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Chapter 107: Christmas Arrives
Chapter 107: Christmas Arrives
"Aragog was my friend, and it doesn't feel right to celebrate right after he died", Hagrid said, sounding a bit sad.
"Hagrid, the dead are gone, but the living must go on. I think Aragog would be happy in heaven if he knew he could help you. Besides, I believe Dumbledore took a significant risk by letting you stay here. At least now, with your name cleared, people won't think Dumbledore was protecting a criminal", Liam patted Hagrid's back, trying to console him.
"You're right. I shouldn't be so selfish. Dumbledore has been a good friend and has helped me a lot. I can't cause him any more trouble", Hagrid said after some thought, with a serious expression.
After drinking tea for a while, Liam and the others said their goodbyes to Hagrid. As they left, everyone's pockets were filled with Hagrid's homemade milk candies.
"A giant man-eating spider, I can't believe Hagrid kept those things. At least it's dead now", Ron commented on the way back.
"That's not a nice thing to say. Hagrid is our friend, after all", Harry frowned and said.
"This isn't about whether Hagrid is our friend or not", Liam said. "From what I know, Ron's twin brothers went into the Forbidden Forest for adventures in their second year. I think there are a few students who love adventures, even if they are rare. Think about it, if a Giant Octo-Eyed Spider likes to eat people, what would happen if they encountered one? So, I think it's a good thing that the Giant Octo-Eyed Spiders are gone from the Forbidden Forest."
"Right", Harry said after a moment of silence. "Do you think who could have killed so many spiders at once?"
This question sparked a discussion among the three. In the end, with Liam's persuasive arguments, Harry and Ron agreed that a passing Fire Dragon must have killed the spiders. The reason was that Hagrid had found many burn marks. If it were a dark wizard, they wouldn't have used fire to kill the giant spiders, as the venom is quite valuable.
The next few days were calm, but a week before Christmas, a group from the Ministry of Magic's Department of Magical Law Enforcement arrived at Hogwarts.
They first visited Hagrid's hut and Myrtle's Bathroom, then went to the headmaster's office.
The students were speculating and guessing what these people were doing, but no one figured it out until they left.
Two days later, a notice posted around the school cleared up everyone's doubts. The notice stated that Hagrid had been banned from using magic due to being a major suspect in a murder case. Now, it was found that he was innocent, and the Ministry of Magic had made a mistake in their judgment.
The Ministry of Magic's efficiency was impressive, quite different from the situation Harry encountered with the Dementors in his fourth year. Liam thought this might be because Dumbledore, through the diary and memories, knew that the one who had accused Hagrid was Voldemort. Additionally, Hagrid had found solid evidence (the remains of the Giant Octo-Eyed Spider) and a witness (Myrtle).
Unlike the fifth year in the original book, Dumbledore's reputation was very high, and the Ministry of Magic had to respect him. The people responsible for the wrongful judgment were no longer relevant to the current Ministry, and most of them had already passed away. Reversing the judgment would not affect the Ministry's authority. In fact, if handled properly, it could even enhance the Ministry's image as fair and just. Therefore, the Ministry of Magic cleared the way for this case.
After seeing the notice, Liam and Hermione found a time to congratulate Hagrid (Liam and Hagrid had a good relationship; a simple and kind person is always easy to get close to).
Seeing Hagrid's happy smile and the youthful spirit in his eyes, Liam suddenly felt that killing Aragog was a good thing. After all, while the Giant Octo-Eyed Spider was alive, it caused a lot of trouble for Hagrid and the Forbidden Forest. But now that it was dead, all the problems were solved.
A few days passed, and it was the second week of December. Professor Mcgonagall, as usual, came to collect the list of students staying at Hogwarts for Christmas. Liam signed his name on the list; his parents were going to celebrate their fifteenth wedding anniversary by skiing in the Austrian Alps, and Liam felt it was better not to tag along as a third wheel.
It seemed that the treasure Nick mentioned could only be sought during the summer vacation, and Liam felt a bit disappointed. However, Dave had just informed him that all the necessary items would be ready before Christmas, so Liam thought it would be a perfect opportunity to take care of the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets while the school was mostly empty.
Over the next few days, whenever he had free time, Liam would go to Hagrid's hut to help him master some simple spells. He also took the opportunity to show off his cooking skills, which were at least better than Hagrid's. The Assassin Legacy covered a wide range of skills, including cooking for survival in the wild, and the Traditional Chinese Medicine lineage also included culinary techniques for medicinal dishes.
Thanks to his culinary skills, Liam managed to get Hagrid to give him four or five roosters, which he kept at the Multiverse General Store.
Finally, the term ended, and a heavy silence, like the snow on the ground, enveloped the entire castle. Liam noticed that quite a few Gryffindors were staying behind, including Harry, who always stayed, and the Weasley Twins, who decided not to join their parents on their trip to Romania to visit Bill, to avoid putting a financial strain on their family.
Christmas morning arrived, cold and white. Liam woke up early to find the dormitory empty, as his roommates had all gone home for the holidays.
When he got out of bed, Liam saw that his gifts had already been placed on the floor by his bed. His parents sent him a Swarovski Crystal Ball and a postcard from Salzburg. Harry gave him a Comprehensive Guide to Common Spells, and the Weasley Twins sent a large box of candy. Liam decided to figure out what it was before eating it, suspecting it might be one of their experimental creations. Ron gave him another book, 101 Household Spells. Liam wondered if Harry and Ron saw him as a bookworm.
Hagrid's gift was quite unique—a large block of butterscotch fudge. After learning that Harry and Ron had received the same gift, Liam realized that Hagrid must have made a big batch and then distributed it among his friends.
The most valuable gift came from Hermione, who had copied Professor Mcgonagall's Transfiguration notes from her student days. It was clear that top students received special treatment from the professors. Fortunately, Liam had a clever idea and gave Hermione a hand-copied version of Professor Sprout's Herbology notes, so he didn't come across as impolite.
At the Christmas feast in the Great Hall, everyone enjoyed their meals. With so few students staying, the spacious Great Hall felt even grander. There were a dozen Christmas trees decorated with silver frost, and thick garlands of mistletoe and holly crisscrossed the ceiling. Enchanted snow, warm and dry, gently fell from above.
The professors were also in high spirits. Dumbledore led them in singing several of his favorite Christmas carols, and Hagrid's voice grew louder with each cup of eggnog he drank. Percy didn't notice that Fred had cast a spell to change the words on his Prefect Badge to "Dunce", and he kept asking why everyone was laughing. Draco, as usual, taunted Harry, only to be quickly put in his place. Everyone was having a great time.
Liam tried to eat as much as possible, as he had a major activity planned for later that night.
(End of Chapter)
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