In the Great Hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Christmas was in the air. The entire hall had been decorated as a magical winter wonderland, every corner brimming with festive cheer.
Twelve Christmas trees were laden with silvery frost, and all sorts of gift boxes flew and spun around them. Each box had a ribbon and a question written on it. A gift would only fly into the hands of someone who answered its question correctly.
Of course, some Quidditch players tried to catch the flying presents, but every time they forcibly grabbed one, the box burst into a shower of streamers. The glittering little icicles that had been hanging quietly on the trees would suddenly shoot out as well. Each could cast a Cheering Charm, striking anyone who broke the rules.
Seeing this, the Weasley Twins exchanged a look. They thought of the contents page of the Complete Guide to Magical Items, which Douglas often used to tempt them. They remembered that it included instructions for making a Fake Wand, and suspected these icicles might be little gadgets made using that method.
Taking advantage of the chaos, the two secretly plucked some icicles from a tree, then hid in a corner to study them. They completely failed to notice Professor Flitwick watching with amusement from behind the staff table. Soon, a series of crackling explosions came from the corner, followed by two voices laughing uncontrollably... Their laughter only stopped when the evening feast began. In the meantime, no matter what magic they used, they could not lift the Laughing Charm.
Percy said regretfully, "Professor Flitwick and Professor Holmes jointly applied an Additional Encryption Charms to this Laughing Charm. It's like putting a defensive password on the spell. Without knowing that password, if you try to forcibly break