Ron bent down and peered inside again and again.
"Merlin's beard, how is there a whole forest inside this tree's belly?!"
"Weasley, could you describe it some other way?"
Hermione crouched down and examined the doorframe carefully.
"Perhaps it's some kind of Spatial Expansion Magic. I've read about it, but a space this large..."
"Wait a moment." Harry tucked the two volumes of Charms notes into his schoolbag and raised his wand.
Light shone through the doorway. Just beyond the threshold, a little creature lay on the ground!
Long ears, big eyes, and a nose frozen bright red.
A little robe sewn from red and green scraps wrapped its body, and an excessively large Christmas hat sat on its head.
At that moment, the brim was slipping down bit by bit, and it freed one hand to push it up with all its might.
"Help! Pip is going to become a frozen House-elf! Pip! Pip!"
All four fell silent for a moment. Ron couldn't help looking at Harry.
What did that mean?
Harry didn't know either.
But the little creature had already spotted them, and its large eyes lit up at once.
"Four young wizards! Pip, the great caretaker of the Winter Garden, has finally been rescued! Pip!"
"You're the caretaker here?"
Ron looked down at its legs. Ice crystals encased its two slender calves, pinning it firmly to the ground.
"Then how did you freeze yourself?"
Pip's puffed-out chest slowly deflated, and its long ears drooped along with it.
"Please don't ask Pip such sad questions, Pip..."
The corner of Malfoy's mouth twitched. Why was this House-elf so silly?
Hermione, however, noticed its little feet sticking out of the ice.
"Were you the one who left those footprints in the corridor?"
"They were Pip's! Something went wrong in the garden, so Pip ran over from the kitchens to check. But the moment Pip came through the door, these nasty chunks of ice grabbed Pip! Pip!"
As it spoke, it tugged hard at its legs.
The ice crystals didn't budge.
Instead, a thin layer of white frost crept upward along its knees.
Pip's voice changed at once.
"They're coming up again! Pip's soft little tummy is going to freeze too! Pip!"
Harry moved a step toward the door, but someone suddenly caught his sleeve.
"Potter, look behind its feet."
Draco pointed to the base of the ice crystals.
Several slender vines lay hidden beneath the snow, coiling around the House-elf's ankles. The vines writhed gently, frost-white patterns spreading steadily along them.
"The ice is growing out of those vines," she said. "If we pull it straight out, they'll only tighten."
Harry looked carefully and nodded.
"Let's move the vines away first." He looked at Hermione. "Can you hold it up? Don't pull it out yet."
"Yes." Hermione raised her wand. "Wingardium Leviosa."
Pip's upper body rose slowly, finally revealing the scarf pressed into the snow.
Draco cast her spell immediately afterward.
The first vine was gently lifted and moved away from the House-elf's feet.
Harry spread a shield just inside the threshold, blocking the icicles that were still growing outward.
"Ron, get ready to catch it."
Ron had already crouched down.
"Why am I-"
Pip suddenly stretched both little hands toward him.
"The red-haired gentleman is such a kind person! Pip!"
Ron's words stopped short.
"It's nothing. Just don't wriggle around."
"Your hair looks just like a Christmas tree on fire! Pip!"
Ron: "..."
The last vine loosened, and the white frost on the House-elf's legs stopped.
"Now, slowly."
Hermione gently raised her wand. Fine cracks opened in the ice casing, and Pip finally pulled its feet free.
Several icicles suddenly sprang up, struck Harry's shield, and shattered into a cloud of white mist.
Ron reached out at once.
A soft little creature landed squarely in his arms.
"Got it!"
Pip clutched his coat, its ears trembling with excitement.
"Pip is saved! Pip will never say your hair is on fire again! Pip!"
"Thanks. You'd better remember that."
Just then, the silver bells on the tree suddenly rang.
Jingle-
Silvery-white patterns lit up beneath the threshold, quickly spreading toward the four children's feet.
The smile froze on Pip's face.
"Uh-oh..." It hastily covered its mouth, then looked up in alarm. "The garden has recognized you as guardians answering its call for help! Pip!"
Hermione immediately stepped back.
"What does that mean?"
"Ancient emergency distress magic! It's inviting everyone inside to help! Pip!"
"Wait, we haven't even ans-"
An icy wind suddenly swirled up, and Harry grabbed Ron's arm.
Draco caught hold of Hermione too.
The silver light beneath their feet flared, and their surroundings seemed to be flipped over by a hand.
Pip's Christmas hat flew off first, and all four lost their balance right after it.
"Pip's hat! Pip-!"
Thump!
Ron plunged headfirst into a snowdrift.
He flailed twice before finally pulling his head out and spitting out several mouthfuls of snow.
"Ptooey! You call that an invitation?!"
Harry pushed himself into a sitting position and hurriedly looked around.
"Draco? Hermione?"
"I'm right here!" The girl knelt nearby, pulling her disheveled blond hair out of her scarf.
Hermione got to her feet too. Apart from snow on the hem of her robe, she was unhurt.
Ron was just about to sigh in relief when something suddenly stirred inside his coat.
Two large ears poked out of his collar.
"Help! Pip's head is stuck! Pip!"
After a flurry of fumbling, the House-elf was finally pulled free.
It rubbed its nose and was about to speak when its gaze suddenly passed over them and settled in midair.
A Christmas card folded into a little bird was flying toward them with its hat in its beak.
Pip immediately jumped up.
"Good child, give Pip back the hat! Pip!"
Harry, however, didn't laugh again. His gaze followed the paper bird, slowly rising.
Tall fir trees reached toward a silver-blue sky, their branches covered in silver bells. Warm yellow lamps hung among the trees, fine snow swirling in their halos.
In the distance, an ice-blue river ran through the forest, colored lights glimmering faintly beneath the water.
And the snow at their feet was slowly rising.
Glittering snowflakes brushed his fingers with a real chill, drifting gently toward the sky.
Harry froze.
Wait...
The snow here was actually falling upward?!
Harry reached out, unable to resist following it a little farther forward. So magic could do things like this too.
"Potter."
Draco stood beside him, a hexagonal snow crystal resting on her glove.
It didn't leave immediately, but turned gently on her fingertip.
The girl gazed at that tiny silver gleam, her voice softening.
"Look."
"It's beautiful."
She turned her head and happened to catch the smile in the boy's eyes.
And the corners of her own mouth rose along with it.
"At least you have good taste."
"Does the pretty blond young lady like it here too? Pip!"
Pip ran over, clutching its recovered hat.
"Of course." Draco looked at the lamps among the trees. "It really is beautiful here."
The House-elf jumped for joy on the spot.
"Pip loves hearing people praise the garden! Pretty young lady, may Pip give you a hug? Pip!"
Draco froze.
It had already spread its arms and was looking up at her eagerly.
The girl instinctively looked at Harry.
Harry held back a laugh.
"It seems to like you a lot."
"I'm always popular." She gave a little huff and held out her hands. "All right, just once."
Pip immediately threw itself into her arms.
Its little body was wrapped in a thick scarf, and its absurdly large Christmas hat instantly covered half of Draco's face.
The girl fumbled, but still made sure to hold it securely first.
Harry reached out and straightened the House-elf's hat.
The brim lifted, revealing the girl's somewhat flustered eyes.
"Now you can see."
"Of course I can see!"
Pip nestled in her arms, so comfortable that even its ears went limp.
"Your scarf is so warm, miss! Pip!"
Standing nearby, Ron finally couldn't hold back.
"Who was it that caught you just now?"
Pip thought about it seriously.
"The red-haired gentleman is very easy to find too. Your hair stands out the most! Pip!"
Hermione burst out laughing, and Ron slowly turned his head.
"Harry, I think it's picking on me on purpose."
Once the laughter subsided, Hermione was the first to ask about the place's origins.
Pip jumped down from Draco's arms and finally had a chance to introduce its garden.
Many years ago, some Hogwarts professors and House-elves had created this space together.
Special winter plants had been grown here, and cold-loving magical creatures had been cared for here too.
The ancient Christmas tree in the castle corridor was the entrance.
It had always been there, merely concealed by magic most of the time.
"Today, the garden's cold air leaked out, and something went wrong with the magic hiding the entrance too. That's why everyone could see the tree! Pip!"
Hermione remembered the wet footprints in the corridor and finally understood.
"What about the other caretakers?"
Pip stopped fiddling with the tip of its hat.
"There used to be lots of House-elves who came to keep Pip company. It was so lively here back then. Later, one after another, they all went somewhere far, far away."
"Pip waited for so, so long..."
It lowered its head and kicked at the snow.
"The old garden isn't as important as it used to be, and no students have come for a long time. But Pip thinks it's still so beautiful here, Pip."
Pip lifted its face and added softly, "So Pip always remembers to come. Broken bells need fixing, and the holly needs tending too. Everyone mustn't forget it, Pip."
Draco watched it for a while, then crouched down.
"Now this young lady knows about this place too."
The House-elf looked up.
"And I have a very good memory." The girl touched its crooked hat. "This young lady will remember somewhere this beautiful."
Pip's large eyes gradually lit up.
Before it could throw itself at her, a sharp crack suddenly rang out nearby.
Crack!
On a fir branch, a silver bell became coated in thick ice.
Several nearby lamps dimmed as well.
Pip whipped its head around.
"It's frozen again! The garden's getting cold again! Pip!"
Harry's smile faded.
"Is this the problem you mentioned?"
Pip nodded, tugging anxiously at its scarf as it explained.
At the center of the garden stood an enormous Christmas tree.
The Star Lantern at its top maintained the warmth and magic here.
A few days ago, the Star Lantern had suddenly disappeared.
Since then, the plants had begun to freeze, and problems had developed with the paths too. When Pip returned to check today, even the vines near the entrance had gone out of control.
"If this keeps up, the whole garden will freeze, and it won't ever open again! Pip!"
Ron suddenly turned toward the place where they had fallen.
There was nothing there but snow.
"Wait."
He walked over, then circled the nearest tree.
"Where's the door? How are we supposed to get out?"
Pip looked over too, its mouth slowly falling open.
"The door... where did it go? Pip!"
Ron's expression changed.
"Isn't that something we should be asking you?!"
"Can you leave using your own magic?" Hermione asked quickly.
Pip immediately snapped its fingers.
Pop.
Nothing happened.
It tried again, its ears slowly drooping.
"The spatial magic's all muddled up. Pip can't get out either, Pip..."
The four exchanged glances, and Ron took a deep breath.
"So we really are trapped inside a Christmas tree."
Hermione first had Pip stop rather than keep circling the tree.
"Is there a way to control the entrance at the central Christmas tree?"
"Yes! The entrance's roots all connect there. Pip usually checks them from under the tree! Pip!"
Harry nodded.
"Then let's take a look there first. If we can restore the entrance, we'll go back and find a professor."
"And the Star Lantern," Draco said.
She glanced at the frozen silver bell. "We need to find out where exactly it went too."
Ron wrapped his scarf tighter. "All right, let's find that tree first."
Pip immediately puffed out its chest.
"Leave it to Pip! The most reliable caretaker can find the way with its eyes closed! Pip!"
At first, the journey went very smoothly.
Signposts bowed to them, sweets hung from holly branches, and occasionally a paper bird landed on Pip's shoulder.
The House-elf enthusiastically introduced everything as it led the way.
"The firs over there can sing! The snowdrift beside them is Pip's favorite place to slack off! Pip!"
Hermione turned her head.
"Slack off?"
"Rest properly! Pip meant rest properly! Pip!"
Ron laughed and stepped aside, knocking a snowman's hat askew before reaching out to straighten it.
But before they had gone much farther, Hermione suddenly stopped.
"We've been here before."
Beside the path, that snowman was wearing its familiar hat.
Ron stared at it for two seconds. "That's the hat I just straightened!"
Pip ran over, looking at the snowman, then at the signpost.
Its large ears slowly drooped.
"That's not right. Pip always used to go this way, Pip."
Harry raised his wand, lighting up the signpost.
Right before their eyes, the arrow pointing toward the central Christmas tree quietly turned toward another path.
Hermione immediately pointed at it.
"It's the signposts."
"The guiding magic's broken too! Pip!"
Pip stamped its feet anxiously.
Draco looked at the branching paths. Foliage and snow blocked the view ahead, making it impossible to see the central Christmas tree.
"What do we do, then?"
But Ron did not speak immediately. He tilted his head and listened for a while.
"Did you hear that bell?"
Jingle.
After a brief pause, several more soft chimes rang out.
"We've turned a few times, but it's stayed over there."
Ron pointed ahead and to the right.
"Fred once got me a toy that ran all over the place. Chasing it around was sure to leave you dizzy, so I watched the fireplace instead. At least then I knew which way I was actually going."
Hermione's eyes lit up. "Using a sound from a fixed position to find our bearings?"
"Right. Let's stop listening to these signs pointing every which way."
"But we need to check what that bell is," Harry said.
Pip immediately pricked up its ears. After listening carefully twice, it raised its hand happily.
"It's the ancient silver bell on the central Christmas tree! Pip hears it every day. There's absolutely no mistaking it! Pip!"
Draco also noticed that whenever the distant bell rang, a little bell buried in the snow on their left trembled gently.
She waved her wand and cleared away the snow covering it.
Beneath the bell, part of an old signpost was revealed.
Hermione wiped the frost off the edge of the sign and pointed to a star-shaped mark on its back.
"The signpost earlier had this too. This should be the path it originally pointed toward."
Harry reached his wand tip toward it.
Behind the snowdrift, several narrow stone steps appeared, leading deep into the shadows of the trees.
The distant bells finally grew clearer and clearer.
When the snowman in its hat had vanished completely behind them, Ron let out a long sigh of relief.
"Well? My idea worked, didn't it?"
"Hmph. The process was a bit clumsy, but the result wasn't too bad." Draco glanced at Ron. "It seems the Weasley family has finally produced a Weasley with a few brains."
The smile instantly vanished from Ron's face.
"What did you say?!"
"What, Mr. Weasley? Can't you even understand a compliment?"
"You call that a compliment?!"
Ron nearly jumped with anger.
"At least I've got brains! Unlike certain people who say 'this young lady' all day long. What can you actually do besides show off how rich your family is?!"
Draco's eyes flew wide.
"What did you say?!"
Standing a few paces apart, they raised their fingers almost simultaneously, itching to unleash a string of curses on each other right there.
"Enough! You redheaded idiot!"
"You're the golden retriev-er, golden-haired stuck-up git!"
"What golden retriever! How dare you compare a noble Malfoy to those-"
"Stop, stop, stop!"
Harry hurriedly held Ron back, while Pip and Hermione struggled to drag Draco backward on the other side.
A short while later, the two were finally pulled apart.
Ron straightened his collar, which had been tugged out of place, still bristling with indignation.
Draco gave a cold snort and raised her chin proudly.
"Hmph! This young lady can't be bothered to argue with someone like you!"
"Still, Weasley, you did do well this time."
Ron's expression had only just softened a fraction when the girl leisurely added the second half.
"At least it proves your head isn't entirely full of mashed potatoes."
Ron said, "...Harry!!!"
Harry innocently spread his hands.
Pip looked from one to the other and finally let out a long sigh of relief.
"Wonderful! Everyone's made up again!"
"Who made up with him (her)?!"
Pip said, "..."
The House-elf silently shrank back.
Wah.
Human friendship really was far too difficult to understand.
After they emerged from the dense woods, the laughter gradually stopped.
Several firs were already encased in ice, their branches hanging stiffly. In the air, a greeting-card bird beat its wings laboriously, but could only land crookedly in the snow.
Pip hurried over and scooped it up. Tiny flecks of ice coated its paper wings.
"Even you can't fly anymore, Pip..."
The tip of its hat slowly drooped.
Draco walked over and gently touched the hat.
"Don't cry. We're still here."
Pip lifted its face.
"When this young lady promises to help, she'll give it her full effort."
Harry crouched down too and glanced at the frozen paper bird.
"Let's keep going."
Pip carefully tucked the greeting card into its robes and nodded firmly. "Pip will lead the way properly! Pip!"
Before long, an ice-blue river lay across their path.
Little golden fish swam through the clear water below.
A red-and-white arched bridge connected the two banks.
Thick candy canes curved to form the bridge, transparent sugar crystals paved its deck, and green ribbons swayed gently around the handrails.
There was even a faint scent of peppermint on the breeze.
Ron stared for a long while and could not help swallowing.
"Can you really eat this thing?"
"Ron!"
"I was only asking..."
But Pip raised a little hand.
"A house-elf secretly tasted it before. It's very sweet! Pip!"
Hermione smiled at him. "How do you know it's sweet?"
Pip slowly covered his mouth. "Pip seems to have let it slip, Pip."
Harry had barely let out a laugh when he saw Hermione crouch beside the bridge.
A wooden sign stood there, most of its lettering obscured by frost.
"Please exercise caution..." She wiped it and continued deciphering the words. "When using... magic?"
Meanwhile, Ron had already reached out and pressed down on the bridge.
The transparent sugar crystals were very sturdy. He tentatively set one foot on them, then gently pressed down again.
"Seems fine. I'll just try-"
Beneath the bridge, a thin line of magical markings suddenly flickered.
Crack.
Ron stopped speaking. A crack had opened in the sugar crystals beneath his foot.
Then the glittering bridge rapidly softened, and his sole sank little by little into the sticky syrup.
"Wait, wait..."
"Ron, get back here!"
Hermione abruptly reached out, but just as Ron tried to step back, the footing beneath him suddenly vanished.
The entire slab of sugar crystals collapsed!
"Ron!"
Harry lunged toward the edge of the bridge.
Below, the ice-blue river rushed closer. Ron only had time to let out a terrified scream in midair.
"Harry! Help!"
Before you continue