As the end of December approached, the festive atmosphere at Hogwarts grew stronger by the day.
Li Wei emerged from his underground seclusion, bringing his two assistants along as he wandered casually through the castle.
The Great Hall's walls were now draped with garlands of holly and mistletoe. Twelve towering Christmas trees stood evenly throughout the room, some hung with glittering icicles, others twinkling with hundreds of candles.
"Professor, long time no see!"
Cedric, Hermione, and the others greeted him. They had learned of Li Wei's holiday plans from Qiao Weili long ago, so they had not come to disturb him.
"Long time no see."
Looking at them, Li Wei felt as though the stale air of the underground had been swept away. An inexplicable, pleasant warmth rose in his chest.
He waved at them, a smile appearing on his face as well.
Cedric and the others found this rather surprising. Even Qiao Weili and Jiamer looked at him in astonishment.
Harry and Ron shrank back slightly behind Hermione. They had always felt a little uneasy around this Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Soon, the group wandered around the castle together.
As the one guiding the conversation, Cedric began taking the initiative to talk about what he had been studying in class.
For example, his character had been a Squib, then gained the ability to cast spells through a magical wand, only to have his fiancée come to break off their engagement afterward. The string of twists made Ron and Harry's eyes shine as they cried that it was unfair. Why did only fourth-years get to take such cool, interesting classes?
At that moment, their distance from Li Wei shortened slightly.
"Because your foundation is not up to standard yet, and I'm still considering whether to expand this