Ferdinand put an arm around his wife's shoulders and watched the taxi turn the corner and disappear completely from view.
Just minutes earlier, he had picked up the car keys and put on his coat, naturally intending to drive Wade to the station.
But after thinking for a moment, Wade had refused.
"No need, Dad," he said. "I'm not bringing any large luggage, so there's no need for the family car to take me."
He patted the unremarkable black schoolbag slung over his shoulder.
Wade's Wardrobe Space had seven forms in total, ranging from a Pencil Case to a wardrobe, and he could choose a different appearance depending on his needs.
At that moment, the lunch Fiona had carefully prepared for him was inside. He had changed it from a Pencil Case into a schoolbag to make it easier to retrieve things.
After a pause, Wade added, "Taking a taxi to King's Cross Station by myself is lower-profile and safer... There's nothing inconvenient about it."
Meeting his son's gaze, Ferdinand knew perfectly well that Wade was not being polite, nor was he afraid of troubling his father, nor was this the stubborn independence of a teenager.
He simply believed that this way was safer.
That safety was not for Wade himself, but for Ferdinand and Fiona—
As the non-magical parents of Wade Gray, the less they appeared in the Wizarding World's sight, the safer they would be.
Under that calm, clear-eyed gaze, Ferdinand felt a complicated mixture of warmth and bitterness coil through his heart.
He swallowed the words already on the tip of his tongue. In the end, he merely nodded and patted Wade's shoulder.
"All right. You're grown up now too... Be careful on the way."
When the sound of the engine had completely faded away, Fiona