Christmas Gifts

Hagrid the Half-giant had once been a student at Hogwarts. He was gifted and loved studying unusual creatures. Then Tom Riddle—Voldemort—framed him, claiming he had opened the Chamber of Secrets and released the monster that killed Moaning Myrtle.

The Ministry of Magic and the school's leaders believed Tom. They snapped Hagrid's Wand and expelled him. In the end, Dumbledore intervened, and Hagrid was allowed to stay on as keeper of the Hunting Grounds.

"Hagrid, I've heard about what happened to you. We've only known each other a few months, but I can't believe someone who'd go hungry to make sure his creatures were fed would use one to kill. I believe the truth will come out someday. Your wrongful accusation will melt like snow in the spring sunshine, and you'll hold a Wand again!"

Hagrid had once believed that too. But that had been decades ago. Now he had no hope left of clearing his name.

"Luo Bin, thanks for saying that. I... came to terms with it long ago. I'm happy as long as I have Fang. Here, I got you a Christmas present."

On Blue Star, opening a gift in front of the giver was rude, but customs in the Wizarding World were the opposite. With Hagrid watching, Luo Bin unwrapped the package and took a Spyglass from the box.

The Spyglass was all black, with three cylindrical sections, each narrower than the last. Its length could be adjusted according to the distance and size of whatever he wanted to see. It felt smooth and warm, and it did not seem to be made of pure iron. Luo Bin turned toward the window and looked at the distant Forbidden Forest. To his surprise, it had night vision too.

"Oh, I can even see the veins in the leaves left on the treetops! Hagrid, this Spyglass must have been expensive."

"Not at all. It's secondhand. I won it off a drinker in Hogsmeade a few days ago. Cost me no more than the drinks. Do you like it?"

Secondhand? Who was he kidding?

There wasn't a scratch on the Spyglass!

Luo Bin quietly took the kindness to heart. He put the Spyglass away and said, "I love it. Now I can stand at my dormitory window and see what you and Fang are up to, even from far away! Here, this is the Christmas present I made for you."

Hagrid rubbed his broad hands against his Mole Skin coat, then carefully accepted the red box, which was about the size of a grapefruit. Lips pressed together and brow furrowed, he peeled away the wrapping paper bit by bit, as though afraid he might damage what was inside.

"This is..."

Hagrid stared at the gift in the box, stunned.

"It's you, Hagrid. It's you!"

With that, Luo Bin set the gift on the low table.

It was a clay figurine fired with Phoenix Fire!

In front of the Little Stone Hut stood a burly man in a Mole Skin coat, an Axe raised high. His eyes were fixed on a log atop a tree stump.

Beside him stood a large black dog with a bone in its mouth. Farther back was a stretch of woods. Even the weeds and insects in the undergrowth looked lifelike. Whoever had made it had put a great deal of care into it.

"It looks just like us. Look, Fang loves it too! This is the best present I've received all year. Thank you, Robin Sear!"

He spread his arms and gave Luo Bin a huge hug.

"Hagrid, let go! I can't breathe!"

Luo Bin's face had turned red. If a Half-giant was this strong, how terrifyingly strong would a real Giant be?

"Sorry. I got carried away... Are you all right?"

"Whew. I'm fine! Hagrid, it's getting late. I need to head back to the Castle."

"I'll have Fang see you off!"

On the way, Fang was unusually excited. He pawed frantically at Luo Bin's Black Wizard Robe, then kept circling around to stand across his path. Luo Bin had to leap over him. After several hundred meters of this, he finally understood what Fang wanted.

"Fang, you want a Christmas present too, don't you?"

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

The barks were deep and forceful. Luo Bin had guessed right. He rummaged through his cloth bag and eventually pulled out a toy ball.

Fang's tail whipped around like an electric fan. He caught the ball in his mouth, turned, and raced toward the Little Stone Hut, running so fast his paws seemed to leave the ground.

Back at the Castle, Luo Bin found the festive spirit had spread to every corner.

The stone walls of the Great Hall were hung with ribbons woven from Holly and mistletoe. More than a dozen Christmas trees stood around the hall, decorated with tiny icicles or candles. Students in red scarves gathered in small groups, chatting and laughing as they hung wish papers on the trees.

"Luo Bin! Over here!"

Beside an exceptionally tall Christmas tree, Harry waved and called out to him.

Luo Bin walked over and glanced past them. Ron misunderstood the look. Pouting, he said, "Hermione took the train back to London days ago. Some study buddy you are!"

"Study buddy?"

"You don't eat together or hang out. All you do together is discuss schoolwork. What else would you call it?"

"I didn't know you had a talent for making up words! Harry, did you deliver all the presents?"

"I did. Good thing I asked George and Fred first, or I'd have given out the wrong ones!"

"Harry, the Weasley Twins don't exactly look like the sort to helpfully answer questions."

At the slight against his brothers, Ron exploded. "Robin Sear, do you even know my brothers? What gives you the right to say that about them?"

"These eyes of mine. I've seen Professor Snape, Professor McGonagall, Professor Hagrid, Professor Flitwick, and Filch scold them. They get told off about once every two days."

"No, twice a day!"

Harry added the correction under his breath.

"Harry, whose side are you on? Hmph. Luo Bin, my brothers are older students, and you can't talk about them like that."

Ron held his head high, his tone and expression uncannily like Hermione's when she got worked up. Luo Bin eyed him suspiciously, wondering what had changed. The usually timid Ron had developed quite a temper.

"Ron, that's enough. Stop arguing. Don't forget, we came here to hang our wish papers."

"Oh! How did I forget?"

Once they had hung their wish papers, they turned to find Luo Bin gone. Ron pursed his lips as though about to say something, but Harry stopped him.

Meanwhile, after a tiring day, Luo Bin returned to his dormitory and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. The next morning, he did not stir until sunlight streamed through the window and stung his eyes. He sleepily pulled on his dressing gown, rested his eyes a little longer, then got out of bed to wash up.

Suddenly, a flash of bright red at the foot of his bed caught his eye!

He turned and realized an enormous red stocking stood there. It was about eighty centimeters tall and forty-five centimeters across, with white wool around its opening. Luo Bin stared for a few seconds before remembering the custom here: Christmas presents went into stockings.

Yesterday morning, he had entrusted the presents for the professors to a Prefect to deliver. Now he was eager to see what was in the stocking.

He had not felt the thrill of opening a mystery box in ages. Excited, he reached inside and pulled out box after box. There were ten in all.

The first present he opened was a tiny box, only half the size of his palm. It was wrapped in thick crocodile hide, and Luo Bin had to struggle to cut through it.