In order to settle Mabel properly, Wade got home much later than expected. When he pushed open the door, he saw Mr. and Mrs. Grey in their pajamas, sitting on the living room sofa waiting for him.
Upon hearing the door, the two of them turned their heads simultaneously. When they saw him walk in, they both showed relieved smiles.
"Dad, Mom, I'm back."
Wade stepped forward and hugged them both in turn.
"Mhm." Fred patted his son on the shoulder and said calmly, as if he hadn't been worried at all, "Good to have you back."
Fiona yawned and rubbed her eyes, saying, "There's hot water in the bathtub. Take a bath and go to bed. Don't read tonight, make sure to rest well!"
"Alright, you two should rest early too," Wade said with a smile.
…
After washing up, Wade poured himself a glass of water and walked toward his bedroom while drinking. As he grasped the doorknob, he paused slightly.
There seems to be someone… in the room…
It was a very subtle feeling, as if magic was telling him that someone else's magical presence was just beyond the door.
His wardrobe space and other important alchemical items were all kept in the bedroom, but even at home when he went to bathe, Wade always kept his wand with him.
He gently placed the glass of water on the floor, held his wand in one hand, and the doorknob in the other. With a slight push, he opened the door while swiftly shifting his body to hide behind the wall next to it.
Creak—
The door slid open softly, revealing an unexpected guest standing in the middle of the room. With tennis ball-sized eyes sparkling with anticipation, ears twitching slightly, and fingers nervously pinching the corner of his clothing—
"Dobby?"
Wade was stunned for a moment, then lowered his wand and smiled. "My parents already told me. I heard you were helping look for me earlier—thank you, Dobby. Don't just stand there, have a seat."
"M-Mr. Grey…" Dobby didn't sit down. The house-elf looked up at him and said with a slightly trembling voice . "Dobby… Dobby wants to ask you for something."
"What is it?" Wade crouched down and looked at him. "You're my friend—just say it."
Dobby took a deep breath and summoned his courage. "Can Mr. Grey hire Dobby? Dobby can do many things… Dobby can bake bread, clean the house, tend the garden… Dobby can even take care of peacocks…"
Wade was taken aback, then gave a warm smile.
"I'd be happy to have you as part of our family, Dobby. But I'll usually be at school, so you'd need to stay with my parents. Is that okay?"
"Of course, Dobby really likes Mr. and Mrs. Grey..."
Dobby's face first lit up with a radiant glow, but then he nervously clutched his clothes and asked uneasily, "But Dobby is a house-elf exiled by his former master, sir... sir doesn't mind that?"
"I admire your yearning for freedom—because I feel the same," Wade said seriously. "But I do have a few requests. I hope you can agree to them."
Dobby swallowed hard and said nervously, "Y-yes... Dobby will agree... What are the requests?"
"First," Wade held up a finger, "if you make a mistake—like accidentally burning the food or something—you must not punish yourself! What matters when something goes wrong is correcting it, not banging your head against the wall. Can you do that?"
Tears instantly welled up in Dobby's big round eyes. Staring at Wade's solemn expression, he didn't know what he was feeling. After a long silence, he nodded firmly. "Yes!"
"Very good." Wade continued: "Second, since you're a house-elf I've hired, your dignity is my dignity.
The Grey family will continue the tradition of giving you clothes—not as an insult or banishment, but as a symbol of care and respect among family members. Can you accept that?"
Dobby stood frozen in place and looked at Wade without blinking while biting his lip. Slowly, he nodded.
"Then third," Wade said with a smile, "Dobby, my friend—even under employment, your body and soul remain free."
"If you think someone in the family is making a mistake or doing something that makes you uncomfortable, you can speak up. And if one day you wish to leave, you may leave—but you must say a proper goodbye. Is that okay?"
Dobby shook his head hard and cried softly, "Dobby won't leave! Dobby likes Wade Grey, likes the Grey family! Dobby would never leave his family just like that!"
"Then welcome to the family, Dobby."
Wade extended his hand. Dobby, with tears in his eyes, looked at the hand, then slowly reached out and placed his own on it.
The moment their hands met, the house-elf couldn't hold back anymore and burst into loud sobs.
As soon as Dobby opened his mouth, Wade quickly tossed a Silencing Charm toward the door to avoid waking his parents downstairs.
"S-sorry, sir,"
Dobby sniffled as he spoke.
"No one... no one has ever treated a house-elf like this before... No punishment... and clothes... No one wanted Dobby anymore after he was dismissed... Dobby—Dobby didn't mean to cry... Dobby's just too happy..."
Wade patted the house-elf gently on the head. He didn't stop him from venting his emotions and instead silently handed him tissues and patiently waited for Dobby to finish crying—while drafting a magical contract.
A long time passed before Dobby, hiccupping, finally composed himself. As he wiped away tears and snot, he kept apologizing in a small voice.
"You don't have to apologize for this. I know the Malfoy family was cruel to you."
Wade shook his head and pushed the parchment toward him. "Take a look at this contract. If you have no objections, go ahead and sign it."
"O-okay."
Dobby carefully took the parchment, having already made up his mind to sign no matter what the terms were. But when he actually saw what was written—he was utterly stunned.
Not only were the three agreements Wade had just mentioned included in the contract, but it also detailed the salary Dobby would receive in the future—ten Galleons per week, with weekends off, and the possibility of future raises as appropriate.
Dobby trembled and nearly threw the contract away.
"No… it's too much… Dobby doesn't need that much money, or that much freedom… Dobby likes freedom, but not too much freedom…"
The little house elf spoke in a panic, as if Wade had offered him terrifying terms.
"Silly Dobby." Wade rubbed his head and said helplessly, "If you don't know how to spend the money, just save it. One day, it'll come in handy."
"As for rest days, if you enjoy working, you can still work on your days off—but you must keep the right to rest."
Seeing that Dobby was about to argue again, Wade shut him down with a single sentence:
"Don't bargain with me, Dobby. The salary I'm offering is already too low—if word gets out, I'll be embarrassed. People will think I'm stingy, like some miserly Scrooge."
Dobby didn't know what a "Scrooge" was, but he nervously closed his mouth anyway. With a look of gratitude and fear, he finally signed his name on the contract under Wade's encouraging gaze.
"That's better."
Wade was satisfied and made two copies of the contract—one for Dobby, and one for himself.
Dobby held the parchment like it was a precious treasure, unsure where to put it.
"Come with me."
Wade took his hand, led him out of the room, and said softly: "From now on, you'll stay in the small bedroom. When we wake up in the morning, I'll officially introduce you to my parents."
"Yes, sir."
Dobby replied in a daze with his mind like a bowl of porridge—too overwhelmed to think, just nodding to whatever Wade said.
…
The small bedroom was the guest room in the Grey household, furnished with a simple bed and basic furniture. Thanks to regular cleaning by little magic dolls, it was relatively clean.
Dobby touched the soft bedding and the green plaid sheets, then patted the goose-down pillow gently. He pressed it a couple of times, then looked at the desk and cabinet beside it.
He knew this was his room now, but he still couldn't believe his luck.
Dobby wanted to lie on the bed and experience the joy of "sleeping in his own bed," but when he looked at the clean sheets and then at his dirty little feet, he shrank back and withdrew his hands and feet.
Remembering where Wade had pointed out the bathroom earlier, Dobby nodded to himself and went to take a thorough bath.
After bathing, the clothes he'd been wearing for several days were visibly dirty and gave off a bad smell.
Dobby washed them clean, and when he was done, he snapped his fingers—instantly drying the soaking wet clothes with magic.
After getting dressed, the little elf glanced back at the water stains in the corner. Without hesitation, he picked up a nearby rag and began cleaning.
After tidying up the bathroom, Dobby realized he was far too excited to sleep.
So he went on to clean the floors and stairs, polished the railings until they gleamed, organized the messy books on the bookshelf, wiped down the windows, tables, and storage cabinets, and even rekindled the fire in the hearth.
By the time he finished all that, dawn was nearly breaking. Dobby rushed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast—only to be met with three pairs of resentful eyes.
Three little magic dolls were sitting side by side by the sink, arms crossed, eyeing Dobby and muttering softly—
"What a strange fellow."
"He's here to steal our jobs!"
"Is he trying to get us fired?"
Dobby: "…"
An unexpected rival has appeared!
…
After arranging a room for Dobby, Wade returned to his own bedroom. Spotting the cup he had left on the floor by the door, he shook his head. With a flick of his hand, the cup floated into his grasp.
He set it on the desk, flopped onto the bed, and let out a deep breath.
Originally, Wade had planned to open his Christmas presents and see what surprise Dumbledore had mentioned, but after such a long day, he was too tired—sleep was all he wanted.
He slept dreamlessly through the night.
It wasn't until sunlight spilled over his eyelids that Wade finally woke up. He lay in bed for a few more minutes before getting up.
As he went downstairs after getting ready, he heard quiet voices coming from the kitchen—
"When making blueberry pancakes, you have to get the ratio of sour cream and flour just right. Wade likes them a little crisp. Also, don't add too much agave syrup…" Fiona was saying.
"Dobby will remember," Dobby replied.
"This bacon and eggs—did you make this too?" Fred asked in surprise. "It's really good!"
"Yes, Dobby loves cooking!"
"Coco helped too!" one of the little dolls shouted.
"Yes, Coco helped a lot—so did Ari and Lena," Dobby quickly added.
"I know, you all did great!" Fiona said cheerfully.
"How about adding some roasted mushrooms and fish cakes?" Fred suggested. "Since we've got a new family member, we should celebrate."
"Great idea! I'll make some fresh orange juice too!" Fiona agreed happily.
"Oh no, Ari got flour on her nose!" Lena shouted with glee.
Whatever happened next, everyone burst into laughter.
Leaning against the stair railing, Wade caught the scent of baking pancakes from the kitchen and smiled silently.
Suddenly, a shadow flickered outside the window. Wade's gaze shifted, and he saw Kreacher standing there. The house-elf gave a deep bow, then disappeared.
Now that Dobby had officially become the house-elf of the Grey family, the safety of Mr. and Mrs. Grey could be entrusted to him. Kreacher needed to return to the Black family, to manage the old house and take care of his rather worrisome master.
…
There was no need to elaborate on the lively celebratory feast—the Grey couple welcomed the new member without any hesitation.
In the afternoon, Wade finally took some time to sort through the mountain of Christmas presents that nearly filled half the room.
Books, toys, clothes, candies—all neatly categorized. He also picked out the special gifts for closer inspection.
Professor Murray had sent him a stone engraved with runes, along with a note:
[Uagadou, the African wizarding school, notifies students of their acceptance through dream messengers. These messengers leave behind a rune-carved stone. This one was left behind by a child who gave up their spot. I thought you might find it interesting.]
Wade fiddled with the stone for a bit but couldn't see any hidden mystery in it for now, so he set it aside.
Dumbledore's gift was a book titled Advanced Curse Breaking, which detailed many sophisticated ways to counter dark magic—essentially an advanced version of their Defense Against the Dark Arts curriculum.
The alchemical notes from Wovilette had already been delivered to him by the magic dolls. What surprised Wade, however, was that Grindelwald had also sent him a follow-up gift.
It was an old, hand-bound book. As Wade flipped through it briefly, he saw that the ancient, stained parchment pages recorded numerous stories about gods and demons.
Stories like The Tale of the Three Brothers and Death, the Sphinx, the God of Thunder, Medusa, the Three Fates, and so on.
It seemed that Grindelwald had once studied these mythological tales in great depth and had long pursued the legends and artifacts left behind by deities and demons throughout the world.
Finally, Wade came upon the surprise Dumbledore had mentioned.
A very small package, containing only a handwritten letter—or rather, an invitation.
From Nicolas Flamel.
--------------------------------
🙏🙏Please consider supporting this translation project by becoming a P@treon member!!!
Your support is greatly appreciated!
Available on my P@treon page for just $4!!
Early access to the following translations:-
⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- +235 Chapters
⭐MCU: Druid's Adventures (MCUDA)(⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 460
⭐Famous Police Detective in Detective World (FPDDW)- +165 advance chapters
⭐Marvel: Little Genius (MLG) (⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 450
[email protected]/Lightreaper457
--------------------------------