Wade smiled but didn't speak. Instead, a voice suddenly came from beside him:
"The greatest distance in the world isn't between life and death; it's when I'm right in front of you, but you fail to see meow."
Marchioni looked over in surprise, spotting a small cat with white fur, blue eyes, and a long, slender tail poking out from behind Wade. It sat on his shoulder and licked its paws.
The cat was a little larger than an egg, with slightly curly white fur that fell in soft waves around its head. Its eyes were like sapphires, making it incredibly cute.
Marchioni looked from Wade to the little cat and asked, "This is it?"
"How rude! I am talking to you, meow!" the cat said indignantly.
"As you can see, I am Wade's new creation, my name is Alice, meow. I'm a handheld puppet pet, the future of global trends, meow."
Alice jumped from Wade's shoulder, walked around on the table, and said, "I don't need to be bathed, I don't need to be fed, I'm always clean and beautiful, and I can provide thoughtful companionship. Isn't that great, meow?"
"Of course... uh..."
Marchioni's gaze darted between the boy and the cat before he chose to speak to Alice. "Why are you introducing yourself?"
"Wade is practicing Animagus, meow!" Alice said, patting Wade's arm with her paw. "He's not able to talk right now, so I can speak for him, meow."
Alice added "meow" to the end of every sentence and even tugged at a loose thread on Marchioni's sleeve with her paw.
Marchioni asked, "So what you're saying now, is it what Wade told you to say, or what you want to say yourself?"
"My owner can manipulate me to a certain extent, meow~" Alice said. "But the traits initially programmed influence my expression and behavior, meow~"
"What else can you do?" Marchioni asked, intrigued.
"Oh, there's so much I can talk about, meow! I can tell you all about it, meow..."
Wade placed a finger on the little cat's head. Its proud demeanor instantly vanished, and it sat demurely on the table, only its tail gently swaying.
Wade pulled out his wand, and a string of words formed in the air.
I don't know why, but I didn't program it to be a chatterbox, yet it talks so much.
It's too noisy. I'll just explain it to you myself.
The handheld puppet pet can be seen as an upgraded version of Wizard's Chess. It's primarily for companionship. It can converse with its owner, and it can even check for typos in documents. I incorporated the function of the auto-correcting quill for that.
The ideal puppet I envision would be able to provide the owner with weather conditions, get directions, remind them of their schedule, tell them the time, help send and receive messages from friends, play music, and so on.
This is an unfinished version; its main function is chatting. I hope they can provide emotional value to their owners, like family or friends. But because of the subtleties of magic, each puppet's personality is completely unique.
"Though I've said it many times before, Wade, I have to say it again!" Marchioni said excitedly. "Your creations are always so marvelous! They will surely bring us unimaginable wealth!"
Wade: I have to remind you of something. The cost of a puppet is very high, and so is the difficulty of making one.
"As long as buyers love them, those aren't problems." Marchioni smiled. "Someone will always pay for our costs... Have you made any other puppets?"
Wade: Yes.
"Alice is a proud and well-behaved little princess, so what are the personalities of the other puppets?" Marchioni asked curiously.
Wade took a dragon-hide pouch from his bag. Marchioni saw the bag wiggling, as if something was moving inside.
Wade opened the bag and took out the puppets one by one.
The first was a fiery red fox, which held its head high. "How can such a dirty bag be worthy of my noble status?" It had a fluffy tail that fanned out behind it and long, alluring eyes filled with a condescending glare.
Next was a silver-gray hamster, which silently scurried to the edge of the table and began to gnaw on a biscuit. However, it had no eating function, and biscuit crumbs fell all over the table.
Then came a golden-yellow lion. It stretched its graceful body and said to Marchioni, "Are you sad about something? Tell me, so I can cheer up!"
Marchioni: "..."
Last was a handsome black panther, holding a vibrant red rose in its mouth. It walked with a feline swagger and placed the rose in front of Marchioni.
"Before I met you, my life was a black-and-white movie. You appeared and added color to my world. I want to protect you, take care of you, and make you happy. I will only do what you want me to do."
Marchioni was stunned for a long moment before he asked Wade, "Is it... a hopeless romantic?"
Wade's face was full of an expression that words couldn't describe. Text appeared in the air: Go ahead and laugh if you want. These are all weirdos.
"No, it's not funny at all, Wade." Marchioni's eyes gleamed with a familiar, greedy light. "Their varied personalities give puppet pets an even bigger market!"
Marchioni especially looked at the panther and asked, "What influences their personalities?"
Wade thought for a while before answering: I don't know... maybe it's a subconscious thought during the infusion of a soul, or a fleeting idea during the creation process. Maybe it's even influenced by the materials and the puppet's appearance...
Without extensive experimentation and comparison, it would be impossible to confirm.
Marchioni nodded. "The inability to mass-produce the same type of puppet is a pity, but this uncertainty can become a new selling point... Every puppet pet is unique. That's a great advertising point..."
He pondered how to make more money from the puppets, then summoned a piece of paper and a pen and quickly jotted down his ideas.
"People who own pets, even if they don't need to feed them, won't stop at just one. If they love their puppet pets, they'll surely get them a home... no, a luxurious villa. We can also sell matching furniture and gardens..."
"In that case, we can also make clothes and accessories... The puppets can also be friends with each other, and their owners can even hold weddings for them and form families..."
"There should be special outfits for holidays... Getting them little flying carpets or toy brooms is a must... We can even make miniature Hogwarts Expresses... Muggle cars and airplanes would be great too..."
"Uh... if they were in a human form, would anyone want to be in a relationship with a puppet? A lover who would never betray you..."
Wade watched as Marchioni's parchment grew longer and longer, filled with more and more words...
He once heard someone say that when it comes to having a pet, the pet itself is the cheapest part.
He could almost see the day when wizards worldwide would have their pockets emptied by Marchioni.
Wade didn't show him the puppet he had made using a combination of spells, but perhaps... when the technique was perfected, he could make some well-behaved and smart little guys for his parents.
Wade left the puppet pet creation methods with Marchioni. Subsequent contract details and production processes would naturally be handled by Lupin and the Aslan Magic Workshop.
Wade's time was mostly spent on his studies. His main focus was on alchemy to improve the puppets, Transfiguration to practice Animagus, and learning the Fiendfyre Curse.
Though Lupin had promised to teach him the Fiendfyre Curse, he was very cautious. Wade had learned a great deal of theory and even wrote three papers, but he hadn't started practicing yet. Wade wasn't in a hurry. He had plenty of time and patience.
Every now and then, Wade would use a Disillusionment Charm to wander into the Restricted Section. He had read almost every book that mentioned the Fiendfyre Curse. After his Charms class, he would also ask Professor Flitwick about the spells and control methods for different fire spells.
Although Professor Flitwick hadn't "burned down half a city," his understanding and expansion of spells were far beyond what an ordinary person could achieve. After a few sessions, Wade could make flames dance on his fingertips without burning himself.
After keeping the Mandrake leaf in his mouth for a long time, Wade gradually learned how to speak and eat normally. He had heard in his past life that some people could hold a razor blade in their mouths and still eat and talk like normal. While Wade couldn't do that yet, he had learned a few tricks to avoid damaging the delicate leaf during his daily activities. At night, he would use a spell to stick his teeth together. As long as he didn't chew, the size of the leaf meant he wouldn't accidentally swallow it.
On the night of the full moon, Wade was fully prepared. Professor Sprout cut the chosen leaf for him and watched as Wade placed it in his mouth.
The plant's bitter juices spread through his mouth. Professor Sprout said, "I had the kitchens prepare some soft food for you. You'll have to bear with it for a while and try not to eat anything that requires chewing. It's best to drink less water as well."
"Though you can try again, you have to approach the first attempt with the mindset that you must succeed. You need to be mindful at all times. This process is very grueling. Most people who fail the first time are unwilling to try a second time."
"While I have confidence in your willpower, I still hope everything goes smoothly for you and that you don't suffer too much."
Wade's eyes curved as he smiled, and he whispered, "Thank you, Professor."
"Mmm, you're welcome." Professor Sprout patted his shoulder. "Also, try not to speak at all this month if you can avoid it."
Another Friday passed in the blink of an eye.
Wade woke up in the morning and, as usual, first felt for the Mandrake leaf. There was no bitter taste in his mouth, which meant the leaf was intact.
He got up to wash and get ready. When he came out of the bathroom, a bowl of fragrant minced meat porridge and a glass of a strange-colored vegetable and fruit juice were already on the table.
Wade closed his eyes, finished them in a few gulps, and then got on his broom and flew to the Room of Requirement, where Fred and George were already busy in the alchemy lab.
Ever since Wade borrowed the Marauder's Map from them, the three of them had been studying alchemy together. Michael and the others had wanted to join, but he gave up after a few days of studying Runes and unhesitatingly crossed Ancient Runes off his elective list.
"Thanks for the warning, Wade," Michael said seriously. "I'm definitely not taking that class next year!"
Harry, Neville, and Theo all nodded in agreement. Only Hermione rolled her eyes and continued to painstakingly memorize her "Rune Dictionary."
The Weasley twins' Ancient Runes weren't particularly good either, but they were passionate about alchemy and had unique tricks to get around difficult problems. They would use more basic spells and more complex processes to achieve their goals, and sometimes Wade would even get some inspiration from them.
A few days ago, Wade had returned the Marauder's Map to the twins, but they said it shouldn't belong exclusively to them, so they kept it in their room.
Fred told everyone, "Anyone who wants to go on a night stroll or an adventure, just take it and use it! But remember our principle—"
"—I solemnly swear that I am up to no good!" the twins said in unison.
Harry and Michael applauded enthusiastically.
Hermione glared at them angrily. "If a professor catches you, you'll lose points for your house! I hope you remember that!"
The twins secretly started calling Hermione "Little Mcgonagall." They didn't tell anyone, but somehow, the nickname still got out. Hermione heard about it but wasn't angry at all; she considered it a compliment.
Wade and the Weasley twins had temporarily put their research on the Marauder's Map on hold because the map not only contained many advanced spells but was also tightly linked to Hogwarts, a condition that couldn't be replicated anywhere else. Wade also suspected that the original four creators had used very precious materials and unusual ink on the map. Without destructive research, it would be impossible to deconstruct its detailed components.
Even Lupin wasn't very clear on this, as most of the materials came from James Potter and Sirius Black. The two of them had once possessed the secret treasures of two ancient pureblood families, so Lupin had little idea what ancient and precious things they had used on the map. He could only provide help with the spells, such as the Hominem Revelio Charm.
However, Wade didn't have an immediate need to learn that.
Thus, their recent research focus was on repairing the Two-Way Mirror.
After two hours of research, Wade checked the time and said goodbye to the twins before heading to Professor McGonagall's deputy headmistress's office.
Lupin and Harry were already waiting there. The two of them were usually quite unkempt, but today they were both dressed up. Their hats, ties, and cufflinks were all meticulous, and their wizard robes didn't have a speck of dust on them.
Because today was the day of Sirius Black's trial. They were about to head to the Ministry of Magic.