Vid didn't plan on going out for the remaining two weeks of the holiday.
He copied over a dozen Magic Books from the Black Family, and Dumbledore generously lent Vid a box of books, all of which he deemed worthwhile reading.
Professor Flitwick suggested that occasionally putting down the Magic Wand and diving deep into Magic Theory would make the wand feel more effortless when picked up again.
Learning magic is fascinating, but in any discipline, theory is always dry and dull.
Even though Vid was better at these things than the average person, he had to eliminate all distractions and focus deeply to read through those esoteric Magic Books one by one.
Of course, he still had holiday assignments, but that was the least of his worries, as Vid had completed them all on the day before the break started.
Immersed in the sea of books, the Christmas holiday unknowingly drew to a close, and Fiona began to prepare Vid's luggage for his return to school.
That day, when Vid went downstairs for breakfast, he noticed his father was in a good mood—even taking out a bottle of rum from the wine cellar.
—Mind you, Fiona usually doesn't allow him to drink before dinner.
"Get ready, your Uncle Johnson is coming." Ferdinand said happily: "Remember their youngest son, Carrel? You used to get along with him very well when you were kids."
Vid skipped over the topic about that pesky child and asked:
"Uncle Landon Johnson? I remember you said their family moved to the United States."
"Yes. Before...oh, just half a month before you received your Hogwarts letter, their whole family moved to the United States, and we've lost contact since."
Ferdinand adjusted his tie in the mirror and said:
"Landon once said he wanted Carrel to attend the same school as you! I told him no way, our Vid's grades are good enough for St. Paul's Public School, while Carrel is probably a bit lacking..."
"Carrel isn't just a bit lacking, he's quite a few points behind!"
Fiona came out with fried eggs, curled her lips and said: "Luckily, they moved. Otherwise, when Mrs. Johnson saw Vid didn't go to St. Paul's, she'd definitely have a million questions."
"Don't say that, darling." Ferdinand said ingratiatingly: "Mrs. Johnson doesn't mean any harm; she just likes to compare a bit. And you know, Landon is a generous and kind-hearted person."
Fiona snorted a few times but didn't say anything.
Vid certainly knew Landon Johnson, who was once his father's business partner.
Even though they later went their separate ways in business, Landon had voluntarily given up some interests, and their relationship wasn't affected by it.
If anything, without the entanglement of interests, their friendship became even purer.
But as for Carrel Johnson, in Vid's eyes, he's rather difficult to describe.
Perhaps because his mother is American, Carrel has distinct American traits—enthusiastic, open, boastful, and straightforward.
Ferdinand always thought Vid and Carrel were good friends, but in Vid's view, he was merely tolerating a troublesome child and helping to look after him when the adults were indisposed.
The thought of Carrel coming made Vid frown slightly.
Fiona, aware that Vid didn't have a favorable impression of Carrel, chuckled and said: "You don't have to be overly friendly; just be polite."
After the Grey Family finished breakfast and tidied up the house, Vid put all his magic-related items into his wardrobe space and locked his bedroom.
Otherwise, with Carrel's habit of rummaging around, he might dig out a Magic Book or something, and not only would Vid be in trouble, but the Johnson Family might even end up getting a Forgetfulness Spell from the Ministry of Magic.
From what Vid knew, the Ministry of Magic only showed surprising efficiency when enforcing the Confidentiality Law.
After tidying up, Vid returned to the first-floor living room where Ferdinand was resting on the sofa, worn out. Soon, they heard the sound of a car.
"It must be Landon and his family arriving."
Ferdinand immediately got up to greet them, only to be met with a pair of bean-sized green eyes.
"Doll!" Ferdinand exclaimed: "Fiona, your doll is still wandering around in the living room!"
The doorbell rang.
"Oh no! I forgot them!"
Fiona quickly grabbed the peeking Coco, hastily shoving it onto the bookshelf.
"Don't move, don't make a sound!" Fiona whispered urgently: "Understand? This is important!"
Coco covered its tiny mouth with both hands and earnestly nodded its small head.
Fiona sighed in relief, only to spot two other small dolls polishing a vase nearby.
"Stop polishing." Vid tapped the shelf and said: "Behave and stay still."
Ali and Reina, one holding a rag, the other a little Broom, plopped onto the shelf, motionless, like two exquisite ornaments.
From the hallway came Ferdinand's enthusiastic voice:
"Landon, long time no see... How have you been?"
Fiona and Vid headed to the doorway as well.
Ferdinand gave the person outside the door a vigorous hug, patted him on the back, and then welcomed him inside.
The Grey mother and son froze simultaneously.
Landon Johnson used to be a chubby businessman, sporting neat Little Moustache, always wearing a grey hat regardless of the weather, with a lovable and delightful smile on his face.
But now, he appeared so thin and haggard, with drooping corners of his mouth and deep dark circles under his eyes, clearly having gone for a long while without sleep.
Only the familiar grey hat remained on his head.
And his wife, who used to chat endlessly with an overly bright smile, wasn't with him, nor was there any sign of Carrel.
"Good morning, Fiona, Vid."
Landon took off his hat, greeted them, and handed over the things in his hand:
"Merry Christmas, Vid. This is a gift for you, sorry it's a few days late."
Vid accepted his old suitcase, bewildered, and said: "Well... thank you?"
Landon then noticed what he'd handed to Vid and hastily snatched the suitcase back, apologizing:
"Sorry, I made a mistake."
He turned, left the room, opened the car door, rummaged inside for a while, and finally took out a huge gift box, handing it to Vid.
"This... this is the gift." As if just remembering, he added: "Congratulations on getting into St. Paul's Public School, school life must be very enjoyable?"
Vid took the heavy gift, finding it to be an especially expensive model car, but not suitable for him.
Vid suspected that when Landon bought it, he only paid attention to the price—something like "give me the most expensive one"—without considering what he was actually buying.
He politely thanked him, then said: "Actually, I attend another school. Although my school is quite different from St. Paul's, the school life is indeed very interesting."
"Is that so?" Landon nodded absent-mindedly: "St. Paul's Public School is great! You must be very outstanding to go there. If only Carrel could be like you."
Vid blinked.
Ferdinand placed a hand on Landon's shoulder and asked: "Landon, are you facing some difficulties?"
Landon looked at him and suddenly began to cry.
"Ferdinand, my friend, do you believe there's magic in the world?"