After dinner, Wade said goodbye to Michael and the others, then went alone to the eighth floor of the castle, pacing back and forth in the empty corridor.
I need an Alchemy lab... I need an Alchemy lab... I need an Alchemy lab...
In the portrait on the wall beside him, Barnaby the Barmy was still struggling with a few Trolls. Sometimes he forced them to dance, sometimes he got beaten up, and most of the time he just stood still, showing no reaction even when someone walked back and forth in the corridor.
Wade felt that the moment Barnaby had suddenly warned him seemed somewhat unreal now.
The Room of Requirement appeared, and Wade looked back at Barnaby the Barmy again before pushing the door open and stepping inside.
It was a very large, circular room. Shelves along the walls were filled with books related to Alchemy. Large and small crystal bottles held various Alchemical materials; some were ordinary, others glowed with strange light, and some even bounced around inside their bottles.
On the workbench was a long array of instruments. Green liquid bubbled in oddly shaped glass containers, and several colorful minerals were boiling in a Cauldron.
Where a fireplace should have been, there were two smelting furnaces. One of them was burning, with a copper pipe extending from its top like an elephant's trunk, connecting to a circular container nearby.
Two people were already in the room—
Fred and George were sprawled on the floor, drawing on a huge blueprint. Beside them were some things that shouldn't have been there, like wool hats and old vests.
"What are you two doing?"
Wade walked over and sat down, picking up the blueprint from the floor to look at it.
Fred rubbed his nose and grinned, "Hey, look! This is why we need your help."
"Isn't it a neat little contraption?" George said happily. "It's a hat or a vest that can defend against Dark Curses! While it might not be very useful, it's quite effective against minor Dark Curses!"
"But our Ancient Runes aren't very good. We have an idea right now, but there are a few parts we don't know how to implement..." Fred explained why he needed Wade's help.
"Also, I now think it would be even better if it could also defend against Muggle weapons!" George added.
"Hmm... let me take a look first..."
Wade said, carefully studying the twins' design ideas on the blueprint.
He had actually considered something similar to an Anti-Curse Hat a long time ago. Even if he didn't sell it, it would be good to add a bit of safety for his friends.
However, Wade later abandoned this idea because he found that such an item could only defend against minor Magic that wouldn't cause much harm anyway, so it had little practical significance.
Moreover, for an Anti-Curse Hat to work, its owner needed to provide some subjective initiative—that is, they had to stare intently at the caster's face the moment they were hit for the Dark Curse to rebound.
This made its usefulness even more limited.
So, in the original story, this item was just a humorous product to the Weasley brothers.
But most people in the Wizarding World were rather useless, and only a few mastered the Shield Charm. Therefore, during wartime, the sales of this product were actually quite good.
The blueprint in front of Wade now showed an effect not much different from the Anti-Curse Hat in the original story. There was a slight oversight in the runic design, which Wade quickly corrected.
However, the effect of such anti-curse equipment was somewhat unsatisfactory, and its defense against Muggle Guns was barely better than nothing.
Wade had originally given up on it for this reason, but after his experience on the island, he had a new idea.
"This kind of defense is too ordinary, but perhaps we can work a bit on the material?" Wade suggested.
The twins exchanged glances, then asked in unison, "How?"
Wade asked, "Have you ever observed a honeycomb?"
"Of course!" George said. "Every honeycomb I've seen has the exact same structure, the same pattern, perfectly astonishing."
Fred nodded in agreement, "I heard that honeycombs on the other side of the world are also the same, as if designed by some god. It's unreal."
"Mm." Wade casually drew a hexagonal honeycomb on the paper and said, "The honeycomb structure allows for the largest rhombic containers with the least material, making them very sturdy."
"Moreover, this mesh structure can distribute external forces from all directions, offering excellent stability, sound insulation, and heat insulation. Because it saves material, the overall weight is also relatively light."
Wade was very familiar with the honeycomb structure because his Wardrobe Space could steadily expand precisely because he used this structure to draw Magic patterns.
Now, applying the same idea to anti-curse equipment, his thoughts flowed almost without interruption. As he spoke, lines of Runes and drawings appeared on the paper.
"So you see, if we use titanium-copper alloy inside the Anti-Curse Hat or Anti-Curse Vest—a vest would be better for defense—and form it into a honeycomb structure, then apply the Shield Charm, we could..."
"Wait, wait!" Fred held up a hand and asked, "What's titanium-copper alloy?"
Wade paused, then said, "It's an alloy based on copper with a small amount of titanium added. It has high strength, high elasticity, and good elongation, and it's widely used in Muggle society."
George looked at his brother: "I've never heard of it... have you?"
Fred shook his head: "Me neither."
Wade thought carefully about a few magazines he had read at home before saying:
"This alloy seems to have been invented decades ago and is used in aerospace... I guess no Wizard has used it in Alchemy yet."
"Aerospace?" Fred whistled, excited. "Cool! New material! We'll use that!"
Wade: "..."
To him, something that had been commercially available for decades certainly wasn't "new material," but considering the closed nature of the Wizarding World, it was entirely understandable.
Fortunately, the Weasley Twins weren't the kind of Wizards who clung to old ways or objected to something just because it was Muggle.
George, however, looked a bit worried: "If it's a new material, will it be very expensive?"
What they had originally planned to use for their experiments were hats and vests Mrs. Weasley had knitted for them, which were already too worn out to repair. Even Ron wouldn't pick them up to wear again.
Wade was speechless: "...You two are making good money now. Are you still reluctant to buy materials? And how much inner lining does a piece of clothing need? One alloy sheet can make many Anti-Curse Vests."
George suddenly understood. "You're right! And the rarer the materials, the more expensive we can sell them for!"
He high-fived Fred, looking incredibly excited.
Wade shook his head subtly, continuing to contemplate the design of the anti-curse vest.
Actually, Aslan's Magic Workshop didn't give the twins a small share of the profits, but perhaps because they grew up in poverty, the twins still maintained the habit of saving whenever possible.
Speaking of which, the older Weasley sons, except for Percy, were all earning money. Bill and Charlie had respectable jobs and good salaries, and Fred and George had impressive incomes.
Yet, their family's living conditions hadn't improved because of it. At least Ron still wore old robes and used an old wand.
Wade didn't understand this family dynamic, but he didn't intend to interject. They quickly delved into an enthusiastic discussion.
...
On Monday, Wade didn't see Dumbledore at school, but Harry moved to sit next to him at breakfast.
"Wade, did you sign up to stay at school?" Harry asked, cutting his steak.
"No, I'm definitely going home for the holidays." Wade looked at Harry's expression and asked, "Are you planning to stay?"
"Yeah, probably." Harry poked his steak annoyedly with his fork. "Remus and Sirius seem to be busy. You know, with that island business... They probably won't have time during the holidays, so they suggested I stay at school."
If it had been his first year, Harry would have happily signed the list to stay. He'd rather be alone at Hogwarts than go back to the Dursleys on Privet Drive.
But now, his home was so close, yet he couldn't go back, which was frustrating.
"What's the big deal?" Michael, who was next to him, said, "If you want to stay at school for the holidays, stay. When you don't want to, can't you just go back anytime?"
He winked, hinting that Harry could go back anytime through the Vanishing Cabinet.
Last year, they often used the Vanishing Cabinet to sneak off to Hogsmeade to play. But this semester, their coursework suddenly increased, and Lupin's house was often empty, so they rarely used the Vanishing Cabinet.
Harry sighed. "How can that be the same?"
Michael looked confused. "Don't you want to go out and have fun?"
Harry silently shook his head.
Hogsmeade, which was initially mysterious and interesting to him, had long lost its mystical veil. Harry, having lived there, would visit it eight times a day.
After the novelty wore off, he realized that the shops there actually hadn't changed much over the years. So, even during Hogsmeade Weekend, people just went for a walk or bought necessities.
In comparison, the school at least had mazes, which were much more interesting.
Harry wanted to go back not because of the place, but because of the people who were supposed to be there.
But Sirius couldn't spare the time; every message he sent ended abruptly. As for Remus, after he recovered, he was often nowhere to be found, and even messages in the Book of Friends were only replied to after a long time.
Wade thought for a moment and asked, "Harry, do you want to come to my place for the holidays? My parents would definitely love to have you."
When Ferdinand and Fiona first met Harry, they didn't know about his deeds or his identity. Later, after learning various news about the Wizarding World, they were incredibly curious about this "Star of Salvation."
Especially Fiona. As a mother, she deeply sympathized with Harry, a child who lost his parents young and had such a difficult fate.
Harry hesitated, but before he could speak, he heard Michael protest, "Wade, are you only inviting Harry? Are we still good friends or not?"
Wade chuckled. "Of course, I want to invite you to my place too."
"You better!" Michael thought for a moment and said, "I invited you to my place ages ago, and you've never come!"
"I couldn't make time before... Next time for sure." Wade asked again, "So, Harry, are you coming?"
Harry's slightly tensed shoulders relaxed. He smiled and said, "Alright!"
—This way, Ron and Hermione wouldn't have to stay at school for him.
If Harry had to stay at school, they would also choose to stay.
Although Ron said he couldn't stand being with Percy, and Hermione said she wanted to read in the Library, Harry knew they were staying to keep him company.
But everyone hadn't seen their families for months. Harry could still reunite with his family during Hogsmeade Weekend, but Ron and Hermione didn't have that opportunity.
He didn't want them to miss the chance to celebrate Christmas with their families because of him.
"Wade, what's fun to do at your place?" Michael asked curiously. "What do you do during the holidays?"
"Hmm..."
Wade thought about it.
He used to spend most of his holidays reading. The past two Christmas holidays had become more diverse, but they were mostly unrelated to entertainment.
If he was entertaining friends, he certainly couldn't do that.
"We can go to the movies, or the opera, or go ice skating..."
Wade recalled the activities Fiona insisted on dragging him to. "There are also light shows and Christmas markets, lots of things to do at the winter amusement park, and circus shows in the evening..."
"That sounds great!" Michael said, sounding very eager.
Although he was a Half-blood, Michael's mother married a Wizard father, and their family's life followed Wizard traditions.
They lived on the edge of the village, rarely interacting with the nearby villagers, let alone going to big cities for various Muggle celebrations.
Michael's previous impression of Christmas was just exchanging gifts, a turkey dinner, and a Christmas tree. Receiving gifts was nice, but other than that, it was unremarkable.
Harry's eyes also lit up slightly.
To be honest, he'd only ever seen those events on TV and had secretly longed to attend, but the opportunity never arose.
As the group chatted about their Christmas plans, a large flock of Owls suddenly flew in from outside the Great Hall. The students quickly shielded their long tables, but messy feathers still landed on their food.
Students who had slept in could only sigh and give up on the roast meat and pumpkin juice, opting for two baked potatoes instead.
These days, the only things still widely delivered by Owl were various magazines and the Daily Prophet.
The chilly messengers dropped rolled-up newspapers in front of the students and then flapped their way back out.
"Why can't they change the time these Owls deliver mail?"
Michael complained as he unfolded his newspaper, "I could get my mail when I wake up in the morning, or on my way to class. Why does it always have to be during meal times…"
His voice trailed off.
Michael carefully read the headline on the front page, then suddenly sneered and said, "Wade, Harry, look at this."
Wade had also received a newspaper but hadn't had a chance to open it yet. He glanced over and saw large black letters on the newspaper that read—
Ministry of Magic's Heroic Action: Muggle Children Rescued from Danger!
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