"Sorry, Wade," Fred said, wiping away tears of laughter. "We're still fine-tuning the effects of these Canary Creams."
George turned to the others. "Don't worry, we only put one Canary Cream on the plate. The rest are normal, so feel free to eat."
However, not only did no one eat any more biscuits, but they also became wary of the other food, afraid that even the sandwiches might be hiding a Canary Cream.
"This magic is quite interesting," Wade said, brushing a few feathers off his clothes, his eyes gleaming with interest. "But don't you think the canaries that appear are too big? And the transformation time is a bit short, making it less practical."
"Wade!" Hermione quickly exclaimed. "Don't encourage them to upgrade their prank products!"
"Exactly, it's a prank product," George nodded, saying, "We don't need realism, just laughter, right?"
Fred grinned. "Absolutely right, brother! How boring would it be if the transformation were too realistic? Who would want to buy a plain old magic trick?"
George said, "Actually, we're developing a new product. After we graduate, we're going to open a Weasley brothers' joke shop in Diagon Alley. It'll definitely be better than Zonko's Joke Shop!"
"We've actually saved enough money to open a shop," Fred said. "But if we quit school to open it, Mum would go crazy!"
"Only two more years, hang in there, Fred!"
"You too, George!"
The two brothers bantered, and everyone else, except Hermione, joined in the laughter.
Wade ran his fingers over the slender feather, his eyes glinting with thought.
If this instant transformation magic could be improved, it could certainly have unexpected effects in real combat…
And one biscuit is all it takes for the transformation, which is much more convenient than spending months or even years, risking your life, to train as an Animagus.
In other words, if he wanted to conceal his Animagus identity, wouldn't a Canary Cream… no, a Peregrine Falcon Biscuit be a good excuse?
Wade stroked his chin, his thoughts drifting far away.
"Um, Wade…"
Neville patted Ryan on the shoulder, swapped seats with him, and then hesitantly leaned towards Wade.
"What is it?" Wade asked.
"Um… I wanted to ask… about the Daydream Quill…"
Neville took a deep breath, the sleeves of his robe on his lap trembling slightly.
"I mean… if I use the Daydream Quill to write down my dreams, is there any way to… to let others experience them too?"
His eyes flickered with cautious anticipation.
Wade glanced around the noisy Great Hall, then stood up. "Let's talk outside."
"Okay." Neville sighed in relief and quickly followed.
Theo turned and looked at Ryan, asking, "What are those two off to do?"
"I don't know…" Ryan shrugged, saying, "But it must be something important to Neville, right? He looked really nervous."
Theo's first reaction was, "Malfoy bothering him again?"
"I doubt it." Ryan looked at the Slytherin table, not seeing the pale blonde head, and sighed. "Malfoy seems to be having a tough time this semester. He's lucky if he's not being bullied himself; he probably doesn't have time to bully others."
Hearing their conversation, Harry suddenly realized that he hadn't seen Malfoy and his cronies come looking for trouble in a long time.
…
The hubbub of the Great Hall gradually faded as Wade and Neville walked on the snow-covered grass outside the castle. The thick snow crunched under their feet.
With no one else around, Neville could finally tell Wade the real reason for his request.
"My parents… for some reason, they've lost their minds and are both living in the long-term care ward at St. Mungo's. Sometimes they don't even recognize me."
Neville didn't know that Wade was actually aware of his parents' plight, and he had no intention of publicizing his own tragic family history. He merely tried to explain the situation in a calm tone.
Even so, Neville felt the raw, bleeding pain of an old wound being torn open. If it weren't Wade, who had always helped him, Neville didn't think he would have the courage to tell this to a classmate.
His grandmother always said his parents were heroes, that there was nothing to hide, and he should face it bravely, with his head held high. But Neville… he just didn't want others to know.
The boy's voice trembled as he said, "The healers at St. Mungo's said… it's very difficult for them to recover. But if they could feel happiness in their dreams, I think… I think…"
His voice choked, and he couldn't continue.
Wade looked away, not meeting Neville's gaze.
"The Daydream Quill only affects the dream creator. Its connection with the user is formed the moment you put pen to paper, so it's very difficult to share or transfer."
Neville's shoulders slumped, and he said in disappointment, "Sorry… I thought…"
"But that doesn't mean your parents' condition can't improve," Wade said, looking at the top of Neville's head. "It just might require you to take some risks."
"What is it?" Neville asked, looking up excitedly. "I'm not afraid of danger!"
Then, as an afterthought, he asked, "Do you know why my parents… ended up like this?"
"Whatever it is, as long as it's a problem related to the Mental World, there's hope for improvement."
Wade said softly.
He looked at Neville's eyes, which had brightened instantly, hesitated for a moment, and then took off a Stone Necklace that was wrapped several times around his wrist.
As he handed it over, Wade felt a pang of reluctance, but then he placed the necklace into Neville's hand.
"This Stone Necklace will allow you to enter your parents' Mental World, speak with them, and try to awaken their hidden selves."
Wade told Neville the Spell, then added, "But everyone's Mental World is unique. If your parents' inner world is already shattered... I don't know what you'll encounter once you enter. It might even harm you."
"So, once you've thought it through, make sure you have someone you trust by your side, ready to wake you up at any moment, before you attempt it. Got it?"
"I got it!"
Neville nodded emphatically, clutching the Stone Necklace tightly as if it were his only hope.
He didn't want to wait another second and immediately ran towards Gryffindor Tower, eager to tell his grandmother the good news.
Wade shifted his gaze, touching his empty wrist with a touch of wistfulness.
He was about to return to the Umbrella Room when he suddenly heard the sound of frantic footsteps again.
Neville returned, his face flushed and breathless, his fringe disheveled and sticking up from his hurried movements.
"Um... Wade..." Neville stammered, flustered. "Could you write down the Spell to activate the necklace for me? I... I already forgot what it was..."
Seeing his embarrassed expression, Wade couldn't help but laugh.
"Alright, just be careful not to lose it."
He conjured a piece of parchment and smoothly wrote down the Spell and its pronunciation key.
Neville took it with both hands as if it were a treasure, tucked it into his pocket, and then thanked Wade earnestly again. This time, he slowed his pace slightly, running towards Gryffindor Tower with a skip in his step.
At the corner, Neville suddenly looked back and flashed Wade a brilliant smile—it was the first time Wade had seen such a radiant expression on his face.
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