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Chapter 254: Gift
Chapter 254: Gift
The next morning, Christmas finally arrived.
Felix woke up early. When he came out of his bedroom, he found a pile of Christmas gifts under the small Christmas tree in the office.
He cheerfully started unwrapping the boxes. “A book, nice.” He set aside The Forgotten Ancient Magic and Spells, “Unfortunately, I’ve already read it.”
“Huh, Trelawney actually sent me a gift?” Felix thought he must be seeing things, but he checked the signature on the note again. It was indeed Sibyl Trelawney. He opened the wrapping paper to find a long beaded necklace, which could probably fit three of him.
He read the note, which, as usual, was full of mystical gibberish—“For protection in the darkness.” Felix shrugged, “You really know how to find me, even after I dropped your class and still manage to give me a prophecy.”
He decided to send a barrel of honey sherry from Three Broomsticks as a thank-you gift. Hmm... he should write it down and deal with all the thank-you notes after unwrapping all the gifts.
He opened another package, which was Professor Mcgonagall’s gift, The Beater’s Bible. He casually flipped through a page, which was heavily marked with “First Principle: Take out the Seeker.” He couldn’t help but chuckle and grin.
Felix kept unwrapping the gift boxes. Most of them were books, and a significant portion were ones he had already read. He suddenly understood Dumbledore’s frustration.
He muttered to himself, “Many people think they should give me books, and they assume I’ll like them.”
Fortunately, Dumbledore gave Felix a small silver ornament he made himself, similar to the one on the Headmaster’s desk. It sprayed a cluster of mist when lightly touched. Hagrid sent him a large bottle of Acromantula venom, which he wasn’t sure how to use. Maybe he could pass it on to Professor Snape next year? Snape gave him a small bottle of a powerful antidote, which would pair well with the strong Veritaserum he received last year.
Professor Flitwick sent a top hat, and even Lupin included some magical creature materials. From the handling instructions, Felix guessed they might have been “acquired” by Lupin himself.
Among these gifts, he found an unmarked box that had just arrived that morning. Inside was a clay figurine.
Felix recognized it as himself from the black hair and blue eyes.
Although it was unsigned, Felix was familiar with the unique earthy smell. He played with it for a while before putting it away.
The gift-opening process took about an hour, and he jotted down a list of names on a parchment, all of whom he needed to send thank-you gifts to.
“Hmm, even Christmas requires some work.”
...
At the same time, Harry, Ron, and Hermione arrived at Hagrid’s hut.
“Hagrid, open up, it’s us—” Harry knocked hard on the door, pushing the excited Fang away, whose tongue left a trail of saliva on his hand, immediately cooling it in the cold wind.
The door opened, revealing Hagrid’s scruffy, bearded face. “You’re here early today. There’s no need— the hearing isn’t until summer, and I need to pull myself together— burp!” He belched, the sour smell hitting Harry’s face.
Harry quickly slipped through the gap in Hagrid’s arms. Inside, the fireplace was roaring, and a large stack of firewood was piled next to it. Buckbeak lay in the corner, with a large iron bucket in front of him.
Ron followed, shaking the snow off his boots. “Hey, Buckbeak, how are you?” He looked into the bucket and saw thick, white, worm-like creatures. He was revolted. “Hagrid, what’s this? It looks like giant maggots…”
Hagrid lifted Hermione as if she were a small creature. “Oh, thank you!” Hermione said hurriedly. Hagrid glanced at the direction Ron was pointing and gruffly said, “Those are Flobberworm larvae. You’ll learn about them soon. They’re easy to keep and eat any plant. I’m planning to check the Great Hall and see what’s left over to feed them.”
Ron stammered, "Don't tell me you plan to have us raise these things in class?" His face was as pale as Draco's.
Hagrid blushed and said, "I might not be in the best state for teaching for a while, you know, because of Buckbeak... but Flobberworms are actually quite good. They're safe, and every part of them is useful. Their slime can be used for potions, and they can also serve as food for other animals."
Hermione worriedly said, "Don't be like that, Hagrid—we're here for Buckbeak's case."
Harry and Ron nodded in unison, trying to dissuade Hagrid, "Don't think the worst, Hagrid. You're still quite popular", Ron said, "except with Slytherin."
After the incident in the first class, Hagrid had been worried about getting fired, but Felix had reassured him. Following Felix's advice, he went on to teach classes on Unicorns, Hippogriffs, Bowtruckles, Flower Fairies, and Puffskeins.
Aside from the classes on Acromantulas and Augureys, the feedback was generally positive.
For example, Unicorns, Puffskeins, and Flower Fairies were especially popular with the younger wizards, particularly the witches, because they were so endearing.
Young Unicorns had golden fur, shining brightly like creatures from the most beautiful fairy tales.
Puffskeins were plump, fluffy creatures that couldn't fly but were incredibly agile, able to teleport short distances to avoid danger.
Flower Fairies looked like humans but had insect wings on their backs. They weren't very intelligent and often argued over trivial matters, but they unexpectedly appealed to many young girls.
Hagrid looked suspiciously at them, and the three immediately began explaining Felix's suggestion in a jumble of words.
"Will it work?"
"Give it a try, Hagrid! It can't get any worse."
So, Hagrid wrote a letter to Professor Kettleburn. The ink on his desk was almost solid, but Hermione conjured a bright blue flame to melt it.
As they left Hagrid's hut, Hermione said hopefully, "I really hope Professor Kettleburn can influence the Ministry of Magic."
Harry and Ron nodded in agreement, but the next moment, Hermione's expression turned serious. "Harry, I still want to talk to you about the Firebolt."
"Oh, come on, Hermione, it's Christmas", Ron said.
"Or what? After you've tried the Firebolt? I need to remind you—it came from an unknown source, with no signature, no note, nothing!" Hermione said sharply.
"Is that so? You know what I think? I wish you'd keep your cat under control, so it stops sneaking into the dormitory!" Ron raised his voice. "Scabbers is already miserable enough!"
Harry looked exasperated. They had argued many times about Hermione's cat, Crookshanks, which seemed to have an obsession with Ron's pet, Scabbers. While it was common for cats to chase rats, Harry sincerely hoped the cat would change its diet, even if it meant eating juicy spiders.
(End of Chapter)
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