Even though Ralph had already checked the remaining gift boxes, Wade remained highly vigilant.
He instructed the two Magic Golems to move all the Christmas gift boxes into the Wardrobe Space. He then sat aside reading while the golems took care of unwrapping the gifts.
A half-human-sized Jellyfish Golem rose from the basement. Its dozens of tentacles swirled nimbly, unwrapping boxes, categorizing items, and making records all at once.
There were all sorts of books, candies, magical items… The most absurd thing was that someone had even bought him a Daydream Quill, which Wade found quite speechless.
There was even a label on the quill's shaft that read, "Inventor: Wade Gray"!
By now, Wade was practically a brand for Aslan's Magic Workshop. Marchioni seemed to want to print his name on every single product.
Human gifts were all much the same, but the House-elf gifts were each unique.
Dobby sent a pair of mismatched socks. Looking at the crooked cauldron and owl patterns on them, Wade suspected he had knitted them himself.
Zoe sent a painting made from Mermaid scales. From its shape, it was an outline of Hogwarts Castle, shimmering with a kaleidoscopic effect in the light.
Hobby's gift to Wade was several tender yellow chicks. They scurried around as soon as they were out of the box until the cloak flew over and put them all into a cage.
Phil sent a box of herbs, probably gathered by him from the Forbidden Forest, as there were even a few dewdrops on them.
As for Mikey, Wade suspected he had found out about the second task somehow, because his gift was actually a jar of Gillyweed!
After tidying up all the gifts and cross-referencing the list to confirm he hadn't missed anyone he needed to give a gift to, Wade stretched his stiff shoulders and stepped out of the Wardrobe Space.
The bed in the bedroom was already made, and the air was warm, though a bit stuffy.
Wade casually picked up the Flying Broomstick leaning by the bed. With a neat flip, he mounted the broom and flew out the window. With a snap of his fingers, the open window closed with a *CRACK*, shaking down a few accumulated snowflakes from the windowsill.
The broom arced through the cold wind, plummeting like a meteor towards the snow in front of the castle, stopping abruptly just before it touched the ground.
As Wade landed on the snow, there was a crisp *POP* in the air—
The House-elf Mikey suddenly apparated beside him, extending his hands with an expectant look.
"Merry Christmas, Mikey."
Wade smiled and placed the broom in his hands, entrusting the elf to take it back to the dormitory.
"Mikey, you rascal!"
A shriek came from not far away. Zoe, who was a step too late, stomped her foot and, annoyed, had no choice but to return to Ravenclaw Tower.
Mikey stuck out his tongue playfully, not at all embarrassed about having snatched Zoe's job.
After annoying Zoe, he hugged the broom with his slender arms, looked up at Wade, and said, "Thank you for the gift, Mr. Gray! Mikey likes it very much!"
Wade couldn't help but laugh, asking, "Have you already seen it?"
"I've seen some of it," Mikey said. "Muggle life is so interesting!"
Wade's gift to the House-elf was a popular Muggle humor comic. Its content was witty and vivid, easily understandable and hilarious even without words.
"Reading allows one to see worlds they cannot touch. Of course, comics can too."
Wade noticed Mikey was standing barefoot directly on the snow and frowned, saying, "It's too cold out here, hurry back to the castle… Would you accept a ball of yarn as a gift? Dobby can knit socks, maybe you can too? The school doesn't forbid you from making your own clothes, does it?"
"Mikey is fine, Mikey is not cold!"
Mikey suddenly pounced and hugged Wade's knees, nearly knocking him over with his strength.
The elf looked up, his eyes moist like glass marbles after rain.
He said, "The Black Lake is as dangerous as the Forbidden Forest, but Mr. Wade will definitely win! Gillyweed will help you a lot!"
"Thank you, Mikey. If the second task involves the lake, then you've been a great help."
Wade didn't mention that he had already mastered the Bubble-Head Charm. He just stroked the elf's head and said gently, "Go back quickly… Oh, and remember to share the comics with Zoe and get along, okay? Christmas shouldn't be spent arguing with friends."
Mikey nodded vigorously and, with a *POP*, disappeared from the spot with the broom.
...
The day passed quickly. In a blink of an eye, dusk settled.
Wade finally finished all his homework and even took time to write an Alchemy essay—Professor Murray now required him to publish at least one essay in a journal each month, and Wade had already prepared manuscripts for as far out as next February.
"Please, put down that quill!"
Michael leaned against a shelf, holding a bottle of hair pomade. His freshly styled curls emitted a scent of cedar.
He urged, "Wade, if we don't go change, we'll have to wear our school robes to the ball!"
Harry and the others in the Umbrella Room chuckled. As for the girls, they hadn't appeared all afternoon, busy preparing for the ball.
The boys then returned to their dormitory to change.
Wade opened his wardrobe. A silver-gray silk shirt glowed softly, next to a deep blue formal robe whose hem draped smoothly, almost without a single wrinkle.
This was a formal robe Wade had custom-ordered from Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions over a week ago, and it had just arrived yesterday noon.
He changed and surveyed himself in the mirror. Feeling rather good, he went downstairs to the common room, where he saw Michael leaning against the railing.
"How do I look?" Michael spread his arms, showing off as he spun around.
He was wearing a red robe with gold trim on the collar and cuffs, adorned with gold buttons and cufflinks, and several ancient-looking, esoteric magical items hung from silver chains on his person—a silver hourglass, a serpent biting its own tail, a string of coins carved with ancient runes, and so on.
Wade couldn't help but take another look from a different perspective, realizing that what appeared to be cool decorations actually had less magical aura than the dishes in the kitchen.
"You look like you're ready to charm three girls at the ball at any moment," Wade commented honestly.
Michael clicked his tongue a few times and wagged a finger. "Half, thank you. Half the girls will be attracted to me."
Wade was speechless. "...Why don't you share some of your confidence with Harry? Even just one percent would save him the trouble of finding a date for the ball."
"Ah, well, I can't help it; charm like this is innate," Michael said, flicking his bangs and winking proudly.
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