"So—your parchment—" Ferdinand said, his face pale.
"The Book of Friends, dear. The—Book—of—Friends!"
Fiona corrected him unhappily. How could her son's outstanding and magnificent invention be simply referred to as "parchment"?
"All right—the Book of Friends—" Ferdinand corrected himself, staring blankly at Wade. "You sold the patent—they gave you fifty thousand Galleons—and there'll be a steady stream of—patent royalties after that?"
Something about his expression was off, making Wade, who had been happy moments ago, feel uneasy. His own face unconsciously grew serious as he said earnestly, "Yes, Father."
"Someone even—wanted to buy it outright for two hundred thousand Galleons—but your professor didn't agree?"
"Yes."
Ferdinand looked as though he were having trouble breathing as he said, "And you followed that professor of yours—"
"—Professor Murray."
"Right, Professor Murray—and a merchant—went to Diagon Alley—"
"—Mr. Marco Marchioni." Wade considered his words before saying, "They both took very good care of me."
"And then, right in front of you—and a goblin—he transferred all fifty thousand gold Galleons?"
"Yes, Father."
Ferdinand's expression was far too strange. It was not simply pride or happiness, and Wade felt slightly apprehensive.
Only then did he realize that he should have asked his parents' opinion first. But under Marchioni's urging, everything today had seemed to be set on fast-forward, and he had unconsciously overlooked it.
Logically, Professor Murray and Marchioni were not such careless people. But considering that his parents could not use magic, perhaps in their eyes, although Wade was only eleven, he was the only person in House Gray who could communicate with them as an equal and make decisions.
Realizing this made Wade feel a little uncomfortable. He suppressed those emotions and tried to sound casual. "Because school is about to start, Mr. Marchioni was in a great hurry. He was afraid of