Hogwarts Bloodline Chapter 42: Howler and a Special Christmas Gift - Novel Cool

Chapter 42: Howler and a Special Christmas Gift

Ten Galleons were from Harry. Ivan was initially puzzled but then realized that Harry must have remembered his financial difficulties.

Since it was a gift, Ivan reluctantly accepted it as a precaution.

Among the remaining gifts, the notebook was signed by Hermione. It contained all the notes she had taken during classes since the start of the term, thick enough to be a book.

Ivan smiled, amused that the girl had thought along the same lines as him.

The two round, unidentified objects were from the Weasley brothers, with no explanation. However, Ivan strongly suspected they were the prank items known as Dungbombs from the original story.

Ron had sent a bag of cheap candy. Ivan tried to find something special about it but found nothing.

"I didn't know you'd send something so interesting. I thought it would just be a bag of candy", Ron, who was playing a new type of Wizard Chess with Harry, noticed Ivan's actions and his freckled face turned red, stammering a bit.

"It's nothing, sending candy is great. It'll last me a few days", Ivan quickly waved his hands, indicating he didn't mind. He was just surprised by the other high-quality gifts and had assumed Ron's would be different.

"Besides, Ron, your candy is quite tasty", Harry opened the same type of candy from Ron, took one, and popped it into his mouth. His face changed slightly when he bit down, but he still smiled happily.

With the two of them comforting him, Ron finally recovered from his embarrassment.

There was nothing he could do; before school, Mrs. Weasley had only given him two Sickles as pocket money, and even if he saved, it was almost all gone.

After comforting Ron's somewhat fragile ego, Ivan turned his attention to the last gift. The most important one was from his mother, Alesia, a Christmas gift.

It was a Crescent Moon Pendant that glowed faintly. Below the pendant was an envelope that looked different from the others and moved on its own. Ivan immediately sensed something was amiss.

This was a Howler!

Sure enough, the next second, the letter flew into the air and started shouting loudly.

"Ivan Hals!"

"Who gave you permission to sign the Stay-at-School Application without my consent? You didn't even send a single letter to ask before Christmas! I waited for you at the station for five hours! If I hadn't sent a letter to that damn headmaster, I would have thought you had disappeared or died at Hogwarts!"

The shrill voice echoed in the small dormitory, and even though Ivan covered his ears, it did little to block the sound, which seemed to have a magical quality that couldn't be blocked.

The screaming lasted for half an hour, thoroughly scolding Ivan. Finally, the letter calmed down, but not before warning him to wear the Crescent Moon Pendant at all times and never take it off without her permission.

Harry and Ron were also startled by the Howler. When the screaming stopped, Ron rubbed his ears, almost thinking he had gone deaf.

"Who sent you that Howler, Ivan? That voice is loud, almost like my mum's", Ron asked.

"Of course, it's from my mother", Ivan sighed, realizing he had forgotten to send a letter to his mother, Alesia, whom he had never met, during Christmas.

But he couldn't be blamed. After all, in Ivan's mind, he was already trying to avoid her and wouldn't think to contact her voluntarily.

"Does your mother treat you poorly? Like my aunt and uncle?" Harry asked sympathetically. In his view, staying at school during Christmas, unless the family was away like Ron's, could only mean a situation like his own.

"It's just a minor disagreement, nothing more", Ivan shook his head, not fully understanding it himself.

In fact, after learning Occlumency, Ivan could now organize the fragmented memories in his mind. Although incomplete, he had extracted a lot of valuable information.

For example, his home was in a Dark Magic Shop in Knockturn Alley, and the shop owner was his mother, Alesia Hals. Being able to survive and thrive in the chaotic Knockturn Alley with a child was a testament to Alesia's capabilities.

Apart from her considerable skills in Dark Magic, Alesia could also create various powerful and peculiar Dark Magic Artifacts.

Yes, Dark Magic Artifacts, not regular Magical artifacts.

According to Alesia Hals, normal items wouldn't sell in Knockturn Alley; only deadly, cursed items could sustain a living.

Ivan now understood where his innate skill in Magic Item Crafting came from. Just by being around, he had learned a great deal of related knowledge.

As for his father, Alesia had never mentioned him, even when asked. When pressed, she would only say he was a reckless fool who had died from his own stupidity.

And the memories of Alesia's friends and others were not as clear in Ivan's mind.

The only thing that made Ivan feel relieved was that in his memories, Alesia's wrists were as white as a rose, without the Dark Mark, meaning she wasn't on Voldemort's side.

However, her identity as a Dark Wizard couldn't be denied.

Ivan looked nervously at the Crescent Moon Pendant on the table, wondering if it was imbued with some Dark Magic to punish him from a distance.

But he was family, right? She wouldn't be that cruel, would she?

Ivan swallowed and guessed it might be a tracking device or a way to determine his location.

With this in mind, Ivan touched the pendant and looked at the Magic Items section in the system. Since he learned its use, Ivan had been using it as a detector.

[Magic Item: Crescent Moon Pendant]

Magic: Strong

Description: This is a Magic Item crafted with precious metals and great effort. It protects the wearer from a single lethal attack, destroying itself when its magic is depleted.

Note: Only a high-intensity lethal attack can activate its effect, and it contains more than just magical power.

Ivan stood there in a daze for a long time before sighing and putting the Crescent Moon Pendant around his neck.

For some reason, he almost wished it contained some Dark Magic.

(End of Chapter)

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