Wade returned home much later than expected after settling Mabel in. When he pushed open the door, he saw Mr. and Mrs. Gray waiting for him in the living room, sitting on the sofa in their pajamas.
Hearing the door, they both turned their heads and smiled in relief when they saw him enter.
"Dad, Mom, I'm home."
Wade walked over and hugged them one by one.
"Mhm." Ferdinand patted his son's shoulder, as if he hadn't been worried at all, and calmly said, "It's good you're back."
Fiona yawned, rubbed her eyes, and said, "There's hot water in the bathtub. Take a bath and then go to sleep. Don't read any more tonight; you need to get some good rest!"
"Okay, you two get some rest early too," Wade said with a smile.
...
After washing up, Wade poured himself a glass of water and walked towards his bedroom, drinking as he went. When he gripped the doorknob, he paused slightly.
There seemed to be someone in the room...
It was a subtle feeling, as if Magical Power was telling him that someone else's Magical Power existed behind the door.
His Wardrobe Space and other important Alchemy items were all in his bedroom, but Wade always kept his Wand with him, even when he went to take a bath at home.
He gently placed the glass on the floor, gripped his Wand with one hand, and pressed down on the doorknob with the other. With a slight push, he opened the door and quickly hid behind the wall to the side.
"Creak—"
The door slid open gently, revealing an unexpected guest standing in the center of the room. Its tennis-ball-sized eyes sparkled with anticipation, its ears trembled slightly, and its fingers nervously clutched a corner of its clothes.
"Dobby?"
Wade was startled, then lowered his Wand and chuckled, "My parents told me all about it. I heard you were helping to look for me too—thank you, Dobby. Don't just stand there, please, have a seat."
"Mr. G-Gray..." Dobby didn't sit down. The House-elf looked up at him, its voice trembling slightly. "Dobby... Dobby wants to ask you for something."
"What is it?" Wade crouched down, looking at it, and said, "You're my friend. Just say it."
Dobby took a deep breath and bravely said, "Can Mr. Gray employ Dobby? Dobby can do many things... Dobby can bake bread, clean, tidy the garden, Dobby can even raise peacocks..."
Wade was momentarily stunned, then a warm smile spread across his face.
"Of course, I'd welcome you to become a part of our family, Dobby. However, I'll probably be at school most of the time, so you'll need to stay with my parents. Can you accept that?"
"Of course, Dobby likes Mr. and Mrs. Gray very much..."
Dobby's face first lit up brightly, then it hesitated, tugging at its clothes, and asked uneasily, "But Dobby is a House-elf banished by his master, sir... won't sir mind?"
"I really like your desire for freedom, because I'm the same way," Wade said earnestly. "But I also have a few requests that I hope you can agree to."
Dobby swallowed nervously and said, "O-okay... Dobby will definitely agree... What are the requests?"
"First," Wade held up a finger, "if you accidentally make a mistake—like burning the food or something—you are not allowed to punish yourself! The most important thing when a mistake happens is to correct it, not to bang your head against the wall—can you do that?"
Dobby's large eyes instantly welled up with tears. It looked at Wade's serious expression, feeling a mixture of emotions. After a long silence, it nodded vigorously, "Mhm!"
"Very good," Wade continued. "Second, since you are a House-elf employed by me, then your dignity is my dignity, and your self-respect is also my self-respect. House Gray will continue to retain the right to give you clothes. This is not humiliation or banishment, but care and respect between family members. Can you accept that?"
Dobby stood frozen in place, staring at Wade unblinkingly, biting its lip, and slowly nodding.
"And third," Wade said with a smile, "Dobby, my friend, even if you accept employment, your body and soul will still be free."
"If you think someone in the family has made a wrong decision, or makes you uncomfortable, you can voice your opinion; if one day you want to leave, you can also leave, but you must say a proper goodbye, okay?"
Dobby shook its head vigorously, crying softly, "Dobby won't leave! Dobby likes Wade Gray, Dobby likes House Gray! Dobby would never just abandon family and leave!"
"Then, welcome to our family, Dobby."
Wade extended his hand. Dobby's eyes were teary as it looked at his hand, then slowly took it.
The moment their hands clasped, the House-elf couldn't hold back and finally burst into loud sobs.
The instant Dobby opened its mouth, Wade, with quick reflexes, cast a Muffliato Charm on the door to prevent his parents downstairs from being woken up.
"I'm sorry, sir."
Dobby said between sobs, "No one... no one has ever treated a House-elf like this... not having to punish myself, and... and being able to wear clothes... no one wanted Dobby because he was dismissed... Dobby, Dobby didn't mean to cry... Dobby is just so happy..."
Wade stroked the House-elf's head. He didn't stop it from venting its emotions; instead, he silently offered tissues and patiently waited for Dobby to finish crying, while also drafting a Magic contract.
After a long while, Dobby finally managed to control itself, hiccuping, wiping its tears and snot, and repeatedly apologizing softly.
"You don't need to be sorry for this. I know the Malfoy family was cruel to you before."
Wade shook his head, pushed the parchment in his hand forward, and said, "Take a look at this contract. If you have no objections, sign your name."
"O-okay."
Dobby carefully took the parchment, determined to sign the contract no matter the conditions. However, when it actually saw the contents, it was greatly surprised.
Not only were the three agreements Wade just mentioned written in it, but it also included the salary Dobby would receive in the future—ten Galleons per week, weekends off, and the possibility of further increases at discretion.
Dobby trembled, almost dropping the contract.
"No... that's too much... Dobby doesn't need that much money, and Dobby doesn't need that much freedom... Dobby likes freedom, but not too much freedom..."
The House-elf said in a panic, as if Wade had offered it terrible conditions.
"Silly Dobby." Wade ruffled its head, saying helplessly, "If you don't know how to spend the money, save it. It will come in handy one day."
"Even on your day off, if you like to work, you can still work. But you must retain the right to take a free break."
Seeing Dobby about to argue further, Wade dismissed his thoughts with a single sentence: "Don't haggle with me, Dobby. The salary I'm offering you is too low. If word gets out, I'll lose a lot of face—people will think I'm too stingy, like a miserly Grandet."
Dobby didn't know what a Grandet was, but he still meekly shut his mouth, looking at Wade with gratitude and apprehension. Finally, under Wade's encouraging gaze, he signed his name on the contract.
"That's more like it."
Wade was satisfied, making two copies of the contract. He gave one to Dobby and kept the other.
Dobby held the parchment as if it were a precious treasure, unsure where to put it.
"Come with me."
Wade took his hand, walked out of the room, and said softly, "From now on, you'll live in the small bedroom. When we wake up tomorrow morning, I'll formally introduce you to my parents."
"Yes, sir."
Dobby answered in a daze. His mind was like mush at that moment, too overwhelmed to think. He could only agree to whatever Wade said.
...
The small bedroom was the guest room in Wade's house, furnished with a simple bed and furniture. Because the small Magic Golems regularly cleaned it, it was quite tidy.
Dobby touched the soft bed and the green plaid sheets, then the goose-down pillow, pressing it gently twice. He then looked at the desk and cabinet nearby.
He knew this would be his room from now on, but he still couldn't believe he could have such good fortune.
Dobby wanted to lie on the bed and experience the happiness of "sleeping in his own bed," but seeing the clean sheets and then his own dirty feet, he shrank back, pulling in his limbs.
Remembering where Wade had just pointed out the bathroom, Dobby nodded to himself, then went to take a thorough bath.
After bathing, the clothes he had worn for several days looked too dirty and smelled bad.
Dobby washed his clothes clean again. After washing them, he snapped his fingers, and the soaking wet clothes instantly became dry again.
Dressed in his clothes, the House-elf looked back at the water stains in the corner. Without hesitation, he picked up a nearby rag and began to clean.
After cleaning the bathroom, Dobby found he was too excited to sleep.
So he cleaned the floor and stairs again, polished the railings until they shined, tidied up the messy books on the bookshelf, wiped the glass, and then wiped the tables and shelves, and restocked the fireplace.
After all this, it was almost dawn. Dobby ran to the kitchen to prepare breakfast but was met with three pairs of resentful eyes.
Three small Magic Golems sat side by side by the sink, arms crossed, scrutinizing Dobby, then whispering—
"Strange fellow."
"Someone here to steal our jobs!"
"Does he want us to be fired?"
Dobby: "..."
Unexpected rivals had appeared!
...
Wade arranged a room for Dobby, then returned to his own bedroom. He saw the water glass on the floor by the door, shook his head, and with a casual gesture, the glass floated into his hand.
Wade placed the cup on his desk, lay down on the bed, and let out a long sigh.
Wade had originally planned to unwrap his Christmas presents to see what Dumbledore's promised surprise was, but by now, this long day had finally ended, and he was too tired, wanting only to sleep.
He slept without dreams.
Wade didn't wake up until the sunlight hit his eyelids. He lay in bed for a few more minutes before rolling over and getting up.
As he tidied up and went downstairs, he heard soft whispers from the kitchen—
"For blueberry muffins, pay attention to the ratio of sour cream to flour. Wade likes them a bit crispier, and don't add too much agave syrup..." Fiona said.
"Dobby remembers."
"Did Dobby make this bacon and eggs too?" Ferdinand said in surprise. "His cooking is really good!"
"Yes, Dobby loves to cook!"
"Coco helped too!" the small Magic Golem said loudly.
"Yes, Coco helped a lot, and Ari and Lena too," Dobby said quickly.
"I know, you're all wonderful!" Fiona said with a smile.
"How about adding some roasted mushrooms and fish cakes?" Ferdinand suggested. "Since we have a new member in the family, we should celebrate."
"Great! I'll squeeze some fresh orange juice too!" Fiona happily agreed.
"Oh dear, Ari got flour on his nose!" Lena exclaimed cheerfully.
Whatever they did, everyone burst into laughter.
Wade leaned against the stair railing, smelling the aroma of baking muffins from the kitchen, and smiled silently.
Suddenly, a shadow flickered outside the window. Wade's gaze shifted, and he saw Kreacher standing outside the window, bowing deeply, then disappearing.
Now that Dobby had become the House-elf of House Gray, the safety of Mr. and Mrs. Gray could be entrusted to Dobby. Kreacher still had to return to the Black Family, manage the old house, and look after his troublesome master.
There's no need to elaborate on the lively celebratory feast; Mr. and Mrs. Gray welcomed the new family member without any hesitation.
In the afternoon, Wade finally found time to organize his Christmas gifts, which were enough to fill half a room.
Books, toys, clothes, candy, and more were sorted and put away, and Wade also picked out the special gifts.
Professor Murray had given him a stone with an inscription, and the package also contained a note:
[Uagadou School of Magic in Africa notifies admitted students through dream messengers, who leave them an inscribed stone. This one was left by a child who decided not to enroll, and you might find it interesting.]
Wade played with the stone for a while but couldn't discern anything special about it, so he set it aside for now.
Dumbledore's gift to him was a book titled Advanced Spell Decryption, which mentioned many profound ways to resist Dark Magic, essentially an advanced version of Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Wawerlett's Alchemy notes had already been given to him by the Magic Golems. What surprised Wade was that Grindelwald later also sent him a gift.
It was a very old, hand-bound book. Wade quickly flipped through it. On the stained, ancient parchment inside, many stories about gods and demons were recorded.
For example, Death and the Three Brothers, the Sphinx, the God of Thunder, Medusa, the Three Fates, and so on.
It seemed Grindelwald had carefully studied these myths and had been tracking various legends and artifacts left by gods and demons in the world.
Finally, Wade saw the surprise Dumbledore had mentioned.
It was a very small package containing only a handwritten letter, or rather—an invitation.
It was from Nicolas Flamel.
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