On Christmas Day, the Grey family enjoyed a big feast, watched a musical, and took many photos. The old-fashioned camera they used was a Christmas gift from Fred to Wade, while Fiona's gift was a bottle of developing solution.
"This camera was bought in Diagon Alley. They said it can be used normally at Hogwarts too," Fred said with a smile. "That way, you can take pictures of your life at school."
"The owner of the ice cream shop in Diagon Alley told me that if you use the right developing solution, the people in the photos will move!" Fiona said excitedly. "So, what are we waiting for? Let's take some pictures today!"
However, after taking the photos, they realized that even something as simple as developing pictures required the use of a wand, and Wade wasn't allowed to use magic at home.
Seeing Fiona's disappointment, Wade suggested, "Actually, we could stay at the Leaky Cauldron for a night. There are plenty of adult wizards around, so even if magic is used, the Ministry of Magic won't be able to tell who did it, and I won't get a warning."
Fiona was tempted but eventually shook her head. "No, if we got caught, it wouldn't be good for you! Besides, you'll be back at school in just a few days…"
As she spoke, she grew a little sad. Wade hadn't even left yet, and she was already beginning to miss him.
Fred frowned and asked, "Wade, is the Ministry of Magic's law enforcement really that inaccurate?"
"They can only monitor a general area when it comes to underage magic use. As for other things…" Wade thought about the storyline where the Ministry's performance got worse year by year, "...well, they don't seem to be good at those either."
"Don't underestimate the Ministry of Magic, Wade," Fred warned. "No law enforcement agency is without force. If you fail to take it seriously, you might make wrong judgments."
Wade responded seriously, "I understand, Dad."
Indeed, the Ministry of Magic, which he now looked down upon, had the power to send professors under Dumbledore to Azkaban and expel students from Hogwarts.
This authority hadn't diminished despite the Ministry's bloated, corrupt, and incompetent state. In fact, quite the opposite—those incompetent and corrupt individuals were the ones most prone to abusing their power.
The next day, the Grey family woke up early, as they were headed to Diagon Alley for shopping, and it was bound to take a long time.
As usual, their first stop was Gringotts to exchange money. Fred had already prepared a heavy bag.
"The goblins don't like paper money," he explained to Wade. "If it's paper, you can only exchange up to 20 Galleons. Coins have a higher limit, but there's no restriction on gold. Goblins love gold."
"I don't need that much money, Dad," Wade said, trying to persuade him. "Hogwarts takes care of room and board. Some students can get by on just 10 Galleons for the whole year."
"That's because they have to buy everything second-hand, can't afford snacks, and have to ration even their ink," Fred said, patting his head. "Your problem is that you're too responsible, Wade. Sometimes, it's okay to indulge yourself a little."
"And aren't you studying alchemy?" Fiona added, wagging her finger. "Don't think you can fool me!
Even though I can't do magic, I know that learning alchemy must cost a lot. Hogwarts isn't going to provide you with unlimited materials to practice with, right?"
Wade pressed his lips together and quietly said, "Thank you, Mom and Dad—I love you."
Having been reserved since childhood, Wade rarely said something as simple as "I love you," an expression other children might say easily.
Hearing it so suddenly, both Mr. and Mrs. Grey were pleasantly surprised. They exchanged a glance and couldn't help but smile.
"I love you too, sweetheart," Fiona said tenderly.
As they continued on their way, Fiona held Wade's hand tightly.
After exchanging for Galleons, Fred stepped away for a bit, leaving Fiona to accompany Wade to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.
Hogwarts uniforms were loose robes, and even though Wade had grown three centimeters, they still fit him well. But knowing he would keep growing next term, Fiona decided to order two more sets of uniforms for him.
"And we'll need a set of dress robes," Fiona said as she discussed lining options with Madam Malkin. "Something simple, nothing too flashy. Wade doesn't like that. We need it by this afternoon, but if that's too tight a deadline, ready-made ones are fine."
"Dress robes?" Wade, standing nearby like a living clothes rack, asked.
"Such a silly question, Wade," Fiona said softly, as if speaking to a child. "Do you plan on wearing your school uniform to Professor Murray's party tomorrow? Honestly, you should've told me earlier so we could have had something tailored properly."
Wade personally didn't see anything wrong with Hogwarts robes. Besides, the dress robes displayed in Madam Malkin's shop looked pretty similar to his school robes anyway.
Of course, he didn't say that out loud. If he did, Fiona would likely spend the next hour using at least a thousand words to prove just how vastly different they were.
So Wade wisely kept his mouth shut and listened as Madam Malkin said to his mother.
"Don't worry, Mrs. Grey. I guarantee you'll have his new robes by three o'clock this afternoon at the latest. Let's look at the styles for the dress robes first...
Which color do you prefer? Ah, this one suits his complexion very well. You have such great taste...
Any preferences for the accessories? For boys, it's best to keep things simple—nothing too elaborate. Elegant and refined is always best."
"Mom!" Wade couldn't help but exclaim.
Fiona glanced back at her son, and sighed regretfully at his protesting gaze, she put down the useless yet sparkling jewelry like necklaces, bracelets, and rings, and said, "Just choose the cufflinks, only the cufflinks—nothing else is needed."
Madam Malkin, with a cheerful smile, put away the other items without showing any impatience and spent a long time helping Fiona choose the cufflinks.
After they finally settled on the dress robes, Madam Malkin suddenly seemed to remember something and said:
"Dear, young Mr. Grey can't possibly wear old shoes with his new dress robes, can he? Would you like to see our latest dragon hide boots?"
Wade stared blankly at the ceiling, regretting not bringing a book with him. He hoped for other customers to come in so that Madam Malkin would become busy. Otherwise, Fiona could spend the whole day here.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang, and Wade immediately turned his head to see his dad entering with a newspaper.
Fred nodded at Wade and asked, "Haven't you bought the clothes yet?"
"Not yet," Wade sighed. "We're choosing shoes."
He made a great effort to suppress the urge to complain to his father.
"Have they taken all the measurements?"
"Done as soon as we walked in."
"Good," Fred said to his wife. "Fiona, you take your time choosing. I'll take Wade to buy some other things. You wait here for us after you've finished with the clothes."
Fiona waved her hand and said, "Okay. But don't make me wait too long!"
The Grey father and son went out. Fred said to his son, "I've subscribed to the Daily Prophet—and got you a subscription too. They'll deliver it to the school by owl. You need to start paying attention to current events regularly."
Wade nodded.
They made a quick round in Diagon Alley and bought everything else in less than half an hour. Wade even noted down the names of several shopkeepers and their product catalogs so that he could use owls to order what he needed once he was back at school.
Especially for potion ingredients—Hogwarts only provides the most basic supplies for free. Rare and expensive materials are only provided in small quantities during relevant classes and are not available for unrestricted practice.
When they returned to the robe shop, Fiona had just picked out the shoes and was sitting with a cup of tea while browsing through a magazine called Witch Weekly. Hearing the doorbell ring, she turned around and immediately flashed a bright smile.
Wade smiled back and, before he could speak, saw Fred, who had been walking behind him, stride forward, looking down and asking softly, "Done shopping? Are you tired?"
Fiona, who hadn't stepped out of the robe shop, stretched her arms and said, "Yes, shopping is really exhausting—what shall we have for lunch?"
"There's a nice French restaurant nearby," Fred suggested. "How about we go there? We could order foie gras and roasted codfish…"
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