Christmas Invitation

After December began, the weather grew colder and colder. One morning, people suddenly discovered that a thick layer of ice had formed over the Black Lake.

Snowflakes danced outside the windows, pattering against the glass.

Christmas would be here before they knew it.

As usual, Hagrid brought in twelve tall Christmas trees by himself to decorate the Great Hall. The stair railings and corridors had also been freshly adorned with holly, and the entire castle was filled with festive cheer.

"This can't go on!"

During Herbology Class, Kyle used his wand to direct a glove as it hopped around on the table. "I need to come up with a new excuse to get out of Slughorn's dinner parties. I don't want to go for even one more day."

"Are they really as boring as you say?" Kanna asked curiously. "Judging by the last party, they shouldn't be that bad."

"There were lots of people then, so we could avoid him. But there are only seven or eight people at the dinner parties, and all we can do is sit there."

Kyle sighed. "Put it this way: some people genuinely enjoy it, like Daphne Greengrass and Millicent Bulstrode from Slytherin, and Cormac McLaggen from Gryffindor... They love being members of the Slug Club and wish there could be dinner parties every day.

"But for me... I'd rather be put in detention by a professor for half a day."

"Then go find Professor Snape." Kanna suggested again. "You could say you were put in detention with me."

"Uh... I don't like it, but it hasn't come to that yet." Kyle politely declined. "I'll think of something else."

Like he had said, to him, Snape's detention and Slughorn's dinner parties were about the same. It was hard to say which was better.

He