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Chapter 47: Gift - Book of Friends
Time at school passed heartbreakingly fast, and departure seemed to arrive in the blink of an eye.
As the first-year students lined up to leave with Hagrid, Wade couldn't help but envy those who chose to stay behind at Hogwarts. In truth, he too envied them—the freedom to remain in school for two weeks, exclusive access to the library and potions classroom, and the ability to consult professors at leisure, almost like personalized tutoring sessions.
Wade sighed.
Had Fiona not eagerly anticipated his return home a month ago, he might have wished to stay at school longer.
Yet, being home felt undeniably comforting.
After half a year away, the pent-up longing and affection from his parents overflowed the moment they laid eyes on him. Fiona hugged him at least ten times a day, planting loving kisses on his forehead. Ferdinand, though more reserved, ruffled his hair and patted his shoulder from time to time.
During his months at school, Wade had grown three centimeters taller. Daily stair climbing and extended sitting had inadvertently strengthened his physique, even revealing more defined abdominal muscles.
Yet, to Fiona, all these changes condensed into two simple words—"lost weight."
Mother gently touched Wade's face, distressed. "Were you not eating enough at school? Don't worry, I'll prepare a feast for you today!"
She bustled off to the kitchen.
Wade scrutinized his reflection—the eleven-year-old boy still retained traces of baby fat on his face. He appeared round-faced, fair, and rosy, looking quite well.
Seated beside Wade, Ferdinand asked with a serious expression, "Wade, in your letters, you only shared good news. Now, tell me the truth—has anyone at school been troubling you?"
Wade responded earnestly, "No, Dad—truly. Ravenclaw values merit over blood status. I've consistently ranked first in my year across several subjects. Professor Flitwick, our Head of House, is very fond of me, and Professor Murray dedicates two hours weekly to teaching me alchemy. He even invited me to his private pre-holiday gathering."
"That's reassuring. It sounds like you've encountered some exceptional teachers," Ferdinand smiled. "Are you happy at school?"
"Absolutely," Wade grinned. "I'm very happy."
---
Before Christmas, Wade sent out all his gifts. The following morning, he descended the stairs to find a pile of gift boxes beneath the Christmas tree.
Fiona approached him, enveloping him in a hug, and planted a hearty kiss on his forehead. "Thank you, dear. I love the gift you gave me."
Wade had brewed and gifted Fiona a bottle of beauty potion approved by Professor Snape.
Ferdinand nodded approvingly, "A splendid magic razor. But what's the parchment you included in the box for?"
"It's my independent alchemy project—the Book of Friends," Wade said, with a hint of pride.
He retrieved a hand-bound book from his pocket, titled "Book of Friends" on its cover. Opening it, the first page displayed a horizontal line with "Family" written at the top. Below it, in smaller font, was "Name," followed by another horizontal line.
Wade produced a quill and handed one to each of his parents. He wrote his name on the right side of the line.
"Our three Friend Accounts are linked. You write your name here, and then I can write my message—"
He penned a line below the horizontal line—"Merry Christmas."
Fiona gasped softly as words appeared on the parchment in her hand:
**[Wade: Merry Christmas.]**
"Oh, I see."
Fiona swiftly inscribed her name in the upper right corner and added below: **[Merry Christmas, darling.]**
The same message appeared on Ferdinand's parchment.
Ferdinand grasped the concept, "Is this akin to a forum?"
Having owned a home computer for years, the Gray family had been early adopters and were familiar with its workings.
"Yes, it's akin to an Internet forum," Wade explained, spreading his hands. "But because it's just paper, it seems a tad more magical. It can't transmit video or sound—it's not as advanced as the Internet. However, it operates free from magical interference, allowing me to stay in touch even from school."
In essence, Wade's "Book of Friends" was a magical precursor to platforms like MSN Messenger, WhatsApp, QQ, and WeChat, which had yet to be developed.
"This is the best Christmas gift I've received this year, Wade," Ferdinand's eyes gleamed. "More importantly, you've genuinely learned something valuable at Hogwarts—I'm proud of you, son."
Fiona soon became engrossed in "online chatting," much like most novices with communication software. Even with wade and Ferdinand less than two meters away, she used her Friend Account for all communications.
Before long, text began filling other pages of Wade's Book of Friends.
The second page connected him with fellow Ravenclaws.
**[Michael: Hello?]**
**[Padma: Merlin, I can't believe what you wrote actually appeared!]**
**[Hermione: Can you see what I wrote too? Oh my goodness, it really works! How did you do that? I haven't seen a spell like this in any book!]**
**[Padma: Forget about the book, Hermione. It's Christmas—let's just enjoy ourselves!]**
**[Michael: Wade, I thought you were just starting to learn alchemy! You should have told me earlier that you created something this amazing!]**
**[Theo: I read the instructions and just figured out how to use it—this is incredible! It's the best magical item I've ever seen!]**
**[Ryan: ...I'm so stunned, I don't know what to say. Just writing this to confirm I've seen it.]**
**[Neville: I accidentally fell off the sofa, and my grandma thought I had acquired some dark magical object and nearly confiscated it.]**
**[Wade: Merry Christmas, everyone.]**
His message seemed to ignite a flurry of responses, popping up one after another. They soon realized each line of text had limited space and would disappear after one or two seconds of reading. Only fifteen lines of text could be displayed at once, ensuring the "online chat" didn't overwhelm them with "999+" unread messages in mere minutes.
Within minutes, they mastered sending emojis without guidance, and it seemed they wouldn't cease anytime soon.
Turning to the third page, Wade found messages from the house-elves he had befriended. Gratefully, they wrote many words of thanks to Wade.
Following were messages from Professor Murray, Professor Flitwick, Professor Sprout, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Snape. Aside from Snape's lukewarm evaluation and Murray's confirmation of their upcoming meeting, all praised Wade's ingenious creation and offered holiday tutoring sessions.