Wade and Tom leaned in to read the note.
It said: [No. 81, Godric's Hollow]
Wade and Tom exchanged a surprised glance.
They had been to Godric's Hollow before—and were ambushed there by Grindelwald's Party.
But this No. 81... didn't seem to be the same house as before.
Still, since it was protected by the Fidelius Charm, returning to Godric's Hollow would be safe.
"Have you memorized it?" Dumbledore asked.
"Yup." Wade and Tom both nodded. Then Wade tossed the slip of paper into the fireplace.
It instantly turned to ash.
"All right… I've temporarily connected this fireplace to the Floo Network," Dumbledore said, picking up a small dish filled with Floo Powder.
He grabbed a handful and tossed it into the fireplace.
Woosh!
The flames immediately turned emerald green, and the heat from the fire vanished.
"Speak the address, and we'll arrive at the destination."
At the moment, Dumbledore's office was actually the Deputy Headmaster's office at Hogwarts.
Visitors using the Floo Network to come to Hogwarts would pass through this fireplace.
However, under normal circumstances, permission was required in advance. Otherwise, the fireplace remained sealed.
Wade stepped forward first, grabbed a handful of Floo Powder, and stepped into the fireplace. "No. 81, Godric's Hollow!"
Whoosh!
The green flames roared, and Wade's figure vanished.
Wade felt as if he were sliding rapidly through a long tunnel!
Along the way, he seemed to pass by different fireplace exits.
He could even faintly hear voices coming from other fireplaces along the route...
Whoosh!
Just as Wade was trying to make out what they were saying, he suddenly felt his feet touch solid ground.
"Ah.. I'm here, I guess."
He stepped out of the fireplace and found himself in a modestly decorated living room.
Next to the living room was a small kitchen, and beside the kitchen was a spiral staircase leading to the second floor.
"Young Master Wade, you've arrived!"
Toby ran out from the kitchen and stood respectfully in front of Wade.
"Oh? Hey, Toby. What are you doing here?" Wade asked.
Toby replied cheerfully, "Professor Dumbledore told me in advance to come here and wait for you, Young Master Wade. He said that starting today, this place will be your home."
"Is that so…"
Whoosh!
Just as Wade was surveying his surroundings, Tom and Dumbledore appeared behind him one after the other.
"The bedrooms are upstairs. Want to take a look?" Dumbledore asked.
"Sure…"
Wade and Tom planned to bring their luggage up to their rooms first…
The most important thing—was to beat the other to a better room!
Whoosh!
Just as Wade and Tom were about to charge upstairs, suddenly, a fiery red figure appeared out of thin air!
Wade and Tom immediately drew their wands.
But the red figure landed gently on Dumbledore's shoulder.
It was a large bird, entirely covered in bright red feathers...
"Wade, Tom, this is Fawkes, a friend of mine… Yes, he's a phoenix," Dumbledore said with a smile.
The phoenix, Fawkes, tilted his head and examined the two boys in front of him.
"Phoenix?" Wade suddenly remembered that the Dumbledore family was indeed known to have a phoenix.
As they studied Fawkes, both Wade and Tom felt that this big bird looked a bit… ugly.
"So beautiful!" Wade exclaimed in admiration.
"Yes… I've never seen such a beautiful big bird," Tom added.
Faced with their clearly insincere praise, Fawkes lifted his head proudly, looking quite pleased with himself.
"I'll be leaving Fawkes here. In case there's any real danger, he can help you escape," Dumbledore said with a smile.
Wade was quite surprised — Dumbledore was actually leaving his phoenix behind for their safety?
He must really care about the two of them…
Tom was just as shocked. Dumbledore's concern for them far exceeded his expectations…
But Dumbledore's reasoning was quite simple: first, these two were truly exceptional talents.
Second… Gellert Grindelwald was interested in them.
Even if he didn't yet know why, as long as Grindelwald had his eye on them, Dumbledore couldn't let him succeed—no matter the reason.
That was why Dumbledore had deliberately left the phoenix behind—to protect Wade and Tom.
...
The 1st floor of the house surprisingly had five rooms, and each one was quite spacious.
Judging by the size of the living room, it was clear that the extra space was the result of the Undetectable Extension Charm.
With so many rooms, the two didn't need to fight over them.
Still, Tom instinctively chose the room farthest from Wade's...
After unpacking their belongings, the two of them went downstairs to the living room.
Dumbledore was in the middle of arranging a cozy perch for Fawkes above the fireplace.
Clearly, Fawkes liked the warmth from the hearth.
"Fawkes enjoys dried fish. I've stocked quite a bit in the basement,"
Dumbledore said while setting up the phoenix's nest, giving instructions to Toby at the same time.
"There's plenty of food in the basement. If it runs out, have Wade write to me. I'll restock it for you so you won't have to risk going out."
"Toby can also go out to shop and Apparate straight back home," Toby said respectfully.
Toby was well aware of what Wade was thinking.
If even buying food required asking Dumbledore, then how was that any different from house arrest?
It was best to be as self-reliant as possible—to reduce Dumbledore's oversight to the minimum.
"That's fine too. In any case, if anything happens, you must contact me," Dumbledore reminded them once again.
By now, Wade and Tom had already come downstairs.
Dumbledore asked, "So… when do you plan to visit the Gaunt family?"
Tom pressed his lips together, then said, "Today, I suppose… if you have time."
"Hmm, alright," Dumbledore nodded, showing no objection. "The Gaunt residence is in Little Hangleton. We can still use this fireplace to go directly… Oh, and I won't be sealing off this fireplace. If you need to go anywhere, using it is much safer."
"Would you like some breakfast first? Toby has already prepared several dishes," Toby asked carefully from the side.
"Yes, Toby, thanks for doing that. We haven't had breakfast yet."
Wade didn't turn down the house-elf's kind offer, which made Toby extremely grateful…
Dumbledore's gaze grew even gentler as he watched.
Wade even considered the feelings of his own house-elf…
In the wizarding world, how many wizards could truly do that?
Dumbledore felt that he had indeed not misjudged him.
"Wade, you really are a kind-hearted child…"
Tom stood off to the side, watching, feeling a bit bitter.
He had worked so hard to act a certain way, just to make Dumbledore slightly change his opinion of him.
But this guy Wade… just one casual sentence, and Dumbledore was already full of praise!
Tch, looks like I still have a lot to learn!
Hiss… is there a chance that maybe I don't need to overthink it—maybe I just need to imitate that damned dog…
_________
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