Michael's eyes lit up. He quickly searched through the pile of gifts he had received and, to his surprise, found a gift box signed "Wade Grey."
"Haha, he can still send gifts! It looks like his situation is better than I thought!"
Michael said happily, while Harry had already ripped open the wrapping paper.
Inside the gift box was a small model of a firebolt broom. Harry took it out, intending to examine it closely in his palm, when the broomstick model suddenly shot out with a "whoosh" with its tail trailing blue flames.
It flew around the room before landing back in Harry's hand.
"That's amazing."
Harry was very pleased. This unique alchemy item was certainly Wade's work, and not something sent by someone else in his name.
"Quick, let's see what Wade sent you!" Harry asked Michael curiously.
Michael tore open the final layer of wrapping paper and found a small item that could fit in the palm of his hand...
"A cat bed? No, it's probably a fox bed." Harry looked closer and said to Michael, "Maybe it's for your magic doll?"
"It probably isn't that simple."
Michael examined the "cat bed" and found a button-like protrusion on the side. He gently pressed it.
With a "bang," the "cat bed" instantly expanded and floated lightly in the air like a cloud, with a soft indentation in the middle that looked perfect for a nap.
Harry burst out laughing. "Wade is definitely telling you that you're too lazy!"
Michael shrugged. "Well, now we don't have to squeeze into one bed!"
The two of them teased each other and then eagerly began opening the other gifts. The worries that had been weighing on them all day seemed to disappear just like that.
If Wade can send gifts, he could send letters too. So, the people who took him, probably aren't enemies, just some eccentric wizard, right?
"Uh-oh!"
After Harry pulled out the hooded leather jacket from Mrs. Weasley, he suddenly remembered something, and his face changed immediately.
"I didn't send the gift for Wade last night! I thought he wouldn't be able to receive it!"
Michael paused for a moment, then immediately jumped up. "Wait, I didn't send mine either!"
The two quickly rummaged through their luggage, coaxed Hedwig gently, and finally got the temperamental owl to carry the packages out.
This time, the owl didn't return quickly.
...
But contrary to what the two had expected, and to the idea that the Christmas gifts would be delivered into Wade's hands, Hedwig flew into the house in Westminster, dropped the package by the bed, and looked around at the empty room.
It tilted its head and cooed twice, seemingly reassured that the Christmas gifts should be placed at the bedside, before heading back on its return journey.
Next to the bed, a Rubik's Cube doll wobbled, then with a "bang," two antenna-like eyes popped up from the top. On the sides, two metallic claws extended, and four wheels popped out from the bottom.
It rolled over and neatly arranged the two new gifts, then looked up at the towering pile of presents and stared blankly for a moment.
Outside, the sound of an owl flapping its wings was heard again.
The cube doll quickly retracted its extended parts, leaving only a single eye spinning and observing the surroundings.
Soon after, two wizards on broomsticks appeared outside the window.
The owl's flying speed is only 45 km/h, and almost all flying broomsticks could easily surpass that speed.
However, flying high in the cold winter air wasn't particularly comfortable, and the two wizards' faces were pale, and their eyebrows and eyelashes were covered with thick frost.
They flew through the window into the warm bedroom and instinctively sighed with relief, but upon seeing the neatly made bed and the pile of gifts, their faces showed disappointment.
"I should have guessed it," Lupin said gloomily. "No matter who took Wade, they wouldn't allow him this kind of freedom."
"The gifts were probably sent out before his disappearance, and they had already arranged a delivery time," Lupin added.
The Owl Post could also provide such scheduled delivery services, but before they arrived, they had still clung to a tiny hope.
Lupin waved his wand and placed the two gift boxes back on the cabinet. Sirius asked, "How are Wade's parents?"
"Alastor is protecting them," Lupin said. "I told them that Wade is spending Christmas with his friends, but I think..."
"Mm?"
"It seems that Wade's father might have guessed something," Lupin said.
Sirius was silent for a moment before sighing. "Even if he guessed, there's nothing that can be done... but it's better to keep it hidden for a while longer. After all, they're Muggles. Even if they're worried... there's nothing they can do."
His words seemed a bit cold, but Lupin knew that this was the reality.
"This year has really been turbulent," Lupin said with a frown.
"That Obscurial named Mabel hasn't been found, three people broke out of Azkaban in an unprecedented escape, and we can't find them either; Dementors are flying around, and even Grindelwald escaped..."
Sirius ran a hand through his messy black hair and furrowed his brow. "Dumbledore believes that Grindelwald took Wade... If the magic dolls are used by the Alliance, Europe could fall into chaos again, right?"
"Not necessarily... There's no Muggle leader right now who could cooperate with that person..."
"With Grindelwald's abilities, it's not impossible for him to control one or two Muggle leaders..."
The two whispered to each other for a while, and the more they talked, the heavier the pressure on their hearts became, as if it was a mountain weighing down on them, making it hard to breathe.
Even considering only a small part of the problem was suffocating for them. What must Dumbledore, who everyone depends on, be thinking?
Thinking of Dumbledore, who had been rushing around more frequently lately with his eyebrows furrowed, the two of them hoped he could tell them what to do, but they couldn't bring themselves to ask for his advice or help.
In trying to save Wade, they believed that Dumbledore's anxiety and effort were no less than anyone else's. The only thing they could do was follow orders, wait for orders, and do everything they could.
After their frozen hands and feet began to warm up, the two wizards used Apparition to leave the place.
The cube doll's eye stretched out with a "thunk," followed by the other eye.
Its round eyes squinted slightly, as if it were thinking.
After a moment, it moved in front of the pile of gifts and carefully picked out a small package.
The wrapping paper had the clumsy handwriting of a child, with the name "Mabel" written on it.
—Is this the same "Obscurus" the two men had discussed earlier?
She… sent a Christmas gift to master too?
The cube doll was infused with thoughts by Wade himself; it could not only think but also possessed much knowledge of everyday life and magic.
It knew what an "Obscurus" was, understood the powers of the Obscurus, and was well-aware of the meanings of "disappearance," "abduction," and "Alliance."
The metallic claws pulled down a recent newspaper from the shelf, and the blue eyes scanned all the content before neatly folding the paper and putting it back.
The doll was not trusted by wizards like Grindelwald or Moody, because they couldn't see where its thoughts were hidden. Even if the doll displayed emotions like "happiness," "anger," or "sorrow," these were simply a disguise ability given by its creator and didn't reflect the true thoughts of the doll.
Not to mention, the cube doll didn't even have a "face"—its eyes were two round balls on its antennae, and its voice came directly from inside its body, without a face.
So no one knew what this doll was thinking. But after a moment, it picked up the Christmas gift sent by Mabel and carefully examined the wrapping paper and ink, along with the writer's habits.
It also remembered the time each gift was sent, what the owl looked like that delivered the gift, and the direction it flew from.
The cube doll moved to the other side of the room, looked up at the large "wardrobe," extended its claws to open the wardrobe door, and glided inside.
The metallic cloak doll was proudly showing off its shiny golden appearance, and when it saw the door open, it thought its master had arrived. It quickly hid to the side, only to realize that the newly created doll floated by.
"I haven't seen the master all day!" the golden bell sang. "Is he busy with the holiday, not having time to come and visit us?"
The blue eyes spun around and scanned the empty wardrobe space.
Lately, Wade had mainly been organizing the wardrobe, making a few magic dolls. To be precise, only four—
The bell by the door, a broom mainly responsible for cleaning, the cube, and Peter II, who looked like Peter Pettigrew.
Besides them, there were the metallic cloak, the firebird Mikael, and a group of Acromantula spiders kept for use as prisoners and potion ingredients.
"The master is missing."
The cube doll's words immediately silenced the bell, and the cloak stopped floating.
Mikael, lying in its nest, opened its eyes. Peter II jumped in front of the cube and asked, "Who did it?"
Its voice was exactly like the real Peter Pettigrew—sharp and squeaky, like a rat—but its demeanor and tone were quite different.
"A dark wizard named Grindelwald did it. He may have an association called the Alliance. Their power is huge, and they are ruthless. Even Dumbledore may not be able to do anything about it," the cube said.
"Did the Alliance capture the master?" the golden bell screamed.
"That's what they say," the cube replied.
"I'm going to find the master," the broom said. "Don't look at me like I can only clean, I can fly fast too!"
"I came here for this," the cube said.
"I'll go too!" Peter II said.
"Take me along!" The cloak also flew over.
The proud Mikael flew over as well and expressed his stance.
"Wait, what about me?" the bell said, dumbfounded.
"The master isn't here, so we can't shrink and store the wardrobe space," the cube said. "Guard this place well and don't let anyone enter!"
"I understand, don't worry!" the bell said loudly. "Even if I shatter into pieces, I won't let anyone slip in!"
The cube's eyes flickered, and it said, "Good. Let's go!"
With a swoosh, the broom flew over. The cube jumped onto it, Peter II sat behind it, and the cloak spread out and covered them, blending in with the surroundings like a chameleon.
The wardrobe door swung open, and several magical dolls quickly flew out, a flash of fire following behind them. They heard the jingling sound of bells from behind.
Their two figures passed through the window and soared into the cold sky.
Snow continued to fall, and Christmas songs echoed through the city—
"Ding ding dong, ding ding dong, the bells are ringing, we are sliding on the open sleigh, how happy it is... Breaking through the snowstorm, we sit in the sleigh..."
…
Hogwarts.
"Wade is missing?" Professor McGonagall said in surprise. "What exactly happened?"
Snape's face was so dark it seemed as though water could drip from it.
"Remus Lupin is a complete waste. He was right there and still couldn't protect him..."
Amidst the Potion Master's angry curses, the events were quickly explained. Professor McGonagall rubbed her brow and asked with concern, "What does Dumbledore think?"
While the two professors were discussing in the staff room, they didn't intentionally lower their voices and didn't notice that a house-elf, quietly polishing a candlestick in the next room, had stopped working at some point and was now listening with perked ears.
Soon after, the two professors hurried out of the staff room, and the house-elf quickly finished its task, then directly Apparated to the kitchen, where another house-elf named Zoe was washing dishes.
The first house-elf grabbed its little friend and lowered its voice as it whispered, "Did you hear, Zoe..."
The news silently spread among the house-elves.
"What should we do?"
"There's nothing we can do..."
"We are Hogwarts' house-elves."
"Without orders, we can't leave..."
"Find a way to have those students staying at school give an order..."
"Maybe Professor Trelawney would let Maggie buy her some alcohol."
"What good would that do? Wade Grey is definitely not in Hogsmeade."
"Alcohol can be bought anywhere, right? We can go to Austria, or to Germany!"
"Has Maggie gone mad?" the little companion said, terrified. "A house-elf like this would be executed!"
"Maggie isn't afraid!"
"Dumbledore wouldn't do that!" Zoe said. "He's not Professor Dippet."
"But... but... this is against the rules!" The other house-elves looked very frightened.
"Wait!" Maggie raised his palm, signaling the other house-elves to be quiet, then opened his ears and listened carefully. He whispered, "Maggie thinks he heard Dobby's voice."
"Dobby?"
…
Dobby had just Apparated to the side of the castle and was walking along the wall into the building.
He looked a bit downcast and was wearing a ragged sackcloth-like garment, but with a brand-new, deer-shaped hat on his head.
This was the Christmas gift he had received this morning from Wade.
As he walked, Dobby muttered to himself, troubled:
"Sigh... Dobby still can't find a job. Wizards refuse to pay house-elves... If Professor Dumbledore doesn't want to hire Dobby, maybe Dobby should go to Wade Grey. Wade Grey would surely be willing to offer Dobby a job..."
"But Wade Grey is Dobby's friend, and Dobby doesn't want to trouble him... Wade Grey even saved Dobby. Dobby shouldn't ask him for a reward... but Dobby wants a reward..."
He grabbed the hat with both hands as his big eyes gazed at the distant sky.
"With a reward, Dobby can buy gifts for a friend... To want clothes, clean, decent clothes... Dobby also wants... Dobby wants..."
He seemed to think he was being too greedy, and even though he was alone, he whispered very softly:
"Dobby wants a day off, to play freely... Even if it's just one day a year..."
Just as he finished speaking, a house-elf suddenly appeared in front of him with a "POP!" Dobby was so startled that he stepped back two paces.
Then, the sound of more "pop-pop-pop" followed, and ten, twenty, even dozens of house-elves suddenly appeared and surrounded him completely, all of them stared at him intensely.
Dobby was so shocked that he kept retreating and almost flattened himself against the wall. He frantically shook his head and said, "No, no, Dobby doesn't want so many..."
He saw Maggie and recognized the house-elf that had once brought him food. He lowered his head in shame and said, "Dobby isn't here to cause trouble this time... Dobby just wants to find a job..."
"Dobby!" Maggie grabbed his arm and asked, "Does Dobby still remember the help that Wade Grey gave him?"
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⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- +235 Chapters
⭐MCU: Druid's Adventures (MCUDA)(⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 460
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⭐Marvel: Little Genius (MLG) (⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 450
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