Gifts

After the conversation ended, Lockhart left the castle. For now, he could not appear before Marcus and Jericho.

Lockhart also took Little Dragon Christmas with him. They would wait somewhere safe for Moriarty's instructions.

That evening, Moriarty held a Christmas dinner in the castle hall.

Jericho, usually so lively and uninhibited, became remarkably well-behaved. He had been deeply influenced by the free-spirited, casual culture of the United States, but before the Slytherin Family's profound and solemn heritage, he felt a sense of reverence.

That feeling persisted throughout the Christmas dinner. Moriarty had to tell several jokes before he relaxed, while Marcus had seemed particularly relieved ever since entering the castle.

Marcus was glad that he had made a wager with Moriarty, glad that he had lost to Moriarty, and glad that he had followed Moriarty's instructions to learn some knowledge about Magical Creatures.

After dinner, Jericho toured the castle under Luke's escort, while Moriarty summoned Marcus to the tower.

Guided by a House-elf, Marcus entered the tower and saw Moriarty standing before the window.

His hands were clasped behind his back as he gazed into the sky. As if afraid of disturbing him, Marcus said quietly, "Sir, I'm here."

"You have performed very well during this time," Moriarty said softly. "Therefore, you will face your ultimate test. You have seen everything in this castle. Any one of those things could save the Flint family, provided that you pass the test."

Marcus scratched his scalp and said rather stupidly, "I will definitely pass your test, sir."

Moriarty nodded, and the two parted ways. In fact, the three of them had not gathered together since dinner.

Back in his bedroom, Moriarty seemed to have endless work to do. That night, he decided to study the spells and Potions left behind by Ancestor Salazar, as well as add runes to the Cara Boots.

"Ingo!" He summoned the Goblins. "Transform into human form and go to Borgin and Burkes to buy several Dark Magic Alchemy Items."

"Luke! Prepare the Potion ingredients, then come to my room. I want you to be my test subject!

"Oh, right—don't forget to deliver Christmas gifts to my friends."

Moriarty stayed up all night. Just before dawn, he finally developed the Flying Spell and successfully brewed the Polyjuice Potion.

As for adding a "bounce" function to the Cara Boots, he failed. Even after dismantling and studying the Alchemy Items from Borgin and Burkes, he could not apply that experience and knowledge to the Cara Boots.

"Alchemy is sometimes similar, and its principles are the same, but every Alchemy Item is unique!" Moriarty concluded.

He then wrote down his speculation in a notebook: "On the night of December 25th, the three dismantled Dark Magic Alchemy Items carried misfortune curses and belonged to the same type of Alchemy Item. It is reasonable to draw a conclusion: curses can link different Alchemy Items together..."

Moriarty wrote three long pages of notes in one go. When he looked up, he found that it was fully light outside. He stretched, then had Luke lead him to Jericho and Marcus's bedrooms.

"Get up!" Moriarty woke Jericho and Marcus by throwing pillows at them. "Come outside with me. I've prepared Christmas gifts for you!"

The listless pair instantly sprang up as though they had been doused with cold water, all traces of sleepiness gone.

"I thought I wouldn't get any Christmas gifts this year. After all, this is Slytherin Castle—owls can't find this place." Jericho quickly got dressed and ran out of the castle.

On the lawn outside, Moriarty and Marcus were talking. Luke directed the House-elves to carry sofas and chairs onto the grass, while Ingo used magic to create a long carpet made of flowers.

"What are we doing?" Jericho walked over to Moriarty with a grin. "I thought I'd get a huge gemstone as a gift."

"Would just one huge gemstone be enough?" Moriarty feigned regret. "Then it seems I don't need to teach you the Flying Spell. Luke, give Mr. Blanche a gemstone, then send him on his way."

"Hey, no!" Jericho hurriedly waved his hands. "What did I hear? A Flying Spell? That's so cool! Gemstones are common, but not everyone knows the Flying Spell. I choose the Flying Spell!"

"Sir, are you sure it's the Flying Spell?" Marcus said gloomily. "Um, You-Know-Who and the Death Eaters under him, they all know the Flying Spell too..."

"Don't worry." Moriarty smiled disdainfully. "Voldemort's Flying Spell is Dark Magic. And the Death Eaters dare call theirs a Flying Spell? The commotion they make in the sky can only be called gliding!

"The Flying Spell I will teach you is a magical incantation that Ancestor Salazar researched for many years."

Moriarty called out to them, "First, put down your wands and repeat this chant after me: 'By the command that frees the sky, let the stars summon our bodies and souls—Dimoca!'"

"By the command that frees the sky, let the stars summon our bodies and souls—Dimoca!"

Jericho and Marcus repeated it once, and a strange feeling flashed through their hearts.

"Very good. Now take out your wands." Moriarty deliberately held his Snow Fir Wand as he demonstrated for them. After chanting the spell, he suddenly rose high into the air, shifting his posture as he flew through the sky!

"Whoa! That's so cool!" Jericho waved and shouted at Moriarty in the air, then impatiently recited the spell. His feet gradually left the ground, but he soon fell. Ingo reacted quickly and caught him with the flower carpet.

The three spent the entire day practicing the Flying Spell. Clearly, Marcus and Jericho both loved this gift.

Meanwhile, in the Slytherin dormitory at Hogwarts, Christmas gifts for Moriarty had already piled up. Since people could not find Slytherin Castle, they had no choice but to send them to Hogwarts.

In early January, the three returned to Hogwarts. Upon entering the dormitory, Jericho was dumbfounded. After a long while, he let out an envious cry, "Did they move all of Hogsmeade here?!"

Moriarty used the Levitation Charm to float all the gifts up to the ceiling, inspecting them one by one.

The largest gift box was from Jericho. Inside was a Castle Model that could store memories and remind its owner of things they had forgotten.

However, Moriarty had no idea why it had been made in the shape of a castle. Perhaps it was simply so it could be sold for a higher price?

Lilith gave him a Wizard Hat. Judging by its craftsmanship, Lilith had probably made it herself. Moriarty looked quite handsome after putting it on.

Marcus, Keith, and Larpo each gave him a book. Interestingly, the Fli Family had also sent a book through Lockhart, titled The Connection Between the Twenty-Eight Pureblood Families and Salazar Slytherin.

There was no need to say it—Old Fli had definitely fabricated it. Moriarty casually tossed the book to Marcus.

Tonks gave him a Joking Figurine that told jokes, while Gemma gave him a large bag of candy.

William and Leon seemed to have made an agreement, each giving Moriarty a sword. Percy also sent a gift: a notebook containing his insights on becoming a prefect.

Moriarty's favorite gift was undoubtedly Lockhart's. He had made a badge bearing Moriarty's portrait, saying that as their group grew larger, they needed something to serve as a symbol and means of identification.

Then there were the gifts from the professors. Dumbledore gave him three pairs of Wool Socks. In fact, Moriarty had also had Luke send him Wool Socks—the pair he had received from the Initial Draw.

Severus Snape gave Moriarty a copy of the Asian Antidote Compendium, while Professor Flitwick gave him a notebook containing information about the All-England Wizard Duelling Tournament. He still wanted Moriarty to compete.

As expected, the other professors gave him magic books. Worth mentioning was that Moriarty saw Rubeus Hagrid had given Marcus a book titled The Dragon Lover's Guide.

Finally, there were the gifts from the adult wizards. Just as Jericho had said, they practically wanted to move Hogsmeade over. The gifts came in every imaginable variety.

There were simply too many, so Moriarty did not open each one for a closer look.