Holiday

"Are you talking about Nicolas Flamel?" Allen asked cheerfully. But clearly, the others did not feel the same way. Hagrid looked furious; Ron was terrified; Harry looked extremely awkward. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but Hermione pulled him back.

Instead, Hermione questioned Allen, "Allen, although you are so outstanding that every professor praises you, eavesdropping is immoral."

Allen looked deeply at Harry. Seeing him at a loss in his awkwardness yet offering not a single word in his defense, Allen felt somewhat disappointed, then relieved. Nothing was more awkward than overestimating one's place in someone else's heart. It was not that Harry did not care about Allen, but he shared a secret with Ron and Hermione. Without the other two's permission, Harry did not know whether he should tell Allen.

Allen had always believed that when someone no longer trusted you, there was no need to be sad. Everyone had their own life, and no one could stay by your side forever. Do not cling to the past and refuse to move on; do not hold on to what once was.

So Allen smiled and, under Hermione's astonished gaze, said, "First, earning the professors' praise is the result of my hard work. Second, I was not eavesdropping on your conversation. I merely came over to say hello to Harry. Finally, I know who Nicolas Flamel is, but clearly there is no need to tell you or the books. Happy holidays, everyone." Allen left with a smile. If you did not trust him, then even if he knew what you wanted to know, he would not tell you. Although he could let it go, Allen still childishly got a little payback. They would find out sooner or later anyway, so he did not have to repay resentment with kindness, did he?

"He was joking, right? How could he know about Nicolas Flamel?" Ron asked after standing there in stunned silence for a while, his mouth hanging open in shock.

"Allen rarely jokes, and he loves reading. He is very knowledgeable, so it is entirely possible that he really knows about Nicolas Flamel." Harry felt extremely annoyed and dejected. He should have told Allen the truth.

Hermione bit her lip. "I'm going to apologize to Allen. I wronged him." Without waiting for Harry and Ron to react, she ran in the direction Allen had gone. Harry and Ron exchanged a glance and hurried after her. However, by the time Hermione ran out of the Great Hall, Allen was nowhere to be seen. The three of them ran to the library Allen frequented most, but he was not there either. They were not allowed into Ravenclaw's common room, so the three returned to Gryffindor in disappointment.

"Maybe we can see him at breakfast tomorrow," Harry said hopefully.

"That's all we can do." Hermione still decided to wait at the library a little longer. Perhaps Allen would go there to read.

The next day, when Hermione and the other two went to the dining hall to look for Allen, he had already returned to his dormitory to pack. Soon, he would take the Hogwarts Express home for the holidays, and he also had the important task of helping Anna carry her luggage.

By the time the Hogwarts Express arrived at King's Cross Station, it was nearly evening. His older brother Albert greeted Allen with a huge hug and a smile. Allen was quite surprised that it was not Dad, Mr. Harris, who had come to pick him up. The two took a bus to the nearest Magic Lamp Post, then returned home through it.

Before he even entered the house, Allen smelled the sweet scent of strawberry cake. "Mum made strawberry cake!" His eyes lit up, and he quickened his pace. Men liked sweets too; there was nothing embarrassing about that.

"There's more than cake. Mum prepared loads of delicious food," Albert said in an excellent mood.

Sure enough, dinner was lavish. Compared with Hogwarts' Christmas Banquet, it did not have as many varieties, but it was warm and carried the taste of home. Holidays were meant for family reunions, and the family of seven sat around the dining table in happy harmony.

At present, Allen was the only one in the family attending Hogwarts. His eldest sister Daisy worked at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries with their mother, though unlike Mrs. Harris, she was a physician in the Spell Damage Department. Mrs. Harris was very satisfied with that.

A year earlier, his second brother Lenn had successfully earned outstanding marks in all his N.E.W.T.s. With his excellent results, he entered the Ministry of Magic and became a member of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.

For that reason, the entire family was very concerned about Allen's life at Hogwarts. Only after beginning work did people miss the carefree days of school, when youth was at its finest. When Allen mentioned that he and Potter had become a Chaser and a Seeker in their first year, Mrs. Harris and the others were especially delighted.

"Allen's athletic talent must have come from me. Back then, I was an outstanding Ravenclaw Chaser," Mr. Harris said proudly.

"Yes, very impressive. Owen, you looked very handsome riding a broomstick back then." Without meaning to, Mr. and Mrs. Harris showed off their affection in front of the children. Albert and Allen exchanged a glance, then could not help bursting into laughter.

During this holiday, Allen had not made any additional plans. After going through so much, he only wanted to rest properly at home, relax his tightly wound nerves, and read the books Ravenclaw had collected. But such was life; it never bent to human will. According to Murphy's Law, the more you wanted something, the less likely you were to get it.

When Allen opened his eyes again, snow was falling thickly outside. It looked as though it would continue for quite some time, so his morning exercise plan had to be abandoned. After going downstairs to wash up, he discovered that only he and his little sister Emily were left at home. "Did they arrange to work overtime together?" Allen muttered, pouring himself a steaming cup of milk. Although Mrs. Harris had left in a hurry, she had still used her skillful cooking to prepare breakfast for her youngest son and daughter.

After Emily woke up, she pestered her brother to tell her the story of the Moonstone. Allen realized that his little sister's interests were growing stranger and stranger. She used to beg him for fairy tales, yet so quickly she had reached the age where she loved detective mysteries! According to the book Emily handed Allen, the Moonstone was a famous yellow diamond, first recorded in Indian historical texts. The gem was set in the forehead of a four-armed Indian god—the Moon God. It was named the Moonstone partly because of its unique color and partly because of a rumor that it could sense the Moon God's will, with its color changing as the moon waxed and waned.

As far as Allen knew, the Magical World had similar records. Unlike India's diamond, which was offered to a deity, the Magical World's Moonstone was an inferior, translucent gemstone. It could also sense the moon's influence, and thus was named the Moonstone.