Christmas (Thanks to Starwish and Dust for the Flowers, Thank You)

The next day, the snow that had begun falling during the night turned into a blizzard.

The windows of Hogwarts Castle rattled under the wind. Snowflakes seemed to have been poured down from the sky by someone, plastering themselves against the glass one after another and quickly obscuring everything outside.

The final Herbology class of the term was cancelled. Professor Sprout decided to knit socks and scarves for the Mandrakes herself in the Third Greenhouse. Early that morning, she headed for the greenhouse carrying a basket of yarn, a pot of hot tea, and a packet of biscuits. She trusted no one but herself with such delicate work.

Early that morning, Su Yu was also dragged to the library by Daphne, whose purpose was to make him read more books.

But after arriving at the library, Su Yu did nothing but idly play with Daphne's long hair while eavesdropping on a group of Hufflepuffs spreading rumors about Harry Potter. Daphne sat beside him with a thick copy of Advanced Transfiguration Theory spread out before her, her quill scratching across parchment. Su Yu's fingers wound around the strands of hair hanging over her shoulder again and again, and Daphne did not avoid him, letting him play with it.

The Hufflepuffs sat by the windows in a circle, keeping their voices low, but they could still be heard clearly in the quiet library.

What Su Yu did not see was that Harry had arrived as well. He had come to apologize to Justin and explain what had happened yesterday, only to hear them spreading rumors about him.

"Anyway," said a fat boy, "I told Justin to hide in our dormitory. I mean, if Potter decides to make him his next target, he'd better hide for a while. Of course, Justin has been expecting this ever since he accidentally told Potter he was Muggle-born. In fact, Justin even told Potter that he used to attend Eton. That isn't something you casually reveal to an heir of Slytherin, is it?"

"You've already decided it was Potter, Ernie?" asked Hannah Abbott, a blonde girl with a ponytail, anxiously.

"Hannah," the fat boy said solemnly, "he's a Parselmouth. Everyone knows that's the mark of a Dark wizard. Have you ever heard of an ordinary person who could talk to snakes? They call Slytherin the Parselmouth."

His words triggered a murmur of discussion. Ernie continued, speaking faster and faster. "Remember the writing on the wall? Enemies of the heir, beware? Potter had some conflict with Filch. Then the next thing we knew, Filch's cat was attacked. First-year Colin upset Potter during a Quidditch match because he took a picture of him lying in the mud. Then he was attacked. Do the math yourselves."

"But he always seems so nice," Hannah Abbott said uncertainly. "But, oh, he was the one who made that man disappear. At least he isn't completely bad, is he?"

Ernie lowered his voice mysteriously. The Hufflepuffs all leaned closer, and Harry shifted sideways to hear what he was saying.

"No one knows how he survived that man's attack. I mean, he was only a baby then. He should have been torn to pieces long ago. Only a truly powerful Dark wizard could survive a curse like that." He lowered his voice until it was nearly a whisper. "That was probably why that man wanted to kill him in the first place. He didn't want a Dark wizard competing with him. I wonder what else Potter can do that he hasn't shown us."

Harry could not bear to listen any longer.

He cleared his throat loudly and stepped out from behind the shelves.

If Harry had not been so furious, he might have found their reaction as amusing as Su Yu did—everyone looked as though they had been stunned senseless the moment they saw him. Ernie's face drained of all color. Hannah's mouth hung open, and the book in her hands fell to the floor with a dull slap. Someone backed into a chair, its legs scraping sharply across the floor.

"Hi," Harry said. "I'm looking for Justin."

The Hufflepuffs' greatest fear had been confirmed. They all looked at Ernie in terror, as if he were their chosen representative being sent to face a dragon.

"What do you want with him?" Ernie asked in a trembling voice, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"I want to tell him what happened with that snake at the Duelling Club," Harry said, his voice hard and cold.

Ernie licked his pale lips, drew a deep breath, and said, "We were all there. We saw what happened."

"Then did you notice that after I finished talking to the snake, it backed off?" Harry asked, taking a step forward.

"What I saw," Ernie said, trembling and stammering, "was you speaking snake language and ordering the snake to bite Justin."

"I didn't order it!" Harry's voice shook with anger as he clenched his fists. "It didn't even touch him!"

"It came close enough," Ernie replied, his voice growing softer. "Just so you know," he added nervously, as though suddenly recalling some protective charm, "I can trace my family back nine generations of witches and wizards. My blood is as pure as anyone's, so—"

"I don't care what kind of blood you have!" Harry snapped, his voice exploding through the silent library as students behind several bookshelves poked their heads out to look. "Why would I attack Muggle-borns?"

"I heard you hate the Muggles you live with," Ernie replied quickly, shrinking back.

"It's impossible to live with the Dursleys and not hate them," Harry said. "Try it!"

With that, Harry turned and stormed out of the library, his footsteps fading down the corridor.

The Hufflepuffs looked at one another. No one spoke.

Then, just a few minutes later, Su Yu heard chaos erupt outside. Screams and hurried footsteps rang through the corridor. Someone was shouting, "It's happened again!" while someone else yelled, "Get a teacher!" Su Yu immediately pulled Daphne along to watch the excitement. He had long since stopped wanting to stay in the library.

When Su Yu arrived, the Slytherin students who had gotten there earlier made way for him, allowing him to see inside. Su Yu led Daphne to the front.

But the moment Su Yu saw the scene, he felt like smacking his forehead. Poor kid, why was he at the crime scene again? This time, it was Justin and Nearly Headless Nick.

Su Yu thought to himself, Wasn't it only Harry in the movie? Why were there so many students here now?

As the teachers shouted for everyone to quiet down, Harry stood by the wall in extreme distress.

Professor McGonagall rushed over as well, with her students following behind her. She made a loud bang with her wand to silence the crowd and ordered them back to their classrooms.

Not long after the area was cleared, Ernie and the Hufflepuffs arrived. The sight before them frightened them so badly they could barely breathe, and Ernie's face turned white as paper.

"Catch the murderer!" Ernie shouted, pointing at Harry with a trembling finger, his face deathly pale.

"We will," Professor McGonagall said, her gaze moving from Ernie's face to Harry's, then from Harry to Justin.

Peeves rubbed his head, baring his teeth in a wicked grin as he observed the scene. Peeves always loved chaos. He somersaulted through the air, and as the teachers bent over Justin and Nearly Headless Nick to examine them, Peeves suddenly began to sing, "Oh, Potter, you fool, why did you do it? You're killing students, do you think it's fun—"

"That's enough, Peeves!" Professor McGonagall roared. Peeves stuck his tongue out at Harry and drifted back, though he still hovered in the corner, eyes gleaming as he waited for more excitement.

Justin was sent to the Hospital Wing by Professor Sinistra from the Astronomy Department. But no one knew what to do with Nick, who was missing half his head. In the end, Professor McGonagall conjured a large fan from thin air, handed it to Ernie, and instructed him to fan Nick up the stairs while keeping him airborne.

Ernie did as instructed, fanning Nick upstairs like a silent, black helicopter.

Su Yu had already left. He went to see whether he could find any clues, but his luck was poor and he found nothing. All he could do was wait and see.

The term had finally ended. On Christmas Day, Hogwarts was so quiet that one could hear snowflakes falling from the castle to the ground. The corridors were empty, with no students running about. Only wind blew through the gaps in the windows, making the torches sway and howl.

Because of this year's Petrification incidents, almost no one stayed at Hogwarts for Christmas. Most students chose to go home, far away from the castle shrouded in fear.

This time, Su Yu stayed at school with Ka-jie. He understood that Fa-jie and Daphne were giving the two of them time alone together.

However, Malfoy and his dimwitted, unhappy duo had also stayed at Hogwarts instead of going home. Malfoy said his father had told him to remain at school to "experience life." Crabbe and Goyle probably stayed because no one was managing them at home. There was food and drink at school anyway, so it made no difference where they were.

Christmas morning was freezing, and everything was covered in white.

Yet Su Yu's arms were warm. Last night, Ka-jie had given herself to Su Yu without reservation. She was still exhausted now, lingering in his bed and unwilling to get up. Her hair lay scattered over the pillow, pale golden strands gleaming softly in the morning light. Her face was buried in the hollow of Su Yu's neck, her breathing light and slow.

Su Yu lay on his side, one arm around Ka-jie's waist while she used the other as a pillow. It had already gone numb, but he did not move. He simply lay there quietly, listening to the wind drive snow outside the window and to Ka-jie's breathing.

Beside the dormitory fireplace stood another huge pile of gifts that gave Su Yu a headache. Colorful boxes were stacked high. He sincerely felt that giving gifts was too troublesome—they could not be too good or too poor, and one also had to guess what the other person wanted. He could accept one or two gifts, but every Christmas brought a huge pile.

Mrs. Weasley had sent another sweater she had knitted herself this year. It was dark green, with a silver snake embroidered on the chest. The snake's eyes were two tiny black buttons, and it looked very exquisite.

This year, Ginny had given him not only fudge, but also cheesecake that Kurama liked.

Fa-jie had sent him a bottle of men's cologne. Su Yu opened it and took a sniff. The scent was not strong, just faint, like a blend of sea breeze and some woody fragrance.

Daphne gave him a brooch. It was silver and shaped like an eagle with its wings spread wide. Two words were engraved on the back: "Safe and Sound." The lettering was tiny, but deeply carved.

Luna had unexpectedly given him a pair of gloves she had knitted herself, along with a copy of The Quibbler. Su Yu had not expected that.

The Great Hall looked especially beautiful today. There were not only two Christmas trees covered in frost, heavy garlands hanging from the ceiling, and evergreen mistletoe crisscrossing overhead, but snowflakes drifting down from the roof as well, adding even more to the festive atmosphere.

Dumbledore led several of his favorite cheerful carols. Hagrid stood beside him, and after several cups of eggnog, he became more and more excited, his face redder and redder, his voice louder and louder.

But Su Yu and Ka-jie did not attend the feast. Last night had been too intense, leaving Ka-jie weak and powerless today, with a slight stomachache as well. Su Yu could only stay with her in the Slytherin Common Room, stoke the fireplace higher, and have Egg Beater bring several more blankets.

There was no shortage of food here either. Egg Beater had thoughtfully prepared plenty of high-protein and blood-enriching dishes. Su Yu was benefiting from Ka-jie's presence too, nearly ending up eating postpartum meals. Ka-jie leaned against his shoulder, sipping black sesame paste in small mouthfuls, her eyes half-closed. She looked like a well-fed kitten.

Before long, the common room doors suddenly opened.

Su Yu and Ka-jie looked over and found Malfoy returning with his dimwitted and unhappy companions. Malfoy walked in front, wearing a finely tailored black robe, chin lifted high and strides broad. Crabbe and Goyle followed behind him—no, they were not Crabbe and Goyle.

Su Yu looked at the two stiff-faced fools. They were Harry and Ron.

Malfoy was still marveling that Goyle could actually recognize words and had even learned to read.

Harry and Ron followed behind him, their expressions as stiff as if they had been hit by a Petrification Spell.

But when Malfoy saw Su Yu, he immediately stopped and saluted him. He leaned forward slightly, pressing his right arm to his chest in a respectful, elegant posture. "Prefect, Merry Christmas."

Harry and Ron had never seen anything like this. They immediately followed Malfoy's lead and saluted Su Yu as well. Harry moved stiffly, as though someone had shoved him from behind, while Ron bent even lower than Malfoy, probably because he was too nervous.

Both Malfoy and Ka-jie looked oddly at today's Crabbe and Goyle—or rather, at Harry and Ron.

When had those two learned how to greet someone? Back then, they had been so stupid that even Su Yu had felt sorry for them. Whenever Crabbe and Goyle saw Su Yu, they would only grin foolishly from ear to ear, then pull snacks from their pockets—who knew where they had gotten them—and offer them to him. Saluting was something aristocrats did, not something fools did. It was already good enough that they did not ask Su Yu for food whenever they saw him.

Malfoy felt as though the sun had truly risen in the west today. His two "men" had not only learned to read, but also learned to greet people. Congratulations, truly congratulations.

Su Yu could barely hold back his laughter. The corners of his mouth twitched several times, and his shoulders trembled faintly. Ka-jie covered her mouth beside him, her eyes curving into crescents. Su Yu waved casually, then hurriedly turned his head away, afraid that Harry and Ron would notice.