Christmas Eve
On Christmas Eve, Skylar originally planned to return to the Malfoy Manor alone to spend the holiday with his family. However, Eleanor, reluctant to part with him, insisted on going with him, her determination leaving Skylar with no choice but to agree. After a moment's thought, Skylar decided to invite Akabane Sakura as well, so that they could spend Christmas together at the Malfoy Manor.
It was already evening when we arrived at the Malfoy Manor in Thestral carriage.
Malfoy Manor was already decorated like a dream, filled with a strong festive atmosphere. This magnificent aristocratic manor appeared even more solemn and elegant under the winter night. Silver-green magical ivy entwined around the black wrought iron gate, occasionally shimmering with tiny lights like flowing stars. On both sides of the cobblestone main path, several silver magical lanterns floated gently, casting a warm and soft glow to illuminate the snowy night.
Stepping inside the manor, the lavish Christmas decorations are even more dazzling—a huge magical Christmas tree stands in the center of the hall, two stories high, and all the ornaments on the tree are magical artifacts: silver flying snakes meander and coil between the branches, their scales shimmering with the changing light and shadow; glass spheres contain miniature starry skies, and if you look closely, you can even see shooting stars streaking across the sky; a pure white female angel statue stands on the treetop, and every midnight, it sings a long and beautiful melody.
Ribbons that fluttered on the walls, occasionally changing color; Fairy Accio in the air, scattering golden dust; a warm magical flame burned in the marble fireplace, creating a cozy festive atmosphere; silver and green decorative vines hung from the ceiling, occasionally dropping crystal-clear magical snowflakes that melted instantly upon touching a person, leaving no moisture.
The restaurant was already set up. An extra-long oak table was covered with a dark green velvet tablecloth, and golden candlesticks emitted a soft glow. On the magic platters were an exquisite Christmas feast—roast turkey, pumpkin pie, honey cake, magical candies, and Lucius's collection of top-quality France, Italy, and Spain red wines. Every dish exuded an enticing aroma.
When Skylar arrived at the manor with Eleanor Hohenheim and Akabane Sakura, the large living room was already filled with family members.
Lucius Malfoy sat by the fireplace, swirling a glass of red wine in his hand, his expression calm, but his gaze paused slightly when he saw Eleanor, clearly recognizing her. As the heir to the Hohenheim Family, her arrival undoubtedly added a special touch to this Christmas.
Narcissa Malfoy greeted him with a smile, saying gently, "Skylar, you're finally back. Was your journey safe?"
"It went very smoothly, Mother." Skylar took off his cloak, smiled slightly, and then turned his gaze to Andromeda Tonks on the sofa, and a middle-aged man sitting next to her. Skylar recognized his photograph and knew he was Mr. Ted Tonks Tonks. He then politely greeted him, "Uncle, Aunt, hello. Are you here at the Malfoy Manor for the holidays this year as well?"
Andromeda was clearly in a good mood; she flashed a bright smile and joked with Skylar, "What? You're not welcoming us?"
"Of course not, I'm just a little surprised." Skylar shrugged.
Nymphadora Black - Tonks leaned back on the sofa, her original appearance now restored, her hair back to jet black, a Christmas candy cane dangling from her mouth. Seeing Skylar, her eyes darted around, and a mischievous smile appeared on her face. "My dear little cousin," she said, "Why haven't you introduced us to your two beautiful companions yet?"
"Oh, I almost forgot," Skylar stepped aside slightly and introduced, "This is my fiancée, Eleanor from the Hohenheim Family of Germany, whose ancestor was the legendary alchemist Paracelsus."
Eleanor nodded politely, Skylar then gestured to Cherry Moon, continuing, "This is my pen pal from overseas, a high-achieving student from the Mahoutokoro in Japan, who came to Hogwarts for a year-long exchange program."
"Oh?" Mr. Ted Tonks Tonks raised an eyebrow at the opportune moment, a hint of mockery in his smile, and teased in a tone that every man understands, "I think I saw in the newspapers that a France lady was behaving intimately with you, Skylar. You certainly have a wide circle of friends!"
Eleanor maintained her elegant smile, gazing tenderly at Skylar. Skylar, however, only felt a chill run down his spine. Cherry Moon, on the other hand, maintained her polite smile, neither denying her relationship with Skylar nor showing any sign of acceptance.
Skylar could only cough twice to cover his embarrassment. He could forgive Eleanor, after all, she was his rightful fiancée, but Cherry Moon was just his pen pal; their relationship was completely innocent.
Draco Malfoy then walked over, accompanied by a tall, beautiful young woman named Pansy Parkinson. She linked her arm with Draco's, her gaze sweeping over Eleanor and Akabane Sakura with a slightly scrutinizing look. A slight smile played on her lips as she said, "Skylar, when did you start bringing 'girlfriends' home?"
Skylar glanced at her casually and said indifferently, "Pansy, don't talk nonsense. A few days ago, we went to Egypt Cairo, together for the International Alchemy Conference. I just invited them to my house for Christmas."
Just as Pansy was about to say something more, Draco gently tugged at her arm, signaling her to keep quiet.
Skylar and Draco are brothers, so there are some things he can say that Pansy cannot. Although both Skylar and Draco tacitly accept that Draco is the rightful successor to the family head, both brothers know that this is based on the premise that Skylar does not contest the position.
Draco said in a deep voice, "Skylar, we've heard about your great achievements in Egypt —congratulations on winning both the 'Gold Award for Pioneering Contribution' and the 'International Merit Award.' We also heard that you defeated a very terrifying black wizarding force there?"
"Fortunately," Skylar said casually, "I just happened to have grasped the black wizard leader's weakness and was lucky enough to defeat him. The rest of his henchmen were subdued by the Auror the Egyptian Ministry of Magic who arrived later."
The people present looked at each other in bewilderment.
Anubi, the "Beast Priest," was a terrifying figure capable of stopping children from crying at night. His influence had ravaged the entire Africa wizarding world for decades, and his infamy was so widespread that even they, far away in Great Britain, had heard of him. How could he have been so "coincidentally" and "luckily" defeated by Skylar?
In reality, most ordinary people believe that Skylar is very strong, but no one can give an accurate idea of just how strong he is.
Although Skylar had fought against four great wizards— Armand Malfoy, Voldemort, Morgan le Fay, and Barbarossa —these astonishing feats were largely unknown to the public. In fact, his only publicly known direct combat achievements were defeating a dragon in the Triwizard Tournament and rescuing Harry and Hermione from a group of unidentified dark wizards at Little Hangleton Cemetery.
To take it a step further, there's his thwarting of the Russia contestant Mozolov's plot in the Potions Championship, and finally, his victory over Anubi in Cairo. All things considered, Anubi is indeed the strongest opponent he has ever defeated, which explains everyone's astonishment.
Even if Anubi wasn't Grand Sorcerer, he was still someone that ordinary elite Auror couldn't handle. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to run rampant in Egypt for so many years, leaving the Egyptian Ministry of Magic helpless.
Even if there was an element of "coincidence" and "luck" involved in Skylar defeating him, it's still quite remarkable. Doesn't that mean Skylar's strength has surpassed that of an average elite Auror, at least reaching the level of Mad-Eye Moody or Scrimgeour?