Christmas Holiday

As the end of the semester approached, fewer and fewer students remained in the castle.

The long tables in each college gradually emptied, and the echoes in the Great Hall seemed louder than usual.

By December 18th, the list of students remaining on campus was finalized.

Gryffindor's first year is now only occupied by Harry and Gareth, Ravenclaw has six students, Hufflepuff has ten, and Slytherin is completely empty.

"See? Slytherin really value Christmas reunions," Gareth whispered as they sat at the nearly empty Gryffindor Long Table for dinner.

Harry looked toward the Slytherin Long Table —it was completely empty, not even a candle was lit.

He suddenly became Cassandra's Christmas party at the Malfoy Manor would be like.

A lavish banquet? Exquisite gifts? And social interactions with Pure-blood families?

"Hey, stop daydreaming." Gareth tapped Harry's plate with his Prongs. "The holidays start tomorrow! I've got it all planned out—sleeping in late, exploring all the places in the castle I don't usually have time for in the afternoon, and playing Gobstones in the Common Room tonight! Randall lent me his collection before he left!"

Harry smiled. "Sounds good, but I need to finish recording the experiments for the Charms project first."

"Another project," Gareth sighed dramatically. "You've been ruined by Malfoy; you can't even have a normal relationship with your buddies anymore!"

"I just didn't want her to be too disappointed when she came back," Harry said, then was surprised to find that he actually cared about Cassandra's opinion.

After dinner, they returned to the Gryffindor Common Room.

The fire in the fireplace was burning brightly, and the portrait of the Fat Lady by the door looked somewhat lonely because most of the students had left school, and it kept trying to find someone to chat with.

"Christmas! Oh, the best Christmas I remember was in 1792—" she began to recount, but Harry and Gareth had already slipped into the common room.

There were only a few older students in the Common Room, all quietly reading or writing letters.

Harry and Gareth occupied the most comfortable sofa near the fireplace, spreading out their homework and snacks— the House Elf knew there were few students staying at school, so the portions of refreshments were surprisingly generous.

"Look at this!" Gareth pulled a Wizard Chess from his bag. "It's a gift from my aunt last year. Do you know how to play?"

Harry shook his head.

Dudley once owned an expensive chess set, but he never allowed Harry to touch it.

But Harry didn't think that wig-wearing pig was smart enough to play chess.

"I'll teach you!" Gareth enthusiastically laid out the chessboard. "It's simple. Each piece has its own personality; you have to convince them to move according to your plan—"

Harry gradually learned how to play Wizard Chess, which is actually not much different from chess.

Although he doesn't know how to play chess.

They stayed out late, until the fire in the fireplace gradually died down.

Harry lost the first three rounds, but in the fourth round he managed to checkmate Gareth's Queen, leaving his opponent in disbelief.

"You learn so fast!" Gareth said admiringly. "Perhaps you really do have some talent, don't you think?"

Harry smiled, shook his head, and tidied up the chessboard.

Then he noticed a small pile of gifts on the mantel.

They were all students staying on campus, and were delivered by owls.

"Do you have any?" Gareth asked.

Harry went over and searched carefully, and indeed found two small packages.

One, wrapped simply in brown paper and tied with twine, was a gift from Professor Weasley; inside was a copy of * The Practical Guide to Household Magic * and a large bag of homemade toffee. The other—

Harry picked up the second package, wrapped in dark green paper and tied with a silver ribbon, exactly like the gift Cassandra had given him.

But the card read, "To Mr. Harry Potter, Merry Christmas. -- M. Weasley"

Is it Professor Weasley?

But there was already a Professor Weasley package, and this gift was wrapped in the same paper as Cassandra's.

Harry frowned.

"What's wrong?" Gareth leaned closer to look. "Wow, this packaging is so exquisite, who sent it?"

"Professor Weasley," Harry said, but a hint of doubt lingered in his mind.

He decided not to open it yet, and to do it when he got back to his dorm.

Gareth frowned slightly, seemingly puzzled or deep in thought.

The next morning, Harry woke up at almost nine o'clock—his first time sleeping in since entering Hogwarts.

Sunlight streamed through the high windows of the Gryffindor Tower, casting warm dappled patterns on the bed.

Gareth was still snoring on the opposite bed, his mouth wide open and drool dripping onto the pillow.

Harry tiptoed out of bed, took the gift Cassandra had given him from his suitcase, hesitated for a moment, and carefully untied the ribbon.

Beneath the dark green wrapping paper was a dark wooden box with delicate vine patterns engraved on the lid.

Upon opening the box, I found it lined with deep blue velvet, upon which lay a Quill.

But it's not an ordinary Quill. The handle is made of some kind of dark wood, polished smooth and warm, and the nib is silver, shimmering slightly in the sunlight.

The pen barrel is engraved with a line of small words: "Perseverantiaomniavincit" (Perseverance conquers all).

Harry picked up the Quill and was surprised to find it unusually light. As he gripped the pen, ink automatically seeped from the tip.

It wasn't black, but a vibrant green similar to the color of his eyes.

There was also a small card in the box, with Cassandra's elegant handwriting. "Potter:

This pen automatically refills ink and corrects the most common spelling mistakes. Don't use it to copy homework—professors will find out.

Merry Christmas.

CC Malfoy "

Harry looked at the Quill in his hand, feeling a mix of emotions.

This gift was both practical and thoughtful, completely unlike Cassandra's usual haughty and aloof demeanor.

He carefully put the Quill back in the box and then took out the second green package he had received the night before.

Upon opening, inside was a small bottle of ink—not ordinary black, but a special ink that changed color to dark green and silver under light.

The card was indeed in Professor Weasley's handwriting, wishing him a Merry Christmas and hoping the ink would be of good use to him.

But why is the same wrapping paper used by Cassandra?

Harry suddenly thought of a possibility: perhaps Cassandra Twesley was passing the gift on to Professor Weasley to avoid the gossip that might arise from giving him the gift directly?

Perhaps—it should be like this?

"You opened your present?" Gareth asked sleepily, sitting up in bed. "Oh, that pen is beautiful! Who gave it to you?"

"Miss Malfoy," Harry said.

Gareth whistled. "She's really good to you. I've heard the Malfoy family give."

Harry nodded and carefully put the pen and ink away.

Just then, there was a knock on the dormitory door.

"Harry! Gareth! Are you awake?" It was the voice of Prefect Emilia Crouch. "The Kitchen is preparing a special Christmas breakfast, and it'll be packed up in half an hour!"

"Coming right now!" Gareth jumped out of bed and began frantically getting dressed.

The Great Hall was decorated like something out of a fairy tale.

Twelve tall Christmas trees were arranged along the long table, each adorned with magic candles, twinkling decorations, and Elf that actually seemed to leap from branch to branch.

The ceiling was magical. Soft snowflakes drifted down from the sky, but the Great Hall was warm as spring.

Because there were too few students, the long tables from the four colleges were combined into one large table.

When Harry and Gareth arrived, some students were already having lunch.

"Over here!" came a cheerful female voice.

Harry turned his head and saw Pabbie Sweeting.

The Hufflepuff girl who was the first to bite into Apple at the Halloween party is waving at them.

She sat among a group of Hufflepuff students, her light brown hair tied in two braids, a few freckles on her cheeks, and a bright and genuine smile.

"Good morning!" Pabbie said. "We're planning today's activities. Would you like to join us?"

Gareth immediately sat down in the empty seat. "What event?"

"Castle exploration!" Pabbie's eyes lit up. "The Headmaster is going to Hogsmeade today, and because of the holidays, many areas that are usually off-limits will be open to the public. We plan to start in the Trophy Room and then see where those moving staircases lead!"

Harry sat down, House Elf immediately brought him breakfast.

Instead of the usual oatmeal and bread, there was fragrant fried bacon, golden scrambled eggs, roasted tomatoes and mushrooms, and an astonishingly thick stack of muffins.

"This is so lavish!" Harry exclaimed.

"Special holiday treatment," said a Ravenclaw boy. "My brother used to stay at school for Christmas, and he said House Elf would spoil the students who stayed on campus rotten."

Everyone ate and chatted, creating a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.

Harry learns that Pabbie's parents have apparently gone to the Amazon Rainforest in search of a rare Magical Creatures and won't be back until January.

"I could have spent Christmas with my sister, but she's married into the Scamander family," Pabbie said. "I wanted to experience Christmas at Hogwarts, and that way I could take care of the Magical Creatures —though Professor Hoot has hired someone, I'm still worried."

"You really like Magical Creatures?" Harry asked.

"I love it!" Pabbie's eyes lit up. "The Magical Creatures are so cute, like the Mooncalf, the Puffskein, the Niffler, and the Bowtruckle— "

She talked on and on for ten minutes about all sorts of Magical Creatures, Harry listened with rapt attention.

Pabbie's passion for Magical Creatures is as pure as Sebastian's passion for magic.

After breakfast, the exploration team was officially formed: Harry, Gareth, Pabbie, two Ravenclaw students, Twins sisters Ellie and Ella, and a Hufflepuff boy named Benjamin, who was Pabbie's friend.

Their first stop was the Trophy Room, a place rarely visited by anyone, but during the holidays, the Headmaster allowed students to tour it with professors. Today, they were accompanied by Mr. Yue, who seemed more relaxed than usual and even allowed the students to touch some of the less valuable trophies.

"Look at this!" Gareth pointed to a huge silver goblet, "The Hogwarts Special Contribution Award! I wonder who won it—"

Mr. Yue leaned over for a look. "Ah, this. Awarded in 1544, recognizing a student for protecting his classmates during Troll attack. But the record doesn't have a name—the student requested anonymity."

They spent an hour in the exhibition hall, seeing centuries of House Cup records (the rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin was exceptionally fierce), trophies from various competitions, and even a replica of the Order of Merlin.

The next stop is the castle's West Tower, where there's a famous "Traitor Staircase"—it suddenly changes direction, leading unfamiliar people to the exact wrong place.

"I heard that a student was once trapped on this staircase for three days!" Ellie said mysteriously.

"That's an exaggeration," her Twins sister Ella said, "But some people really did miss their final exams because of those stairs."

.

They carefully stepped onto the stairs.

The first few steps were normal, but when they reached the corner, the stairs suddenly began to rotate, not going up or down, but moving horizontally, like a conveyor belt leading them into a completely unfamiliar corridor.

"Wow!" Benjamin exclaimed, "That's so cool!"

The new corridor is lined with portraits, the figures dressed in clothing from centuries ago. As they pass by, the people in the portraits look at them curiously and whisper among themselves.

"A freshman?" "Staying on campus for Christmas." "That's rare; everyone went home in my day—"

At the end of the corridor, they found a door they had never seen before.

There was no handle on the door, only a complicated keyhole.

"How about trying the Alohomora?" Gareth suggested.

"It's best not to," Pabbie said. "Opening an unknown door without permission is against school rules. And who knows what's behind it?"

Just as they hesitated, the door suddenly opened by itself.

Behind the door was a small room that looked like an abandoned classroom, but it was decorated with unusual warmth—a fireplace crackled with flames, several comfortable armchairs were arranged in a circle, and bookshelves were filled with old books.

"This is—" Harry walked into the room, looking around curiously.

"Ah, you've found them," a gentle voice said.

Professor Weasley entered through another door, carrying a tray laden with steaming cocoa and cookies. "One of the traditions of the Christmas scouting—finding the hidden Christmas lounge. It appears in a different location in the castle each year, and only those willing to explore can find it."

She placed the tray on the small table. "Welcome, children. Sit down and warm up, have some cocoa. It's a special gift from Hogwarts for students who stay at the school."

Everyone sat down with delight and accepted the cocoa.

The cup warmed my frozen fingers; the cocoa was sweet and rich, and it was topped with marshmallows.

"Professor, has this room always been here?" Pabbie asked.

"In a sense, yes." Professor Weasley settled into his armchair by the fireplace. "It's called the Wanderer's Common Room, originally created by a medieval Headmaster to provide a warm place for students who couldn't go home during the Christmas season. The room is enchanted and only appears during the Christmas holidays, and in a different location each time."