Christmas Day (Part 2)

Before they could figure out the answer to the question, Lin Yue had already walked out of the Ravenclaw common room ahead of them.

She had finished the books she borrowed and needed to get a new batch from the library.

Seeing Harry and Ron, Lin Yue nodded expressionlessly as a greeting and then quickly prepared to head to the library.

Watching Lin Yue's retreating figure, Harry suddenly reacted and quickly called out.

"Lin Yue! Wait a moment."

After speaking, he pulled Ron and hurried to Lin Yue's side, afraid that if they were a moment later, Lin Yue would disappear.

Hermione had told them to take Lin Yue out more to relax, and he didn't dare to just agree and not do it.

Lin Yue stopped and looked at Harry and Ron with a faint gaze. "What's wrong?"

Listening to Lin Yue's emotionless words, Harry swallowed hard. The pressure and fear involuntarily returned.

Ron was in the same state, but he still managed to take a deep breath and stated their purpose.

"It's snowing outside... We, uh, invite you to play in the snow." Ron said with a sheepish smile at Lin Yue.

Lin Yue nodded, indicating she understood, but the next moment she spoke without any hesitation.

"Sorry, it's my study time, I can't go downstairs to play in the snow."

"It's the holidays right now..." Ron muttered softly.

Seeing Lin Yue about to leave again, Harry, in a moment of inspiration, instinctively said something that made Lin Yue stop again.

"Hermione told us to take you out more to relax!"

Lin Yue stopped dead in her tracks when Harry said it was Hermione's idea.

Her mind, devoid of emotion, began to analyze. Hermione wanted her to go play in the snow with Harry and the others...

She lowered her head slightly and once again followed the inexplicable thought in her mind.

"Okay, I'll return the books to the library, and then I'll go with you."

Harry and Ron immediately breathed a sigh of relief. They took the books from Lin Yue's hands and went to the library with her.

Walking along the road, Ron nudged Harry with his elbow. "Buddy, you're amazing. How did you think of using Hermione to persuade her?"

Harry glanced back subtly, making sure Lin Yue wasn't listening, before speaking softly.

"Didn't you notice that Lin Yue is only different from her usual self when she's facing Hermione?"

"When it's her study time, she follows along as soon as Hermione says something."

Ron recalled carefully and then nodded seriously. "You know, it really is like that."

In his memory, the few times Lin Yue did something other than studying were after Hermione spoke.

He silently gave Harry a thumbs-up. After helping Lin Yue return her books to Madam Pince, the three of them came outside Hogwarts Castle.

Outside Hogwarts Castle, the ground was already covered with a thick layer of white snow. Students who stayed behind were running around, throwing snowballs at each other.

The ones having the most fun were Ron's twin brothers, Fred Weasley and George Weasley.

They were constantly grabbing snowballs from the ground and throwing them at people around them, regardless of who it was.

As long as someone appeared, they became the target of their snowballs.

Lin Yue and the two boys, who had just come out of the castle, were naturally no exception.

As soon as they exited the castle, several snowballs flew towards them. Harry and Ron quickly ducked. Lin Yue, standing behind them, watched the snowballs heading straight for her with a calm expression and unhesitatingly raised her hands to block them one by one.

Her mind, devoid of any emotion, meant she wouldn't panic or get nervous. When she saw several snowballs flying towards her, she could maintain absolute rationality.

And accurately analyze the trajectory of the snowballs, then block them.

But clearly, her action completely piqued the curiosity of the Weasley twins.

The two exchanged glances, seeing a hint of eagerness in each other's eyes.

However, they also knew that if they, two boys who were a few years older than Lin Yue, were to throw snowballs at her, it would be extremely rude.

So, after Harry and Ron threw two snowballs back, they proposed the idea of forming teams for a snowball fight.

Since there were five people present, it was difficult to divide them into teams, so they decided to put Harry, Ron, and Lin Yue, the three first-years, into one team.

They, the two older students, would be on the other team. With an extra person on Lin Yue's team, even if they were three first-years, they wouldn't be at too much of a disadvantage.

After all, it was a snowball fight, and they weren't using spells. They never imagined that if spells were involved, even if it were Harry and Ron on one team and Lin Yue alone on the other, they would still be at a disadvantage.

The teams were formed, and the snowball fight began. It wasn't until the official start that the four boys present realized how terrifying Lin Yue was.

They had initially thought she was a typical Ravenclaw bookworm who wouldn't be good at sports.

But they didn't expect that while Lin Yue's stamina wasn't great, her observation skills and focus were top-notch. Her thrown snowballs never missed, and each one hit one of the Weasley twins.

The snowballs thrown by the Weasley twins were either dodged before they could even touch her, or she blocked them with her hands. Not a single one managed to break through her defense.

After playing for a full half hour, Lin Yue was already slightly out of breath.

The four boys also felt they had had their fill, and seeing Lin Yue's condition, they voluntarily stopped.

The five of them sat on a nearby bench to rest. Fred looked at Professor Quirrell walking in the distance, a mischievous smile on his lips.

She drew her wand and cast a spell at the snow on the ground, controlling the snowball to float slowly upwards and hit the back of Professor Quirrell's head, which was covered by a large turban.

"Pfft, hahahaha..." Seeing this, George and Fred burst into unrestrained laughter.

Professor Quirrell was stunned by the hit. He reached out as if to touch the back of his head, but immediately withdrew his hand, pretending nothing had happened, and quickly left.

His reaction made the Weasley twins laugh even harder.

However, once he entered Hogwarts Castle and encountered Professor McGonagall, his expression immediately turned furious, and he told her about the Weasley twins' recent behavior.

Professor McGonagall immediately stated sternly that she would reprimand them and then deducted five points from Gryffindor.

Because of this, before the Weasley twins could even stop smiling, Professor McGonagall strode over to them and gave them a lecture about their actions.

Harry, Ron, and Lin Yue, who were nearby, were not implicated, but they also took the opportunity while Professor McGonagall was scolding the twins to quickly slip away with Lin Yue.

"Merlin's beard..." Ron exclaimed painfully as soon as they entered the castle.

"Professor Quirrell didn't say anything when he was hit, so why did he immediately go tell Professor McGonagall?"

Harry shook his head. "Maybe it's because Fred and George are Gryffindor students, and he wanted Professor McGonagall to handle it herself?"

Ron shrugged, indicating he didn't know either, but after this incident.

Professor Quirrell's image in their minds had worsened compared to before.

Teenagers' likes and dislikes were that simple, weren't they? Just like their dislike for Professor Snape.

Lin Yue, standing beside them, remained silent, her face calm.

Harry and Ron's guess had some merit, but she had a different idea.

Since the start of the semester, Professor Quirrell had given everyone the impression of being a stutterer, smelling strongly of garlic, lacking ability, and being timid.

So, his silence in front of the Weasley twins earlier fit his persona.

As for complaining to Professor McGonagall behind their backs, it proved that his persona was likely a disguise. A professor pretending to be so timid seemed rather odd.

Considering that he was one of the two professors who had previously tried to harm Harry, Professor Quirrell's suspicion had clearly increased.

Furthermore, she had seen clearly just now that after being hit on the back of the head, Professor Quirrell had clearly wanted to touch it, but he had stopped himself midway.

So, was there something wrong with the back of his head...

Lin Yue's thoughts raced, and her mind quickly reached a series of conclusions.

After analyzing all the available information, she stopped her thoughts and looked at Harry and Ron emotionlessly.

"I'm going to the Great Hall for dinner. I'll go straight back to the Ravenclaw Tower after I'm done."

After speaking, she stared at Harry without blinking, unsure if Hermione had any other instructions for them.

"Oh, oh... okay." Harry was taken aback and nodded.

Receiving his answer, Lin Yue quickly turned around and hurried towards the Great Hall.

By the time Harry and Ron arrived at the Great Hall, Lin Yue had already finished dinner and left.

Watching Lin Yue's retreating figure, Ron shook his head. "She eats so fast every time. I don't know what the fun is in eating like that."

He then reached out and grabbed a fried chicken leg with each hand, while Harry on the side served himself some smoked meat.

"Maybe she doesn't enjoy eating." Harry, who was more perceptive, said after taking a bite of smoked meat.

"What is it then?" Ron took a bite of his fried chicken leg, the crispy skin making a crunching sound.

"Survival," Harry shrugged, completely unaware that he had hit the nail on the head.

Lin Yue ate for survival, which was why she didn't care what she ate or whether it would damage her stomach.

As long as her body could function normally and it didn't interfere with her studies.

This was what her mother had always told her. If it weren't for the fact that people would truly die if they didn't eat, her mother might have even told her:

Eating was completely unnecessary and a waste of study time, so she shouldn't do it.

Lin Yue walked from the Great Hall to the library and sat down to read until it was almost curfew. Then, she stood up and took her books to Madam Pince to check them out.

Looking at the child in front of her, who had read hundreds of books in just half a school year, Madam Pince sighed while efficiently processing her book checkout.

After thanking Madam Pince, Lin Yue hugged her books and returned to the Ravenclaw Tower.

Back in her dormitory, Lin Yue continued her usual study schedule, only going to sleep at four in the morning.

After sleeping for an hour, she woke up and returned to her desk to read.

At six in the morning, owls began to arrive one after another, flying towards her window.

Lin Yue heard the tapping on the window. She was still absorbed in her studies and let the persistent owls outside tap on the glass.

This continued until a thought entered her mind: there were owls outside, and they were bringing gifts, including Hermione's gift.

The next moment, Lin Yue broke out of her study state, expressionlessly opened her dormitory window, and several owls swooped in, landing on her desk.

Lin Yue's gaze quickly scanned them, and she soon recognized an owl that was likely carrying Hermione's gift.

Lin Yue didn't know why she was sure this owl was sent by Hermione, but she just had that feeling.

She reached out, untied the letter tied to the owl's leg, and opened it. As expected, it was Hermione's gift.

In the letter, Hermione wished Lin Yue a Merry Christmas, hoped she would like her gift, and urged her to be sure to rest during the Christmas holiday.

She also told Lin Yue to go out and play with Harry and Ron more often and relax, rather than always studying.

Looking at the overflowing concern in Hermione's letter, Lin Yue felt a twitch in her brain and a warmth in her chest.

Shaking her head, she put down the letter and opened the package the owl had delivered without any particular emotion.

Inside the package was a large box of pastries, along with a note from Hermione.

"I made these pastries myself. They're sugar-free and good for your teeth. I hope you like my baking~"

Lin Yue put down the note and carefully opened the box. The aroma of pastries instantly filled her nose.

Reaching in to pick up a piece, Lin Yue instinctively went to pop it directly into her mouth.

However, just a second before she could put the whole pastry in her mouth, her brain stopped her.

Another inexplicable thought arose, and Lin Yue felt she didn't want to just "swallow" the pastries Hermione had given her.

So she opened her mouth and slowly took a bite, chewing it slowly.

She savored the softness and sweetness that burst in her mouth, the first time in many years she had truly tasted food again.

One bite after another, it took Lin Yue a full three minutes to finish the pastry, which was smaller than her palm.

The time she normally used to eat a whole meal was now only enough to finish such a small pastry.

Although it was just a pastry, Lin Yue felt as if her body was a little fuller, as if something had been slightly filled in.