Chapter 51: Fred's Fear
On the day of Professor Murray's party, Wade had breakfast and then put on the dress robe and dragon-hide boots that Fiona had carefully selected for him.
He stood in front of the mirror as Fiona circled around him, occasionally adjusting small details.
"You look amazing, baby!" Fiona kept showering him with exaggerated compliments.
"You'll definitely be the most dashing little gentleman at the party. Seriously, how about wearing the necklace I picked for you? The arrow-shaped pendant is super cool, and all the other kids will be so jealous."
"No! Mom, I'm not a three-year-old," Wade firmly refused without hesitation.
Fiona sighed: "You didn't want to wear it when you were three either—"
"And that's why I'm definitely not wearing it at eleven." he retorted.
Fred kept glancing at his watch and occasionally looked toward the door.
"The professor said he'd pick you up at 10, right?" he asked his son to confirm.
"Yeah, that's what the letter said."
But it was a minute to 10 o'clock, and still no one was outside.
"Is he late?" Fiona speculated.
"Maybe something delayed him," Fred looked at the door again. "I just hope they don't suddenly show up at the doorstep."
"That won't happen. There are regular people around here! So many would see him if he did!" Fiona said confidently. "Something must've held him up, and maybe we'll get a letter from an owl any minute now."
As she spoke, Fiona rushed to open a window to make it easier for an owl to fly in. Just as she turned around, the flames in the fireplace suddenly flared up green, casting an eerie glow throughout the room. A dark figure emerged from the fireplace.
Fred sprang to his feet, quickly reaching behind him to pull out a gun, while pushing Wade back with his other hand, shouting, "Who is it?!"
"Wait—Dad, it's Professor Murray."
Wade hurriedly grabbed his father's arm, suddenly realizing that his father's hand was ice-cold.
He looked over in surprise and saw Fred clenching his teeth, with veins bulging on his neck, and an expression that appeared tense, cold, and unfamiliar.
Wade froze in place.
Ever since he had received his acceptance letter from Hogwarts, the Greys had always seemed incredibly happy. They were filled with curiosity about the magical world and eagerly engaged with it, learning about the wizarding world so quickly that they almost knew more than Wade.
At least, that's what Wade had always thought.
But at this moment, he suddenly realized that deep within his father's heart—perhaps hidden all along—there was a profound fear of the wizarding world.
Fiona, on the other hand, was only startled at first. Hearing what Wade said, she quickly calmed down and took a few steps forward, curiously asking, "Is this Floo Network?"
Fred quickly walked over, as if to join his wife in greeting the guest. But Wade noticed that he was actually positioning himself in front of Fiona, shielding her.
Sure enough, the person who stepped out of the flames was Professor Murray. He brushed the soot off his clothes and said with a smile:
"Yes, it's a safe and convenient way to travel. Aside from getting a little soot on you, everything is perfect—hello, Mr. Grey, Mrs. Grey. I'm Terrence Murray, as you've probably guessed by now."
"Of course." Fred had already put away his gun, and there was no trace of any tension on his face. "Welcome, Professor Murray. I apologize, our fireplace hasn't been thoroughly cleaned in over two years."
Fiona peeked out from behind him and asked: "Can we travel through the fire too?"
"Oh, probably not," Professor Murray replied with a smile.
"In fact, the Ministry of Magic prohibits connecting fireplaces in non-magical homes to the Floo Network. I temporarily arranged special access to pick up Wade, but once we leave, it'll return to normal—Wade, I'm glad to see you're ready."
"—Yes, Professor."
Wade glanced at his parents, then placed his wand into the wand pocket of his dress robe and walked over. "Are we leaving now?" he asked.
"Of course, the guests are already waiting for us!" Professor Murray pulled out a small pouch as if by magic. It was filled with sparkling powder. He asked, "Have you used Floo powder before?"
"No, Professor."
"It's very simple. Just watch me."
He handed the pouch to Wade, pinched a small amount of powder, and tossed it into the fire. Instantly, the flames turned a bright green.
"Remember, you must clearly enunciate the destination—Alsophila Garden. Close your eyes and don't move around inside the fireplace, or you'll end up bruised and might even come out of the wrong one," Professor Murray instructed.
He then stepped straight into the flames and demonstrated, "Alsophila Garden."
With a swoosh, he vanished into the fire.
Wade also took a pinch of Floo powder and approached the fireplace. Just as he was about to throw it in, he turned back and looked deeply at his father, and said: "Dad, I'll be back by tonight."
"Mm." Fred's throat tightened as if he wanted to say something but held back. He lowered his gaze to his son and said, "Follow your professor—don't get into any trouble."
"I understand." Wade nodded seriously.
Fiona, with her hands on her hips, pretended to be upset: "So, you're only saying goodbye to Dad and not to me?"
"How could I?" Wade smiled and stepped forward to hug his mother. "Goodbye, Mom."
He tossed the Floo powder into the fire, and the flames immediately turned green. Suppressing his natural fear of the fire, Wade walked into it as if it were routine.
The flames surrounded him like a warm breath. Through the fire, Wade saw the lingering fear in his father's eyes.
It was the fear of a once-safe harbor suddenly being invaded by strangers, causing unease and lingering anxiety.
"Alsophila Garden," Wade said clearly and looked directly at his father.
In an instant, his parents and the living room vanished from sight. He spun rapidly through the emerald flames, with countless fireplaces flashing by. Wade quickly closed his eyes. Just as the dizzying spin became unbearable, it abruptly stopped. He was about to fall when a pair of strong arms caught him.
"Not the best experience, right?" a voice asked. "I heard it's your first time using the Floo Network."
The person helped him out of the fireplace. Wade coughed twice, rubbing away the soot that had accidentally gotten into his eyes, and saw a tall figure standing before him.
The man was very tall, around two meters, with a burly build and a somewhat fierce appearance. However, the way he bent down to look at Wade was gentle.
"Cough—sorry, and you are?" Wade asked.
A cup of water was handed to him.
"Here, drink some water." The large man drew his wand and used a Scourgify spell. Instantly, all the dust on Wade disappeared.
"My name is Steven Murray, son of Terrence Murray. My father was supposed to meet you here, but a friend from France just arrived, and he went to greet him—feel free to walk around and grab something to eat."
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