Chapter 408: Christmas Eve
Chapter 408: Christmas Eve
"Oh, right, the day after tomorrow is Christmas. I’m really sorry for dragging you out here at this time." On the way back, the two of them were quite relaxed. Liam suddenly remembered something and apologized.
Hogwarts' Christmas break started five days before the holiday, which meant that tonight was Christmas Eve. Being out in the wilderness at this time wasn’t exactly a pleasant experience.
"It’s fine", Hermione smiled. "I think the just cause we’re fighting for is the best Christmas gift."
In this relaxed state, the two of them only took a little over eight hours to return to the lake where they had started. Liam then drove the off-road vehicle back to Lower Tula.
"Same as last time, we’ll have a large plate of beef dumplings and a pot of hot borscht", Liam said after it got dark, as they returned to the same small inn for dinner.
"How was your trip to the Ural Mountains?" The woman asked as she started cooking the dumplings.
"It was okay, the sky was beautiful. Especially the frozen lake reflecting the sky, paired with the sound of the wind through the trees, it was really stunning. But after a while, it got a bit boring, so we decided to come out. We’re planning to head to Yekaterinburg tonight."
"That’s true, the scenery in the wild is like that", the woman said, stirring the soup pot on another stove with a spoon. "You were lucky, though. Something happened in the north today. Over twenty people on a mountain trip encountered an avalanche. They were just rescued by helicopter a little while ago."
Liam and Hermione exchanged a glance. It seemed the survivors were now safe, and Ministry of Magic personnel had already gotten involved. Thankfully, they had done some disguising and hadn’t been seen by the survivors, so they hadn’t been discovered.
After a satisfying meal, the two of them set off on their journey back. They arrived at the rendezvous point with Rose Crystal around nine in the evening and successfully changed their identities back.
"You had a pretty good day, huh?" Liam teased after listening to Rose Crystal’s report on her day’s travels. She had first visited the Eurasian Boundary Monument on the west side of the city, then toured around the city, and finally visited the Shevchenko Palace. However, the famous Church on Spilled Blood, which would become a major tourist attraction, wasn’t built until 2003, so it didn’t exist yet.
"But it wasn’t as exciting as you guys going to fight a Giant", Rose Crystal said, only to be playfully tapped on the forehead by Liam. "What do you mean it’s exciting to fight a Giant? We went to uphold justice and rescue the innocent, and we can’t even go home for Christmas."
"Right, right, I forgot", Rose Crystal said, making a cute pose with her hands on her head. "We are the good guys, and the Giant is the bad guy. Taking them down is upholding justice."
After some playful banter, they drove back to the inn where they had stayed before. The next morning, after a quick breakfast, Liam and Hermione boarded a flight to Moscow.
"Where are we going next?" Hermione asked curiously. "Do you have any travel plans?"
"Sorry, I just made that up on the spot. I didn’t really plan anything. Plus, the Russian Christmas is in January, so it’s not as lively here as in Britain right now", Liam said as they got off the plane and sat in a car heading to the city center. It was only then that Liam realized he had originally planned to come alone, deal with the Giant issue, and return to Britain without considering what to do with his girlfriend.
But after traveling all the way to Russia, it would be a shame not to explore a bit. Liam quickly came up with an idea: "But I have an idea. I booked a five-star hotel in Moscow. I’m sure they’ll have a tour guide service."
After checking into the hotel, they immediately went to the phone booth in the lobby to make an international call. They took this opportunity to call their parents in China and wish them a Merry Christmas. After a long chat, they reluctantly ended the call and returned to the reception desk.
As one of the oldest five-star hotels in Russia, the Moscow President Hotel, located by the Moscow River, indeed offered English-speaking tour guides. Liam quickly hired a middle-aged man, in his forties, to take them on a tour of some of Moscow’s main attractions after they had settled their luggage.
Red Square, the Kremlin, and the Moscow River—Liam and Hermione thoroughly enjoyed their day exploring Moscow, creating many happy memories. They only returned to the hotel when it grew dark, feeling content and satisfied. Upon returning, they discovered that, as an international hotel, the Moscow President Hotel had prepared an excellent Christmas banquet in the Great Hall for their guests from afar.
"Oysters, roast turkey, Christmas pudding, lobster, foie gras. The Christmas banquet at this place really does look very sumptuous", Hermione commented after piling her plate high and joining Liam at the table. After a long period of physical training and body enhancement, Hermione’s appetite was now almost on par with that of an adult male.
However, she took this change in stride. While enjoying the oysters, she remarked, "What’s wrong with having a bigger appetite to enjoy more delicious food? Especially when you don’t have to worry about gaining weight."
Liam naturally agreed. In his previous life, he had endured so much hardship trying to lose weight that just thinking about it brought tears to his eyes. Being able to enjoy delicious food without worrying about gaining weight was indeed a blessing, especially for those who cared about their appearance. This kind of constitution was like a gift from the heavens.
After enjoying the sumptuous dinner, the two of them returned to their room. Perhaps because it was snowing outside, even though the guest room was very warm, they still felt a slight chill. They quickly changed into their pajamas, covered themselves with blankets, and leaned against the headboards of their respective beds.
At first, they watched some television, but there was nothing particularly interesting, so they soon turned it off. Each of them then took out a book from their Spatial Bags and began reading. They quickly became engrossed in their reading, and the room fell silent, with only the sound of the central air conditioning to be heard.
Two hours later, Hermione closed her book, Principles of Numerical Divination, and glanced over at the other bed. She saw Liam carefully flipping through a large book that seemed to be made of leaves. In the warm light, Hermione found herself staring at Liam’s profile, her heart beating faster.
"Is something the matter?" After finishing the section on enchantments in Elven weapon forging, Liam closed the book and noticed Hermione staring at him, her expression dazed.
"Ah, no, nothing", Hermione quickly snapped out of her daze. She felt her face growing warm, but fortunately, the bedroom lights were not very bright, so Liam likely hadn’t noticed anything amiss. She quickly found an excuse, "I was just thinking about how everyone back in Britain is spending the holiday."
"They’re probably having a good time, at least away from Umbridge that toad", Liam said, turning to look at Hermione. "By the way, you mentioned friends, and that reminds me of something."
With that, Liam stretched out his hand, adorned with rings, and waved it. A faint light enveloped both of them.
"This is—"
"A secret Magic I cast on us earlier, mainly to interfere with any tracking creatures. Since we’re here on a covert mission, if someone writes a letter and sends it by owl, and it gets intercepted, we’d be in trouble. I’m glad you reminded me, or we might not have received any gifts tomorrow."
"Well, Merry Christmas. Good night", Hermione said with a smile.
"Same to you, good night", Liam replied. They lay on their sides, quietly looking at each other, both with smiles on their faces. Due to the fatigue from their recent travels, they soon felt their eyelids growing heavy and drifted off to sleep.
(End of Chapter)
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