On the afternoon of Christmas Day, the sunshine was brilliantly bright, shining on the snow in the yard until crystalline sparkles could be seen everywhere, as though countless tiny diamonds had fallen from the sky.
Wade stood at the door with his parents. Not far away, the Church bells had just finished tolling, and the faint voices of children singing Christmas carols drifted over—
"Listen! The angels sing on high,
Glory to the newborn king!
Peace on earth, and mercy full,
God and sinners reconciled..."
"Knock! Knock!"
The sound of a cane striking the ground approached from afar. Ferdinand stepped forward, opened the door, and said happily:
"Alastor, you're here! I'm so glad you accepted my invitation!"
Moody walked into the yard from outside, snowflakes still clinging to the hem of his cloak. His Magical Eye and his normal eye swept over Wade at the same time. Then he firmly shook Ferdinand's hand and said in a deep voice:
"Thank you for inviting me to your Christmas dinner, Ferdinand."
Then he turned to Fiona, nodded, and said, "Fiona, you've created just the right holiday atmosphere."
"Thank you, Alastor!" Fiona said with a smile. "Come in quickly, dinner's ready!"
Moody nodded to Wade as well. "It's been a while, Wade."
Wade smiled. "Welcome, Professor Moody."
But after taking two steps forward, Moody did not enter immediately. Leaning on his cane, he stood on the path, his gaze swiftly sweeping across the fence, roof, windows, rosebushes, and even the drainpipes along the yard wall.
He narrowed his eyes and said gruffly, "This house... is different from before."
"Of course it is!" Fiona said. "We put a great deal of effort into the Christmas decorations this year! Look at those colored lights and stickers—we put them up together as a family."
Moody stared