Even though Wade had enough Galleons in his Gringotts vault to buy ten of the newest brooms, he still showed great joy at the House-elves' gifts and shared the candy he'd brought from home with them—he'd grabbed a pack and stuffed it into his pocket when he changed clothes to go out.
"These are made by Muggles; they don't have magic, but they're very fragrant and delicious," Wade introduced.
The House-elves looked flattered, hesitating for a moment. But since it wasn't the first time they had exchanged gifts with Wade, a few of them quickly composed themselves and accepted the candy, thanking him profusely.
"Will Wade Grey be having breakfast?" Phil asked respectfully. "Most of the breakfast in the kitchen should be ready by now."
"Sounds good," Wade said decisively.
Phil found a clean, old cushion from a pile of odds and ends, while Zoe and Hobby left the Room of Requirement. Soon after, they returned simultaneously; one carried a large platter laden with food, and the other held a big jug of Wade's favorite orange juice.
Hobby and the others knelt on the ground, spread out a tablecloth, and arranged the food and drinks. Wade sat down too, then watched as the House-elves stood up beside him, still clutching their candy, smiling brightly at him.
A thought suddenly flashed through Wade's mind. He looked up and said, surprised, "What are you standing for? Sit down—this is our breakfast party."
"Sit—sit down!" Zoe stammered. "A-Are you talking about us?"
"Of—of course!" Wade mimicked her speech, then laughed. "Who else would be here?"
The three House-elves looked at each other, their expressions more excited than when they first received a gift from Wade, as if "sitting down" was an unimaginably great honor.
But they seemed bound, unable to move for a long time, their large eyes filled with apprehension.
Wade slightly emphasized his tone and invited again, "Please, sit down—don't you want to have breakfast with me?"
"Of course—we do!"
Zoe seemed out of breath, breathing heavily, then carefully sat down beside Wade.
Next was Hobby, who was a bit braver, sitting opposite Wade with his limbs moving in unison.
Then came Phil, swaying unsteadily. Encouraged by his two companions, he timidly sat down in the corner, his long fingers unconsciously picking at the tablecloth.
"Well then—" Wade looked at the three House-elves and announced, "Let the breakfast party begin!"
He was the first to pick up a meat pie, then handed one to each of the House-elves, eating casually. A moment later, faint sobs could be heard in the air.
Large tears streamed down the House-elves' tennis-ball-sized eyes.
"Strange—so strange—" Hobby choked out, wiping away tears. "Hobby is so happy—why are tears falling—"
Wade didn't speak, tenderly stroking its ugly little head.
Phil and Zoe swallowed their pies in large gulps, mixed with bitter tears.
In the shadows cast by the old furniture, a Wizard and three House-elves, in the interplay of light and dark, finished their breakfast together for the first time.
...
Monday for Ravenclaw still began with the rather unpopular Potions Class.
The Room of Requirement was on the eighth floor of the castle, while the Potions Class classroom was in the dungeons. Wade didn't feel like climbing stairs, so he simply flew down on his broom, circled the castle twice, and then landed in the central courtyard.
When he landed, Wade's fingers were almost frozen, and his ears and nose were red from the cold.
It proved that winter was not a suitable season for flying; even with warming charms, it would still get cold when swept by strong winds.
*CRACK!*
Hobby suddenly appeared. He handed Wade his school bag, then eagerly took the broom, gazing at Wade with adoring eyes, and excitedly said, "Hobby will put Wade Grey's broom in his dormitory!"
"Thank you for your help, Hobby," Wade said with a smile.
Hobby bowed deeply, his long nose almost touching the ground, then he disappeared with the broom.
Wade had already eaten breakfast and planned to go straight to the Potions Class classroom. But feeling utterly frozen, the damp, cold dungeon suddenly became repulsive, while the warmly lit Great Hall seemed much more appealing.
Wade walked up the steps, through the entrance hall, and sat in the Great Hall for a while.
By then, some unfortunate fifth-year students were already sitting at the long tables, most with messy hair, looking annoyed and helpless. They were either eating breakfast while reading, or reading breakfast while eating books, looking like they were about to break.
Wade didn't dare disturb these senior students who had studied themselves silly. He quietly sat for a while, read a chapter of the Potions Class material, and once his body warmed up, he quietly left the Great Hall.
"Yo, Wade, long time no see!"
As he walked through the entrance hall, a familiar voice rang out.
"Griffiths?" Wade asked, surprised.
"That's right, it's me." The red-haired Wizard was draped over a tall painting, its original owner squeezed into a corner, looking silently furious, glaring at Griffiths from behind.
"Haven't seen you in a holiday, did you miss me?" Griffiths's cheerful voice continued, "Hmm? Looks like you had a very pleasant holiday! Your face seems a bit rounder… I'm different—"
He rolled up his sleeve and pointed to a bruise on his arm, telling Wade, "See? Someone even beat me up! It's only been a few years, but everyone feels so distant, and their tempers have become so short—"
Are you sure it's not because of you that their tempers have become short?
Wade secretly grumbled, glancing at the poor Wizard whose territory had been occupied by the bully, and asked Griffiths, "Weren't you in the corridor? How are you in the entrance hall now?"
"Nah, my painting's still in the corridor!" Griffiths wiggled a finger and chuckled. "They only said there was no space in the entrance hall, but they didn't say I couldn't visit! Dumbledore won't mind if I visit an old friend I haven't seen in ages!"
"Hey, little fellow!" In a nearby painting, an old man in a top hat suddenly shouted loudly at Wade, "You brought this fellow out of the Astronomy Tower, didn't you? Do us a favor and send him back!"
"Yes, yes!" The old men and women who had seemed asleep around them all cried out, "Send him back, send him back!"
"We finally got him into the Astronomy Tower, why did you bring him out again?"
"Do you know how annoying he is? My hair is falling out in handfuls!"
"You're a portrait; you don't lose hair."
"I'm using a figure of speech! A figure of speech! Understand? Don't pick apart my words."
"I'm just telling the truth... Why are you so angry? Can't we just communicate nicely?"
"Arghhh—someone drag this guy away!!!"
The usually quiet portraits suddenly started bickering among themselves. The students who were up early for breakfast were utterly surprised and eagerly gathered around to watch.
Wade quietly left the Entrance Hall. Griffiths, not caring about the commotion he'd caused, unceremoniously pushed through the portraits, even waking some genuinely sleeping ones in the process, and followed Wade out of the Entrance Hall.
"Noisy bunch, aren't they?" Griffiths said with a smile. "House-elves are much quieter than them."
Wade stopped and looked at Griffiths.
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