Chapter 414: Reply
Chapter 414: Reply
In the following days, the young wizards were highly enthusiastic about discussing the wildly imaginative movie plots, along with passing comments on their professors. First and second-year students often looked at the older students with envy, bitterly noting that Professor Flitwick was also quite good, allowing them to play games in the last class of the term.
"That's indeed nice, especially compared to other professors..." Seamus said resentfully while rushing through his Potions Class homework. His eyes were red, as if he hadn't slept well.
Even if the young wizards still harbored a bit of hope for the stern Professor Mcgonagall, they were realistic enough not to expect Snape to allow any rowdiness in his classroom. In fact, he simply placed the antidote test on the last day before the holiday, making the young wizards tremble with fear and work diligently.
Neville sat on the empty chair next to Seamus and shared some tips.
"Be especially careful with the mistletoe berries, or your toad will never come back..."
"I don't have a toad, you know, Neville."
Dean Thomas, who was standing nearby, chuckled and said, "He's just voicing his worries." He handed Seamus a small cookie, which Seamus bit into viciously and continued writing his essay. Suddenly, he sprouted a full body of feathers.
Dean laughed, "Fred and George Weasley's Canary Creams, just seven sickles each." He put the remaining half in his own mouth, and Neville found himself sitting between two giant canaries, his eyes darting back and forth in amazement.
People in the common room looked over, making Neville feel extremely uncomfortable. He awkwardly picked up a custard cookie and stuffed it in his mouth—
Everyone pointed and laughed at the three canaries, "Ouch!" Angelina laughed so hard that tears streamed down her face.
...
On the day before Christmas, Hogwarts finally welcomed the Christmas holiday.
Snow fell heavily outside, and Felix and Niffler Valen were playing Exploding Snap on the sofa. Valen insisted on changing the game, so he watched as Niffler used its tiny hands to stack the cards, "Are you building a nest for yourself?" he asked curiously.
Niffler's hand trembled, and the cards caught fire as if receiving a command.
Felix reached out, picked up Niffler, and sat back on the sofa. With a "bang", they both stared at the rising cloud of black smoke.
"It seems you've learned a lot", Felix said to Valen.
At that moment, the sound of flapping wings came from outside the window. Felix opened it, and seven or eight owls of various sizes and colors flew in, each carrying packages and letters.
"Tomorrow is Christmas", Felix mused to himself. "I expect a flood of greetings from readers. I need to write replies quickly." He glanced at the corner, where a pile of gifts was stacked like a small mountain.
Valen watched as Felix removed the packages and letters from the owls and provided them with food and water for a short rest. Then, the owls flew away, leaving a few lingering behind.
When he turned back, Felix was already sitting in the high-backed chair behind his desk, starting to write replies.
"Let's see..."
He opened a letter, read it, and then took out a quill and parchment to write a quick response—
"Mr. Cyrus, I am delighted to receive your letter. I have studied the scales of the Armenian Sigil Serpent you sent and find the sigils on them extremely intriguing. It's difficult to say at this stage if these patterns are related to their unique quasi-magical abilities, but further research is needed... I wish you a successful expedition on the Iranian Plateau."
Felix sealed the letter in an envelope, and a brown owl hopped onto the table, extending a leg for him to tie the reply. Valen gave it an owl cookie, which it clamped in its beak and flew off into the snow.
The second reply read:
"Ms. Maggie, Merry Christmas... No, I don’t have any new book plans at the moment. I might release a small booklet about Runes, but I’m not sure about the details yet... Also, I don’t think putting my photo on the cover is a good idea, but thank you for your suggestion."
The third letter was not as friendly. Fortunately, Felix spotted the trap early and easily removed the curse. He also kept the large reddish-brown bird that delivered the letter, which now stood with its legs together, looking rather pitiful. Felix wrote:
"Mr. Anonymous, your pranks are as poor as your handwriting. I don’t want to waste my breath discussing any Muggle issues with you. I hope your messenger will deliver my reply on time for Christmas."
Felix placed a curse on the parchment and attached the letter to the reddish-brown bird. "Go on, back to your owner", he said with a smile.
The following day, he was quite busy—
"Ms. Jane, thank you for your continued support. I’m not sure if you will receive this letter, as the owls have never found you and always returned the letters. Perhaps your identity needs to be kept secret, and I understand that completely. The black market is currently on high alert. As far as I know, the Ministry of Magic is cracking down on illegal potions, possibly due to a batch of Wolfsbane Potion that has leaked out..."
"Mr. Vera, your granddaughter is performing exceptionally well. I’m preparing to give her a raise. You might as well give up on the idea of getting her into the Ancient Runes Association. I believe it won’t be long before Clemmy’s income surpasses yours. And if you think about it, what she’s doing now is more meaningful, Vice President."
...
While he was writing replies, Uriah Edmund and Bethany Bach, along with Byers Bach, came to visit. Byers was carrying three large boxes and was puffing and panting as he walked in last.
"Professor Hep, this is a Christmas gift for you..."
Uriah explained with a smile, "Byers insisted on carrying them himself. Bethany wanted to help, but he wouldn’t let her."
Byers looked a bit embarrassed and then mumbled, "Professor Hep, has Valen learned any words yet?"
"Not many... I don’t think he can communicate with you yet. You can play Exploding Snap with him; he’s very good at the traditional version", Felix said.
Byers stared at the scattered Exploding Snap cards on the table, somewhat dazed. "This, uh... Valen is really smart."
Felix and Uriah, along with Bethany, sat on the sofa. Felix served them honey tea. "Uriah, I don’t suppose you want to discuss some obscure magical and non-magical topics in front of Bethany today, do you?"
"Of course not. Bethany wanted to visit you and bring a gift", Uriah said. He had been visiting quite often recently, especially since he had lost his wand publicly and was no longer directly involved in training Champions, leaving him with more free time.
When he had nothing to do, he would come to Felix’s office to discuss various perspectives on the magical and non-magical worlds, which was beneficial for both of them.
As they chatted, Uriah mentioned Byers, nodding in his direction and saying, "He’s the Captain of the Champions now."
"Graves..."
Uriah shook his head. "His mindset isn’t suitable for the role", he said, recalling a recent event. "When we arrived, we caught an interesting scene. The Champion from Beauxbatons—Delacour—tried to invite your Champion, but he already had a dance partner."
"Is it Cedric Diggory?" Felix asked, thinking for a moment.
"Exactly", Uriah smiled. "She has a lot of charm, but it doesn’t always work..."
The "Armenian Sigil Serpent" mentioned in this chapter comes from a submission by the book club "Ravenclaw-Selwyn Tower-Cyrus."
(End of Chapter)
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