Although its appearance is not very appealing, in fact, it has numerous functions, one can top ten.
At this moment, the Cube Poppet stretched out two mechanical claws to pack the last gift box, and its round eyes on top of its head spun around to look at Vid, asking with concern, "Did the master have a nightmare?"
"No, just didn't get enough sleep."
Vid missed the Time Turner immensely at this time. He stepped over the gift boxes on the ground, rushed to wash up, and before he could finish changing his clothes, he heard Michael knock on the door a few times.
"Hurry up, Vid! We're going to the mall after breakfast!"
"Coming!"
Vid responded, then heard Michael and Harry thumping down the stairs.
Just from the footsteps, you could tell how impatient the two were.
It made sense; even a small village like Hogsmeade was incredibly attractive to students, let alone a large mall in London.
Vid changed his clothes and was just about to put the wardrobe space away when he saw the half-organized gift boxes.
Considering they were just going shopping this trip, and couldn't just stuff their purchases into a bottomless bag in front of Muggles, Vid decided against bringing the wardrobe space.
"Send out all the gifts before dinner according to the list I made earlier," Vid said to the Cube Poppet. "Don't forget to pack the snacks made by Coco together."
"Understood," the Poppet rumbled out, and seeing Vid about to leave while yawning again, it suddenly asked, "Why does the master make it himself? Wouldn't it be easier to buy gifts like others do?"
Vid didn't expect it to ask a question outside of orders, was surprised for a moment, then turned his attention to its question.
"Well... probably because I look forward to seeing them show a very surprised smile when they receive the gift?"
He thought for a moment and said with a smile.
"This sense of satisfaction is something bought gifts can't replace."
...
Vid actually didn't really understand at first either—in his past life, every winter, his mother always liked to personally knit sweaters, scarves, hats, gloves, and such things for him.
He didn't understand why these things, which cost little to buy and had more variety and finer stitching, couldn't replace homemade ones. Why go through the trouble?
Until later, when he took a pottery class and made a pair of teacups by hand for his parents, he suddenly understood that feeling.
Preparing gifts for loved ones, hoping that they would feel joy because of it, makes every second of preparing the gift a happiness.
This isn't a one-sided process of giving or benefiting, the giver also gains joy and satisfaction.
——Of course, if a carefully made gift isn't cherished, the disappointment is doubled.
When Vid prepared gifts before, he focused on practicality, making sure that even if he was somewhat perfunctory, the recipient would still be happy to receive it.
But this time, touched by Michael's words, he prepared each gift with care and again experienced that feeling of anticipation and joy from gift-giving.
For more than half of the night, though his nerves screamed for rest, his mood was too excited to stop until he finished all the work.
After entrusting the last bit of mailing to the Cube Poppet, the owl had already been pre-scheduled to come later.
Vid rubbed his eyes and went out to have breakfast with peace of mind.
...
Most boys don't have as much enthusiasm for mall shopping as girls, especially when the price of goods exceeds their expectations.
Harry's aunt was always very frugal, and although Harry didn't have a clear concept of money, even with a vault full of Galleons, the thought of needing the money to live through the next four school years with no high income right after graduation prevented him from spending recklessly on luxury items.
Michael's pocket money was just slightly more than that of average children, but in terms of disposable assets, he was worse off than Harry.
The group walked around Harrods Department Store once and bought nothing. After leaving, they tacitly turned to a nearby budget supermarket.
This time the prices were much more reasonable, with most of what they fancied costing no more than two Pounds, and buying a bunch would not hurt their wallets. Each of them pushed a shopping cart and went to their favorite sections.
Vid bought a few boxes of fruit and then looked toward the meat section.
Roast turkey is essential on Christmas Eve. Although every year Fiona spends an entire day smoking and marinating it, the turkey always tastes indescribable.
Every time during this period, Vid ponders how to persuade his parents to replace roast turkey with roast chicken, or even duck…
But they always say, Christmas isn't complete without turkey.
Holding the box of steaks, Vid looked down at the label when a bald elderly man pushing a cart passed by his side, prompting Vid to step aside a little.
A supermarket staff member passed by, pushing a small trolley from behind the two, stacked so high with boxes that they almost touched the ceiling, all prepared turkeys ready to be shelved.
When the trolley passed by, the once spacious aisle suddenly became cramped, and Vid instinctively sidestepped again. He looked at the picture of roast chicken on the cardboard box and yawned again.
A hoarse voice was heard——
"Didn't sleep well last night?"
Vid's consciousness suddenly sank into drowsiness, and his body involuntarily slid down, a withered hand supporting his arm.
"Have a little nap," the person said.
...
As the trolley passed, the bald old man casually patted the boy's shoulder, causing the once listless boy to slump forward.
Before he could fall, the old man caught him and poured a bottle of Magic Potion into his mouth.
The tall, slender figure instantly shrank, disappearing from the spot in the blink of an eye, leaving only a few pieces of clothing behind.
The old man's fingers, like dried branches, tapped the pile of clothes, and they too shrank in the blink of an eye.
On the floor lay a palm-sized unconscious little person, looking just like a delicate doll.
The old man bent down, picked up the little person, stuck it in his pocket, and then hunched over, shuffling towards the checkout.
Within just two or three seconds, the trolley loaded with boxes clattered past, leaving only a shopping cart with a few boxes of fruit.
This scene happened extremely quickly, unnoticed by Harry and Michael picking out items just meters away on the shelf, nor by Lupin merely window-shopping nearby due to a tight budget, nor by the mall's security, sales clerks, or customers buying items nearby.
Only the staff member, who was ready to shelf the turkeys but found that most of his trolley was empty boxes, stood bewildered for a moment, scratching his head and chalking it up to being so busy that he got muddled.
The few things the bald old man bought quickly got paid for and left the supermarket, where a black car was waiting outside. As he approached, the car door immediately opened.
The old man got into the car, and as the door closed, his appearance also changed——
A face as gaunt as a skull, with sunken eyes and a frail body, but his eyes still burned brightly as if he were still young, full of idealistic passion, though the deep lines on his face spelled out indifference.
This old man was the Dark Wizard who made all of Europe tremble—Grindelwald!
The timing of his escape had actually been much earlier than when the news came out from Nimongard.
The driver immediately started the vehicle, and the person in the passenger seat eagerly turned around to ask, "Sir, did you... succeed?"
Grindelwald, coughing, took the sleeping young Wizard out of his pocket.
The passenger showed an expression of ecstasy: "True to your reputation! Many were after this kid, but none succeeded!"
"It's just taking advantage of Dumbledore being unable to spare the effort, bullying a kid, nothing to be proud of,"
Grindelwald said coldly, yet did not hand over the young Wizard to the passenger, instead tucking him back into his pocket.
"I hope the value this kid brings me will match the risk I took for him."