Chapter 48: Everyone Else Has One, Too
Chapter 48: Everyone Else Has One, Too
After a while, the friend's list fell quiet again, and Fred guessed that they might be busy setting up other chat groups.
Among the Christmas gifts he gave, there were not only the friends' lists linked to himself but also blank parchment papers linked to pairs, threes, fours, and fives. The professors also added a stack of parchment for groups of ten, forming a thick little booklet together, thus deserving of the name "BOOK."
In Fred's vision, every student at Hogwarts would soon have a friend's list. They would exchange parchments with friends or family and create chat groups of all sizes. Perhaps it wouldn't be long before Hogwarts added a new rule: "No opening the friend's list during class hours. Violators will have their lists confiscated!" Maybe students would even start comparing the thickness and value of their friends' lists. Some students might buy blank parchments to pad their lists to pretend they had joined many chat groups.
However, Professor Mori asked him not to sell the friend's list for the time being.
With a potentially lucrative opportunity cut off, Fred sighed in frustration and put away his friend's list, then began unwrapping his gifts for the year.
Among the many gift boxes under the Christmas tree, most were from Ferdinand's employees. Fred had been hanging around his father at the toy factory since he was little. He was clever, sensible, and adorable, so many longtime employees liked him a lot. Even though they hadn't seen each other in half a year, they still sent gifts. They gave various toys popular among Muggles, exquisite fountain pens and notebooks, and children's books, among other things.
There were also a few gifts from Fred's Muggle classmates from elementary school, which were simpler and mostly consisted of candies, greeting cards, and small toys.
As these were gifts he received yearly, Fred, of course, had also sent gifts of similar value in advance.
Then there were the gifts from the wizarding world.
Unlike Fred, who had sent the same gift to everyone, the people sent him a variety of books.
Professor Mori gave him a handwritten alchemy notebook, which Fred carefully put away, planning to read it after dinner;
Professor Flitwick sent a copy of "Spellbook Omnium" — This book was only available for borrowing from the Hogwarts library with a professor's note, and Fred intended to read it during the holiday break.
Michael gave him "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them"; Hermione, "The Alchemist"; Padma's gift was Gilderoy Lockhart's "Wanderings with Werewolves"; Theo, "The World's Oldest Magical Plants"; Ryan, "The Beauty of the Starry Sky"; and Neville, "The Mysteries of Transfiguration."
Apparently, his image as a bookworm was deeply rooted in everyone's minds, so everyone unanimously chose to give him books.
It looked like he would be busy during this holiday.
………………
Hogwarts.
When Dumbledore woke up in the morning, even the shoes beside his bed were buried under gifts.
He had been a professor at Hogwarts for almost a century, teaching countless students. About eighty percent of the wizards in the British Isles were his former students.
Moreover, he was the Chairman of the International Wizarding Federation, the Chief Wizard of Wizengamot, and recognized as the greatest wizard of the contemporary age and the greatest Headmaster in Hogwarts' history. Although Dumbledore himself didn't pay much attention to these titles and praises, most people did. Thus, wizards worldwide were eager to establish a good relationship with him.
So every Christmas, Dumbledore would receive numerous gifts—so many that they could almost bury the Headmaster's tower.
Fortunately, his non-verbal extension charm worked very well.
So for the entire week after Christmas, Dumbledore would be busy unwrapping presents.
This was an activity he thoroughly enjoyed.
Of course, it wasn't the value of the gifts themselves that mattered to Dumbledore, but the insights they offered into people's growth, desires, and occasionally, the little surprises they held—perhaps a dark curse or a harmless prank.
Most people who didn't know him well would send books out of reverence for the wizard, both Muggle and wizarding, many of which Dumbledore had already read, but he happily accepted them nonetheless.
Those who knew him well were aware of the old man's insatiable sweet tooth, so they often gifted him cakes, chocolates, Cockroach Clusters, and Honeydukes candies. Some of these treats would conceal deadly potions, and the process of identifying them was a rather intriguing game for Dumbledore.
There were also some people who, despite never staying in touch, would still send gifts on this special day. Even if it was just a piece of parchment, a leaf, or a pair of rather ugly, sheep-smelling wool socks, Dumbledore would treasure and collect them dearly.
As Dumbledore was unwrapping a gift box that was almost as tall as himself, an owl suddenly flew in through the window and dropped a small parcel onto his lap.
Could it be someone who had just remembered him this morning and sent a belated gift? Dumbledore wondered as he put down the large box and started unwrapping the small parcel.
Inside was only a piece of parchment and a long, narrow note.
"Dear Albus: This is the work of my student, Ved Grey! I am so proud to share my joy with you!
Wishing you well.
Minerva"
Even the "all-knowing" Dumbledore was left perplexed by this cryptic letter. He examined both sides of the parchment and confirmed that apart from Minerva's name, nothing else was written on it.
Just as Dumbledore was about to inspect it with a spell, he had another visitor.
Dumbledore walked to the entrance hall, where Professor Flitwick stood at the door, holding a similar piece of parchment. With a cheerful expression, he said, "Oh, Professor Dumbledore, here's mine. I must say, I knew he would achieve something extraordinary, but I didn't expect it to be so soon! He's only been studying magic for three and a half months?"
"Ved Grey?" Dumbledore asked tentatively.
"Yes, who else could it be?" Professor Flitwick hummed, stepping away with a light-hearted gait.
Dumbledore looked down at the parchment Flitwick had given him. Like the others, it was blank except for Flitwick's name.
Next came Professor Sprout.
"I thought about it, and apart from you, who else could I give this to?" The witch smiled gently. "Feel free to contact me anytime."
Then it was Professor McGonagall's turn. Seeing the small stack of parchments in Dumbledore's hand, she looked a bit displeased as she handed over her own. "Oh, I thought I was the first, but I didn't expect Pomona to be so quick!"
In truth, she had been unwrapping other gifts, and by the time she discovered this one, it was a bit late.
Last was Snape, who directly handed over a notebook.
"Hmph." The Potions master said with a cold gaze, "I kept the one with my name on it. I don't need the others—useless connections will only waste my time."
Dumbledore: ...
So, everyone else has one, and only he doesn't know about it?
(End of Chapter)
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