Hogwarts Kitchen

Although Malfoy's words in class had stung a little, Christmas at Hogwarts was actually pretty nice.

The children who stayed here weren't alone.

To create a festive atmosphere, the professors had started decorating the ancient castle with all sorts of decorations well in advance.

Garlands of holly and mistletoe covered the walls, making the Great Hall look magnificent and grand.

Twelve towering Christmas trees stood throughout the room. Some were hung with glittering icicles, while hundreds of candles twinkled on others.

When Glenn got up, he saw a small pile of Christmas presents beside his bed.

Of course, with his current identity, he had no connections outside Hogwarts yet, except for the Lehmann Couple.

So the presents were from his classmates and a few professors he was close to.

Blaise had sent a sack... Just kidding. He'd sent an ornate wand stand, where Glenn could put his wand when he had some free time or was going to bed.

Daphne Greengrass had sent a box of exquisite chocolates, perfect for a little snack during his leisure time.

Theodore had sent a brand-new quill, engraved with the Slytherin crest...

Professor Sprout had sent a copy of Complete Encyclopedia of European Magical Plants, along with a small booklet covered in densely written notes...

Quite a few students from other houses had given him presents, too.

Harry had probably often seen Glenn studying plants, so he'd sent him a flowerpot, while Ron had given him some candy.

Hermione had given him a copy of Hogwarts: A History. Judging by how often she read it in the library and shared its interesting stories, she clearly thought very highly of the book.

As far as Glenn was concerned, though, the book itself wasn't all that appealing, since this was the abridged edition released after the Ministry of Magic had reviewed it.

As for why it had been abridged... Ahem, who knew?

If everything went smoothly, once things had settled down in the future, Glenn could give her the original copy he'd kept in his collection.

Of course, there were plenty of other classmates' presents he hadn't mentioned, but Glenn couldn't spend all day in his room unwrapping gifts.

He had a few things to do today, like getting some lunch first.

As for why it wasn't breakfast—today was a holiday, so there was no need to get up so early.

"Happy Christmas, Glenn!" Harry said cheerfully in the dining room.

For him, not having to spend the holiday at his uncle's house was a huge blessing.

Ron wasn't going home, and the Weasley twins had decided to stay as well, since their parents were going to Romania to visit Charlie.

Who was Charlie?

If you didn't know, that was only right. It might have been a bit unkind to say, but in the eyes of the other Pure-blood families, the Weasley family's bloodline was like rabbits in a field: you never knew when another one might hop out of the burrow.

And Charlie was one of the first to hop out—the older brother of Ron and the twins.

He was a magizoologist studying dragons in Romania.

"Happy Christmas," Glenn said with a smile. "Is that your new sweater?"

Harry was wearing a thick green sweater with a large H on it. Glenn had never seen him wear it before.

"Mrs. Weasley made it for me. Ron, Fred, and George have one too. I heard everyone in the Weasley family has one." Perhaps he still wasn't used to receiving presents from people, because Harry looked a little embarrassed as he said it.

See? It wasn't polite, but the Weasley-rabbit theory did have some merit.

In the space of a few moments, Harry had become an honorary Weasley.

"By the way, Glenn, what did you give me?" Harry suddenly remembered the green potion he'd seen while opening his presents that morning.

"An Invigorating Potion. It's good for injuries. As long as you're not dead, one sip will keep you alive," Glenn said casually.

Harry froze when he heard that. He'd thought it was some kind of perfume.

But Glenn did sometimes say startling things, so Harry didn't pay it much mind.

"I don't think I'll need it. Hogwarts is pretty safe, after all—but I'll keep it safe," Harry said with a nod.

Well, that was debatable.

After all, Headmaster Dumbledore seemed to care about other things more than the students' safety.

"Keep it on you, just in case. You never know when you might need it. Have you eaten yet?" Glenn asked.

"Not yet... I was thinking of getting some jam tarts. Want to come?"

Glenn accepted Harry's invitation to eat together.

But they weren't going to eat in the dining room.

They left the dining room and the Great Hall, went through a door, and walked down a flight of stone steps into a wide stone corridor.

Torches along both walls lit the corridor brightly.

Like the rest of the castle, the walls were covered with paintings, but few of them showed people. They were all pictures of food.

"Where are we going?" Harry asked, looking puzzled.

It was hard for him to believe there was anywhere else to eat besides the dining room.

"Here." Standing in front of a huge painting of fruit, Glenn pointed to the pear and turned back with a smile.

"..."

Harry didn't know what to say for a moment.

"Uh, Glenn, it's Christmas, not April Fool's Day."

"I know."

"Ah... Right. I've got an Invigorating Potion here. Drink it to keep yourself going for a bit, and I'll go get Madam Pomfrey."

At that, Glenn glanced at Harry.

What on earth was this guy babbling about? No wonder he could sometimes drive Malfoy half out of his mind when they traded insults.

Without bothering to explain, Glenn reached out and tickled the pear in the painting.

The next moment, the pear wriggled as if it were ticklish, giggled, and turned into a green doorknob.

Grabbing the knob, Glenn pulled it open, revealing a very spacious room.

The room was as large as the Great Hall and had the same layout, with four long tables. They were bare, though, and all sorts of gleaming kitchen utensils lined the stone walls.

At the far end was a brick fireplace, where Incendio burned brightly. A faint smell of roast meat drifted from it.

But the most amazing sight of all was the strange creatures scattered throughout the room.

They had ears like bats, round eyes that bulged like frogs', short bodies, long noses, and spindly limbs. They wore tea towels stamped with the Hogwarts crest like clothes.

Harry stared at the extraordinary sight, his mouth slightly agape. He could hardly believe his eyes.

"I took some time to ask Hufflepuff students about it. This is Hogwarts Kitchen," Glenn said with a smile.