Chapter 76: Unboxing Christmas Gifts
Chapter 76: Unboxing Christmas Gifts
The morning after, Kyle woke up to a pile of gifts stacked like a small mountain at the foot of his bed.
Most of them were snacks like chocolate and candies, and there was a lot more than he had expected.
"It seems that being an exemplary student has its perks."
Kyle set those aside and continued to unwrap the remaining presents.
The gift from Hagrid was the largest, appearing to be a wooden barrel wrapped in thick cowhide paper.
"I hope it's not a Mooncalves'..." Kyle thought nervously as he opened the package.
Thankfully, it wasn't what he had feared. Hagrid had sent him a Mandrake, and the wooden barrel was a temporary flower pot he had found, filled with soil.
The Mandrake's leaves still had dewdrops on them, indicating that Hagrid had likely dug it up from the Forbidden Forest not long ago.
Kyle's gift to Hagrid, on the other hand, was a model Fire Dragon, the kind used for the Triwizard Tournament draw. It could move, fly at low altitudes, and even breathe fire.
Hagrid would surely love it.
Cedric's gift to him was a book titled 'The Magic of Quidditch' with signatures from the Chudley Cannons players.
Kyle looked at the signatures with disdain and set the book aside. He didn't like that team.
Interestingly, Kyle's gift to Cedric was also Quidditch-related—a signed Wimbleton Wasps baseball bat that he had cherished for a long time.
He had specially written to Mrs. Weasley to ask her to mail it for him, making it a gift filled with thoughtful consideration.
For this, Mrs. Weasley had scolded him for not going home during the holidays and said that she would definitely teach him a lesson when summer vacation arrived.
However, Kyle wasn't worried in the least.
Mrs. Weasley was easy to appease. A handmade apron, along with a beautiful report card, would surely smooth things over.
Kona's gift was a pair of woolen gloves that she had knitted herself, with Kyle's initials embroidered on them.
Surprisingly, the little witch had impressive craftsmanship, and he liked them very much.
They fit him perfectly, and he could wear them with the woolen sweater that Mrs. Weasley had sent him.
His gift to Kona was a handbag with an anti-theft device, which would undoubtedly be useful to her.
Fred had sent him a bottle of disappearing ink, while George gave him a collection book for Chocolate Frog cards, with empty transparent card slots to conveniently store his collection.
Kyle's gift to the twins was a book titled 'Introductory Alchemy,' which also served as a textbook for the Alchemy course at Beauxbatons Academy of Magic.
He knew that the twins had been inventing joke items lately, and this book would undoubtedly be of great help to them.
And, of course, there were his two adorable roommates.
Michael gave him an exquisite golden brooch, while Ryan presented him with a set of Wizard's Chess.
Surprisingly, Kyle even received a gift from Professor Flitwick—his lecture notes from his first to third year at Hogwarts, totaling two thick notebooks filled with his insights and understanding of charms.
This gift was incredibly precious.
Kyle felt a bit guilty because the gift he had sent Professor Flitwick was only a simple Rowan wood amulet.
In fact, Kyle had prepared gifts for every professor.
For Professor Flitwick, the Rowan wood amulet.
For Professor McGonagall, a golden Snitch-shaped hat accessory.
For Professor Sprout, a tool maintenance kit.
For Professor Aurora Sinistra, a walking stick.
For Professor Binns, a newspaper clipping titled 'The Three Largest Magic Academies in Europe: Professor's Treatment Edition.'
For Headmaster Dumbledore, a book titled 'A Hundred Ways to Knit Woolen Socks.'
And last but not least, for Professor Snape, who had been taking good care of him lately, Kyle expressed his gratitude with a whole box of Potter's Instant Silky Smooth Shampoo.
Kyle believed that Snape would surely be touched by this gift.
After carefully putting away Professor Flitwick's notes, Kyle unwrapped the last present, which was from Diana.
It was a silver ring with a crescent moon decoration, accompanied by a short note:
"This is a magical item that can cast the Disillusionment Charm three times. If you're in danger, infuse it with your magic and concentrate on imagining your desired location; it will take you there.
Note: It cannot be used within Hogwarts Castle, but it will work once you're outside the castle gates. If you don't feel like taking the train during the holidays, you can use it to get home.
(I hope you like this gift, dear.
Merry Christmas.)
"
An upgraded version of the front-door key? As soon as Kyle put the ring on, it fused seamlessly with his skin. He wiggled his fingers and found it surprisingly comfortable.
Kyle loved this gift.
He had always wanted to learn the Disillusionment Charm, but both Chris and Newt had refused to teach him because of his young age.
This ring was, without a doubt, the most satisfying Christmas gift he had received in his eleven years at Hogwarts.
If only it had more than three uses. Thirty would be fantastic.
After tidying up the dormitory, Kyle made his way to the common room, where he found Kona on her tiptoes, rummaging through a large flowerpot.
"What are you looking for? Do you need help?" Kyle asked.
"No, I found it," Kona replied, pulling out a dirty cloth bag from the pot. She turned to him and said, "Thank you for the Christmas present. I really needed that."
Kyle watched as she took out two galleons from the bag and placed them into the handbag he had given her. Confused, he asked, "Are you still losing galleons?"
"No more of that," Kona shook her head. "But I lost two sickles yesterday afternoon."
Wasn't that the same thing?
Frowning, Kyle asked, "What about your roommates? Did they all go home?"
"Yeah, they left. I'm the only one here now," Kona said with a hint of excitement. "But they sent me gifts—hair clips from the Muggle world, and they're gorgeous."
Kyle rubbed his forehead, about to say something, when Kona dashed back to the dormitory.
When she returned, she held a small wooden box in her hand.
"Look, aren't they beautiful?" Kona handed the box to Kyle.
Inside were seven or eight colorful hair clips, with designs that were undoubtedly more fashionable than anything from the magical world.
However, Kyle wasn't interested in such things and simply glanced at them before attempting to hand the box back to Kona.
But just then, he noticed a small bottle hidden beneath the hair clips. Driven by curiosity, he reached out and moved the clips aside.
"What is thi... Holy cow?!"
Kyle's hand shook, nearly dropping the box. He broke into a cold sweat and quickly set it down on the nearby wooden table.
After calming himself, he cautiously reached out and picked up the tiny bottle.
(End of Chapter)
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