elixir — a fully completed, approved formula by Professor Snape.
Ferdinand nodded approvingly. “The Magical Razor is excellent. But what’s special about the parchment inside the box?”
“This,” Wade said with quiet pride, “is a magical artifact I made entirely on my own — the Book of Friends.”
He pulled out a hand-bound notebook from his pocket. The cover bore the words Book of Friends in both Chinese and English. Inside, the first page had a line at the top: Family. To the right, in smaller script: Name, followed by a blank line.
Wade handed a feather quill to each of his parents. He wrote his own name on the line.
“We three share a single Book of Friends. When I write something here — like this —”
He dipped his quill and wrote beneath the line: Merry Christmas.
Fiona gasped. On her parchment, a matching line appeared:
【Wade: Merry Christmas.】
“Oh! I get it!” She scribbled her name in the top-right corner, then wrote below:
【Merry Christmas, my darling.】
The same message appeared on the parchments of both father and son.
Ferdinand’s eyes lit up. “It’s like an online forum?”
The family had owned a home computer for years — affordable, just a few hundred pounds — and they were far from strangers to technology.
“Exactly,” Wade shrugged. “It’s like an Internet forum. The magic is that it’s just paper, which makes it seem mysterious. It can’t send video or sound, so it’s not as powerful as the internet. But it’s immune to magical interference, so you can always reach me — even when I’m at school.”
More precisely, the Book of Friends was a magical version of WeChat. But in this world, nothing like MSN Messenger, WhatsApp, QQ, or WeChat had been invented yet — making Wade’s creation feel startlingly ahead of its time.
“I have to say, Wade,” Ferdinand’s eyes sparkled, “this is the best Christmas gift I’ve ever received. But even better than that — you’ve truly thrived at Hogwarts. I’m so proud of you, son.”
Fiona, like so many first-time users of a messaging app, was instantly hooked. Even though Wade and Ferdinand were standing less than two meters away, she communicated entirely through the Book of Friends.
Within minutes, new messages began appearing on the second page — the one linked to the SSC Members.
【Michael: Hello?】
【Padma: Merlin’s beard, I actually see your words!】
【Hermione: Can you guys see what I’m writing? Oh my — it’s real! How does it work? I’ve never seen a spell like this in any book!】
【Padma: Don’t talk about books, Hermione — it’s Christmas! Let’s be joyful!】
【Michael: Wade, I thought you were just starting Alchemy! Why didn’t you tell me you’d built something this amazing?】
【Theo: I read the instructions in the books — just figured it out. This is incredible! The best magical artifact I’ve ever seen!】
【Liam: …Speechless. Can’t even find words. Just writing something to prove I’m real.】
【Neville: I fell off the sofa by accident. My grandma thought I’d been cursed by a dark artifact — nearly confiscated it!】
【Wade: Merry Christmas, everyone.】
Wade’s single message ignited a flood. Messages poured in, one after another.
They quickly realized the message space was limited — each line lasted only a second or two before vanishing. At any one time, only about fifteen messages could appear on the page. The system enforced a soft rate limit, preventing the chaos of “999+ unread messages” in just minutes.
Within moments, they’d instinctively begun using emoticons — and they showed no sign of stopping.
Wade turned the page. The third page was for the House-elves he knew well. They’d carefully tested their messages, each one filled with gratitude, writing and rewriting their thanks.
Then came the professors: Professor Mor, Professor Flitwick, Professor Sprout, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Snape.
Snape’s response was minimal: “Acceptable, at least.”
Mor confirmed the party invitation for the coming days.
The others praised Wade’s ingenuity and offered to help with lessons even during the holidays.
(End of Chapter)
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