"Wow." Having just left the Great Hall, Hermione could not help exclaiming. She had returned to the Castle that afternoon to get ready and had never noticed the new decorations added to the snow-covered world outside.
Through the open front doors, she could clearly see that the stretch of lawn outside the Castle entrance had now become a grotto, twinkling with pinpricks of fairy light-which meant there were hundreds of real fairies inside.
Hermione eagerly quickened her pace. A gentle smile spread across Su Er's lips as he hurried forward too, taking Hermione's hand. No girl could resist such a fairy-tale scene.
As they approached the front doors, their unobstructed view opened up further.
Magically conjured roses and dark green shrubs had transformed what had once been a lawn into a garden. Glitter shimmered on the flower fairies' translucent wings as they rested on rose petals and leaves or fluttered over the gorgeous roses.
Among the flowers stood stone statues of reindeer representing Christmas, along with the iconic Christmas Old Man.
An elaborately decorated, winding path appeared here and there among the flowers.
Splash, splash. They could hear the clear sound of water splashing against marble. Following the sound, they found a fountain in the center of the garden.
Snowflakes drifted down and settled in Hermione's hair. Su Er reached out to pluck them off. Although their formal clothes were very thin, neither of them felt cold at all.
Stranger still, even in this subzero weather, the pool had not frozen over. Clearly, several temperature-maintaining spells had been set up here.
Near the central fountain stood several benches decorated with copper roses, seemingly provided for young wizards who wanted to leave the Great Hall for a date in the garden.
"Ten points from Ravenclaw! Fawcett!" In such beautiful surroundings, an