Before Christmas (1)

Several feet of snow covered the grounds of Hogwarts Castle, and the frozen lake had hardened like steel. Christmas was almost here, and December grew colder by the day. When Su Yu woke in the Slytherin Dungeon dormitory that morning, he could see through the enormous window that the Black Lake had frozen into a dark green sheet of ice. Creatures moved beneath it, and occasionally a fish would press against the underside, leaving a blurred shadow on the other side.

The world beyond the castle had become a silver-white canvas. The trees of the Forbidden Forest wore thick coats of snow. Distant peaks glimmered pale blue in the morning light, while the snow along the ridges had been swept into curving lines by the wind. Snow half a person high had piled atop the owlery's spires. Several owls huddled beneath the eaves with their necks tucked in, their feathers puffed up like little balls of fluff. Azure Phoenix was different. She now stayed in Su Yu's dormitory and refused to go anywhere, not even to deliver letters. With no other choice, Su Yu had bought another owl.

Every morning, Su Yu needed a long time to crawl out of bed—not because he could not get up, but because the blankets had kidnapped him. Nine-Tailed Fox resisted even more. Every morning, Su Yu had to fish her out from under the covers. Her four legs would kick through the air several times before she was willing to open her eyes. Her fur grew thicker in winter, and it felt like a soft hot-water bottle. Sometimes Su Yu would slip his hands into her fur for warmth. Nine-Tailed Fox would glare at him, but she never moved away.

The stone floors in the corridors were as cold as ice. With every step Su Yu took, he could feel the chill creeping up from the soles of his feet. The silver-green scarf Daphne had knitted for him was long and thick; after wrapping it around twice, it still hung down to his chest. He buried half his face in it, and his warm breath formed a fine layer of frost on the scarf. Sister Fa had gotten him a pair of dragon-hide gloves, supposedly brought back from Romania by her father. Su Yu's hands stayed warm in them, but holding his wand never felt quite right.

The two Weasley brothers had been punished for fooling around while building snowmen, so they had to follow Professor Quirrell around all day. Su Yu had seen them in the corridor once—both trailed behind Professor Quirrell with expressions more miserable than they wore in Potions class. The corridor windows stood open, and cold wind rushed in, nearly blowing Professor Quirrell's turban away. He hurriedly held it in place. The garlic stench could not disperse in the snowy classrooms; it was so thick, it felt as if someone had overturned an entire jar of crushed garlic.

Several messenger owls fought their way through the blizzard. Snowflakes struck their wings, quickly soaking their feathers. They flew crookedly, as if the wind might blow them away at any moment. Hagrid stood at the castle entrance, wrapped in his moleskin coat, carefully tending to every owl that arrived. With his thick fingers, he gently brushed the snow from them, set them beside the brazier in the entrance hall to warm up, then pulled biscuits from his pockets to feed them. One owl sat trembling on his shoulder. Hagrid covered it with his huge palm and muttered something under his breath.

The young wizards eagerly awaited the holiday. Whispers in the corridors changed from "Have you finished your homework?" to "Are you going home for Christmas?" Several younger Gryffindor girls discussed what gifts to buy. Someone from Hufflepuff showed off Christmas cookies sent from home. A Ravenclaw boy opened a package in the corridor; inside was a hand-knitted scarf in his house colors. After putting it on, he practically strutted down the hall.

The outdoor corridors had become frigid, and biting winds made the classroom windows rattle. Whenever Su Yu passed through those corridors, he would pull his scarf higher and bury his whole face in it, leaving only his eyes exposed. Sometimes Nine-Tailed Fox would burrow into his scarf, revealing only the tip of her nose. Her warm breath brushed against Su Yu's chin, making it itch. Sister Fa walked ahead, the hem of her robe billowing in the wind. She seemed unafraid of the cold—or perhaps she simply did not show it. Sister Ka walked behind them with her hands in her pockets, her light golden hair blown into a mess by the wind. She did not bother fixing it and simply let it fly.

The worst was Snape's dungeon classroom. The moment they entered, cold air surged in from every direction, as if they had stepped into an ice cellar. The students' breath formed clouds before them, and they huddled as close to the large cauldrons as possible for warmth.

Su Yu held Nine-Tailed Fox to keep warm. Her nine tails hung between his arms, swaying gently in the air, their tips slightly curled. Daphne was weighing powdered lionfish bones. Her fingers had turned a little red from the cold, but she did not complain. Every now and then, she merely held her hands over the cauldron to warm them before continuing to measure the powder on the scales.

Malfoy looked even gloomier than usual.

He was furious over Slytherin's defeat in the match. But this time, he was not angry because he wanted to play a prank—he felt that those people had disgraced Slytherin's honor! Sister Cassandra had commanded so well, yet they had lost because of their own incompetence. That was unforgivable. It was a betrayal of Su Yu, their prefect!

Slytherin did not need useless trash! Just as Prefect Su Yu had said, if you could bring me benefits, that was what proved your ability.

Since the previous week, McGonagall had been busy registering the students staying at school for the holidays.

Su Yu had signed up. He did not know where else he could go during the break. He certainly could not find his parents. Return to Foley Manor? He could see Butler Carson there. But after thinking about how troublesome it would be to go home, Su Yu decided he would visit Carson after first year ended for summer break.

When Sister Fa learned that Su Yu was not going home, she decided not to return either. She said there was nothing much going on at home, and even if she returned, she would only be alone in her room.

Sister Ka and Daphne were still going home. Sister Ka said her mother missed her, and if she did not return soon, her mother would come to Hogwarts herself to pick her up. Daphne said she was going home to help her younger sister choose Christmas presents. She also said that when she returned, she would bring Su Yu cookies made by her mother. "My mum's chocolate cookies are the best in the world," Daphne said, her eyes sparkling. "You'll definitely like them."

Hermione was going home too. She said her parents had not seen her for several months.

After Potions class ended, the students left the dungeon.

Su Yu held Daphne's hand. They had just reached the doorway when they found a large fir tree blocking the corridor ahead.

The fir was enormous, its branches spreading wide enough to nearly fill the entire hallway. Snow still clung to its boughs, dusting the floor with a thin layer of white. Its trunk was thicker than Hagrid's arm, and a huge clump of frozen earth still clung to its roots. It looked as though it had just been dug out of the Forbidden Forest.

Harry and Ron were helping Hagrid carry it.

But it blocked Malfoy's path, and Malfoy had been in a foul mood these past few days, so he was not polite at all.

"Could you move aside?" Malfoy's voice was cold. His chin lifted slightly as his gray eyes swept from Hagrid to Harry, then from Harry to Ron. "I feel sick just talking to you."

"Weasley, are you looking to earn some pocket money?" Malfoy's lips curled into a mocking arc. "Planning to become a gamekeeper after leaving Hogwarts? Hagrid's hut is practically a little palace compared to your home."

Ron's face instantly flushed red. He let go of the fir branch, turned, and strode toward Malfoy.

"Say that again if you dare."

Malfoy did not move. His hands remained in his pockets, his chin still raised, and his expression openly provoked, as if saying, I said it. What are you going to do about it?

Ron lunged at him.

He seized Malfoy by the front of his robes and shoved him back several steps. Malfoy's shoes slipped on the stone floor, but he did not lose his balance—his knees bent slightly and his center of gravity dropped, as though he had expected the shove all along.

"Weasley!"

Professor Snape's voice came from above the stairs. He stood on the steps, his black robes billowing in the drafty corridor like a huge bat. His black eyes stared coldly at the scene below, his face utterly expressionless—but that lack of expression was more frightening than any expression could have been.

Ron let go, though his fists remained clenched.

"Professor Snape, he provoked him," Hagrid said, poking his shaggy face out from behind the tree. His face was red from carrying the tree, and tiny bits of ice clung to his thick beard. "Malfoy was insulting Ron's family."

"Regardless, Hagrid, fighting violates Hogwarts rules," Snape said in his oily voice. "Five points from Weasley of Gryffindor. You should be grateful I did not take more. Now get out, all of you!"

Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy rudely pushed through the branches, grinning smugly as they shoved one another and shook fir needles all over the floor. When Crabbe crawled beneath the branches, a broken bough snagged his robe. He tugged once without freeing it, tugged again, ripping a hole in his robe, then walked away without looking back.

"Just wait. Sooner or later, I'm going to deal with that guy," Ron said through gritted teeth as he watched Malfoy's retreating back.

Su Yu watched everything from a distance.

He was pleased for Malfoy.

Malfoy was no longer that thoughtless brute. When Su Yu saw Ron grab Malfoy by the collar, Malfoy's wand had instantly appeared in his hand. Yet Malfoy had not acted. His gaze had flicked toward Professor Snape, who was approaching quickly, and he immediately put his wand away, allowing Ron to grab him. His hand slipped back into his pocket, and that punchable sneer returned to his face, as if everything that had happened had been within his calculations.

Pansy too. Su Yu noticed that her hand had gone into her robe pocket even faster than Malfoy's had. But before Snape spoke, she had already put her wand away. The fierce look on her face turned back into lofty indifference even faster than Malfoy's expression had changed.

As for Crabbe and Goyle—they could not expect much from those two. They were merely a little slow to react. Yes, that was all. They simply had not reacted in time. Su Yu found excuses for those two talents in his heart.

Malfoy was no longer that little dragon who only knew how to call for his father. If Ron and Harry provoked him, they were in for a world of pain.

Su Yu left the dungeon holding Daphne's hand.

After eating, Su Yu and the others watched Ron, Harry, and Hagrid moving Christmas trees in the Great Hall.

The fir was set upright in one corner of the hall. Hagrid patted the dirt from his hands, stepped back two paces to inspect it with satisfaction, then went forward to adjust its angle. Once he was finally satisfied, he grinned, revealing a mouthful of large yellow teeth, and said, "Now that's more like it."

Hermione, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Flitwick were also busy putting up Christmas decorations.

Professor McGonagall stood atop a flying ladder, hanging holly wreaths on the walls. Professor Flitwick was too small to reach the high places, so he handed things up from below. He used a Levitation Charm to send strings of mistletoe toward the ceiling. The sprigs drifted upward slowly, their white berries gleaming softly in the candlelight like tiny pearls.

Hermione was decorating the Christmas tree. She stood on tiptoe to hang little bells from the branches.

The hall looked utterly magnificent.

Holly branches and mistletoe flowers hung from all four walls. Their green leaves gleamed richly in the candlelight, their red berries sparkled like little jewels, and their white berries resembled tiny pearls. Small golden bells among the branches swayed gently in the draft, producing faint sounds that were almost too soft to hear.

More than twelve towering Christmas trees had been arranged throughout the hall. They stood along both sides and in all four corners, stretching from floor to ceiling. Some were hung with sparkling icicles, clear and crystalline, while hundreds of lit candles shone upon others.

A special Christmas charm had been cast over the enchanted ceiling. Snowflakes drifted down slowly from above, vanishing before they touched the ground. They fell from the deep blue sky, circled once above the candle flames, then silently dispersed. The air was filled with the fresh scent of pine needles and burning candles, mingled with the smoky warmth of logs burning in the fireplaces.

Nine-Tailed Fox poked her head out from Su Yu's arms, watched the falling snowflakes, and reached out with one paw to catch them. A snowflake melted on her claw, turning into a tiny droplet of water. Her paw was damp. She stared at it for two seconds, then withdrew into Su Yu's embrace and rubbed her wet paw against his robe.

Su Yu lowered his head and glanced at her. Nine-Tailed Fox buried her face in the crook of his arm and pretended nothing had happened.

After the decorating was finished, Hermione came over and hugged Su Yu.

"I'm going to the library this afternoon," Hermione said. "Harry and Ron are waiting for me."

After saying that, she ran off, her curly hair bouncing behind her.

Su Yu watched her retreating figure.

Then he took Daphne's hand, turned, and headed toward the common room.