Christmas Eve II (Thanks to Song Jun of Copper Gong Alley for the two love-powered gifts!)

The Silent Spell relay game lasted for nearly an hour, and everyone was having a great time, showing no signs of fatigue. Seeing that everyone was gradually getting used to the game's rhythm and the novelty was wearing off, Callis immediately switched to a new game—magical riddles. She had written down various riddles related to magic, Hogwarts common sense, Potions, and spells beforehand using magic. She would ask the riddles, and the others would try to answer them. Those who answered correctly would receive a special magical candy, while those who answered incorrectly would have to take a small sip of Butterbeer with mint juice—a mild punishment.

The game instantly ignited everyone's competitive spirit. Callis's puzzles were Eight Gates, ranging from simple basic spell knowledge to obscure Potions ingredient identification, and even small questions about the secrets of Hogwarts Castle.

With her extensive knowledge, Ka-jie handled most of the academic puzzles, answering them calmly and accurately each time a question was uttered, showcasing her brilliant mind. Draco excelled at puzzles related to Pure-blood magic, answering quickly and accurately, often with a smug look on his face. Blaise was adept at solving Hogwarts gossip and obscure trivia puzzles, reacting with remarkable speed. Theodore was unparalleled in Potions- related puzzles, answering any question about Potions preparation Potions effects without hesitation. Pansy, on the other hand, was exceptionally good at simple magic trivia questions, beaming with joy every time she answered correctly.

Su Yu? Su Yu didn't play; he just started drinking...

After playing the riddle game until they were tired, everyone leaned back on the sofa to rest, enjoying sweet snacks and warm Butterbeer while chatting casually.

"Oh, right," Malfoy suddenly remembered something, "Have you heard that Hagrid's Buckbeak case is about to go to trial?"

The atmosphere in the lounge became heavy for a moment.

"My father said the Ministry of Magic has very strict controls over dangerous creatures," Malfoy continued. "Hagrid probably won't be able to escape this time."

Su Yu glanced at Malfoy. Malfoy's expression was calm, merely a statement of "that's just how things are."

"Do you think Buckbeak should be executed?" Theodore asked.

"I don't think it's my fault," Malfoy said. "But it did attack me, whether I approached first or not. If Neville had been standing there, Neville would be dead. Have you thought about that?"

No one answered.

Callis picked up her glass and took another sip. "My grandmother used to say that magical creatures are like people, some good and some bad. You can't kill them all just because one is bad, but you also can't ignore the dangers posed by one bad one."

Blaise glanced at her. "Your grandma said that?"

"My grandma told me," Callis said. "When she was young, a Niffler stole her engagement ring, and she chased it for three blocks to get it back. Ever since then, she's been wary of all magical creatures."

Pansy couldn't help but laugh. "Your grandma is quite interesting."

"She's not funny," Callis said. "She's principled."

Fa-jie leaned back on the sofa and placed the empty wine glass on the coffee table. "No matter what, although we can make the decision in Buckbeak's case, why should we care so much about how the Ministry of Magic decides? Although many of our people have infiltrated the Ministry of Magic, what business is it of ours if there's no benefit to it?"

"That's true," Malfoy said.

"I agree," Theodore said.

Blaise raised his hands. "Who could disagree?"

Su Yu leaned back in his chair, with Kurama lying on his lap. He watched the flames in the fireplace, the tongues of fire licking the firewood and crackling. The lounge was very hot, and his face felt a little hot from the heat.

The door opened again, Olivia stood in the doorway, her light golden hair shimmering silver in the candlelight. She wore a pale blue robe, a white woolen scarf around her neck, and carried a gift bag in her hand.

"Little Theodore." Olivia walked in and placed the gift bag in Theodore's hands. "The Ravenclaw party is over, I brought you a cake." She paused, looked at the people in the lounge, "Uh... hello everyone."

Fa-jie and the others nodded to her, Pansy waved. Blaise stood up and offered her a seat.

Only Callis stared at Olivia, her eyes lighting up.

"You're Olivia?" Callis asked.

"Hmm." Olivia sat down next to Theodore. "Who are you?"

"Callis Selwyn. Can we be friends?"

"My girlfriend," Blaise corrected.

"I didn't agree, Mr. Blaise," Callis said.

Olivia smiled. "I've heard of you. They say you're the prettiest transfer student in third grade."

"They said?" Callis raised an eyebrow. "Who said that?"

"A lot of people," Olivia said, glancing at Blaise.

Callis's lips curled up, and she didn't ask any more questions. Theodore opened the gift bag and took out a chocolate cake wrapped in plastic wrap.

His ears turned red, he placed the cake on the coffee table, and said "Thank you."

Kurama smelled the cake, stood up from Su Yu's lap, and craned her neck to look at the coffee table. Su Yu pressed her down. "We'll eat it tomorrow."

Kurama glared at him and then lay back down.

Fa-jie stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the Black Lake outside. A fish swam across the ice, flicked its tail, and disappeared into the darkness.

"It's getting late," Fa-jie. "We need to get up early tomorrow to open our presents."

"Unwrapping presents?" Malfoy said. "Didn't you say that's something only children do?"

"I meant 'receiving a gift,' not 'unwrapping a gift.'" Fa-jie turned around. "The fun of unwrapping a gift is discovering what's inside, it has nothing to do with age."

"So what did you receive this year?" Pansy asked.

Fa-jie glanced at Su Yu. "It hasn't been opened yet, so I don't know."

"Su Yu," Callis suddenly spoke, "What do you want for Christmas this year?"

Su Yu thought for a moment. "No."

"Impossible. Everyone has things they want."

"Then tell me what you want?" Su Yu countered.

Callis glanced at Blaise. "I want him to say less."

Blaise laughed. "Then you'll need to find a new boyfriend."

"It's not a change, it's a transformation. Besides, I've never acknowledged you as my boyfriend!" Callis said.

Malfoy stood up and stretched. "Alright, I'm sleepy. I have to get up early tomorrow. Crabbe, Goyle, I'm off."

Crabbe and Goyle stood up, Goyle still clutching a handful of peanuts. The three of them walked out of the lounge, Pansy following behind. Theodore also stood up, taking Olivia's hand. "Let's go too," Olivia waved to Su Yu. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," Su Yu said.

Blaise and Callis were the last to leave. Blaise reached the door, glanced back at Su Yu, and said, "Chief, see you tomorrow." "See you tomorrow."

Only Su Yu, Fa-jie, Ka-jie, and Kurama remained in the lounge. The fire in the fireplace had died down, the firewood reduced to dark red embers. Kurama jumped off Su Yu's shoulder, squatted in front of the fireplace, and poked at the ashes with her paws, Mars flying as she jumped back a step.

"Let's go back too," Fa-jie.

"Hmm." Su Yu picked up Kurama.

Ka-jie closed her book and stood up. The three of them walked out of the lounge. The corridor was quiet, with only the torches whistling in the ventilation.

Pushing open the dormitory door, the fire in the fireplace was almost out, with only a few dark red embers flickering in the ashes. The room was a bit cold, and a thin layer of frost had formed on the windowpane. Kurama jumped off Su Yu's shoulder, leaped onto the bed first, stomped around on the blankets a few times, and then lay down.

Su Yu took off his robe and hung it on the back of the chair, preparing to crawl into bed, when Fa-jie walked in. She had just changed into a fitted, dark-patterned short top and high-waisted leather shorts, topped with a flowing black trench coat casually draped over her shoulders, and black knee-high socks that made her legs look straight and long. Her long hair was half-loose, her eyebrows slightly raised, exuding a wild yet languid aura, both domineering and sexy. That restrained madness had all transformed into a flamboyant yet controlled charm. She closed the door, leaned against the door panel, and looked at Su Yu.

"Where's Ka-jie?" Su Yu asked.

"It's in the back," Fa-jie.

As soon as she finished speaking, Ka-jie walked in. She was wearing a fitted black knit dress with a neat hem that reached her knees, which accentuated her long shoulders and neck, slender waist, and straight legs. She wore a pair of simple black high heels, which made her look both cool and glamorous.

Her long hair was loosely tied back, revealing a section of her fair neck, and she held a cup of hot milk in her hand. She placed the milk on the bedside table, glanced at Fa-jie, and then glanced at Su Yu.

"You two..." Before Su Yu could finish speaking, Fa-jie had already walked over and pushed him onto the bed.

"We'll stay with you tonight," Fa-jie. "Isn't your Christmas present pretty? You can do whatever you want with it..."

"It's not that I'm doing whatever I want." Ka-jie slowly approached and lay down next to Su Yu. "It's because I was worried you'd be cold."

Kurama rolled off the covers and was squeezed into the corner of the bed by Ka-jie. She snorted in dissatisfaction, stood up, shook her fur, snorted again, and returned to Su Yu's body, still muttering about the adulterous couple.

Fa-jie took off her shoes and lay down to Su Yu's right, pulling the blanket up to cover all three of them. Her legs touched Su Yu's legs; they felt cool.

"Why are your legs so cold?" Su Yu asked.

"It's cold in the hallway," Fa-jie. "Can you warm me up?"

Su Yu quickly hugged her tightly, and Ka-jie also pressed her leg against Su Yu's calf.

"Let me touch your hands," Su Yu said. "Your hands are cold too."

"My hands aren't cold." Ka-jie reached out and placed her hand in Su Yu's palm. Her fingers were long and slender, and her fingertips were warm.

The three of them lay side by side, warm and cozy under the covers. The embers in the fireplace flickered briefly before going dark again.

The three of them worked until well past midnight.

The waters of the Black Lake outside the window flowed slowly, green light spots moved across the ceiling, the embers in the fireplace were completely extinguished, and the room darkened, with only the green light from outside the window remaining.

"Su Yu," Ka-jie suddenly spoke weakly.

"Hmm, what's wrong?"

What are you afraid of?

Su Yu thought for a moment. "There's nothing to be afraid of."

"Everyone has fears," Ka-jie. "We know even if you don't say it."

"Then tell me, what am I afraid of?"

Ka-jie was silent for a moment. "You're afraid of losing it."

Su Yu remained silent.

Fa-jie nodded in agreement. "She's right. You're afraid of losing us."

"I'm not afraid," Su Yu said.

"You may not say you're afraid, but you're afraid inside," Fa-jie. "Every time you come back from outside, the first thing you do is look for us. Do you think we haven't noticed?"

Su Yu didn't reply.

"Alright, that's enough," said Ka-jie. "Let's go to sleep."

Fa-jie pulled the blanket up to cover Su Yu's shoulders.

Su Yu closed her eyes.

Kurama came out, lay on his chest, rolled over, and exposed her belly. Su Yu reached out and touched her belly, and she made a gurgling sound.

"Su Yu," Fa-jie spoke again.

"What's wrong?"

"Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," Su Yu said.

"Anything else?" Ka-jie asked.

"What else?"

"And us too."

Su Yu was silent for a moment. "Merry Christmas, Gemma. Merry Christmas, Cassandra."

Fa-jie chuckled. "You sounded a bit odd when you called me by my full name."

"Then what should I call you?"

"Just Fa-jie Fa."

Where's Ka-jie?

"Call her Ka-jie."

Su Yu didn't speak. Ka-jie drew another circle in his palm with her finger.

"Go to sleep," Ka-jie.

The waters of Black Lake flowed slowly outside the window, while the Forbidden Forest in the distance groaned in the night wind.