"What good is it for him to win us over?" Tom asked, puzzled. "We're just two underage wizards!"
"Tom, if we were really insignificant, Dumbledore wouldn't have gone to so much trouble to put us in a safehouse," Wade said with a shrug, then added, "It's just that we still don't know exactly what he wants from us…"
"He actually dared to send us these things… Isn't he afraid we'll just hand them over to Dumbledore and ruin whatever plan he has?" Tom asked.
"Ok! Tom, you're playing dumb a little too hard… You really don't know the reason?"
As soon as Wade said that, Tom fell silent and didn't ask anything else.
According to Anne, this kind of magical power was exactly what Wade and Tom were desperately seeking. So how could they possibly hand it over to Dumbledore?
Grindelwald had no problem sending these things because he believed he'd seen through Wade and Tom's desire for power.
Wade looked at the two little spheres in front of him, quite pleased.
Two returned—this meant the third must have been opened by Grindelwald himself.
Which also meant that Grindelwald had definitely come to understand the power of this thing… he'd taken the bait!
Tom suddenly gave Wade a suspicious look. This time, he didn't waste words—he asked the key question.
"So if he actually sent these things over… does that mean your so-called 'fakes' actually fooled Grindelwald? Didn't you say they could only fool Anne, not him? Why…"
"Aiya, Tom, you're being clever again… Hmm, wait, let me think… Ah, right! It's because technology improves! The earlier ones couldn't fool Grindelwald, but the newer ones can!"
"You just made that up on the spot, didn't you? Seriously… you can't even be bothered to prepare a proper excuse ahead of time when lying to me?!"
"Not true."
"So that means the ones you gave Anne to absorb—those so-called 'fakes'—were actually real?!"
"You misunderstood."
"Aaaah!! Wade! I'm never trusting you AGAIN!!!"
Tom grabbed one of the spheres in fury, turned around, and stormed off, not even bothering with the rest of his Christmas presents.
This time, Tom was truly on the verge of exploding. He'd thought Anne was absorbing fakes and had even felt sorry for her.
But turns out… he was the clown all along?!
Thinking back to how he'd earnestly given her the real stuff, Tom was so filled with regret he could practically feel his intestines twisting into knots.
"Tom…"
"Hmph!" Tom ignored Wade and headed for the stairs.
"Catch."
Tom turned just in time to see another metal sphere flying toward him. He quickly caught it.
"What… what are you doing?"
Tom stared in surprise at the extra sphere Wade had tossed him. What if he'd dropped it? That would've been a complete waste!
"Take it with you," Wade said casually.
"You… you're not keeping it?" Tom's suspicion flared instantly.
Now that his rage had cooled, he began to notice something off again.
Wasn't Wade supposed to be obsessed with gaining power?
Why was he showing no interest in something that could clearly boost his strength?
Not only had he generously given all the earlier ones to Anne, now he was handing over his own share to Tom too?
Could it be that he already absorbed enough of it during the times I secretly investigated him?
No—that couldn't be it. Tom immediately dismissed the possibility.
Wade's strength, while still formidable, hadn't shown any signs of a sudden surge.
Tom remembered very clearly how Anne's power had skyrocketed right after absorbing this kind of magical energy.
If Wade had absorbed it—and in large quantities—there was no way there wouldn't be any noticeable change!
"Why don't you want it? Does this magical energy have some kind of side effect?" Tom asked in a low voice.
Wade let out a cold chuckle. "True strength never relies on external things like this to grow."
"Hmph, I knew it. There is a side effect," Tom said with a smug look, as if he'd just confirmed a long-held suspicion.
"I told you—I'm not using it because I refuse to, not because there's any side effect," Wade said with a frown.
"If there were no side effects, would you really be so generous and toss it to me?" Tom sneered.
"You little bastard, when did you get so sharp all of a sudden? Fine, do whatever you want with it," Wade said irritably.
The residue did have side effects—but only if absorbed in large quantities.
Just this small amount wasn't enough to cause addiction—on the contrary, it could even boost strength.
If Tom didn't want it, so be it.
But when Tom saw Wade's expression, he grew suspicious again.
After hesitating for a while, he finally walked back over and placed both of the little spheres in front of Wade.
Since he couldn't make up his mind… he'd just wait and see what Wade would do.
If Wade refused to use them, then he wouldn't either. That was the safest choice!
"Well, well, Tom. You can resist the temptation of power now?" Wade said with amusement.
"Hmph…"
Tom stood up reluctantly, cradling his presents, and walked to the other side of the living room to open them slowly.
Of course, he didn't look back even once—afraid that if he saw those two spheres again, he wouldn't be able to suppress the urge…
Wade chuckled softly. If this Tom ever truly grew into his potential, he'd be even more terrifying than Voldemort.
Because despite the difficulty, he had already begun to master one of the hardest traits to acquire—self-restraint.
Wade turned around and went back to unwrapping his own gifts.
Opening presents on Christmas was, in fact, a great opportunity to sort through one's network of relationships.
After all, only those who had a connection with him—or wanted one—would send him gifts.
That, too, was part of his influence.
Before long, Wade noticed a gift from the Malfoy family. It wasn't from Abraxas, but rather… from Abraxas's father.
It was an ornate and expensive cane, and the handle could be unscrewed. Once opened, it revealed a very refined wand grip.
In other words, it was a beautiful cane designed to conceal a wand.
"Tsk tsk… the Malfoy family's taste, huh? Some things never change, even after generations."
Though he complained, Wade happily accepted the gift—because it represented the Malfoy family's complete submission.
Next, Wade found gifts from other pure-blood families as well. Without exception, they were all extravagant items.
Clearly, someone in the Malfoy household had tipped them off about something.
For every one of these surrendering families, Wade—without exception—sent back a Christmas card.
Christmas cards weren't worth much. A single silver Sickle could buy a whole stack. But a card from Wade signified that he—or more accurately, the "family influence" behind him—had accepted their allegiance.
For these pure-blood families who always sided with whoever held power, it meant a great deal.
Next, Wade unwrapped the gift from Dumbledore.
It was a handwritten manuscript of Dumbledore's own insights on Transfiguration.
While it wasn't all that useful to Wade at his current level, it still provided him with a convenient excuse to use Dumbledore's unique Transfiguration techniques in the future.
Professor Slughorn's gift was as straightforward and over-the-top as ever: a full bottle of Felix Felicis.
Even though Wade already had plenty of Felix Felicis, it was the kind of potion you could never have too much of.
Even if he couldn't use it all himself, selling it would bring in a fortune.
No doubt about it—Professor Slughorn treated Wade exceptionally well.
Of course, Wade was a rising star at Hogwarts. Aside from those two professors, several other professors had also sent him gifts.
And aside from the professors and the pure-blood families, the rest of the presents were far more ordinary.
But Wade was actually happier about those, because they were from members of his own club—his faction, in a sense. People who would become his foundation for future success.
Naturally, to keep these people loyal, Wade had spent a hefty sum on their return gifts.
By the time Wade finally finished unwrapping all his gifts, it was already noon.
Tom had long finished unwrapping his and had been silently watching Wade the entire time, feeling a bit sour.
He was the one who usually managed the club, but all he got from those people were a few greeting cards. The best present he received was a snack box from Anne…
And what did they send Wade? Magical toys, delicious treats—it was a whole parade of thoughtful gifts!
Comparisons really were infuriating…
"Hmph… finally done? Must've worn you out!"
Wade replied cheerfully, "Not at all, actually!"
As he spoke, he tied a pink bow on Nagini's head. "Nagini, this is your Christmas present!"
He then picked up a mirror and placed it in front of her.
Nagini stared at the bow on her head with obvious disdain, uncomfortably rubbing her head against the table—but unfortunately, she couldn't get it off.
Nagini: (T_T)
"Toby! You've got a present too."
"Toby… Toby gets a gift too?" the house-elf said, nearly fainting from happiness.
"Of course you do!"
As Wade spoke, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a large gold ring, then tossed it over.
"Toby, you're my personal butler now. You've got to look the part! Wear it with pride!"
Toby excitedly slipped the shiny gold ring onto his finger—then actually passed out from joy…
"Wait a minute… why does that ring look so familiar?" Tom asked, eyeing it suspiciously.
"Well, of course it does. I had it made from the Gaunt family heirloom ring! I wasn't planning to put the Resurrection Stone back in it anyway, and you didn't want it either. No point letting it go to waste—it's perfect for sprucing up my butler!"
"You—! Ugh, forget it… So where's my gift?" Tom huffed.
"Huh?"
"You… you didn't forget, did you? I gave you one!"
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