The day of Professor Murray's party arrived. After breakfast, Wade changed into the formal robes and dragon-hide boots Fiona had carefully picked out for him. As he stood in front of the mirror, Fiona circled him, making small adjustments.
"You look so handsome, darling!" Fiona exclaimed, her voice full of exaggerated praise. "You'll definitely be the most dazzling little gentleman at the party. Seriously, why don't you wear the necklace I picked for you? The arrow-shaped pendant is super cool; it'll make all the other kids so jealous."
"No way! 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—"
"Which is why I really won't wear it now that I'm eleven."
Ferdinand occasionally glanced at his wrist and looked out the door.
"The professor said he'd pick you up at 10, right?" he confirmed with his son.
"Yeah, that's what the letter said."
But it was a minute to 10, and no one was outside.
"Are they late?" Fiona wondered.
"Something might have delayed them." Ferdinand looked out the door again. "I just hope they don't suddenly appear at the doorstep."
"Oh, they wouldn't! This neighborhood is full of Muggles! Imagine how many people would see them!" Fiona stated confidently. "Something must have held them up. Maybe we'll get an owl delivery soon."
As Fiona spoke, she ran to open a window, making it easier for an owl to fly in. Just as she turned around, the fireplace flames roared green, bathing the entire room in an emerald glow before a shadowy figure stepped out.
Ferdinand jumped up, his right hand swiftly reaching behind his clothes to pull out a pistol, while his other hand pushed Wade back. "Who's there?!" he shouted.
"Stop—Dad, it's Professor Murray."
Wade quickly grabbed his arm, suddenly noticing how cold his father's hand was.
He looked over in surprise, seeing Ferdinand clenching his jaw, the veins bulging in his neck. His tense expression made him seem cold and unfamiliar.
Wade was stunned.
Ever since he received his Hogwarts acceptance letter, Mr. and Mrs. Gray had been visibly delighted. They were curious about the world of magic, eagerly engaging with it and quickly learning more about the Wizarding World than Wade himself.
Wade had always believed that was the case.
But at this moment, he suddenly realized that deep in his father's heart—perhaps a profound fear of the Wizarding World had always been hidden.
Fiona, on the other hand, was only startled at first. Hearing Wade's words, she calmed down. She took a few steps forward and asked curiously, "Is this Floo travel?"
Ferdinand quickly walked over, as if to greet the guest with his wife. But Wade noticed that he was actually stepping in front of Fiona.
Indeed, it was Professor Murray who emerged from the flames. He brushed the soot off his robes and chuckled, "Yes, it's a safe and convenient way to travel, perfectly fine apart from the soot—hello, Mr. and Mrs. Gray, I'm Terence Murray. I believe you already know."
"Of course." Ferdinand had already put his pistol away, and his face showed no sign of alarm. "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 by fire too?"
"Oh, probably not," Professor Murray said with a smile. "Actually, the Ministry of Magic prohibits connecting Muggle fireplaces to the Floo Network. I had someone temporarily connect yours for me to pick up Wade; it will revert once we leave—Wade, I'm glad to see you're ready."
"—Yes, Professor."
Wade glanced at his parents, tucked his wand into the wand pocket of his formal robes, and walked over. "Shall we leave now?"
"Of course, our guests are waiting for us!" Professor Murray conjured a small pouch filled with glittering powder and asked, "Have you used Floo Powder before?"
"No, Professor."
"It's very simple. Watch what I do."
He handed the pouch to Wade, pinched a small amount of powder, and tossed it into the fire. Instantly, the flames turned emerald green.
"Remember, you must say the address clearly—Suoluo Garden. Close your eyes, and don't sway around in the fireplace, or you'll end up bruised and possibly emerge from a different fireplace."
Professor Murray stepped directly into the fire and demonstrated, "Suoluo Garden."
He vanished from the fire in a whoosh.
Wade also pinched a small amount of Floo Powder and approached the fireplace. Just as he was about to drop it, he turned back and looked deeply at his father, saying, "Dad, I'll be back tonight."
"Mmm." Ferdinand's throat bobbed. He seemed to want to say something but held back, looking down at him. "Stay with your professor—don't get into any conflicts."
"I understand." Wade nodded earnestly.
Fiona stood with her hands on her hips, pretending to be annoyed. "Only saying goodbye to Dad, not Mom?"
"How could I?" Wade smiled, stepped forward, and hugged his mother. "Goodbye, Mom."
He sprinkled the Floo Powder, and the flames immediately turned emerald green. Wade suppressed his instinctive fear of the flames, stepping in as if it were routine.
The flames swirled around him like a warm breath. Through the firelight, Wade saw the lingering apprehension in his father's eyes.
It was the unease and lingering fear that came when a haven one had always considered safe was suddenly intruded upon by strangers.
"Suoluo Garden," Wade said clearly, maintaining eye contact with his father.
In an instant, his parents and the living room vanished from his sight. He spun rapidly in the emerald flames, countless fireplaces flashing by. Wade immediately closed his eyes. Just as he became dizzy from the spinning, the rapid rotation suddenly stopped. As Wade was about to fall, a pair of strong arms steadied him.
"Not feeling too great, are you?" a voice said. "I heard it's your first time using the Floo Network."
The person pulled him out of the fireplace. Wade coughed twice, rubbing out the soot that had accidentally gotten into his eyes, and saw a tall man standing before him.
He was very tall, perhaps two meters, with a burly build and a somewhat fierce appearance, but his eyes, looking down at Wade, seemed very gentle.
"Cough, cough—excuse me, who are you?" Wade asked.
A cup of water was offered to him.
"Have some water." The tall man pulled out his wand and performed a Scourgify, and all the dust on Wade instantly vanished.
He said, "I'm Steven Murray, Terence Murray's son. My father was waiting for you here, but a friend from France just arrived, and he went to greet him—you can walk around and grab something to eat in the meantime."
-----------
Machine Translation by: https:// randomtranslator.com/
Read ***+ original & fanfic translations in English, Español, Português, Deutsch, Français, or Русский
Or Translate for free at : https:// randomtranslator.com/translate
Join our Discord: https:// discord.com/invite/XXUR9nkjwa
-----------