Fred sat frozen for a long time, unable to speak. His entire body felt stiff, as though his tongue had been paralyzed.
What Landon described, what Caryll had gone through—it was exactly the kind of scenario he had always feared.
The only saving grace was that they had a slight understanding of the magical world and hadn't encountered someone like the black-robed man, who specifically preyed on people's ignorance.
Otherwise, what would have happened to Wade? What would have become of the Grey family? Fred didn't dare to imagine.
Fiona, who had always been shielded from such things, was hearing about this for the first time. Landon's despair and regret seemed to infect her as well, making her feel chilled to the bone. She instinctively wrapped her arms around herself.
"Did you… did you really just believe everything he said?" Fiona asked. "Why didn't you try to verify it?"
Landon stared at her blankly and replied, "How could we? It was the first time we had ever even heard of magic!"
Fiona fell silent, at a loss for words.
Diagon Alley was now familiar to her, to the point that she had almost forgotten the impenetrable barrier that existed between the magical world and the world of ordinary people.
Noticing Fred's grim expression, Wade walked over and gently patted his shoulder.
"Dad." he said softly.
Fred jolted as if waking from a nightmare. When he turned to see his son standing there, safe and sound, warmth began to return to his limbs.
Yes, I shouldn't dwell on imagining my family facing the same tragic fate. Wade is fine—more than fine. He is learning magic, capable of defending himself, and even more talented than most.
Taking a deep breath, Fred carefully asked, "And Annie… how is she now?"
"I've sent her to a care facility," Landon said, lowering his head in guilt. "She's forgotten so much, she can't even live normally anymore… And with me still searching for Caryll, I just couldn't take care of her."
"There wasn't much else you could do. If Annie ever regains her memory, she'll surely understand your choice."
Fred paused for a moment before asking, "What do you plan to do now?"
Fiona, who had opened her mouth as if to speak several times, glanced at Fred in surprise upon hearing his question. Then she quietly closed her lips, holding her teacup as she stood silently nearby.
Hearing the question, Landon lifted his head. Suddenly, he leaned forward, tightly gripped Fred's hands, and pleaded earnestly:
"Fred, I'm your friend, right? We were as close as brothers once, even when we had business disagreements. I never let you suffer a loss, did I?"
"That's true," Fred replied.
Fred met Landon's gaze with a reassuring expression and said, "You've always been my friend. I've never denied that."
"Then be honest with me," Landon said as he tightly gripped Fred's hands. "You know people who can do magic, don't you? Are you… are you one of them?"
Landon stared intently at Fred, his eyes were bloodshot and teetering on the edge of madness. Fred, both sympathetic and cautious, maintained a calm demeanor as he replied softly:
"I don't know who exactly you mean by 'them', but my parents were wizards. So… yes, I know some people in the magical world."
Hearing the honesty in Fred's warm and gentle tone, Landon's grip gradually loosened.
"Your parents were wizards… So does that mean you are too?" he asked hoarsely.
"No," Fred shook his head. "I'm a Squib—someone born into a wizarding family but without any magical ability.
According to tradition, I was sent to live with a Muggle family when I was young and have been largely disconnected from the magical world ever since. So, in many ways, I'm no different from an ordinary person."
"What about your parents? Surely they came to see you, didn't they?" Landon pressed.
"There was a brutal war among wizards… they both died," Fred said, holding back the pain.
"I… I'm sorry," Landon murmured, letting go of Fred's hands.
Then, in a desperate plea, he added, "But can you help me find someone who might know? Someone in the magical world who could tell me who took Caryll… or if my son is even still alive?"
Fred patted the back of Landon's hand and said, "Of course I'll help you. But you must at least tell me the name of the person who took Caryll, or what they looked like. Surely you didn't let them take your son without even asking for their name?"
"Of course not," Landon replied, straining to recall.
"The black-robed man said his name was Major Baird—a Frenchman. He was thin, with curly hair and sickly pale skin. His eyes were dark blue, and his appearance wasn't particularly striking, but… he had a very noticeable tattoo on his face."
...
After repeatedly assuring Landon that he would do everything he could to track down either Caryll or Baird, Fred finally saw his long-lost friend to the door.
Just as Landon was about to leave, he hesitated and turned back.
"Fred, since you know about the magical world… Do you know about Hogwarts?" he asked nervously.
"…I do," Fred replied.
"And…" Landon's facial muscles twitched slightly. He struggled to ask, "Hogwarts… is it really like he said?"
Fred initially didn't want to answer, but after a long hesitation, he finally said, "As far as I know… it's a good school."
"I… I see… so it's really like that, then…"
Landon didn't press further. Trembling, he repeated himself several times before turning and stumbling out of the house.
The car engine roared to life. The Grey family stood at the doorway, watching as Landon's car lurched forward and slamming into a tree. After pausing briefly, it jerked backward and hit the curb.
"Wait, Landon! I'll drive you back to the hotel!"
Fred rushed out, but the car had already sped away, rounding a corner without hesitation.
"Do you think he'll really be okay?" Fiona murmured.
"I hope nothing happens to him," Fred said as he quickly called a police friend of his to alert them to stop Landon Johnson's car if possible.
A short while later, Fred received a call back from his friend, who informed him that Landon's car had crashed into the outer wall of a bakery. Fortunately, the vehicle wasn't traveling at high speed, and no one was injured.
Returning to the living room and closing the door behind him, Fred and his family all breathed a sigh of relief.
"Are you really going to look into this, Fredy?" Fiona asked anxiously. "This situation sounds far from simple."
"Of course." Fred said as he loosened his tie and poured himself a glass of rum. He downed it in one go before continuing, "After all, Landon is my friend."
After a brief pause, he added, "And Caryll is still missing… I can't just turn a blind eye to that."
"Then why didn't you tell him that Wade is attending Hogwarts?" Fiona asked, puzzled.
Looking at his innocent wife, Fred couldn't help but smile bitterly. "Because I'm scared, Fiona."
"I'm afraid that whoever took Caryll might start targeting Wade too."
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